SWEPT AWAY
UK, 2002, 89 minutes, Colour.
Madonna, Bruce Greenwood, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Beattie, Jean Tripplehorn, David Thornton, Jorgo Voyagis, Adriano Giannini.
Directed by Guy Ritchie.
Swept Away is a remake of the Lina Wertmuller film of the 1970s, Swept Away By An Unusual Fate Of Destiny. The original film starred Giancarlo Giannini and his role is taken this time by his son, Adriano. (The older Giannini performance is much stronger and more impressive than that of his son.) Mariangela Milato took the role of the rich woman who was stranded with a sailor on a Mediterranean island. This time the woman is played by Madonna.
The screenplay was written and the film directed by Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s husband. He had also directed her in a number of music videos. Madonna has a screen presence but in this film she is very harsh, lacking in any warmth so that the transition from arrogant rich woman to slave of the sailor and falling in love with him is not credible. The supporting cast has little to do and does not make much impact at all.
The film was made in Italy, has exotic locations, but is rather tedious to watch. It becomes rather absurd when there are some imaginative interludes in the mind of the sailor where Madonna has the opportunity to sing songs like ‘Come On a-My House’.
Guy Ritchie came to fame with his gangster films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Swept Away was critically mauled and got very little release. The mauling continued with his imaginative gangster drama, Revolver (2005).
1.Audience interest in seeing Madonna? Directed by her husband?
2.The film as a remake? The classic status of the original? The director and stars? The plot? The social and class issues? The emotional struggle? Master and slave? Romance?
3.The traditions of people stranded on islands: Robinson Crusoe, the Swiss Family Robinson, The Admirable Crichton? How did this influence this film?
4.The setting of the scene: Amber and her husband, arriving, the friends? The boat? The captain and the crew? The Mediterranean cruise? The rich on holidays? The crew seen as servants?
5.Amber, Madonna’s screen presence, severity, arrogance? Attitude towards her husband? Her friends? Making demands on the captain? On Peppe? Her seeming to pick on him? The criticisms? The voyage, her behaviour, criticism of the meals, making people do her will? The criticisms of Peppe? Her going on the boat, her being stranded with him?
6.Tony, his relationship with his wife, her criticisms of him? His fulfilling her wishes? His concern when she was lost?
7.The other characters, Debi, Todd, Marina? The chatter at the table? The idle rich?
8.The trip, the accident, no petrol? Drifting? The flare gun and the struggle, the waste of the flare? The rescue boat not seeing them? Their drifting?
9.The island, Peppe and his character, Mediterranean, arrogant in himself, his imagining throwing Amber overboard? His discussions with the captain and the crew about her? On the island, her response? His making the rules, being master, making her a slave? His relaxing, swimming, getting the fish? The time passing? The bond between the two, master and slave, sadomasochistic? His love for her, her falling in love, the passionate scenes together?
10.Amber, her character, her arrogance, her wilfulness on the island, being made a slave, her needs, food and thirst, her subservience? Watching Peppe? Falling in love with him or not? The passion?
11.The rescue? The repercussions for both? Peppe and his being in love, buying the ring? Amber and her return to her friends, the family, the message for Peppe?
12.The finale, the ring, her sending it back to him, his spending the money she gave him on the ring? His tossing it in the air, its sinking into the ocean?
13.Audience interest in the plot, the characters, the themes? The social themes, the criticism of the wealthy? Class struggles?
