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

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Scott M @RT75128960 May 30, 2026 Controversial film about masculinity (and in some parts of the movie, even misogyny) and how it turns women on. I love the story. But the acting is so terrible. I won't watch it again. See more Blobbo X @Blobbo Apr 12, 2023 As I recall we liked it. See more Dec 13, 2021 One of the best masters of italian movies See more Apr 10, 2021 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. See more Mar 29, 2021 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. See more Dec 5, 2020 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. See more Read all reviews

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

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