Swept Away (2002)

Swept Away

Year: 2002
Film Studio: Screen Gems, Ska Films, Codi SpA
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Length: 89 Min.

Director
Guy Ritchie (1968)

Writing
Guy Ritchie (1968)...Screenwriter

Producer
Matthew Vaughn (1971)

Cinematographer
Alex Barber

Music
Michel Colombier...Composer

Stars
Bruce Greenwood as Tony
Madonna as Amber
Elizabeth Banks (1974) as Debi
Michael Beattie as Todd
Jeanne Tripplehorn (1963) as Marina
David Thornton as Michael
Yorgo Voyagis as Captain
Ricardo Perna as Crew Member

Review
   Once upon a time there was a prima donna pop princess who believed in her boy-toy brain that she was an actress. Although her acting style was as vacuous as her prowess for vocalizing the inane and vapid lyrics to her so called songs, in her heart of hearts she was a bona fide thespian. One day the princess married her prince charming, an up and coming creative independent film director named Guy Ritchie, whose career would be turned to stone after his liaison with the pop Medusa. Together they would conspire to remake and re-create the onscreen magic of a film by Lina Wertmuller from 1974, called Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto, American translation Swept Away…By an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August. The original film was a mélange of sex, comedy and politics blended together into a stylish farce about the class system in Italy at the time.

   From the get go, the casting of Ms. Madonna Ciccone as the female lead would bring about many problems with this reworked script. Madonna would be playing a wealthy and spoiled American woman (There’s a real stretch) who is on holiday with her husband and friends in the Mediterranean. By changing her characters nationality from Italian to American, the first problem arises, as all of the political differences between her and her co-star Adriano Giannini’s (Giancarlo’s son) character are discarded. This was the foundation of the original script to Wertmuller’s film and provided the basis for the battles not only on the boat but on the island too.

   Problem number two deals with some of the lighting and camera angles that Ritchie uses to showcase his blushing new bride. Either they were arguing a lot during the shooting of this film or someone needs to teach him what makes an actress’ looks radiate on the screen. So many times during this film it looked as if he was shooting his mother instead of his wife, as the camera revealed every one of the wrinkles on Madonna’s face and made her appear at least ten years older than she is.

   The final problem lies in the different approach each actress took towards interpreting their respective roles between the original and this shallow re-make. In the original, Mariangela Melato at first comes across as a heartless witch, but throughout the course of the film, softens to exude an angelic, almost virginal sense of passivity. Madonna, on the other hand, comes across as a spoiled shrewish hag that any man worth his weight, would have drowned when cast adrift with her. Not for a minute is her transformation to compliant cherub believable and the chemistry between her and Giannini is virtually non-existent.

This is a film that most definitely should be avoided at all cost!!!

Ratings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.
4 ½ Stars - Not quite an immortal film, yet a masterpiece in its own right.
4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.
3 ½ Stars - An entertaining film that’s fun or engaging to watch.
3 Stars – A good film that’s worth a Netflix venture.
2 ½ Stars - Borderline viewable.
2 Stars – A bad film that may have a moment of interest.
1 ½ Stars – Insipid, trite and sophomoric, and that's its good points.
1 Star – A film so vacuous, it will suck 2 hours from the remainder of your life.
½ Star - A gangrenous and festering pustule in the chronicles of celluloid.