Should have been swept away (Swept Away (DVD))

Member Name: sandrabarber

Product:	Swept Away (DVD)
Date:	18/07/03 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: beautiful cinematography, Madonna looks great

Disadvantages: unbelievable premise, Madonna is dreadful in first half

Sometimes I think that, when Madonna makes a film, the reviews are written before the critics have even seen it. There is such an expectation for her to be bad that reviewers feel quite safe being critical before the event, almost certain that they will be proved correct. So it was that her latest offering, 'Swept Away', directed by her highly praised husband, Guy Ritchie, entered America on a tide of critical vitriol. Hence no one went to see it, and it went straight to video in Britain.

But could it really be THAT BAD? The only way to find out was to rent it for myself?


HISTORY

'Swept Away' is a remake of a 1975 Italian film with the wondrous title of 'Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August'. This movie was critically acclaimed and controversial, a role-reversal political satire with leftist leanings but a distinctly un-feminist core.


THE PLOT

Amber (Madonna) is a rich, spoiled American embarking upon a yachting holiday in the Med with her husband and small band of friends.

The yacht, like everything else about the holiday, is not up to her specifications. Neither is the crew.

Amber complains about everything and everyone. She takes particular exception to one crew member, Guiseppe (Adriano Giannini), whom she bullies and abuses mercilessly.

One day, however, a dinghy bearing the two protagonists gets caught in the tide and the pair find themselves shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Naturally Amber has no capacity for practical survival, reversing the power structure between the two. Guiseppe takes full opportunity of this chance to get revenge, and treats her appallingly.

This appalling treatment turns out to be just what Amber needs, and after a while the couple fall deeply in love. Both are devastated when eventually rescued, and the rest of the movie tests the ability of their love to survive the real world.


TH
E ACTING

Madonna as the spoilt, bitchy Amber is absolutely dreadful. She delivers what could be quite witty lines with no subtlety or sense of timing whatsoever, thus losing what effectiveness the lines could have had, and she actually resorts to stamping her foot to express anger. Watching her is nothing short of embarrassing.

As the Amber in love, however, she is much better. It's hard for the viewer to accept the misogynistic premise that a good slap can make a woman fall in love, but she somehow manages it. In this part of the movie she is believable, and her face actually does express the emotions she's feeling.

Giannini as Guiseppe is good enough, though a little over the top at times.

Other characters have little to say or do and are really not worth mentioning.


THE DIRECTION

I think that Ritchie does a very good job on Swept Away. The fast shot switches for which he is known are much in evidence and very effective, and there are lots of little directional tricks which work well.

The cinematography is absolutely stunning and does a lot to sweep the viewer into the action.

I really don't think it's his fault that his wife wasn't up to the task. No direction can make a bad actress good.


THE TROUBLE WITH THE MOVIE

Madonna is so bad in the first half that I don't think many people would manage to keep watching.

The misogynistic crucial scene - man slaps woman very hard, woman melts and falls in love - is rather hard to stomach.

All concerned have tried to keep the film's essential 'European feel', and it just doesn't work. American and British movie-makers just can't handle the subtlety, strangeness and completely different atmosphere that European movies have without making them seem ridiculous. I don't know why this is, but it is.

The satire in the original film completely falls flat in th
is one, and it's mostly Madonna's fault. She can be quite a witty woman in real life, but on celluloid she just can't cut the mustard.

The ending is stupid. Without giving it away, I'll just say that it rests on a mistake that could easily not have happened.


RECOMMENDATION

If you've seen absolutely everything else in the video shop and you want something not too taxing, then this is worth seeing for the scenery and the fact that Madonna looks spectacular.

However, if you want a well-acted, satisfying, believable movie, avoid like the plague.

I wouldn't slate it as viciously as some reviewers did, but unfortunately the good bits don't compensate for the truly cringeworthy bad ones.

Summary: