Swept Away Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Swept Away Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 2, 2017

1974’s “Swept Away” is built to generate attention. Written and directed by Lina Wertmuller, the feature takes on two challenging subjects, politics and sex, and does so in the most charged manner imaginable, adding violence and subjugation to an already toxic brew of opinion and defiance. It’s raw nerve filmmaking disguised as a black comedy, or perhaps a romance, with Wertmuller using her collision of classes and temperaments to poke viewers as hard as she can, making a provocative movie that has strange sensuality, repellent characters, and gorgeous Italian locations.

Much ink has been spilled about “Swept Away” since its debut, creating a viewing divide between those responsive to Wertmuller’s charged atmosphere and kinky gender play, and those immediately repulsed by the effort’s dips into emotional terrorism, with two grotesque characters (played breathlessly by Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato) trading positions of submission as fate twists their fortune as castaways on an Italian island. It’s a lively picture, combative from the first frame to the last, and its concepts of power and station and are intriguing, but somewhat lost in nearly two hours of repetitive argumentative behavior.

Swept Away Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Making its BD debut, "Swept Away" arrives with an AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation that has the challenge of finding HD beauty in intense inherent softness. Mercifully, the feature's sunbaked appeal is preserved, with skintones perhaps the most vivid aspect of the viewing experience, showcasing a silky golden quality that aids in the crude fantasy Wertmuller is mounting. Greenery also shines, offering tropical splendor, while blue waters are striking. Detail reaches about as far as it can go, and while sharpness isn't on the menu, textures remain, surveying beach and boat specifics. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is heavier but filmic. Source is decent shape, with speckling and mild scratches detected.

Swept Away Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is more of a blunt weapon than a nuanced track, working with shrill dubbing that's poorly done, barely matching the actors, but this appears to be an inherent issue. Scoring fares a little better, setting the jazzy mood without distortion. Age is obvious throughout the listening experience, but intelligibility isn't threatened.

Swept Away Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (14 pages) contains essays by Allison Anders and Grace Russo Bullard.

• Commentary features filmmaker Valerio Ruiz.

• Excerpt (10:01, HD) offers a peek at the Wertmuller documentary, "Behind the White Glasses," which is ruined by a sound glitch, allowing only music to be heard, not interviewees.

Update: Inspection of a second copy of "Swept Away" revealed no audio issues. The excerpt played as intended.

• Interview (8:45, HD) offers filmmaker Amy Heckerling a chance to interpret "Swept Away," sharing her thoughts on its meaning and significance.

• An Original Italian Trailer (2:28, HD) and an English Dub Trailer (2:53, SD) are included.

Swept Away Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Swept Away" earns its reputation as a manipulative picture, and Giannini and Melato earn respect for their full-body commitment to anything Wertmuller throws at them. Perhaps the feature has value as a study of the sexes, of era-specific politics and class antagonism, but it takes serious work to get to nuggets of engrossing behavior.