Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August

A malicious, selfish upper-class woman (Mariangela Melato) mistreats and verbally abuses the unrefined, lower born deckhand (Giancarlo Giannini)aboard her husband’s sailboat during a Mediterranean voyage and finds the tables being turned when the two are stranded on a deserted island and she must rely on, and is even drawn to, his self-reliance and macho dominance. Lina Wertmuller’s Swept Away is an obvious but nevertheless intriguing class warfare/battle of the sexes allegory which boasts great direction, beautiful locations, and excellent central performances.

*** ½ out of ****

Seven Beauties

A self-styled playboy gangster (Giancarlo Giannini) with his own code of honor accidentally kills his sister’s pimp and finds himself captured by the Germans and interned in a concentration camp where he is put to the test of human extremes, whether it is sacrificing a friend, selecting men to die in his stead, or seducing the sadistic bullish prison warden. Lina Wertmuller’s acclaimed Seven Beauties is a bawdy and broad European style comedy and harrowing war picture that changes tones often but succeeds  thanks to great direction (Wertmuller became the first woman in Oscar history nomintated for Best Director) and Giannini's confident, emotive performance.

*** ½ out of ****