The Swimmer (1968) watch online HD

Prior to making the film, star Burt Lancaster, despite being quite athletic, had a fear of water and took lessons from Olympian and UCLA water polo coach, Bob Horn. Lancaster trained at the pool at his own house and one at UCLA.

Burt Lancaster always insisted that this was both his best and his favorite film of his career.

Star Burt Lancaster worked out continuously throughout the production of the film to maintain a high level of fitness. Lancaster did numerous push-ups and sit-ups every morning before each shoot to stay lean and solid. He gained twenty pounds of muscle by doing weights, running, karate and aerobics.

Although the critical response at the time was mixed, critics were unanimous in their praise of Burt Lancaster's physique, especially considering he was 52 at the time of filming.

Burt Lancaster said of this film in an interview with 'Take 22': "...the whole film was a disaster, Columbia was down on it. I personally paid $10,000 out of my own pocket for the last day of shooting. I was furious with Sam Spiegel because he was over at Cannes playing gin with Anatole Litvak whilst he was doing Die Nacht der Generale (1967). Sam had promised me, personally promised me to be there every single weekend to go over the film, because we had certain basic problems - the casting and so forth. He never showed up one time. I could have killed him, I was so angry with him. And finally Columbia pulled the plug on us. But we needed another day of shooting - so I paid for it".

Burt Lancaster called the film "Death of a Salesman in swimming trunks".

The opening paragraph of John Cheever's source "The Swimmer" short story reads: "It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, 'I drank too much last night.' You might have heard it whispered by the parishioners leaving church, heard it from the lips of the priest himself, struggling with his cassock in the vestiarium, heard it from the golf links and the tennis courts, heard it from the wildlife preserve where the leader of the Audubon group was suffering from a terrible hangover. 'I drank too much,' said Donald Westerhazy. 'We all drank too much,' said Lucinda Merrill. 'It must have been the wine,' said Helen Westerhazy. 'I drank too much of that claret'."

After the first rough cut was screened, Sydney Pollack replaced director Frank Perry with the latter still remaining the credited director for contractual reasons. Allegedly, Perry did not finish directing this film because of creative differences and was fired by producer Sam Spiegel.

Robert Horn, the swimming teacher who helped Burt Lancaster to prepare for his role, was twenty years younger than Lancaster, who confessed that he would have given anything to have a son like Horn.

William Holden was the first choice for the lead role of the swimmer Ned Merrill for both producer Sam Spiegel and director Frank Perry but Holden turned it down as did Glenn Ford, Paul Newman and George C. Scott before Burt Lancaster, who was eager to play the role, was ultimately cast.

According to assistant director Michael Hertzberg on the Frank Perry director - star Burt Lancaster relationship: "My take is that, in this case, there was nothing wrong with the director, and there was nothing wrong with the actor, but they were just wrong for each other".

Some movie posters for the film featured a long preamble that read: "The famed John Cheever short story appeared in the New Yorker and people talked. Now there will be talk again. When you sense this man's vibrations and share his colossal hang-up . . . will you see someone you know, or love? When you feel the body-blow power of his broken dreams, will it reach you deep inside, where it hurts? When you talk about "The Swimmer" will you talk about yourself?".

Debut theatrical movie credit as an actress for writer-comedienne Joan Rivers.

The main location of Westport, Connecticut was the hometown of director-producer Frank Perry.

The film was made and released about four years after its source short story of the same name by John Cheever had been first published in 1964 in 'The New Yorker' magazine on 18th July and then later in the same year in the short story compendium "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow".

Debut film score composed by music composer Marvin Hamlisch.

Joan Rivers' short scene took seven days to shoot.

Producer-director Frank Perry and screenwriter Eleanor Perry were married at the time that the film was made and released.

Producer Sam Spiegel recruited composer Marvin Hamlisch to compose the film's score after seeing him play the piano at a party.

A documentary about the making of the movie, The Story of the Swimmer (2014) directed by 'Chris Innis' is available on the latest Grindhouse Releasing Blu-ray/DVD combo release of the film, and runs for about 149 minutes, longer than the movie itself.

The source short story by John Cheever that has a length of just a dozen pages was written from a manuscript of notes that totaled 150 pages.

Lyricist Charles Burr wrote lyrics to the main theme, titling the song "Send For Me In Summer". No vocal version was ever recorded and the lyrics were never made public, although the instrumental theme has also become known by that title.

Debut theatrical movie for actress Janet Landgard.

The picture in its initial first theatrical distribution was a commercial failure at the international box-office.

The picture was predominantly filmed on location in the American state of Connecticut in the USA.

Producer Sam Spiegel removed his name from the film's credits.

Burt Lancaster paid for the US $10,000 cost for the one extra day's shooting for the last day of filming.

Linda Evans auditioned for the lead female role.

The John Cheever source short story was originally conceived as being a full length novel.

Principal production took place during the summer of 1966, but the film was not released until 1968.

Shirley (Janice Rule) is reading the January 1967 edition of Films and Filming magazine. Production on this picture began in June of 1966, so this would indicate these are the last scenes that were shot.

Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1978 debut album "The Scream" was inspired by this film.

The film's source 1964 short story by John Cheever published is only twelve pages long.

Some movie posters ran with a tall big blurb set in a gigantic font height that read: "When you talk about 'The Swimmer' will you talk about yourself?".

Although Sam Spiegel took his name off the film, the logo of his company, Horizon Pictures, remains in the credits.

The car Ned gets a ride in is a Rolls Royce Phantom III. Only 727 were made from 1936 to 1939, all with custom coach-works by various builders. As of 2018, even average-condition examples can sell well into six figures dollar-wise.

There are a total of ten pools used for this film - nine residential and one public.

According to an article in the July 16, 1966 edition of the New York Times, Burt Lancaster's wardrobe for the film only consisted of 17 identical pairs of blue nylon swimming trunks.

Janet Landgard and Janice Rule receive 'Introducing' credits'

Joan Rivers portrayed a character, Joan, who had the same first name as her own.

Opening credits: The names and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

John Cheever: Uncredited, the author of the source short story "The Swimmer" as a man at the pool party.

Kim Hunter: As Betty Graham.

Joan Rivers: As Joan.

Diana Muldaur: As Cynthia.

Cornelia Otis Skinner: As Mrs. Hammar.

David Garfield: As a ticket seller at a public pool billed as John Garfield Jr.

The scene where Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) visits his ex-mistress Shirley Abbott (Janice Rule) was directed by Sydney Pollack.

Barbara Loden's (Shirley Abbott) scene with Burt Lancaster was omitted from the film and was entirely re-shot with Janice Rule playing the part.

Joan Rivers says of her brief appearance in this movie in her autobiography "Still Talking" (1991): "He [Burt Lancaster] redirected every line . . . [director] Frank [Perry] wanted a happy girl who then got hurt. Lancaster was going to be Mr. Wonderful who came up against a mean bitch, and was right not to go off with her. Trying to please both men, I was going back and forth between line readings, and nothing made sense".