The Swimmer (1968) - The American Nightmare

[@Leon-zu1wp]

Absolutely criminal how underrated this film is. There's nothing like it. I've never connected so much with a film in my life.

[@CABJ007]

I totally agree!! Saw it for the first time when I was about 10. Haunted by it then, just as I am now. (forty something years later)

[@nigelh3253]

Burt Lancaster was a very versatile actor; a truly great actor who could take on many different roles and make them convincing. Yes, a one-off film with wonderful cast, production, music, etc. It all makes this movie very memorable.

[@alfredodistefanolaulhe2212]

The ending of the movie is shocking and pretty sad.

[@JB-kg1zv]

@@CABJ007 you werent haunted by this movie at 10 you wannabe intellectual. Most adults who watch this movie without reading about it beforehand have a hard time grasping what the movie is trying to say. You want me to believe some 10 year old understands mortality and the inner workings of how upper class society behaves looooooooooool. Get over yourself

[@DerekLyons]

An amazing movie ❤

[@janisadams3802]

Saw this in the theater in ‘68. Haunting film! ❤

[@cotter9751]

Saw this when it first came out, and I was way too young to understand - all I remember was being charmed by the idea of Burt swimming home via pools. I've watched it several times over the years, most recently just yesterday. It's not nearly as biting as I recall. But to be as biting as the time period had deserved, they'd have had to be sooth-sayers, mind-readers, future-tellers. Glad to have rewatched, but it didn't live up to the standard of memory :)

[@mortalclown3812]

Thank you. I'm old now and have adored Burt Lancaster for my entire life - this and The Leopard are my favorites. More to him than meets the eye...then and now.

[@DanielLiebert-i1p]

(And Atlantic City). He wore the same old sport coat for years with a knotted tied ready to put on. He would go into 21 club, slip on the old tie and walk in through the room of actors, celebrities and famous people dressed in the latest fashions - and both men and women turned their heads to see this MAN go by with his panther walk, his icy blue eyes like a malamute...and envy him.

[@Amtran727]

It was interesting how the further down the line he got swimming home, the meaner and more hostile the people became.

[@nikolavejnovic8483]

That's basically the allegory of his own life.

[@bhbluebird]

Reality starts to sets in when the buffer of youth is gone.

[@traceywatson5452]

The people closer to home perhaps represent the newly rich - the boogie and those who know the Dream has escaped them. The boogie are insecure about their wealth; how do you display it, whose wealthier than me, looking down on me? Likely, they are the carpet baggers, who buy up the estates of people like Ned, when they come up short. The shopkeepers literally do not have the time or money, due to all the credit they extend to 'wealthier' patrons like Ned, to lay claim to the Dream, hence their resentment. People like Ned, who spend beyond their means, on credit, keep them operating on slim margins. The trades people's slice of the Dream, the Municipal swimming pool, is full of the mud, spit, hair, contagious diseases, mixed with chlorine at almost toxic levels; no state of the art pool filters here. No one in Ned's old world will think these people clean enough to literally 'drop in' to their pool. On a broiling hot day, if the shopkeepers' children don't have half a dollar entrance fee, their children will simply stew. The initial pool owners perhaps represent the old garde, with their swimming pools, paddocked horses, air travel, education etc...Their privilege affords them the luxury of empathy and fine manners; a world away from their boogie neighbours who seek to emulate them. It maybe, that as Ned's money slipped away, he could not face his old neighbours but he could still impress the new comers, who are less interested in the niceties of social etiquette and all about what money can buy but when you no longer have any money there's no need for me to associate with you; a timeless film, with a timeless message...😕

[@trhansen3244]

Agreed. He was meeting more and more Democrats.

[@edwardfestor8726]

I think he had a midlife breakdown and was getting closer to the reality of his life as he got closer to home. This was a remarkable movie for 1968, Hollywood was rapidly changing, the old studio heads were leaving, films like Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, and Catch 22 were being made (or soon would be).It is even more remarkable that this film was actually made in 1966 and shelved for two years. It was far ahead of its time. If it were made today as an independent film it might be more successful.

[@mikemccormick8115]

I stumbled upon this very profound and engaging film years ago. I never forgot it. Started watching it a few minutes in but it grabbed me and I couldn’t stop watching. Lancaster being one of the great masculine actors in the golden age helped the film of course. I think one of the messages of the film is that as long as life is going along fine people can appear strong but if things start to unravel the we can become very frail to the point of losing our minds.

[@tomkent4656]

Panned and underrated at the time of its release, this film has finally achieved its place in film history.

[@padijeff5675]

Burt Lancaster is so watchable an actor! Like in Run Silent, Run Deep!😼

[@johnnyangel9163]

A more cerebral and mature The Graduate.

[@iceblueeyes9455]

This movie is two years older than me. And they dont make movies like this anymore sad

[@thatspiritualhumane]

Make no mistake, this film is one of the few masterpieces, a study on "human nature"

[@katejunita8353]

Underrated masterpiece, I agree with you.

[@patthewoodboy]

agree , I first saw this when I was about 15 it made a huge impression on me

[@rbjones72703]

I saw this in a HS class

[@aspensulphate]

Have to agree. Though the arc is the same as in Cheever's short story, the film brings it to life in all its wonderfully disturbing glory.

[@seanodwyer4322]

from this movie came ''Tarzan'' who added a knife too his britchers

[@aeiouxs]

Very nice spotlight on this movie, a personal favourite of mine. I once read that the whole movie may be an allegory about the passage of life ; the first people he meets treat him jus tas a baby would be treated - nothing but the utmost positivity and fascination. His encounter with the babysitter represents the innocence and optimism of youthful romance and love. Of course it all goes downhill from there, towards death which maybe represented by the permanently closed door of his delapidated old house, and the disappointments that elicits within him looking back on his life/choices. These are my feelings anyway after watching it many times over the years. Thanks again.

[@aeiouxs]

Actually one detail that really stands out in the movie for me, which may reveal more of Neds' story is his Wagon - it was either ; a) sold without his knowledge with him being away (or evicted from) the family house for a long period of time or b) he has lost his memory and they were all evicted, as he has yet to discover the truth about the house. It's really the most touching part, as it reflects his Fatherly qualities and some care for his daughters/family, perhaps before things turned bad because of his actions.

[@aeiouxs]

@Chad Vindly absolutely agree on this - and do go on, I'm still attempting to deconstruct this in relation to my own life and hopes (in a positive way) :) thanks for your reply

[@flyonthewall8122]

One hint that reveals the passage of time, is how the season changes as he goes. He starts out on a mid-summer day & then bad weather begins to threaten. The leaves fall. It gets colder & Neddy becomes weaker & more tired. I think it's a study of an alcoholic man who didn't make very good choices in his adult life.

[@usaturnuranus]

Yes indeed, the entire thing is very clearly an allegory for life - in particular, a kind of life that a lot of men of that era lived who were financially successful, yet somehow never quite satisfied no matter how many material trappings they could afford. And by constantly chasing the next "high", by hopelessly trying to hang on to their fading youth (ie with younger women) , they lose the very essence of what it was they were seeking in the first place - until destiny finally catches up with them, as of course it does with all of us. Live well, count your blessings, love and treasure those who really matter before death comes calling. Peace.

[@JessicaMcGowan-bu4ls]

Good perspective.

[@peggysue913]

“May there always be sugar on your strawberries”! My favorite line from movie. Love you, Burt! ❤️

[@FreddyMacT]

I love this movie for how it reels me into summer. Was an avid swimmer all the way till I graduated high school, so been in the pool for most of my life. That scene when he comes out of the public pool shivering is so real to me, can even feel the cold hitting as he walks alone. Truly a great movie, a bit of a Twilight Zone riff to it and most of the critics for this movie complained that no one could empathize with a rich man. But it's more so about the hollowness in status. That this man based his whole life on his looks and wealth and without them his veneer is laid plain.

[@crayrudinyang5598]

@ja maguire and @Freddy McTickles feel like he's more of a fisher king like character, like some monumental loss and struggling fighting to beat the beast that attacked. feel like he just kinda moves from moment to moment kinda drifting, perhaps always...

[@DonatoDamiano-r2g]

A human being with no place to go.

[@johnkeviljr9625]

I saw it when I was 20 in 1971. It was powerful and very disturbing. You kind of knew it wasn’t going to end well for Ned. Any lead character named Ned, isn’t going to fare well.

[@hymen0callis]

A wonderful, haunting, poetic film, whose memory has stayed with me to this day. A true gem of New Hollywood cinema, but sadly somewhat forgotten (only 12k ratings on IMDb?).

[@readmelancholystrumpetmaster]

As the movie begins, it appears people are on Ned's side, friendly to him, even somewhat in awe of his presence. As it progresses, we are introduced to characters gently critical and finally openly hostile. So, it's really a journey to clarity from a man who has long lived among the depths of his idealistic delusions.

[@charliebures4032]

Caught this movie in the early eighties on television..blown away...then spent 40 years trying to find it again...with the internet managed to get info on it and somewhere along the line I got to see it again..excellent movie...early Joan river's a bonus!

[@IAmTheSnuggler]

Just watched this on criterion, such a strange, beautiful, and depressing gem. What a great analysis you've made! I love how the dream logic of the beginning of the film (his whimsical dream of the river of pools, the fact nobody is bothered by him randomly appearing in their yards) transitions into nightmare logic at the end (the cars on the highway, everyone is laughing at him behind his back, his glory days are gone forever). The main theme is also nicely summed up from his journey: he stops on the lofty hill and descends further and further into the realities of life for most Americans.

[@TheMoZProject]

It's great that Criterion added this to their streaming service, but I heard it will be removed from there at the end of March, so it's a good thing you watched it before then! Thanks for the comment.

[@johnnyangel9163]

@@TheMoZProject Caught it on TCM!Interesting and funny and disturbing. I saw Illena Douglass"s review on Trailers From Hell.Im glad I did.

[@johnnyangel9163]

@@TheMoZProject Talking about the indictment of Surburbia,I'm looking for a small silly Paul Anka film called Look In Any Window.Do you know how I can find?

[@MrPunkforlife]

@@johnnyangel9163 No..... but what a TERRIFIC movie that was ! 8O

[@arlen6658]

Lancaster's THE SWIMMER is also HIS greatest film, a paean to his own (fading) masculine beauty, as well as one of the greatest films about "the Sixties," in its jaundiced look at suburbia and its discontents, both material(-ism) and psychological. The Swimmer's Twilight Zonesque ENDING is one of the great cinematic endings in history, rivaling Citizen Kane and The Planet of The Apes in its awesome, awful tragic impact.

[@TheMoZProject]

Thanks for the comment. I always felt the Twilight Zone episode "Walking Distance" has some similar vibes to The Swimmer. For the ending specifically, Planet of the Apes is a good comparison (and they were both released in '68!)

[@arlen6658]

@@TheMoZProject i think "Willoughby" is closer to "The Swimmer"--that episode's Gert Williams is essentially Ned Merrill having his breakdown

[@phineasbeloved]

Love this movie! The music, it all seems to be music. A dead man reflecting on his lost life. It strikes to the heart. Such complete sad desolation of losing what too late he now recognize as ultimate treasure that has slipped through his fingers to vanish beneath the waves of frigid black water

[@bruce1947]

I dreamed of a movie with a gangster swimming in corpse water and while hoping that one existed i stumbled across roger Ebert's review of this movie and was instantly hooked, i then watched it pretty much immediately and rated it 10/10 on imdb. I'm pretty used to 60s/70s art movies so this one felt right at home. I love the elegant simplicity of it.

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

Such a wonderful film. Haunting and melancholy.

[@hannejeppesen2887]

I saw this film when it was released in 1968. I was a 23 year old au pair from Denmark, it was my second summer living in Westport Ct, I think some of the film is shot there, other parts in surrounding areas of Ct. I loved it, yes it is depressing. At the time I tried to perhaps analyze it too much. Thought his journey from pool to pool represented how as he went through life he got more and more disillusioned. Which considering what went on in 1968 perhaps was not so far off. Anyway not sure I was correct, first of all I have adopted a more positive outlook on life. I think now it just show a middle age man, that at one point pretty much had it all, and it appears he lost it due to some foolish decisions, and have trouble facing reality. I do identify with some of the scenes with the pool and parties, I had friends that lived in houses like that, coming from rural Denmark it was like a fairy tale, certainly kind of what I imagined America would be like. However, also noticed how shallow these parties and get together seems at times.

[@TheMoZProject]

Thanks for sharing!

[@tontobuzz]

Wow, that's really cool. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. This is exactly why I love the youtube comments under smartly made videos. Very interesting how your views on this movie have changed over your lifetime. I'm with you on your more current interpretation of the story. And pretty cool that someone your age is using youtube. (Please don't take the last sentence as a disrespect of mine) :)

[@astragreen]

I've watched this film at least 10 times and will watch it over an over for years. it's fantastic and I believe very melancholy, every film needs to be watched at least 4 or 5 Times because everytime you watch the same film you look at it differently try it!

[@kuzminyan]

good analysis. I fell in love with this movie yesterday. I don’t know why I didn’t even hear about it before, it’s a real hidden gem. It's a crime that even on KZbin there are so few videos about this movie

[@TheMoZProject]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RobertCousland]

Saw this movie when I was much too young to be doing so (between 5 and 8). It had a very powerful effect on my young mind and haunted me for many years after. It still evokes strong feelings in me even as an adult because of its impact on me in my youth. This film has a lot going on in it. Philosophically, psychology, culturally... I wish that I could have talked to someone, an adult who saw and understood the movie, who could have helped me to process and work through what I experienced in watching this film alone in the dark very late one night. The experience of seeing Star Wars for the first time at the age of 9 in 1977 was nothing compared to The Swimmer.

[@gunner678]

Do you know what, I felt the same. I was a little older when I saw it on British TV in the mid 70s. I too found it quite disturbing. I watched it again just today nearly 50 years later and it still makes me think. In some ways It seems like a nightmare that one cannot rise from, but whose nightmare is it? Is Ned real, is this odyssey real or is he merely an 'apophatic' shadow which remains in the collective memory of former friends and neighbours, society as a whole? On a macro scale, are the characters afraid of Ned because what happened to him could happen to them? Or is he a ghost, maybe the zeitgeist of a post modern America ('I can't travel in a car, it's impossible')? Or is he simply a broken man returned after a breakdown. That's the 'beauty' of this masterpiece, its enigmatic, so many narrative possibilities work. It has echoes of Shlessinger's Midnight Cowboy, but at the other end of the social scale, in every respect. The psychedelic sixties in full flux. I hope this helps, it certainly made me think.

[@mikeareal]

Another 5 year old at the time, here!

[@jeffryhammel3035]

Yeah, me too. I'm 61, but I first saw it when I was in my 20's. So very different and a somewhat difficult flick on all those levels u mentioned. Personally, I think it's a movie best watched alone.

[@jeffryhammel3035]

@@gunner678 Wow! Great piece of analysis. I loved the part where u mentioned that maybe the neighbors feared Ned's wrath. Thanks also for mentioning "Midnight Cowboy"; an all time favorite of mine. There was a huge number of late 60's and early 70's movies that made us think. Kinda an American film renaissance. Again, glad to read your comment, and also the one above it!

[@jeffryhammel3035]

I for forgot, M.D. - "HAUNT". You used that word above. That's the primary feeling I got watching "The Swimmer". Good movies can do that.

[@TheBermudaMan]

After Ned reached his lonely, empty, desolate house, I'm inclined to believe he smashed a chair through one of the windows, crawled inside, dragged himself up the stairs to what used to be his bedroom, and huddled into the tiny, womb-like space of his spare closet, where he slowly but finally - mercifully - died.

[@crayrudinyang5598]

me too, felt like he had some terminal disease witht the chill and shakes and hes is like a animal returning home to die

[@Jay-vr9ir]

@@crayrudinyang5598 He could have been sick , I have been around people that are terminal and they do not have that kind of energy , unless it is early in the illness.

[@plasticweapon]

okay.

[@firewalkwithme2539]

I'd say you're quite the raconteur at parties😂😂

[@TheBermudaMan]

@@firewalkwithme2539 So are the makers of this movie.

[@davidmedeiros2856]

Read the short story by John Cheever in college and than saw the movie. Always stays with you even years later. Very surreal.

[@zenarcade64]

Classic! I just saw it again. The DVD has lots of special features. To me this film is so integral to the era of the 1960s, and sychronous with me. Frank Perry is one of my favorite directors!

[@Xanaroo216]

Thank you for this thoughtful, funny, and entertaining review. This is one of my all-time favorite films and I’ve seen it probably close to 40 times in the past 20 years so I know all the ins and outs of it. I’ve thought many times about what the film is trying to say. (“When you talk about the Swimmer… will you talk about yourself?”) I think you encapsulate things well here. I hope this will encourage folks to watch this extremely underrated film. It’s one of the truly best!

[@TheMoZProject]

Wow, you've seen it a bunch. Thanks for the comment!

[@crayrudinyang5598]

@@TheMoZProject @Xanaroo216 Thank you for ditto; it just never leaves you saw it in 88 first and its stuck with me ever since and i go back to it over and over, especially when its on the silver screen again asa midnight film or whatnot its on my top 100 list... just rewatched it again the bueray and the slightly refined original but in the later release widescreen... bena big burt lancaster fan for years watched everything he is in in. think i like the train the best... he wasa real buster keaton of his time doing his own stunts and both were from a circus background supposedly... strange interesting life, he is the perfect embodiment of the swimmer... strangely enough the director Frank Perry who looks like the older brother of Anohni/Hegarty from Antony and the johnsons he was a strange guy too. is an actors studio graduate, thee place for method acting is the uncle of Katy Perry of jean binett ramsey fame recently. died fairly young like mid 60s if prostate cancer which is rare. is a new yorker in the full and like all of us that gleam big werent born there. His wife Elenor wrote the screen play for his first film David and Lisa, as she also did for the swimmer film adaptation, after he returned from the korean war made a ULB feature. its pretty damn good imo. definately worth a watch; later in the late 90s oprah made a remake of it with lucas haas and britney murphy remember it wasnt too bad... but definately not the original. apparently there is a biography coming out about him from wiki; Author Justin Bozung, who has been researching Perry's life since 2013, is currently writing an official biography titled Character Is Story: The Life & Films of Frank Perry. The book is due to be released in 2022.[13][14]

[@timwarne6923]

I watch it often and always pick up something extra. What a journey for Ned and for all of us who care!

[@angelo7419]

A movie that takes you on a incredible journey... The outcome of decision and choices you make in your life and how it affects your future... The way this movie portrays that is remarkable! A true gem and a masterpiece that deservers so much more recognition and at least an award!

[@josephforest7605]

So true and you see how important money really is in life .

[@zognoger7451]

Hauntingly beautiful masterpiece.

[@simonhughes-king]

Just saw the movie this morning. Mind blowing.

[@timothygermann780]

I watched this in class back in college in the 90s. I was going to architecture school and I was taking an elective called "Landscape and the American Cultural Scene." The professor presented this as a trip through the idyllic suburban American landscape... or something like that.

[@andreawilliams1509]

Do you recall how a group probably of youngish folk reacted to the film? When you are young you don't imagine you could become Ned.

[@timothygermann780]

@@andreawilliams1509 As architects our focus was mainly on the environment presented in the film. We didn't get into surreal nature of the plot and how it represented different phases of his life. I think I was trying to figure out if I could pool hop across my own county but realized I don't know enough people with swimming pools for the concept to make sense. Guess I was just not Conneticut-blueblood enough to create a "river" out of swimming pools and mansions.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Janet Landgard, who had been in Donna Reed's TV show, gives a touching performance as the ex-babysitter with a crush on Merrill. Shame it led nowhere. Her last job, in 1974, was a bit part in a student film. Still living.

[@marykemmerle5502]

One of my favorites!

[@PatrioticMoss217]

The edit with Michael Douglas throwing the stick at Burt was awesome

[@TheMoZProject]

Haha, thanks.

[@mike-lo4rt]

Great review. Didn't do well at the box office , probably because of its downbeat ending. But over the years has become quite rightly very well regarded. It was Burt Lancaster's project and one of his finest performances, there are not many actors that can carry a film appearing in every scene wearing only a bathing suit.

[@patriciaheil6811]

or not wearing it, to conform with the nudists. Yowza!

[@seanodwyer4322]

He is undergoing treatment for - Tog Syndrome.'' - A very serious mental Health issue disease.- ahh had it in Hastings City- New Zealand when ahh could not stop wearing my Girlfriends Tog's. around town and in a Deadly martial Arts Club- Putanga. - Finnally local Hori's cured me.''

[@scarecrowbike]

Just a fantastic review! Thanks! I've had the Grindhouse Releasing release :-) for a couple years and it's a favorite. An interesting, troubled production, Burt's support of the film, his swimming lessons, the beautiful, even gorgeous Blu-ray video, it's a classic.

[@jameskuzianik9564]

I loved this movie! One of my favorites! Sad, yet dramatic!

[@williamjerge1096]

Saw this movie multiple times while working at a drive in theater back when it was released. Left me feeling in a weird way.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

Same feeling .

[@pietrobassosilva2379]

Just watched this movie and was blown away. I love existentialist movies and this one is going into my list. It's bizarre that I hadn't heard of it before. The abstract/dream-like sequences were very well done and felt almost ahead of its time. Overall this is a really ambitious movie that breaks away from the usual conventions, in concept and execution. Already looking forward to watching it again. PS: Loved the analysis. I'm subscribing to the channel!

[@kathyarrr]

It is crazy how many times this movie still resurfaces in my brain after seeing it once over 40 years ago!

[@JessicaMcGowan-bu4ls]

BTW please don't say you didn't bring anything new to the table. You made excellent points by showing clips that are not usually commented on. I love this movie and I think you are spot on as the Brits say. My favorite notices in the film - he is in trunks often when every one else is dressed - and that often shows him getting cold and my favorite is: crossing the highway from the rich side to the working class side - excellent.

[@yourpalboots]

You did a great job on this and I hope that you make more. I love this film so much.

[@TheMoZProject]

Upon further inspection, I just realized who you are. I watched a fair bit of Cinemassacre content when I was younger, and it even influenced some of my own videos. Thank you very much for the comment!

[@yourpalboots]

TheMoZProject Awesome. Thanks for spreading the gospel of Ned Merrill

[@danzfamily]

First saw The Swimmer on TV as a kid and thought he went back in time as he swam the pools. In a way, he went forward, as he came to understand his plight. Great movie. Burt Lancaster was one of the great ones.

[@indiakhetri]

Such a masterpiece ….stunning, deeply touching , horrific, …so much ..and a hypnotic soundtrack

[@gunner678]

The American Nightmare indeed. This is a superb film, a psychological drama supreme. Everyone should watch it once. Nobody has crashed my pool, yet lol. Great review.

[@nedmerrill5705]

A great story by John Cheever, well translated to film. The acting is very fine by everyone.

[@davidhelvering]

Thanks for making this video. I somehow happened upon it on Tubi a few days ago. I read the premise and was intrigued. Unfortunately that was the last day on Tubi, so now I’m waiting for it to return.

[@THX-C]

I love the film and the Cheever short story. I’m glad it’s still on Criterion! There aren’t enough reviews of this gem. Thanks for an enjoyable review!

[@Aritul]

Thank you for taking the time to review this. I just finished reading the story and looking up analyses on it. This was the first review that I've seen on the film.

[@TheMoZProject]

Thank you very much for watching! One of the reasons I made this video was the glaring lack of reviews on it for KZbin, at least at the time of upload.

[@SLOVoyeur]

One of my all time favorites. Thanks for your perspectives.

[@esliet]

Loved this movie. Classic and awesome acting

[@TheMoZProject]

Yep, most everyone is fantastic in it!

[@TempusFugit1159]

The first time I watched this film I took what was happening at face value, but on subsequent viewings I see things that make me wonder how much is really happening and how much is a fantasy interspersed with fragments of Ned's memories. In the first scene at the Westerhazy's there is something stilted and unnatural about the conversation; as if they're saying rehearsed lines they're unsure of, so they keep repeating "I had too much to drink." Then there is the scene where Ned sees the horse in the meadow, but it's more as if Ned stares into the distance and makes the horse appear out of his mind's eye, and when it runs up to him it's as if he' s looking at an icon of his own self-image as a king-stud. Later when he's with Julie Hooper he prances around the horse hurdles and jumps to show off for her. Consider also Ned's perception of time; at the beginning he talks about his daughters getting married but when he's at the pool with the 10 year old boy he says "I've got daughters your age." The scene of Ned trying to get across the highway to reach a noisy crowded public pool is brutal; for a member of the Connecticut country club set it's the equivalent of crossing the River Styx to get into Hell. I've made this comment too long so I won't even get into where Ned's been for two years and how he is just set down to emerge from the woods in a swimsuit. Thanks for your fine feature!

[@garyhughes1664]

Read the story a while back and watched the movie for the first time just over a couple of years ago. Both I think are very good, and I enjoyed watching and listening to your analysis of it. Like you say, there are many themes within the film, but summing it up as ‘The American Nightmare’ captures the essence of the movie very well. Thanks for uploading and sharing.

[@twomindz79]

Love the editing. The douglas throw of the bat that hits Lancaster. Great!

[@jackgorfinkel9360]

I think ''The Swimmer'' and ''1408'' are good, if not the best, examples of how to adapt short stories into 90 minute plus films. In both cases, the filmmakers were able to not only adapt the source materials sufficiently, but also expand upon them by writing into the script original scenes/characters/situations involving the main characters that were not present in the original published short stories. The directors of each film were able to retain the spirit and themes of John Cheever's and Stephen King's respective works within the newly added material weaved into the scripts , while at the same time not injecting any pointless or unnecessary scenes in order to justify the running length. Just great examples of adaptation expansion in my opinion.

[@esmeephillips5888]

Cheever critiqued the script for Eleanor Perry and has a cameo as a party guest.

[@esmeephillips5888]

@@danielasterling6936 That is what a lot of investors foresaw 150 years ago, How wrong they were. We await the Chilean Saab or Argentinian Nokia. Not that your remark has anything to do with 'The Swimmer'.

[@esmeephillips5888]

The Janice Rule scene was inserted two years later bc the producers thought there was too little sex in the initial cut.

[@BarbaraKelly-d4v]

This used to come on the late show. I’d watch this when I was like eight or nine. I loved the weirdness. I loved Burt Lancaster. I was a strange child lol

[@chris-zd9sr]

One of the best forsure...so glad my dad showed me this

[@nigelcarren]

Great review Sir. I just watched this for the first time one hour ago! Totally blew me away, I didn't expect this as all. It's a real hard-hitter. Amazing performances from all concerned and Mr Lancaster was in great shape! For me this film comes at a time when I am having one big push to achieve a lifes-dream so it felt like I was watching myself if I gave up, and I am certainly not going to do that! Best wishes to you from an Englishman making armour and music in a French forest. 🇬🇧🌞🇺🇲

[@michaelbruns449]

This really is one of the most hauntingly beautiful films ever created, by the same people who made Mommie Dearest and look theres young Joan Rivers > 0:10

[@joyhaave6151]

Grateful for your review! I read this short story in 2018 while prepping to CLEP a class. I had grabbed a Norton's Anthology to brush up on literature...and that narrative has haunted me ever since, so the title of this video captured my sentiments. Can't wait to watch the movie - thanks again!

[@plev10]

Terrific analysis and appreciation for this masterful film. Burt is a noble yet pathetic representation of a classic male hero, desperately clinging to the remnants of his manhood but ultimately succumbing to his decline. It retains the beauty and pathos of Cheever's brilliant story, and as you note captures a moment when the world was changing and some, like Burt, were unable to deal with the transition. A magnificent and heartbreaking movie that is timeless for its themes and characters. I lived through that period and socioeconomic environment as a child, and the actors in this film are as real as my memories of that time and place.

[@cojaysea]

I swear I view this film every 6 or 7 years and I love it each time I see it . I still can’t believe the scene where he talks with Joan Rivers.

[@Majnun74]

Just watched this again last night with my father… It’s basically his story anyway. He agreed💔

[@williamhicks7736]

Burt Lancaster’s performance in The Swimmer is out of this world! The artistic risk he takes is just incredible! He was in his mid fifties, wore nothing but skimpy swim trunks in nearly every frame (in one scene he was naked…). And he carries the film! After the career he had… What would make him play a character like that? Only Burt Lancaster would be so bold!

[@McPablo98]

Watched for the first time yesterday. The scene with the mother of his ex friend (who is dead now) is so powerfull.

[@LannieLord]

First Viewing Late Night TV , a Saturday , 1977 or so. ABC Channel 7. It went over my head.

[@seanodwyer4322]

Ned had Swimming - Pool ''Syndrome''...

[@stoneymorris5366]

I enjoyed your review very very much. I read the short story and your synopsis of the film was engaging and tied up the story for me in a very simple package. thanks.

[@nightbreed2244]

Maybe Ned had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a private mental institution. Of course after he and his family left the neighbourhood. After some time he escaped from the institution to return home what would explain his behavior. Or after his life was ruined Ned committed suicide is now in some kind of limbo: Not as punishment but to show him that the things he was so obsessed about dont matter anymore and he has to let go what would explain the ending when he reaches his wrecked home and it starts to rain + the surreal atmosphere. I read about The swimmer first in a german moviebook about Lancaster. I plan to watch the movie as soon as possible. Great review.

[@TheMoZProject]

Thanks! You're definitely free to reach your own interpretations, but I think when you get around to watching the movie, you'll realize that chalking his behavior up to belonging to a "mental institution" or being in "limbo" is a bit too simplistic. The film is much more allegorical, and his odd behavior doesn't necessarily have to be explained for it to work. Right now, the film is only available on a couple of streaming platforms: "Watch TCM" and "Fubo TV." I know absolutely nothing about those streaming platforms, and I imagine they probably require some sort of subscription, but I figured I'd let you know.

[@mikem591]

I thought he was in some kind of purgatory. Basically, he was a spirit wandering back to his idea of home.

[@chaosandcreation4118]

A captivating almost surrealist experience. Just watched it today and the growing malaise felt mythical, like the rings of hell. All is told through the words and reactions of others, furies, demons, vengeful neighbors oozing superficiality, mirrors of his own unlucky version.

[@supna123]

This was awesome. Thank you! Please do more film commentary!

[@planesteve]

Loved this movie poor Ned yep he is lost somewhere his journey starts well with welcomes then begins to sour as real life catches up with Ned, to be honest, I was crying at the end, super-review.

[@TheMoZProject]

Thank you!

[@yardbirds8414]

I saw this film in the summer of 1982 at a army cadet camp. Even though I am not religious we had to attend Catholic church on Sunday. The minister would sometimes show films that we would discuss afterwards. This was one of the films and we saw it on a 16 mm projector. I was shocked by this film. It was so thoughtful it left a mark on me and since I have viewed it dozens of times. The minister at the end of the film stated that he thought the pools were in someway a tool for which Ned to clean his soul and that each pool would somehow resolve his past sins. I think he used a example from the bible but I cannot remember. I thought the cinematography of the film was absolutely wonderful ,especially during the dream sequences. I also loved seeing the way some people lived in Connecticut in 1968. I read later that the film was shot in Connecticut at homes and that it was hell because they had to rent out each location and they had to make sure that people were away during the summer shooting and sometimes they were not. Underrated. Highly recommended.

[@Ojothelucky]

This gave me full closure on a story I think of often. Thank you for your service!

[@Trystaticus]

Wowie wow! Thanks for making a video on this wild film. You do a great job getting jokes out of your edits. Loved it!

[@TheMoZProject]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@peterbreughel4440]

Just watched this movie for the first time. There's a lot to digest - I feel the film is as scathing in its attitude to Ned's friends and associates as it is to Ned himself. It is a bleak caricature of American suburbia which anticipates a number of similarly disillusioned films of the 80s and 90s.

[@alexander3699]

Thanks so much for creating this review on "The Swimmer." It's a real gem from the 1960's!

[@d.jensen5153]

Lovely review!

[@kokoloko8423]

Excellent analysis of this amazing movie, wish you did more of those.

[@americanpancakelive]

I have never seen this and it feels like such an impactful film. My sense is that Burt Lancaster took on a daring project here. I wish I hadn't seen this video though because it has spoilers, that being said I would love to see it with my wife who does not know about this movie and be surprised through her, ha. Great video.

[@patriciaheil6811]

I agree, this is a great film. Notice that the people farthest from his house were nicest to him: admirers at a distance don't know the dirty details. Also notice that while he's banging at the door, there's a broken window nearby that he could use to get inside, but through it you see wreckage. He doesn't want his wrecked life, he wants the door to open again on his old life. I thought that this being made right after he and Norma separated had a lot to do with how it worked and maybe why Lancaster chose to do it.

[@colderbeer]

Seems like the closer he got to HIS house, the worse his neighbors treated him......

[@traceywatson5452]

I think the final scene is almost Biblical; its as if Adam returned to an overgrown garden of Eden, only to find Eve and the children gone. However, the driving rain, Ned's tears of remorse, and him curled up, almost naked in a foetal position at his front door, all hint at baptism, cleansing and redemption. The American Dream has died for Ned but he has a chance to be 'born again' into a different life, UNLESS he chooses to stay stuck mourning a life that will never return, the front door to his old life being resolutely closed. A good film and a reminder that we are never who we think we are to others, so we might as well live our version of our 'best life'.

[@dakotaplaysvhs8039]

Fantastic combination of analysis and humor in this review! Subscribed based on this video alone

[@johnedwards4394]

Thanks. Excellent exposition

[@emmagutierrez1408]

Thank you very much, this will prove highly stimulating reading (the short story) and watching for my students of English literature!

[@TheMoZProject]

Great to hear!

[@kingporter67]

R.I.P. Burt Lancaster, a great actor who was awesome playing Ned Merrill on The Swimmer!!

[@ADAMSIXTIES]

I just found out this film was actually shot in 1966, but then the director fired and some scenes reshot with different actors in 1968. And I now like Joan Rivers after knowing her story behind this film. But to me this is really about the 1960s, it's a great capture of that era.

[@TheMoZProject]

Yep, Frank Perry was fired and Sydney Pollack took over. It seems like there were a lot of behind-the-scenes issues, yet they managed to put it all together and make a pretty great film.

[@animascinemaproductions]

@@TheMoZProject Exactly right. I own a Arri 2C 35mm movie camera with a label stating it was used on The Swimmer.

[@TheMoZProject]

@@animascinemaproductions Awesome!

[@Intheyr2525]

It’s a trip through life - life starts fresh and through the years, swimming pools, it gets old and stagnant, it deteriorates.

[@juanpablog527]

I love this movie so much! This movie has a dreamy feeling that reminds me of other strange classics like Vertigo, 3 women or Picnic at Hanging Rock.

[@TheMoZProject]

Janice Rule is also in both "The Swimmer" and "3 Women"

[@fernandomaron87]

Picnic 1955 is also great, more a mainstream movie, but showing perfectly that 50's suburbia quiet agony.

[@williamtaylor5193]

Succeeding brings with it a sort of relief, but that relief is often accompanied by feelings of dissatisfaction, and even greater emptiness, now that there is less to aspire to. One of the ways people cope with this lack of fulfillment from material/career success is to pretend that it's actually fulfilling. In essence, they end up playing to the dreams, desires, and aspirations of people who haven't had success. Ned appears to have seen both sides.

[@James-ll3jb]

First saw it in 1968-69, while reading "The Stranger" by Camus. A damning critique of the absudity of the American way of life which, as we all know now, finally has gone insane.

[@jmmbrmm]

This video features the finest use of slide whistle this side of Tex Avery.

[@tontobuzz]

Another special thing about the film for me is that it's one of the earliest made that feels kind of real. I don't know any film from 1968 where it says "you re waiting for another man. From 1 to 10. How would you rate him in bead" as Neddie did to Sherley . Not an innuendo, but clearly stated what was meant. That is rarely to be seen and brings to me this film much closer to our time, I can relate much more because this curtain of cinematic hiding stylistic devices of its time (innuendo, symbolism for sex) is not there in this scene.I'm not a cineaste and I don't know every movie and every masterpiece, so don't take my statement too hard when I say I don't know other movies that are like this. I'm sure there will be. But while watching it, I still noticed this thing quite a bit.

[@amingaz]

saw it only now . a great captivating movie . Thank you for pointing out that the story starts with him escaping from a luni assylum . Computor dating sites where there in 1968 , amazing .

[@whosthatbuer4863]

This film kind of reminds me of Mullholland Drive and Lost Highway. There are certain similarities between the two. Like when Ned says "If you make believe hard enough that something is true, then it is true for you" In Lost Highway Fred Madison tells the detectives "I prefer to remember things in my own way" I wonder if David Lynch watched this back in the day.

[@Daniel-ng7oe]

You are the cliff notes to the movie. Very interesting. The movie and your interpretation.

[@skybluemarshall]

It's strange that I just watched this for the first time today. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and you would think that I would've run into this movie on late night TV or cable at least once in all these years. I was always a fan of Burt Lancaster, so I'm sure that if I clicked past this film, I would've stopped to see what he was doing with his role. I have to say that out maybe 40 of his films that I've seen, this one was by far the most unusual, but what was very usual was Lancaster's great performance. He was such a great actor. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or be totally creeped or hate him. Having been divorced twice myself, I chose to feel sorry for him. I know what it's like to have dreams of how you want your life go and then have them shattered into a million pieces. It's hard to say if I would watch this movie again. I think that I would rather watch some more of his 87 movie acting performances that I still haven't seen.

[@josephforest7605]

Hang in there , I have also had my dreams all shattered , the sad part is nobody cares .

[@johngjesdahl-xx2gb]

Rather than having my dreams , aspirations , over time , shattered , they more accurately unravel. Bit by bit plans and goals recede into oblivion.

[@evhvariac2]

EXCELLENT summary and review. Subscribed

[@TheMoZProject]

Thanks!

[@mcleere1]

Extremely well done review, I subscribed to your site, looking forward to seeing more of your videos.