SWEPT FROM THE SEA
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.0 Alternative Scale: *1/2 out of ****
UK/USA, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 10/24/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:54 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Vincent Perez, Rachel Weisz, Ian McKellan, Joss Ackland, Kathy Bates Director: Beeban Kidron Producers: Polly Tapson, Charles Steel, Beeban Kidron Screenplay: Tim Willocks, inspired by Joseph Conrad's "Amy Foster" Cinematography: Dick Pope Music: John Barry U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Over the years, numerous books, TV series, and movies have utilized England's wild Cornish Coast as the backdrop for sagas of romance and adventure. The latest is Beeban Kidron's failed adaptation of the Joseph Conrad short story, "Amy Foster". There's very little that's right about this sudsy melodrama, and a great deal that's shockingly wrong. In fact, it would be an insult to romantic drivel to use that appellation for SWEPT FROM THE SEA. Instead, this is something far less satisfying.
The movie tries mightily to touch our hearts with its mixture of comedy and tragedy. Problem #1: the comic moments are so awkward that they're more likely to cause winces than laughs. Problem #2: the tragic scenes are so overplayed that they appear like clinics of bad acting. Problem #3: the script is so insipid that it's impossible to become involved enough with these characters to care one way or another what happens to them.
SWEPT BY THE SEA starts at the end, then proceeds to relate the entire story via the overused narrative technique of flashbacks. Occasionally, depending on the nature of the story, this approach can be quite effective, but here, as is too often the case, it's used simply to facilitate a voice-over (known by another name as "the writer's crutch"). This is an example of laziness on the part of Kidron and writer Tim Willocks, who found it easier to have Ian McKellan talk about details rather than going to the trouble of actually showing them.
Amy Foster (Rachel Weisz) is a young, attractive Cornish girl living in a 19th century coastal village. Because she speaks so little and keeps to herself, the townspeople think of her as a simpleton, but they are unaware of the private "world" she has created for herself in a seaside cave. One day, a rugged Ukranian by the name of Yanko (Vincent Perez) is washed ashore when his ship goes down in a storm on the way from Europe to America. Unable to understand Yanko's language, the villagers shun him -- all except Amy and a few others. Predictably, romance blossoms between Yanko and Amy, and they are soon engaged to be married. This news comes as an unwelcome shock to much of the community, especially those who share blood ties with Amy.
As poorly-written as the script and dialogue are, things aren't helped by the wooden performances of the leads. Vincent Perez, who appeared in the art house hit, QUEEN MARGOT, and the more mainstream THE CROW 2, has never awed me with his limited range, and he doesn't do anything in SWEPT FROM THE SEA to change that opinion. On the other hand, I was reasonably impressed by Rachel Weisz in STEALING BEAUTY; her bland, expressionless portrayal here comes as an unpleasant surprise. The supporting performers -- Ian McKellan as a helpful doctor, Joss Ackland as a local landowner, and Kathy Bates as his daughter -- are equally lifeless and uninspired.
Taken as a whole, SWEPT FROM THE SEA is a mess. It seems to run on forever, and the pretty scenery and John Barry's operatic score do little to moderate the boredom. The bad movies that are the least fun to watch are usually those that aspire to some level of artistic pretentiousness. This is the case with SWEPT FROM THE SEA. But, in aiming to attract the sophisticated movie-goer, who will easily see through the stylistic posturing, the film makers have virtually assured that their product will have not audience. Considering the movie's lack of quality, that's not a bad thing.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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- Jean-Luc Godard
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