SWEPT AWAY (4K RESTORATION)

FEBRUARY 11

An odd-couple arthouse sensation in the United States, Lina Wertmüller’s provocative, fable-like two-hander brings together Mariangela Melato and Giancarlo Giannini for an oft-ugly battle of the sexes (and classes) cage match with the sparkling Mediterranean for a beautiful backdrop.

Not long after setting off on a yachting expedition, Milanese millionairess Raffaella (Melato) finds herself stranded on an obscure island with the boat’s deckhand (Giannini), a working-class Sicilian communist who promptly establishes dominion over the isle — and his once-prideful ex-employer. A contentious cinematic war of words, which has lost none of its power to inspire heated debate among its viewers.

1974| In Italian with English subtitles | 115 min

The 4K restoration of Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August (Lina Wertmüller, 1974) was carried out by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, in collaboration with Minerva Pictures and Mediaset, starting from the original scene and soundtrack negatives.

The kind of movie that audiences lined up around the block to see and emerged from feverishly chattering and arguing about. Wertmüller didn’t just tap the tangled sexual politics of the ’70s — she lit a fuse under them."
- Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"The most successful fusion of Miss Wertmüller's two favorite themes, sex and politics."
- Vincent Canby, The New York Times

"A powder keg of class and sexual politics."
- Scott Tobias, AV Club

"Absorbing...funny...kinky."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times