The Swimming Pool (1969) on Netflix
At a friend's villa near Saint-Tropez, Jean-Paul and Marianne pass the summer, two years into their affair. Marianne invites Harry, her former lover, and his teenage daughter Pénélope to stay.
- Netflix4.2/5
- IMDb7.1/1017,456 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes95%
Trailer
Plot summary
Jean-Paul, a writer, and Marianne have been together for a little more than two years and are passing the summer at a friend's house near Saint-Tropez. Harry, a record producer, calls from the region; he and Marianne were lovers before Jean-Paul, and he arrives with Pénélope, his eighteen-year-old daughter, whose existence the couple did not know about. Marianne tells them to stay without consulting Jean-Paul. Harry mocks Jean-Paul for leaving serious writing for advertising, and Pénélope, who grew up barely knowing her father, has little respect for him.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Swimming Pool (1969)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- During the making of La Piscine, the Marković affair broke out: the body of Alain Delon's bodyguard, Stevan Marković, was discovered in a public dump in the village of Élancourt, Yvelines, on 1 October 1968.
- Romy Schneider had broken up with Alain Delon two years before La Piscine; he began pursuing her again, and insisted she be cast in the film, even threatening to quit if she was not included, despite the producer's misgivings.
- La Piscine was made in both French and English versions, with the actors filmed speaking English for the international release, which was unusual at a time when films were always either dubbed or subtitled.
- La Piscine was restored and re-released in summer 2021. Booked at New York's Film Forum for two weeks, it ran for 18 and became a surprise hit.
- La Piscine was the first of the nine films Alain Delon made with director Jacques Deray, and the only one of the nine in which Delon, the star, did not serve as producer.
- The Italian release of La Piscine had 20 minutes cut from it, though it was nonetheless a popular success in Italy.
