Swept Away (2002)

A snooty socialite is stranded on a Mediterranean island with a communist sailor.

Director:

Guy Ritchie

Writer:

Guy Ritchie (screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Greenwood, Madonna, Elizabeth Banks

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Greenwood	...	Tony
Madonna	...	Amber
Elizabeth Banks	...	Debi
Michael Beattie	...	Todd
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Marina
David Thornton	...	Michael
Yorgo Voyagis	...	Captain
Ricardo Perna	...	Crew Member
Adriano Giannini	...	Giuseppe
George Antoni	...	Chef (as George Yiasoumi)
Beatrice Luzzi	...	Rich Lady
Lorenzo Ciompi	...	Rich Man
Patrizio Rispo	...	Burly Captain
Francis Pardeilhan	...	Tony's Assistant
Rosa Pianeta	...	Receptionist

Storyline

Amber is 40, beautiful, rich, spoiled, and arrogant beyond measure. Nothing makes this woman happy, including her wealthy but passive husband (Tony), a pharmaceutical kingpin. When Tony takes her on a private cruise from Greece to Italy, Amber is unimpressed at this impromptu no-frills vacation, and takes out her anger on the ship's first mate, Giuseppe. When a storm leaves the two shipwrecked on a deserted island, however, the tables suddenly turn...

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Plot Keywords:

island | vacation | stranded | sailor | storm | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia Tristar [fr] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English Greek Italian

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Love, Sex, Drugs & Money

Filming Locations:

Alghero, Sassari, Sardinia, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$354,052 (USA) (11 October 2002)

Gross:

$598,645 (USA) (25 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems, SKA Films, Codi S.p.a.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Madonna plays a character called Amber Leighton, which is the name of director (and Madonna's husband) Guy Ritchie mother.

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Goofs

When Guiseppe and Amber are back from the Island and the guy with the suitcase comes to offer reward money to Guiseppe, he's wearing a blue suit. Guiseppe angrily says he doesn't want his bribe. When the man comes back into the bar with the suitcase ONE MINUTE later at the most - he's wearing entirely different clothes. He has a green suit on. Pretty fast change.

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Quotes

Tony: Would you show my wife the gym.
Guiseppe: Wait here!(takes out an exercise bike) YOUR GYM MADAM!!
Amber: ANTHONY!!!

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Fade Into You"
(1993)
Written by David Roback, Hope Sandoval
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
Performed by Mazzy Star
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Thought provoking

The critics were spineless in their analysis of this movie. Typically, critics posture as examples of open-mindedness, but quickly turn hypocritical when a story takes a view contrary to their own brand of en-vogue political correctness.

The media is perfectly willing to jump up and applaud dramatic material exploring social taboos ranging from child sex to four thousand different types of murder, but when it comes to exploring the raw and uninhibited relationship between a man and woman on a desert island, and the primal gender characteristics that evolve the relationship, they get scared and run for cover - because it does not promote their ever-chi chi uni-sexist agenda.

While not the best made film of 2002, this movie was actually an interesting story with a powerful statement about society, love and relationships, and on its own, takes a radical and even liberal look at these critical elements of our everyday lives.

In their run for cover, aside from directly and personally picking on Madonna and `her husband,' the socio-politically driven critics tended to haphazardly pick at various elements of the movie such as:

The film appears washed out - in my analysis, with this, the director found he could evoke a mood in the audience utilizing this effect. The white wash look imposed a hot, desert like feel which created a dry distaste of the lives the aristocrats were living. It sets up an underlying melodramatic tone that exudes in Madonna's character and reflects the harshness of her current life. Utilizing non-standard film traits is consistent stylistically with other Guy Ritchie films.

Madonna is too melodramatic - once again, intentional flavoring that adds contrast as her character arcs throughout the film. It also sets up the humor we find in her drastic transformation. It is only because she was a `super bitch' before that we can at first enjoy when the tables are turned. Our enjoyment, of course, quickly turns to concern when we feel that Giuseppe goes too far by our standards.

Unintentional humor - perhaps the audience is laughing at the very right time, yet the intently politically correct critic is simply offended that the audience finds these moments funny.

The plot is improbable - welcome to movie land. The majority of plots and stories in general are improbable.

About half the critical reviews I read admitted the reviewer's real problem with the movie and positioned the subject matter as dated, antediluvian, archaic, etc. This reflects their own fear that the movie might allude to some uncomfortable truths about human nature.

Swept Away simply, but brilliantly breaks two people down into their primal roles as a man and a woman. In the film, absent the rules of a structured society, the physically dominant man assumes a role as the hunter gatherer and uses/abuses this dominance to subordinate the female character that once tormented him. The woman, Amber, who had found her previous plastic life to be unsatisfying, falls dependant on Giuseppe and uncovers a deeper meaning to her existence in the form of an animalistic carnal attraction that surfaces and drives her to a passionate relationship with him. The movie, unfitting with modern social mores, suggests that innate gender biased traits can form the basis for truly passionate and meaningful love.

If we expound on this, the message is that men and women are inherently different and naturally gravitate to different roles in a relationship and that society, at least in some instances, can interfere with these deep rooted urges.

It is a gritty, believable, yet a bit uncomfortable suggestion that perhaps gender roles do offer some reward in society. It was enjoyable to watch, humorous at times and a little painful at others. I give the director the benefit of the doubt and can assume that I was guided well through the story.

The movie is far from perfect in that we don't particularly empathize greatly with any of the main characters, at least until the final few scenes of the movie, though I am not sure we are supposed to. Much of the dialog was not properly updated from the 70s to the 00s - the discussion about `chemicals' for example. Also, there are some embarrassingly poorly made scenes - such as when Amber and Giuseppe are supposed to be zipping along in a speed boat and there is not such as a hair moving on their heads, and every scene where the Mediterranean looks about as wavy as a backyard pool

One thing is for sure - the subject matter is surprisingly thought and discussion provoking and the movie is better than 98% of the other new release rentals out there. Rent it and talk about it.