Patrick

People often comment on movies with foreign settings. Last night I rented Swimming Pool, a very "interesting" film. It takes place in London and in the Luberon of France, with some very recognizable settings. Beautiful scenery. But if anyone rents it, please tell me what the movie means.

111op

I meant to see when it was in the theatres, but I missed it. Did you find Ludivine Sagnier ravishing?

Patrick

Well from the neck down yes. And she spends about half the movie topless. But some of the facial closeups were terribly unflattering. I'm not sure why, because at other times she looked gorgeous.

rex

She is not nearly as ravishing as all the hype. She did seem very French, and teenager-impudent. Comfortable in her skin, as would be many French women her age, one supposes.

As for what the movie means - - well, I am not sure it "means" anything. It's a story. All depends on how well it got you to suspend your disbelief. As do all stories.

I'd rate it a 6, on a scale of 1 to 10.

Best wishes,

Rex

111op

Well, he directed 8 Femmes, which I found to be ok. Ludivine Sagnier was in that movie as well.

I seem to remember that he was influenced by Hitchcock (in the making of 8 Femmes?). Hard to see how Antonioni could have been an influence (based on 8 Femmes), but well, I suppose Antonioni is important enough to be an influence on a lot of people. Was there a lot of existentialist angst in "Swimming Pool"?

PatrickLondon

No, just a puzzle. I suppose some ladies of a certain age might feel existential angst at the all-too-evident proof that Charlotte Rampling is coping more than adequately with that age.

111op

This is so bizarre -- I saw a posting from casinoroyale regarding director influences on Ozon, which is why I made a comment regarding Antonioni.

His/her post is now gone. Weird.

Nikki

Gee, Patrick, I was hoping you could tell me. I did see that movie when it came out, and if I remember correctly I sort of figured it out at the time, but like the theory of relativity, the explanation doesn't seem to have stuck in my mind.

Scarlett

Wasn't it good though! The atmosphere! I will see just about anything if Charlotte Rampling is in it.
Should I say what we thought of it and give away something to someone who has not seen it?
Let me know and I will give you our conclusion as we left the theater

SeaUrchin

I thought I remembered a thread on this movie and found it by putting in Charlotte Rampling in the search box.

On the contrary, Patrick London, I say "more power to her" and I don't think she is that old anyway, is she?

111op

Rampling was born in 1945:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001648/

Patrick

Much cleverer than I, Sea Urchin. I did a search here, but was using "Swimming Pool" and found out more than I needed to about hotels with pools in France, but no film thread.

On the DVD there were, of course, deleted scenes, and a couple of those made the mystery of the ending even harder for me. I thought I got it, until the very end when we see "another" daughter appear at the office, then I was lost again.

OK, Scarlett, you have my email, spill the beans.

Scarlett

LOL, OK, Patrick, I will tell you EVERYTHING!!

dln

Patrick, I couldn't figure out the film's ending either (not at first) so I googled "reviews of swimming pool film" and came up with dozens of sites to look at. That and a bunch of girlfriends helped me make sense of the plot! I hate it when I can't figure movies out.

Speaking of backgrounds, did you notice the wind? In certain scenes, it almost seemed like the wind was breathing with a slow, steady inhale - exhale. When we were in Umbria last year, the wind did the same thing, rustling the leaves of the trees. It was rather disconcerting (but interesting).

Patrick

For those who really want to get into it, here's a great discussion thread on the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0324133/board/threads/

Marilyn

I kind of liked the movie because figuring it out as it went along really kept my interest. And I certainly did not know where it was going. But I thought the last scene in the publisher's office, where you see his daughter, explained what was going on very clearly. Further discussion is impossible here without spoiling it for those who have not seen it yet, so I will refrain. Email me directly if you want to discuss it. Beats talking politics any day.

hopingtotravel

If you want wind that does interesting things, come to Alaska. My husband has our house surrounded in windchimes. We have video of all the neighborhood garbage cans rolling down the street.

nonnafelice

Here is a link to an interview with the director which may shed a little light:

http://www.francois-ozon.com/anglais...retiens03.html

If you rent the DVD, be sure to watch the deleted scenes for some great shots of Lacoste (filmed in the ruined castle of the Marquis de Sade).

jody

It's an old movie...so anyone who wants or wanted to see it ..has! so please explain the last scene to me! I really enjoyed it up until that point!

Why are so many amazed that Rampling still looks good..great? we don't all fall apart at 30!

Marilyn

<b>WARNING: SPOILER INFO BELOW. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING!</b>

jody, everything after she arrives at the country house is happening in her novel, not in real life. Her publisher's daughter looks and behaves the way she imagines her to be, etc. The &quot;proof&quot; is the real daughter who is obviously nothing like the fictional one.

There is no one at the house with her when she is writing. There is no murder. None of that is really happening. It is all her novel.

Phil Flash complains that he can't tell when the switch happens from reality to the novel, but I think that's part of the cleverness of the film.