Swept Away Double Feature

Rotten Rewind

It's rare that both the original and remake of a film are critically maligned, but that's exactly what happened to Lina Wertmüller's 1974 class satire "Swept Away." Wertmüller's 70's run with muse Giancarlo Giannini culminated in her becoming the first woman ever nominated for directing at the Academy Awards in 1977, but "Swept Away" was a rare critical misfire for the auteur. So what happens when the biggest popstar in the world and her in demand director husband decide to remake it nearly 30 years later? Well, it results in the lowest rated film we've ever covered on the podcast. Guy Ritchie and Madonna made what was essentially the CliffsNotes adaptation of Wertmüller's film, almost completely removing any political context, turning it into more of a standard romcom, but keeping many elements of the original that turned so many critics off at the time. What alienated American critics from the 1974 original and how could a Madonna-starring remake have gone so, so wrong? There's only one place to find out.

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