Swept from the Sea
| Swept from the Sea | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Beeban Kidron |
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| Screenplay by | Tim Willocks |
| Based on | "Amy Foster" by Joseph Conrad |
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| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Dick Pope |
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| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $283,081 |
Swept from the Sea is a 1997 American drama film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Vincent Perez, Rachel Weisz, and Ian McKellen. Based on the 1901 short story "Amy Foster" by Joseph Conrad, the film is about a doomed love affair between a simple country girl and a Ukrainian peasant who is swept onto the Cornish shore in 1888 after his emigrant ship sinks on its way to America.
Yanko Góral (Vincent Perez), a Ukrainian peasant, is swept ashore on the coast of Cornwall, England, after his emigrant ship sinks on its way to America in 1888. The bodies of his fellow passengers wash ashore and are soon buried in a mass grave. Yanko makes his way to the Swaffer farm, where his dishevelled appearance frightens the family. Amy Foster (Rachel Weisz), however, is not frightened by the stranger. Amy is a loner who visits her parents, Mary and Isaac Foster, every Sunday, despite receiving very little love from them. Her father calls her a "queer sort" who collects things that wash ashore, and blames her for his scandalous marriage—Mary was already pregnant before they were married. In the coming days, Amy attends to Yanko—washing, feeding, and caring for him. When he regains his health, Yanko is taken away by the townspeople to work as slave labour.
A few months later, Dr. Kennedy (Ian McKellen) and Mr. Swaffer (Joss Ackland) are playing chess when Yanko approaches and shows the men a series of brilliant chess moves. Dr. Kennedy soon determines that the man is in fact Russian. Having gained a newfound respect for the stranger, the Swaffers take him in, start paying him for his labor, and give him normal working hours. Yanko learns from the doctor that Miss Swaffer (Kathy Bates), on the eve of her wedding day, had a horse-riding accident and broke her spine. The doctor also reveals that he lost his wife and son to typhus "many lifetimes ago." The doctor's fatherly affection for Yanko is evident in their meetings, where Yanko learns English and the doctor learns chess. The doctor purchases Yanko a new suit of clothes, which gives him the courage to visit Amy and ask her to go for walks.
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