Barnes & Noble

This critically lambasted movie is not the unmitigated disaster you might have been led to believe; it's actually a creditable remake of the 1975 Lina Wertmuller film of the same title. This new version, directed by Guy Ritchie (Snatch), follows the original rather closely. Madonna (Ritchie's wife, in case you've been living in a cave) stars as Amber Leighton, a spoiled socialite who accompanies her husband and two other couples on a private excursion from Greece to Italy. Cast adrift in a dinghy with Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini), an unkempt and apparently dull-witted deckhand, Amber winds up on a deserted island and is forced to rely on the survival skills of the boorish sailor she loathes. There's nothing new about this plot; it was old hat even when the original Swept Away was filmed, and Wertmuller has rarely acknowledge her debt to James Barrie's similarly themed The Admirable Crichton, itself an oft-filmed fable. Ritchie's remake lacks the political edge and trenchant social commentary of the 1975 film, but it does offer a formidable screen presence in Madonna, whose performance is by no means the travesty it was made out to be by cynically vengeful critics. It's true that her assiduously cultivated image gets in the way, but it's also true that there's probably more of Amber in her than she would care to admit. Giannini, whose father essayed the role in the Wertmuller's original, manages to hold his own opposite Madonna, and the inevitable romantic clinches certainly produce plenty of sparks. If not quite a classic, Swept Away is definitely worth owning: Madonna still cuts an impressive figure onscreen, and this carefully produced remake provides her with ample opportunities to dazzle her audience. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Guy Ritchie, best known for the tough-guy crime comedies Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, goes for a change of pace with this remake of Lina Wertmuller's 1974 comedy-drama, with his wife Madonna in tow. Amber Leighton (Madonna) is the wife of Dr. Anthony Leighton (Bruce Greenwood), the wealthy and successful head of a pharmaceutical company. While Amber seemingly leads a charmed life, it doesn't appear to make her very happy, and she often inflicts her typically foul mood on those around her, especially the hired help. Anthony decides to surprise Amber with a cruise from Italy to Greece, with four of their friends in tow, but Amber doesn't much care for the notion. Amber feels the yacht they've hired is far beneath her standards, and she makes Giuseppe (Adriano Giannini), the first mate of the crew, the primary target of her dissatisfaction. Giuseppe, an ardent leftist, feels nothing but contempt for Amber, but for the sake of his job he can't say a word in response to her attacks. One day, Amber declines an invitation to go diving with her friends, but later changes her mind, demanding that Giuseppe take her to the underwater caves. Giuseppe warns Amber that a storm is brewing, and his prediction proves to be right on the money; soon, Amber and Giuseppe are stranded on a desert island, and suddenly they discover the tables are turned. Giuseppe, a trained fisherman and outdoorsman, knows how to survive on the island, while Amber is utterly helpless, and he forces her to cower under his commands in order to survive; before long, their mutual antagonism has begun to turn into something approaching unfettered lust. Adriano Giannini, who plays Giuseppe, is the son of Giancarlo Giannini, who played the equivalent role in Wertmuller's original film. Mark Deming

Entertainment Weekly

Sound the trumpets: For the first time since Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna doesn't suck as an actress. Owen Gleiberman

Boston Globe

A curiously affecting document of a director trying to show the world why he loves his wife -- not the changeling pop star, but the actress. Wesley Morris

Product Details

• UPC: 043396087804
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français
• Time: 1:29:00
• Sales Rank: 33,468

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