Additional Footage; Soundtrack English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Re
In Francois Ozon's SWIMMING POOL, Charlotte Rampling plays Sarah Morton, a prim and proper British author who has written a successful series of mystery-crime novels. However, when she visits her London publisher (Charles Dance) in a dour mood, wearing a depressive pout, and complains that she's no longer his favorite, he invites her to use his vacation home in the south of France as a tranquil escape to try her hand at writing something different. Once there, Sarah receives an unexpected and highly unwelcome visit from his bold, sexy, confrontational teenage daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). The two are instantly at odds with each other, as Julie drinks, smokes, and slinks around the pool topless. Her loose sexual mores and mysterious late nights infuriate Sarah, whose puritanical unease is only exacerbated in Julie's presence. Wonderful scenes of Sarah writing at her computer, her lips twitching wickedly with twisted inspiration, indicate that the story is about to take a turn for the weird. And that it does, quickly, as booze-clouded activities by the swimming pool become dark and seedy.
In this immaculate thriller, Rampling and Sagnier ignite the screen with static tension. Stunted conversations, resentful glances, and strange insights about the personality of each character give the story a tangible electricity. The idyllic vacation home and sun-drenched swimming pool put an ironic spin on the haunting story. And as Ozon works his magic with pensive camerawork, providing moments of true visual comedy that only enhance the plot's intrigue, viewers will delight in what is at once an understated yet powerful narrative feat.
Theatrical Release: July 2, 2003 (NY/LA)
Swimming Pool Reviews:
"...It's worth seeing twice just for the privilege of watching Rampling and Sagnier match each other stroke for stroke..."
-- Glenn Kenny, Premiere
"...The narrative logic of SWIMMING POOL slips through our hands like cool water, shimmery and light-dappled, leaving behind the pleasures of summer heat and goose bumps..."
-- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
"...It's Sagnier, a young Bardot, who lifts the movie, and Rampling, 58, who gives it nuance..."-- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...As the story takes shape, Mr. Ozon, Ms. Rampling and Ms. Sagnier complicate it in subtle and fascinating ways....Simultaneously a thoroughly mannered, mischievously artificial confection and an acute piece of psychological realism..."
-- A. O. Scott, New York Times
"With a little sex, some mystery, an appealing lead and a little sex, France's SWIMMING POOL has what it takes to become an art house audience magnet..."
-- Mike Clark, USA Today
"...Rampling doesn't skip a beat. Freed from the burden of likability, the actress pushes the character from near-farce to near-tragedy without once appealing to sentimentalism..."-- Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
"...A sensuous and deceptive new thriller..."
-- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...An entertaining drama, showcasing strong performances from both actresses..."
-- Mary Colbert, Box Office
"...The film is ripe with allusions....The ambiguities intensify the picture's hothouse atmosphere, making it all the more impressive that Ozon maintains such a consistently cool touch..."
-- Ryan Gilbey, Sight and Sound
Not very riviting NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
Are we there yet? Oh I'm sorry the movie finally ended. Um yea don't bother with this one, it will make you wondering why you started watching in the first place. Submitted by travissoleski (Redlands, CA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Fascinating Won't give away the ending, but it's a great one. Swimming Pool may be the first thriller about the creative process. It's gorgeously shot and actually improves with repeated viewing. Details, details! One star was subtracted because of the way the disc is set up. There's a LONG sequence of previews that starts when you play the disc and no way (that I could find) to skip them. This is annoying, and the person who designed it should be put in that swimming pool and held under for a good, long while. Submitted by Jeff (Brooklyn, NY, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
But is it true? Have read some rather long reviews of this film. The question is, what really happened? I submit that besides shadows of "The Turn Of The Screw", the best analogy might be "Seven Keys To Baldpate"played without the innocent comedy. This is much darker; no celluloid bad guys that never bleed when popped, instead some very possible bitches in a very bitchy little world. Just a stray thought, perhaps too simplistic. Submitted by John (Glendale, WI., USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Swimming Pool Boring! It was like I couldn't wait until the end the only reason I kept going was because the girl was so hot! If it wasn't for the hot french girl and all of the sex I probably would have turned the movie off and thrown it away. As it is it make's a great film for Saturday night, but the story is totally lame. Submitted by Steve94 (Tarpon Springs, FL) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful. This review is for a different format.
Could have been much better, but...... When the film started, I was very overwhelmed by the background music, the charecters, the plot was moving in a slow yet interesting pace.. but then what happened? why did the story leave a questian mark, see it for yourself. Submitted by Dangy Molsummu (Africa) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo This review is for a different format.
Region 1 Keep Case Single Side - Dual Layer Unrated Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - French DTS 5.1 Surround Sound - English Additional Release Material: Outtakes/Deleted Scenes Text/Photo Galleries: Poster and Picture Galleries
Color Of Night DVD (1994) Closed Captioned; Widescreen; Additional Footage; Bio/Filmographies; Soundtrack English; English Subtitles; Director's Comments; Dolby Digital 5.1 Re; Behind The Scenes
Fascinating
Swimming Pool
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