The Swimmer

"When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?"

1968 1h 35m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 281

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A man spends a summer day swimming home via all the pools in his quiet suburban neighborhood.

“When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?”

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Cast

Burt Lancaster
Ned Merrill
Janet Landgard
Julie Ann Hooper
Janice Rule
Shirley Abbott
Tony Bickley
Donald Westerhazy
Marge Champion
Peggy Forsburgh
Nancy Cushman
Mrs. Halloran
Bill Fiore
Howie Hunsacker
Rose Gregorio
Sylvia Finney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Perry
Writers: Eleanor Perry, John Cheever
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Perry, shot by David L. Quaid. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pat Somerset shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Burt Lancaster and Janet Landgard and Janice Rule carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0063663 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Perry directs. David L. Quaid behind the camera. Marvin Hamlisch scores. Pat Somerset cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

158 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Frank Perry, shot by David L. Quaid. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Pat Somerset shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Burt Lancaster and Janet Landgard and Janice Rule carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?".
8IMDB entry: tt0063663 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "upper class", "midlife crisis", "connecticut", "swimming pool".

The technical file

Cinematography: David L. Quaid
Original score: Marvin Hamlisch
Editing: Pat Somerset
Makeup / hair: Enrico A. Cortese
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Swimmer (1968)

Also by

Frank Perry

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-03
★ 7/10
"Ned" (Burt Lancaster) has been away for a while so his neighbours are a bit surprised to see him, clad only in his trunks, swimming in their pool. After some chat with them, he discovers that barring the odd bit of terrain to cross, he can pretty much swim his way home through the pools of other neighbours/friends/acquaintances - a river and even a public lido... The film now follows him as this rather unique journey introduces us to his community, and to his own interesting, complicated and lively backstory. I could run to all sorts of amateur psychology about my understanding of what each stop means to him; to those with whom he stops, and to those of us watching - for the adaptation of the pretty depressing Cheever short story would certainly indulge that; but I felt this was more of a testament to an always slightly under-rated actor in Lancaster. He starred in some superb films over his career, and this - with him almost entirely en cueros, with his soul likewise just as scantily attired, allows us to gradually understand where his character has been, and to guess, maybe, where he might be going. Kim Hunter maybe stands out amongst the supporting cast, but I'm not sure that any of them outdo the other - they all fulfil their function adequately offering us a myriad of possibilities for his current and past behaviour. The ending is especially poignant and as an ingenious and imaginative piece of cinema, this takes some beating.
Wuchak2024-06-16
★ 7/10
Offbeat parable of self-discovery on the collapse of the “American dream” A somewhat confused man in swimming trunks (Burt Lancaster) travels from pool to pool in suburban Connecticut on his way home. Some of the people he comes across are played by Janet Landgard, Janice Rule, Joan Rivers and Diana Muldaur, amongst several others. "The Swimmer" (1968) is a semi-surreal commentary on mid-60’s America and the emptiness of materialism, as well as self-destruction. The fact that Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is almost naked throughout the film tells all. But the revelations are lowkey; you have to put the pieces together. I liked the insights on the folly of compulsiveness, whether social, youth-obsession, sexual or self-delusion. It’s an immersion into a struggling man’s soul. The allegory offers additional insights about the people we cross paths with in life. Friends might, more accurately, be casual acquaintances. Those whom you least suspect might be your biggest fans, at least in their memories. How did you treat others when you were on top? Who’s there for you when you’re no longer on top? It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot entirely in southwest Connecticut (Weston, Wilton, Westport, Stamford and Fairfield). GRADE: B
Abstractals2026-04-06
Burt Lancaster referred to this film as ""'Death of a Salesman' in swimming trunks,"" and that's not a bad characterization. You could also think of it, in many ways, as ""'American Beauty' in the late 1960s."" This movie came out nine years after the original 'Twilight Zone' series aired, and it would have made an interesting episode. As a movie, it lasts a little too long, is fairly melodramatic, and has some weirdly filmed scenes. Were they going for psychedelia? One scene in particular, where Lancaster simply crosses a busy highway, is just crazy with canted camera angles and weird zoom and blur shots. But one could argue that it helps build the dreamlike (or nightmare) quality upon which this story depends. I am beginning to suspect that Burt Lancaster created the acting style most often attributed to William Shatner. That is to say, he's vain and overblown, he dramatically stares off into space a lot, and his disregard for personal space with women quickly becomes a little creepy. No means no, Burt Lancaster! Maybe a lot of male actors were like this in the 1960s, I don't know, but it's a little odd from a 2026 perspective. As weird and as dated as this movie is, it's a fun enough watch for a sleepy summer's afternoon -- if only to see Joan Rivers' first dramatic role, and a brief scene with a young Diana Muldaur (Doctor Pulaski on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation').