The Swimmer
(1968/Frank Perry)
****

The film opens in a forest. It is early morning at the beginning of autumn. Everything is new and alive. The camera stalks through the branches revealing wildlife and nature going about its business. Then it reveals a man. His name is Ned Merrill, and he is the swimmer.

After emerging from the woods, Ned finds himself in his neighbor’s pool. They talk and reminisce. Apparently, as they reveal through the dialogue, Ned has been away for quite some time. In fact, he’s practically a new face. While they wish for him to sit around and tell them what’s been going on in his life, he changes the subject. He has a wild idea of ‘swimming home’. He figures that between this house and his, there is a pool in each backyard, forming a sort of river through this upper class Connecticut community, a near suburb of New York City. He intends to swim home. To his friends, he seems a little crazy. He has a gleam in his eye and an obscure grin. What is he hiding? Where has he been? After only giving the explanation that his wife is great and his two daughters are all grown up now, he is off; he is swimming home.

This pattern continues, although with each pool (about ten in total) the attitude becomes less joyous. The darkness of suburbia begins to show through. More and more is revealed of Ned’s past. His madness, which was first embraced, becomes childish and silly. His arrival at each pool, which started out eventful, becomes more and more pathetic. Ned resembles a Christ like figure throughout. The biggest reference comes towards the end, where Ned has sunk so low that he won’t be let into the public pool until he washes his feet. Is Ned a suburban Christ going ‘home’ to his crucifixion?

“The Swimmer” is the most layered film I have ever seen. It’s sort of like a non-violet and non-urban “Falling Down”. Though unlike that film, there is no parallel police investigation to help fill in the gaps. “The Swimmer” respects the intelligence of it’s audience, and gives them subtle clues as we swim across the county with Ned, a stranger who becomes less likable with every pool. Burt Lancaster gives a commanding performance as the complex and driven Ned. The supporting cast is good too, especially Janice Rule as a woman from Ned’s past. Her brief scene is by far one of the high points of the movie.

The ending of “The Swimmer” is tragically beautiful. Many probably expected it, but none could have guessed the power it conveys to the viewer. The original tagline for the film was “When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?” And that’s what “The Swimmer” is: a brutal assault on suburbia and our lives. It shows that even if you are wealthy and live in high society and can afford a swimming pool, you can still break like everyone else. The final scene brings a whole new meaning to the old saying, “You can never go home again”.
#3

I saw this movie, but I believe it was older than 1968. It starred Burt Lancaster as The Swimmer. Is this maybe a remake??? It's been years and years since I've seen it, but the story sounds the same. Very "different" to say the least. I can't really review it since I don't remember that much of it.


TIS

No TIS, I believe tht it was made in the mid to late 60's. It starred Burt Lancaster. What a crazy movie!


Don Cardi

No TIS, this is from early '68.

I'm glad you two responded though. I didn't think anyone would have seen it.

It is very different. Almost like a Twilight Zone episode expanded into a film.

DC,

I could have sworn it was older than the 60's but if it was Burt Lancaster, then that's the one I am thinking of.

Omar, I saw it only on tv, and never finished watching it (I didn't read any spoilers on the ending in your post). There are certain "off the wall" movies that I like (Falling Down being one of them), and "The Swimmer" premise was intriguing to me when I watched part of it and was always curious as to how it ended. I may try to see it again but it hasn't been on tv in years that I know of.

TIS

Yeah, I don't think it plays on TV very much.

I was buying the Rock Hudson sci-fic film "Seconds" from Amazon, and they recommended "The Swimmer" along with it.
It was the best blind buy I ever purchased.