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Title: Not a Romantic Romp
Review: Viewers actually listening to the Italian or really reading the English subtitles will realize that "Swept Away" is not a romantic tale of passion but Wertmuller's nasty political tract about class struggle. Raffaela is kicked, punched, sexually subjugated, denied food, and made to beg for love (in a reference to Mary Magdalene, she actually weeps on Giannini's feet)to play out the director's theme turning tables on the arrogant, masterful wealthy class and their Christian Democratic Party social policy. The master/servant role reversal, particularly as a prelude to "love," is a bit much. Any stars are due to the remarkable actors, especially Mariangela Melato.If you love Antonioni's great, complex film L'Avventura, you'll howl at the borrowed imagery of the island sequence, complete with a little abandoned hut built into the rocks.
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