The Swimmer
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
“He took off a sweater that was hung over his shoulders and dove in.” With these words, the great American writer John Cheever plunges us deeper into the world of The Swimmer, his acclaimed 1964 short story about one man’s journey into his own heart of darkness. Four years later, the story was adapted into a film starring Burt Lancaster, and the result is stunning—a completely unique movie that is a worthy tribute to Cheever’s masterpiece.
Set in a wealthy New England suburb, the film begins when middle-aged Ned Merrill suddenly appears at a backyard cocktail party hosted by some old friends. Wearing only a bathing suit, he tells everyone that he’s on his way home, which is miles away, and he’s decided to get there by swimming—swimming across all the backyard pools in the county that will eventually lead him to his house. Ned says that he envisions the pools as a great river that will reunite him with his family. And he sets off on his journey.
What starts as a seemingly fun, sunny, adventurous odyssey gradually turns dark and surreal.
What starts as a lark—a seemingly fun, sunny, adventurous odyssey—gradually turns dark and surreal. the neighbors that Ned meets along the way share unsettling stories about some of the personal troubles that he’s dealt with. Strangely, Ned seems unaware of the things that they tell him. And when, finally, the great river ends and he’s finally home, the gripping finale is shattering.
Director Frank Perry and his wife screenwriter Eleanor Perry deserve high praise for the spider web of anguish that we can feel closing in on Ned throughout the film. But it’s the larger-than-life presence of Burt Lancaster in the role of Ned that really elevates the power of the film. A professional acrobat and circus performer before he turned to acting, Lancaster uses his physicality to powerful dramatic effect here. The contrast between his muscular strength and Ned’s weakening grip on the reality of what’s happening to him makes this one of Lancaster’s greatest performances.
Incredibly, despite all of his remarkable physical skills, Lancaster was initially reluctant to make the film because he did not know how to swim. Finally, he was convinced that playing Ned Merrill was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so he accepted the role and immediately hired the coach of the UCLA swim team to teach him how to swim.
I give The Swimmer four out of four stars. It’s daring, psychologically complex, and utterly original.
