Frequently silly but oddly memorable and unsettling, THE SWIMMER is an underrated blend of existential fable and social satire. Based on a
New Yorker short story by John Cheever, it's buoyed by the music of a 22-year-old Marvin Hamlisch making his film scoring debut.
It's a summer day in suburban Connecticut, and successful advertising executive Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster), clad only in swim trunks, finds himself several miles from home. Rather than walk straight back to his house, he decides to "swim" home, touring the pools of all his friends and neighbors.
These include Betty Graham (Kim Hunter), on whom he once harbored a crush; Julie Hooper (Janet L...
Released:
1968
Rated:
PG
Length:
94 mins