tulsatv

Very stylish tongue-in-cheek sci-fi. I don't recall it being a midnight movie in the 70s or 80s, though it should have been a cult classic here in the U.S.

After watching it for the first time last night, I can understand why it didn't see much action on American TV: it is permeated with drug use, irreverence toward religion, nudity, and generally perverse attitudes. As noted by others, it is in the style-sphere of "Modesty Blaise" and "The Avengers" (for which director Fuest wrote and directed in the Linda Thorson and Joanne Lumley eras.) The movie looks great, especially considering the small budget.

As a computer programmer, I took it as a nice joke that the computer is depicted as a realistically nondescript box, rather than the usual sci-fi flashing-light monstrosity.

Jon Finch seems like a lost member of Led Zeppelin, charismatic, offhand and saturnine. Jenny Runacre plays the imperious Miss Brunner (a nod to SF writer John Brunner?) with a lot of relish.

Nice to see two Kubrick actors here: Sterling Hayden (Gen. Jack Ripper in "Dr. Strangelove") and Patrick Magee from "Clockwork Orange". Also, George Coulouris from "Citizen Kane" and a young Sarah Douglas, who later played one of the Kryptonian criminals in the "Superman" series.

On the DVD commentary, it is mentioned that Eric Clapton performed the blues guitar on the soundtrack. He is not credited, but the two composers for the film, Beaver and Krause, share music credits with Cream on a 1970 picture, "Pacific Vibrations". So it seems plausible, and I wonder if the solo drum portion of the soundtrack might then be Ginger Baker? Jazz baritone saxist Gerry Mulligan's contribution is wonderful. The diverse music is a strong point of the film.

The ending didn't really pay off for me. Maybe it was intended to be a sly nod to "2001"; maybe they just needed to wind things up. But I found the movie very worth seeing.

I had read the book, "The Hand of Mary Constable" in my dad's Reader's Digest Condensed Books, so I was thrilled when I saw that it was going to be a Movie of the Week.

Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the book, as is frequently the case. In particular, the technology supposedly employed by the hero (which was actually the protagonist's name in the book, Alexander Hero) was ridiculously inadequate.

The book had a real downbeat Cold War mood to it and was a highly effective and timely thriller. I first heard the term "cybernetics" there.

Much later, I read the uncondensed version of the book, and though it had a lot more sex (not at all a deterrent), it wasn't as propulsive as the condensed version.

I also find this movie unforgettable, echoing other comments here. It is so outrageously Freudian in its symbolism, that I feel a bit sheepish responding so strongly to it. The earnestness of Burt Lancaster's character seems over the top for me as well. All that said, it really got to me.

Part of the attraction is Marvin Hamlisch's score, a copy of which I recently found on eBay. It is lush and foreboding. The forest ambiance provided by the cinematography adds to the atmosphere as well.

I'm a sucker for time travel stories, which is really what The Swimmer is. It is also scary to imagine your understanding of your life disintegrating as it does here.

I can't think of another movie like it. The Swimmer deserves a lot of credit for that alone.