Customer Reviews

Girl in a Swing [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Apparently, people either love this movie or they hate it. I happen to be a Meg Tilly fan, and I rather liked this film and her performance in it. The film is based on a book by the author of "Watership Down," and it is a rather haunting love story. The film concerns an English antique collector who meets a young German woman on one of his trips. They fall in love, though the young woman has some dark secrets which she is unwilling to reveal. The film is at times a little frightening, and there is a prevalent melancholic, supernatural atmosphere. I have read the book, and I think the film is at least equal, if not superior, to the novel.

Meg Tilly is an American actress but she assumes a rather thick German accent for this film. There is a dreamy, pensive quality to her performance that fits in well with the tone of the film. The film is an English production, so perhaps it will seem too "European" for the usual American audience. Nonetheless, given the current revival of spooky movies in the last few years, this is a film which certainly deserves more attention than it received during its initial release in the late 1980s. Give it a try; you may like it.

Unlike so many American films that are predictable,this erotic/mystery film will demand use of your brain cells. Meg Tilly admittedly is very difficult to understand because of her heavy german accent, but don't let this dissuade you from viewing this film. Meg's love interest, an Englishman, has a sixth sense concerning premonitions that complicates his understanding of Meg's strange obsessions and the secret she holds from her past. The ending doesn't disappoint, and you made need to view it a couple of times to fully appreciate it's inventiveness. If you like a film which strays from the boring path of predictability, this is the one!

First, Meg Tilly is an awesome actress - I was very disappointed to learn that she stopped appearing in films to give her sister, Jennifer, a chance to also be noticed in her own right. Second, Meg is absolutely beautiful in an unusual way. Reviewers who don't appreciate her beauty have become too used to expecting magazine-cover girls.

Third, it's true that the English antique-porcelain collector guy is not sexy or so impactful (although his portrayer's acting also is breathtakingly perfect so I wouldn't be surprised if he's sizzling elsewhere) - He's not supposed to be sensually erotic like Karin - That's part of the story. Fourth, the supernatural images are not superfluous - They're also a central story element: Karin's emotions & actions are so intense and horribly tragic that they manifest themselves in palpable psychic energy and cruel, indirect, unrelenting reminders.

It's not at all hard to believe, at least not while watching this film. I've only ever been able to believe two films' horror elements instead of finding their scare attempts transparent, often accompanied by poor special effects. Only The Girl In A Swing and The Exorcist made me believe what I was seeing - Consequently I don't intend to ever see either again. I don't particularly like being frightened but if you do, or you're seeking exceptional artistry in film, check it out.

The only reason Girl in a Swing didn't garner my 5th star is that some of the supernatural occurrences are too confusing at first however they do make sense when your mind's been able to go over them enough times - like mine did for weeks even though I didn't want it to.

I read the book before I saw the movie, and I agree with the reviewer who said this movie hits most of the points of the book. The actors are not what I expected -- Desland is a bit too stiff and dorky, but he was in the book too, so he seems reasonably well cast, but Karen is supposed to be unbelievably beautiful and Meg Tilly doesn't seem so to me. The film is slow in parts, but then so is the book. I thought it a great supernatural film, understated and creepy, for those that like horror without a lot of slasher nonsense. I wish they'd put out a DVD edition.

I believe ( unlike so many others ) Meg Tilly's accent was thick, but workable. I found her to be every bit as erotic, haunting, and multi-layered as Richard Adam's character was in his book ( which happens to be one of my favorite ghost stories ever ), and I think that anyone that found Rupert Frazer's portrayal of 'Alan' to be too wooden certainly could not have read the novel. The character was stiff- as written. Meg Tilly always seemed to have an illusive, otherworldly quality about her that made her perfect for the part of the doomed, ethereal 'Karin.'

The movie was able to capture a good deal of the book's flavor, though not much of the mounting tension that Adam's so masterfully brought to the novel. It was, however, a quite watchable film.

this is a haunting movie-i cried at the end-don't watch it if you are in a good mood because it is sad. meg tilly is beautiful and does well aside from the annoying accent. the english lead is a bit too stiff. most of all, the movie makes a powerful statement about the choices people make for love, guilt, morality, society, etc

Much better than the book, it involves the romantic relationship between a young German woman and an Englishman, and the choices she makes to accomodate him. Meg Tilly looks superb in this.

I read the book and loved it from start to finish - you could understand why the beautiful and brilliant Kathe (not "Karin") fell in love with the staid, unhandsome Alan. This movie makes you wonder what she sees in him, and he in her. Meg Tilly is gorgeous to look at, but not at all appealing in this movie. And wasn't the girl supposed to be Danish, not German? Oh well. The movie lacks the suspense, tragedy, and genuine love the book so beautifully described. Sorry - the film stinks.

This is really awful. I'm a Meg Tilly fan, but her accent was appalling, and the male lead was such a repulsive stooge that the love scenes were about as appealing as something on the Discovery Channel involving large animals. Bad plot. Bad acting. Bad movie.

Meg Tilly is absolutely brilliant in the part. Maybe her accent (German? Swedish? Supernatural?) is as heavy as other critics point out, but who cares? Maybe she is not as beautiful (as another critic claims) as the book suggests, but who cares. Forget about what critics say, watch her performance and judge for yourself. It's like watching raw acting talent without a body... If she doesn't make you cry in the first fifteen minutes of the film, than I agree, she's the wrong choice for you, so stop watching the film.
I admit, that the male lead has zero sex appeal, but he also transcends normal acting to the point where he just forces you to accept him. In other words, he's better than he appears. The two seem so mismatched, that you can believe they actually might like each other.
Anyway don't be fooled into thinking that the couple are progressing towards insanity as the film develops; it's the director who ends up going crazy. It's like he started out cooking a pot of soup, got bored halfway through, than just tossed all the ingredients in at once hoping that something great would come out of the spontaneity.
Don't try to figure out the latter part of the film- it's just stupid overindulgence. It could have been an interesting love story (how far will a person go for love?) without the introduction of tiresome existential philosophy and needless supernaturalism. An almost beautiful film ruined by its maker.