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Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August

Play trailer Poster for Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August R In Theaters Jan 31, 2025 1h 56m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
59% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Mediterranean, Swept Away is Lina Wertmuller's most famous and controversial film about sex, love and politics. On an elegant yacht cruising off the coast of Sardinia, Raffaella (Mariangela Melato), a rich and stunning capitalist, enjoys tormenting Gennarino (Giancarlo Giannini), a Communist sailor. Fate weaves a different scenario and roles become reversed when the two find themselves stranded together on a deserted island. Raffaella must submit to Gennarino in order to survive, which culminates in a dramatic climax when they are rescued. They must determine if their love can survive the harsh realities of civilization.
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Critics Reviews

View All (22) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Swept Away is an absorbing movie, it tells a story we get involved in and it's often very funny. Rated: 4/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Elissa Suh Moviepudding Northerner and Southerner sizzle and hiss, trading vulgarities with withering force. Once they’re stranded, their hostility gives way to a complex and sensual relationship. Mar 6, 2023 Full Review Neil Miller Gay Community News (Boston) Disheartening and incomprehensible. Sep 8, 2022 Full Review Karen Margolis Spare Rib Swept Away... is disappointing because it raises difficult questions about sex, class and eroticism which should be explored by women directors; yet its impact is to reinforce many man-made myths. Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Eileen Bresnahan, Kate Sharp, Terra, and Woodwoman Big Mama Rag This film is nothing less than anti-woman. That the director and producer was a woman is irrelevant. May 20, 2020 Full Review Jacoba Atlas Los Angeles Free Press Swept Away, whatever the shortcomings, is a rare motion picture experience. Nov 22, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (140) audience reviews
ron a Molto bene. CIne di multo inportante. The English subtitle translation is very broad and not true to the reality. Italian speakers find it extremely vulgar and demeaning. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/30/24 Full Review Blobbo X As I recall we liked it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/12/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the best masters of italian movies Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member The breathtaking sea somewhere off the coast of Southern Italy is the setting for Lina Wertmuller's 1974 classic film, "Swept Away..." Raffaelle and Gennarino meet by chance on a chartered yacht. Raffaele is rich and entitled. Gennarino is a poor boat mate working on the yacht. There is a world of difference in their economic and social status. In a dinghy on a routine day trip off the yacht, Raffaelle and Gennarino find themselves adrift at sea due to engine trouble, arriving at last on a deserted island. Raffaelle, played adroitly by a young Mariangela Melato and Gennarino, played by a young and fit Giancarlo Giannini, final their social and economic situations in society mean nothing in their island isolation, and proceed to adapt to life without outside strictures. Wertmuller skillfully intertwines several conflicting themes over the course of the film: man versus woman, love versus hate, loyalty versus betrayal, fantasy versus reality, North Italian prosperity versus South Italian poverty. At the time of it's production, Italy and the U.S. are undergoing major shifts in societal norms, particularly in the respective roles of men and women. Wertmuller seems keenly aware of these changes and frames her themes in broad comedic gesturing. Raffaele and Gennarino are almost charicatures. Still the sensibilities of audiences in 1974 are vastly different from today's audiences. The comedic gesturing frequently uses violence: physical, verbal and sexual and falls flat as a comedy today, as a result. (Audiences of Wertmuller's "Love and Anarchy", also includes violence, the the eariler time frame and the lesser volume of violence mitigates it's impact. 'Swept Away,,," is a 1970's fantasy, skillfully directed and acted, in a gorgeous seaside setting. It is definitely worth seeing as a reflection of the societal upheaval of the time filtered through the eyes of a masterful female director, then as now, a rare point of view. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie didn't stand the test of time. Back when it first aired it is deemed as a comedy, now I think its a good conversation started on violence against women. What was funny then isn't funny now. When watching this movie we must also take note of the culture difference of the time in Italy. Between the north and south and the politics of the time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Italy has always been a little . . . different when it comes to gender politics. This film is one more example. This had it's somewhat comical moments, but it's hard to watch a woman being slapped into submission. She had a bad attitude, that is for sure, but violence is not the most believable way to depict the beginning of a true love affair. The ending might have redeemed all that, but as I interpret it, she really did love him, and it was only the realities of class that pulled her away. In other words, what transpired before was no act merely done for survival. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August

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Movie Info

Synopsis Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Mediterranean, Swept Away is Lina Wertmuller's most famous and controversial film about sex, love and politics. On an elegant yacht cruising off the coast of Sardinia, Raffaella (Mariangela Melato), a rich and stunning capitalist, enjoys tormenting Gennarino (Giancarlo Giannini), a Communist sailor. Fate weaves a different scenario and roles become reversed when the two find themselves stranded together on a deserted island. Raffaella must submit to Gennarino in order to survive, which culminates in a dramatic climax when they are rescued. They must determine if their love can survive the harsh realities of civilization.
Director
Lina Wertmüller
Screenwriter
Lina Wertmüller
Distributor
Cinema 5 Distributing
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 17, 1975, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jan 31, 2025
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.9K
Runtime
1h 56m
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