Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Frank Perry... and an uncredited Sydney Pollack
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Tony Bickley, Marge Champion
From: Columbia/Horizon
I give this a high rating for a reason:
This will be an uncommon review for me: one where I start off spoiler-free then there will be a clear demarcation line where I then will spoil the plot for those that have seen this already. The reason why: I saw this having known of the movie for a few years now (I think it was the Rupert Pupkin Speaks site where this was first discovered by me) yet only knew the basic synopsis of “Burt Lancaster swims across various swimming pools in Connecticut and oh yeah, this is surreal.”
The movie is more complex than I suspected from what sounds like a simple premise. To be vague, you suspect Burt to be a likable protagonist; he is a movie star who has been in some legendary movies and he spends each scene-except one-in swim trunks so that is what you naturally assume. However, it's not that type of movie. “Deconstruction” is not a term I usually use but it does apply here. Things become more peculiar the longer it runs and his plan becomes a nightmare. The Swimmer is the sort of movie which can be interpreted a few different ways... any and all seem valid, really. Thankfully the movie is complex, not impenetrable, thoughtful without being smug or obvious in its messages. If such a premise sounds intriguing-a film where you have to pay attention and notice how various characters interact with each other-this is well worth tracking down... which is thankfully easy to do.
Here be spoilers &&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The Swimmer centers around Burt Lancaster's Ned Merrill, someone who at first seems like a successful person who has a wife and two kids. Right away things seem off... he pops up at the first pool out of nowhere and it appears as if he hasn't seen his friends for awhile. The further we get into the plot, it becomes more obvious that this journey is surreal... it seems like entire seasons pass by and Merrill is always treated oddly by the people he comes across. It is soon apparent that Ned's demeanor and the front he puts up is a facade... Merrill is actually a cad who is a womanizer, had wild daughters who hate him and they are out of control, & his wife doesn't love him anymore.
What it all means can certainly be debated. Is it just a look at one man who is a fraud? Is it a condemnation of all people who are phony like this? Does it skewer The American Dream and how the idea of having a big house w/ such niceties as a pool is rather shallow... especially if you are a lousy human being? It may be one or all of those things... or other ideas. As the star, Lancaster is great. You realize his cocksure attitude is actually a display of braggadocious overconfidence, and his big smile is phony. The viewer discovers that his wife was the one who was financially successful, and Ned is a deadbeat w/ unpaid bills. For me the highlight was his scene with Shirley (Janice Rule); it is there that she destroys him with plenty of acidic dialogue over their love affair, his cowardly behavior and his charlatan act.
No wonder the movie was advertised w/ the tagline “When you talk about The Swimmer, will you talk about yourself?” I imagine that everyone will realize that they put up a front, a self-deception where they present themselves inaccurately, for the purpose of making themselves look better, hide their flaws and/or improve their self-confidence. It may not be easy for some but I am glad this was finally seen by me; in fact, I should not have put it off for a few years. The fact that Frank Perry directed most of this, only to have Sydney Pollack finish it and their two styles are polar opposites, it is quite the feat that such tonal shifts actually work in its factor due to the general surreal tone. One last thing: I won't say what my opinions are concerning its meaning... I'll just add one of my own: Ned is in Hell. Imagine having to repeat this miserable day for the rest of time... you wake up with no memory and you have to relive this emasculating, embarrassing evisceration of yourself constantly.
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