Swept Away (1974)
"Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto" (original title)

A rich woman, Raffaella, and some friends rent a yacht to sail the Mediterranean Sea during summer. The sailor, Gennarino, who is a communist, does not like this woman but has to bear with ... See full summary »

Director:

Lina Wertmüller

Writer:

Lina Wertmüller

Stars:

Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Riccardo Salvino

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Gennarino Carunchio
Mariangela Melato	...	Raffaella Pavone Lanzetti
Riccardo Salvino	...	Signor Pavone Lanzetti
Isa Danieli	...	Anna
Aldo Puglisi
Anna Melita
Giuseppe Durini
Lucrezia De Domizio
Luis Suarez
Vittorio Fanfoni
Lorenzo Piani
Eros Pagni	...	Pippe

Storyline

A rich woman, Raffaella, and some friends rent a yacht to sail the Mediterranean Sea during summer. The sailor, Gennarino, who is a communist, does not like this woman but has to bear with her bad mood. One day she wakes up late in the afternoon and asks to be taken to land where everyone had gone earlier. Gennarino sets up a boat but during the trip, the boat breaks down. They spend the night in the middle of the sea.

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Plot Keywords:

yacht | commedia all'italiana | face slap | ship wreck | misogyny | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

17 September 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Swept Away

Filming Locations:

Tortolì, Sardinia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Produzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Gennarino Carunchio: One bitch up there, and another down here, and my friend The Sea turned traitor!

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Connections

Referenced in Melrose Place: Swept Away (1994)

User Reviews

Power, Politics and Human Nature

I feel that many of the comments for 'Swept Away...' slightly miss the point. Certainly, it is about politics. But Wertmuller is not taking sides between her communist & capitalist heros. She is examining what happens when they are removed from the society that defines their roles and their relationship.

Once the balance of power is reversed, they essentially change places. He becomes dominant (and often abusive). She becomes weak and submissive. The rough sex, etc. is all symbolic of how the poor are treated by the rich. And Wertmuller shows us that the 'working class hero' has no inherent nobility. Put in the position of power, he is every bit as cruel as his former oppressors. Once they return to society, the balance of power is once again reversed.

The message here is that there are no political heros and villains. Power is relative and arbitrary. And sadly, it is our nature to abuse it. The lesson is, perhaps, that we must rise above that base instinct and treat our fellow men with empathy and generosity. "We have met the enemy, and he is us."