Book Fringe: The Swimmer (1968)

About Book Fringe: The Swimmer (1968)

This August, Argonaut Books and Leith Kino are joining forces for a special Book Fringe collaboration.

Join us inside Argonaut Books for a programme of evening screenings celebrating underappreciated films with literary connections. We've got feature length adaptations of acclaimed Japanese murder mysteries, 1960s Czechoslovak sci-fi, and star-studded, forgotten gems of North American counterculture.

----

The Swimmer (1968) 

“When you talk about The Swimmer will you talk about yourself?

Adapting John Cheever’s 13-page short story into feature length, filmmaker Frank Perry brought The Swimmer’s vision of mid-century American suburban life with help from a screenplay written by his wife Eleanor. A hazy, sun-drenched odyssey through an affluent neighbourhood in Connecticut, The Swimmer opens with a strange introduction to its main character. Half-naked and bursting out of the woods, Burt Lancaster’s Ned Merrill gleefully exclaims that he plans on finding his way home not through walking but through swimming a path through his neighbours' pools. Along his journey, Merrill’s encounters with fellow members of the upper-middle class progressively reveals what truly lies beneath the swimmer’s cheery demeanor and a dark undercurrent at the heart of this seemingly idyllic lifestyle.

Now a cult classic, Perry’s film long went underappreciated and is now considered a landmark work that features a career best performance by Burt Lancaster and a laser sharp critique of the American Dream. 

“A piece that at once feels expansive and intimate, mundane and surreal, The Swimmer insidiously exposes the terror inherent in the ignorance and triviality of the American leisure class.” (Sarah Winshall, Screen Slate)

Tickets cost £6 and there are a number of free tickets available here for those not in a position to pay.

Please note that this screening will take place inside Argonaut Books (not Leith Depot).

Accessibility Information

Argonaut Books is an accessible, ground floor venue with gender neutral toilets. Seating is flexible and can be rearranged to accomodate specific needs and you're welcome to bring extra cushions for comfort if you like.

You can find more information on this FAQ page: https://argonautbooks.co.uk/faq

The bus stop outside serves routes 7,14, 16, 25, and 49, and (when they're running) trams stop nearby at the Foot of the Walk.