Swann in Love

56% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 54% Audience Score 500+ Ratings In 19th-century Paris, Charles Swann (Jeremy Irons) risks his social standing in his obsessive pursuit of prostitute Odette (Ornella Muti). His overwhelming desire for her comes, in part, from Odette's complete disinterest in him. When he finally weds her, utterly compromising himself in high society, he finds to his horror that his love for her was a complete illusion. At the same time, the Baron de Charlus (Alain Delon) pursues his own ill-advised romance. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff

Variety

Volker Schlondorff's film is not sacrilege -- merely a disappointment.

Jun 26, 2008

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Chris Peachment

Time Out

Schlöndorff shows an uncharacteristic visual organisation; and the clever notion of collapsing the thing into just one day in the life of Swann is vindicated by an elegiac coda which casts a suitable Proustian net over the whole enterprise.

Jun 24, 2006

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Swann in Love is a stylish, period love story, surrounding its central characters with still other pathetic seekers of perfection.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

The other strong asset of this movie is the acting... At the beginning of this century, the upper classes seem to have behaved with extreme formality and complete casualness at the same time. The film captures this strange mixture perfectly.

May 6, 2024

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 4, 2005

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Dramas about manners and ostracism in society have been done before and with more punch

Rated: 3/5

May 30, 2004

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Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This is a story about love. To fall in love. To fall in love with someone one doesn't like. A high society man falls in love with a woman who was a bad reputation. The dynamic of their love is complicated not only by the social differences but also by hesitation. This hesitation, hot and coldness of their relationship, is truly annoying at times. One it's not fully elucidated. Two, it's repetitive and dull. Overall, the movie starts at a fairly good place, and it's fairly rich in events. But later gets dull and repetitive, and eventually ends somewhat abruptly. The end is a bit amateurish. The highlight of the movie: Proust's writing about love, life and death. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member After 30 minutes, erotism and cinematography are great, but story has not much interest. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Un amor de Swann [1984] Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member There could never be a full film treatment of Proust's masterpiece, but this film treatment of one small part of it is brilliant. It is without a doubt one of the best films I have ever screened. Irons was brilliant as Charles Swann. I cannot imagine anyone else who could have played the part better. Muti was perfect as Odette, and Alain Delon was Charlus incarnate. If you love Proust, you really owe it to yourself to screen this film. The sets, costumes, and outside shots were brilliant, too. I think it is a classic film that is very underrated and deserves a lot more critical attention. Five BIG Stars!!! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member good story of a family Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member transports you to another world Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Swann in Love

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Cast & Crew

Volker Schlöndorff Director Jeremy Irons Charles Swann Ornella Muti Odette de Crecy Alain Delon Baron de Charlus Fanny Ardant duch*esse de Guermantes Marie-Christine Barrault Madame Verdurin

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Swann in Love (1984)

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 19th-century Paris, Charles Swann (Jeremy Irons) risks his social standing in his obsessive pursuit of prostitute Odette (Ornella Muti). His overwhelming desire for her comes, in part, from Odette's complete disinterest in him. When he finally weds her, utterly compromising himself in high society, he finds to his horror that his love for her was a complete illusion. At the same time, the Baron de Charlus (Alain Delon) pursues his own ill-advised romance.

Director: Volker Schlöndorff
Producer: Eberhard Junkersdorf, Martin Wiebel
Screenwriter: Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière, Marie-Hélène Estienne, Volker Schlöndorff
Production Co: Gaumont, Bioskop Film
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (DVD): Aug 10, 2005
Runtime: 1h 50m