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Swept from the Sea (1997)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
12/24
12/24:
"THIS MOVIE WILL MOVE YOUR SOUL."
That's why I don't like these earth-shattering proclamations. I'll just end up being disappointed and say,
"That's it?" Enter Swept from the Sea.
Where to begin? I have to go with Vincent Perez first. He has no personality and reminds me too much of Joseph
Fiennes. Had the role gone to an esteemed actor with strong personality like Brad Pitt or Daniel Day-Lewis,
then okay...we might have something here.
However, I can see why they wouldn't be interested in this sort of thing because the script is so
ordinary with zero feel for Joseph Conrad. To overcome the problem, it's recommended that
Swept from the Sea is turned into a foreign picture. It tends to work out better this way. They know how
to capture the subtleties that Hollywood never can. Because of the excellent cinematography, which was
virtually shot on location in Cornwall and West Yorkshire, England, I think the filmmakers started with that and
then worked their way out.
I don't get why everybody kept calling Rachel Weisz's character retarded or a witch. Far from that. I say
she's the fetch of the county because of her looks. If it's Shelley Winters or somebody along the lines,
I'll believe it more. For a servant, there's no way she wears clothes like that with nice fabric. Plus,
she would be too busy for the displaced Ukrainian national. Remember when her dress caught fire inside
the cave? That's impossible for her legs not to receive third-degree burns.
As for the rest of the supporting cast, only Ian McKellan stands out; then again, he's a trained Shakespearean
actor which is to say the material is up his alley. By the way, as a narrator, how is that he was aware of many
things which could only be known to the star-crossed lovers? On the other hand, Joss Ackland and Kathy Bates are
almost useless.
All in all, Vincent Perez was, simply put, the wrong choice for the leading role in Swept from the Sea.