Swept Away

Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly Good!!!
Review: Having seen the original "Swept Away" with the great Giancarlo Giannini, I was quite excited when I heard Guy Ritchie was remaking this film. The media completely bashed this film, and most people I spoke to about the film never saw the original, they obviously did not understand the movie and what the message was. I think seeing the original first will help people understand the film much better. The dialogue was not as drastic and moving as the original, but I expected them to tone most of the film down to accomodate the north american viewers. Madonna did a pretty good job and had tough shoes to fill in this remake, and Adirano Giannini was just as good, but not better, then his old man.

I have to give this movie 5 stars as it was still just as moving as the original. Although there was not as much slapping around, and a lot less political talk, the ending moved me much more then the ending of the 1974 version.

I have to give Guy Ritchie props, as it's not easy to remake such a well crafted Italian movie, it's like trying to remake a Ferrari of your own, very hard to do.

Rating:
Summary: Bad. But not as bad as you'd think.
Review: This movie got horrible reviews and it deserved them because it was a [####] poor remake. The original had great dialogue. In this remake, the characters of Pepe & Amber just curse each other out, are abusive toward one another for an hour and 20 minutes-- then next thing you know, they're in love for the last 15 minutes of the movie. You don't really see them fall in love. You don't know why they're so deeply in love. It could be because they're both very beautiful and tan. The character development is bad. You don't really care about them. It's predictable, but getting there is supposed to be half the fun. You know what's going to happen, but sometimes you need to see HOW it happens.

Adriano Giannini is so freakin' hot, but I didn't understand why his beard didn't grow after being stranded for a month. Can you imagine the smell of these two? A month with no soap,deodorant,toilet paper or toothpaste? Gross. The cinematography is lovely and so is the music. So watch (rent) this movie and decide for yourself. And again may I reiterate how hot Adriano Giannini is. Madonna has almost singlehandedly revolutionized how women in their 40's are viewed. And I love her for that. I still have many years before I am her age, but I still appreciate what she's done. I highly recommend seeing the original "Swept Away" (with Adriano's father Giancarlo Giannini). It's a much better film. Then compare it to this version. Guy Ritchie's adaptation is pretty, but that's all. Nothing more than a vehicle for his wife.

Rating:
Summary: Shipwrecked.
Review: At the box office, Madonna's ratio of success to failure has been roughly one to a million, and "Swept Away" apparently did nothing to change that statistic. It was roasted by critics, shunned by moviegoers, and having finally seen it, not only can I understand why, but I can also sympathize with those who actually bothered to see it in theatres. In this hopelessly inept remake of the 1974 film of the same name, Madonna is Amber, the agitated wife of a millionaire who boards on a cruise with two other couples. Never satisfied with anything, she barks orders at the hapless worker Guiseppe (Adriano Giannini), and misses no opportunity to belittle him. For reasons I won't bother to explain, Amber and Guiseppe end up on a deserted island, where Guiseppe becomes enraged by Amber's nasty behavior and slaps her around and forces her into submission for much of their stay. This role reversal is supposed to warm up Amber's ice-cold demeanor, and she eventually ends up in a love triangle where she's torn between Guiseppe and her husband. And so on. But what you really wanna know is: "Is Swept Away" as bad as they say it is? Well, it's bad. Not merely because of Madonna's performance, which proves once again that she can't act. It's not merely because of director (and Maddy's husband) Guy Ritchie. And it's not bad merely because it's painfully boring. "Swept Away" reeks chiefly because of its sexist plot, which basically says that an unreasonable woman can be "tamed" if you smack her around a few times and force her to call you "master" as Amber did at Guiseppe's command. To avoid this movie is to preserve 90 minutes of your life. You'll have me to thank.

Rating:
Summary: A fine movie, incredibly underrated.
Review: Let's face it, Madonna's acting abilities are passable at best. She has done horrily, e.g. "The Next Best Thing" (although I loved the script), and "Body of Evidence" (I could only sit through that film once). She has also performed beyond expectations, e.g. "Evita" (much more enjoyable in the theatres...on video, it's like sitting through a 2 hour music video) and "Snake Eyes" (I know...no one's ever heard of it, but she truly rises above expectations in that film).

Her performance in "Swept Away" is somewhere in between. In some moments, you begin to forget it's Madonna, and believe it's Amber (the character she plays in the film). In other moments, it sounds like Madonna is reading directly from the script and it comes off terribly.

As for her leading co-star Adrianno as Pepe...he gives an impressive, strong, and commanding performance in the film. Then again, next to Madonna's acting abilities, who doesn't give such a performance?

The real star in my opinion is the director, Guy Ritchie. His cinematography alone is breathtaking. This man had a vision and apparently, making a gorgeous film to look at was part of it. He mixes in the scenes beautiful, they seem to flow together as the ocean does in the film. Although his character development is slightly off, that's not truly his fault as he has Madonna as the leading lady of the film. The directing in this film, his angles, his use of music (a truly perfect soundtrack accompanies this movie) all come together magically. I can only imagine how pain-staking the editing process must have been for him. The man is obviously a perfectionist.

Enough has been said about the film to know what its plot consists of. Thus, I'm not going to go into details about it. But anyone who says the writing or script in this film is weak is kidding themselves. The script is incredibly metaphorical, and true. It challenges opinions regarding men, women, society, and love. It's sad no one gave the film a chance.

The film gets 3 stars out of 5 (Madonna's acting, minus the last scene in this film where she somewhat shines, brings the movie down), but the DVD special additions make this DVD receive 4 stars. The additions include a hilarious making-of special, and classic deleted scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Moving Film
Review: I am not the type of person who listens to critics, but because this movie got such bad reviews, and I wasn't particularly interested in the premise of the story anyway (two people stranded on a deserted island? Yeah, sounds great), I didn't rush out to see it. I only hired the DVD the other night because nothing else grabbed my attention at the video store. I was really surprised just how beautiful this film is. I cannot comprehend why critics hated it so much. I can only assume they didn't even watch it! Guy Ritchie is a fantastic director! The dark humour and violence from his first two films are combined here with romance (and a fantastic soundtrack!) to create a truly moving story about two people from different walks of life stranded together and having to confront each other. By the time the credits rolled I had been taken on such a powerful journey that I pretty much watched it again straight away. The first twenty minutes which focusses on a group of rich Americans holidaying on a yacht are so incredibly funny! Ritchie's dark sense of humour is executed superbly. The violence is kept at a minimum, but later in the film there's a potential rape scene which is truly unsettling. Be warned. This contrast in atmosphere might confuse some people, but it is exactly this contrast which makes the film particularly real and effective. The romance which blossoms between Adriano Giannini's character (where has that talented actor been hiding!) and Madonna's character, is just beautiful. The chemistry is perfect. The scenery and photography are also flawless.

I seriously recommend people not to listen to the critics and make their own mind up about this film. It's an utter tragedy that it should be remembered as 'that terrible Madonna film'. What's ironic about Madonna's performance is that everyone thinks the singer is such a materialistic snob, and yet it is in those earlier scenes where she plays exactly this type of person that she seems particularly out of her league. She's not convincing. But when Pepe and Amber become stranded on the island, Madonna simply shines. She gives a truly moving performance as a woman who's view on life undergoes a radical change. She also looks absolutely beautiful throughout! This film really touched me.

Rating:
Summary: Madonna's "unlucky star"
Review: I'm a fan of Madonna and her music, but her acting career is rarely hit, mostly miss. I think "Evita" will always be her best and greatest role, and maybe she should have quit while she was ahead.

I saw this film out of curiosity, because it didn't make it to theaters where I lived. I enjoy films about being stranded on a deserted island, so I thought this might be worth a look. As I watched it, I couldn't believe how incredibly bad it is, but I couldn't place my finger on what exactly was so bad about it. I'm not sure if Guy Ritchie should be blamed for it or Madonna, but something with this movie is off. With bad acting and a bad plot, this film is probably one of the worst I've ever seen. On the DVD, the only saving grace is seeing a feature where Guy Ritchie and Madonna interview each other. I wish that was offered on a separate DVD, because I'd buy that...and I don't want this film in my collection. Its a film that should have stayed in the private collection of Ritchie/Madonna's home movies. At the very least, I hope this film kills any chance that Madonna will be given another starring role in any future film project. She's great in "Die Another Day", "A League of Their Own", and "Dick Tracy" but she can't carry a film (except "Evita") on her own. I hope she sticks with her singing career and forgets about acting.

Nicholas

Rating:
Summary: Some reviewers need to be smacked
Review: "the making of 'Swept Away' (which originally aired on MTV, I think), "

Did this previous reviewer really mean this?!?!? My god it boggles the mind at times the level of ignorance allowed to pass on this site to write a review. 85% of the critics who rated this film never even gave it more then a moments glimpse. Its ironic how when dealing with someone like Madonna one really doesnt have to do his research and infact can be quite congradulated on his/her ignorance to the amount of work/research she had actually put into a role and instead focus on the past career mistakes she has made as good grounds to use as an evaluation towards a current performance which holds no relevance to a current project.

Interesting rating system we all buy into these days isnt it? Almost as convenient as your local grocery store.

"Excuse me but how did you like that movie Swept Away?"

"Oh... I didnt."

"Hmmm, well then.... I didnt either."

Rating:
Summary: Don't You People Have Your Own Brains
Review: I saw this movie and really really liked it, opposed to what other critics were saying. (Even though I'm not a critic) I wanted to show it to my friends but they didn't want to watch it because it was bad - even though they had never seen it. It made me angry. And throughout the whole movie they were picking at the tiniest little things to find a reason to hate the movie becasue it was already set in their minds that it was bad. Things like - This is so unrealistic, they would have been eaten by a shark by now - and they were dead serious. They picked the stupidest things. And the only reason they watched it was to see how bad it was. Of course they hated it because they talked the enitre time and didn't even pay attention and they made me skip scenes. Now you people can tell where I'm comming from when I say don't you people have your own brains. Who cares what critics say, they're not gods, or special in any way. It's just their opinion of the movie. They only got hired because they can write well. So don't be a slave to the system and at least watch this movie with an open mind!

Rating:
Summary: Material Girl
Review: Ok, I was expecting the worst from this film, mainly because I listened to critics and people who like to trash Madonna for the fun of it. (It's like they get off on it or something). I thought Madonna did the best acting role of her career. She was on point. If you've ever felt or been pretentious in your life, you would have found the humour in her spite and viciousness. I thought it was hilarious. No one but no one can ever kill the beauty of facsism. "Swept Away" was also filmed beautifully. The last scene was so unexpected, and left a lasting impression. Madonna is sure on a role with a great album and now a wonderful movie to add to her illustrious career.

"Are we being punished because were rich"? Madonna, Swept Away.

Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to the critics.....
Review: Despite achieving an extraordinary critically acclaimed career as a pop music artist, a successful acting career has so far eluded Madonna. Applauded for her debut role in Desperately Seeking Susan, subsequent acting roles have been publicly criticised except for a handful of hits (A League of their Own, Evita and Dick Tracy come to mind).

In 2002 Madonna once again performed in a movie, entitled 'Swept Away.' What makes this movie interesting though is that the writer and director is none other than her husband, acclaimed cult film director Guy Ritchie. I'm sure the knives were already out before the first scene was even shot. The critics don't seem to take too kindly to husband/wife filmmaking teams, and the Madonna/Guy combination was no exception.

Before the film hit the cinemas, huge headlines adorned the press proclaiming this movie to be the biggest bomb ever made, so the audiences stayed away in droves. Is this movie really as bad as those critics have suggested?

Even though I'm a Madonna fan I tried to see this film without any preconceived ideas, though I was hoping it would be good - and that hope came true.

The story centres around Amber (played by Madonna) going on a holiday with her rich husband and several socialite friends. Amber is a money obsessed, emotionally surpressed rich woman that we all love to hate. She makes Pepe's (the ship's resident fisherman and all round helper) life miserable.

A turn of events sees Amber and Pepe alone together on a deserted island. It is here where Pepe becomes the 'boss' and Amber must come to grips with being in a situation where money cannot be used to buy whatever she wants.

The first thing one notices about Swept Away is the stunning cinematography of the locations. You can almost reach out and touch that crystal clear water. The DOP and Cinematographer should have been nominated for some award for their talents here.

So for the burning question - how does Madonna perform???? She has shown that she has matured and developed as an actress to give a credible performance as Amber - playing the mean spirited socialite perfectly with a mixture of comedy and pure meanness. When we see Amber show her emotional and sensitive sides, Madonna comes up trumps here also - I had tears in my eyes watching Amber cope with those last remaining moments of the movie.

The DVD itself has some great extras. A 'behind the scenes' featurette actually lives up to it's name - no cheesy self promotional clips here but a true behind the scenes encounter where we see many candid moments between Madonna and Guy, including them with their children. Next is a selection of deleted scenes and the audio commentary with Guy and one of his producers. Whilst divulging the odd interesting fact, it is actually quite tedious to listen to with a considerable amount of umms and aahhhs. He may a brilliant filmmaker but he needs some lessons on how to give good commentary!!!!

I found Swept Away to be a wonderfully tender and romantic movie that reached inside me and tugged at my emotions. It is a shame that audiences have been brainwashed into thinking that this is a bad movie just because Madonna is in it. It is actually a well-crafted piece of cinematic art.