Swept Away

"By far the lightest, most successful fusion of Miss Wertmüller's two favorite themes, sex and politics." – Vincent Canby, New York Times

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Mediterranean, Swept Away is Wertmüller's most famous and controversial film about sex, love and politics. On an elegant yacht cruising off the coast of Sardinia, the haughty Raffaella (Melato), torments Gennarino (Giannini), her manservant / sailor. When the two find themselves stranded on a desert island, their roles are reversed and Raffaella must submit to Gennarino in order to survive. But how will the harsh realities of civilization affect their relationship?

Director Lina Wertmüller emblazoned her name in the pantheon of Italian cinema reinventing the narrative forms and character types of her country's comedy. The passionate invectives against social, cultural and historical inequities at the heart of her mid-1970s masterworks The Seduction of Mimi, Love and Anarchy, Swept Away and Seven Beauties helped the pictures find an appreciative audience, especially in the US, where they broke box-office records for foreign films, made Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato an indelible screen couple, and secured Wertmüller an Oscar nomination for Best Director - the very first woman named for this category. Lovingly restored to their original full-length splendor, the return of these four beauties is a timely reminder of what we've missed all these years.

A Lina Wertmüller: Four Beauties series pass is now on sale. This $25 pass grants one admission to all four films in the retrospective.
Purchase a Series Pass here!

Join us for a wine reception on Friday, May 5 starting at 5:30 pm followed by Swept Away at 6:30 pm, courtesy of Società Dante Alighieri.

Check out the rest of our Lina Wertmüller: Four Beauties program!

---