Written by Eleanor Perry, adapted from John Cheever novel. Novel? Say what now? No, a short story. That's more like it. A thirteen page short story after which Cheever said "I felt dark and cold for some time after I finished".
Which is entirely understandable. My response to it after a gap of some sixteen years was a feeling of immense sadness, even during it - the episode where the swimmer - a fantastic performance from Burt Lancaster - teams up with his former baby-sitter Janet Landgard - is somehow crushingly sad. It's in his eyes.
And it certainly had us talking afterwards. It's probably the drip-feed piece - we learn everything really in drips and drops as we progress. And certainly the swimmer has gone though some terrific psychological jolt - he seems to have lost some of his past, and not just the two years he's been out of action. And it turns out he's not the friendly nice guy he seems.
Marvin Hamlisch's music adds a potent element to this sad mix (even though it may have been influenced by Michael Legrand's Umbrellas of Cherbourg theme).
John Garfield Jr (christened David) plays the ticket seller. He later turned editor - Desert Bloom and The Karate Kid II. Didn't recognise any of the other cast, even Kim Hunter and Joan Rivers.
The filmic style is interesting, for example the scene in which Landgard relates her teenage crush, and the camera is all about the trees and nature and hazy long shots. Three editors were involved: Sidney Katz, Carl Lerner and Pat Somerset. The DP is David L Quaid (Pretty Poison).
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