Movie #: Title:   Year: 2003         IMDB mediatype
Genre: Director:     IMDB   Rating:  R  Box Set? box set?

FileNameRunTimeFileSize(MB)
0969 Swimming Pool.mp41:421149
Actors & their characters
Charlotte RamplingFilter 
Ludivine SagnierFilter 

Synopsis

Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her--until late one night, when John's indolent and insouciant French daughter Julie unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's prim and steely English reserve is jarred by Julie's reckless, sexually charged lifestyle. Their interactions set off an increasingly unsettling series of events, as Sarah's creative process and a possible real-life murder begin to blend dangerously together.  

More Info

VIDEO: "Swimming Pool" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen by Universal. This is largely a fine transfer, although there's a few little irritants that take it down a notch or two. Sharpness and detail are very good, as the daylight scenes appear especially crisp and well-defined.

Problems appear, unfortunately, often in the form of edge enhancement. While most scenes are free of it, it does appear - sometimes slight amounts, sometimes more mild and noticable - in a few instances. A couple of light compression artifacts and specks also do appear on the print used. The film's rather subtle color palette looks beautifully rendered here, with nice saturation and no smearing.

SOUND: "Swimming Pool" is presented in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. Sound-wise this is a very subtle film, which works in its favor. Ozon knows the power of near-silence and uses it, as several scenes work better with only very slight ambience behind them. Philippe Rombi's score, only used lightly here-and-there, is terribly effective, with a certain quality that's both elegant and eerie. Dialogue - mostly in English, with some brief, subtitled French - seemed clearly recorded.

EXTRAS: The film's theatrical trailer and 12 minutes of deleted footage. The main menu starts only after an absolutely tedious seven minutes of forced trailers.