The Girl in a Swing (film)
| The Girl in a Swing | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gordon Hessler |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Gordon Hessler |
| Based on |
The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carl Davis |
| Cinematography | Claus Loof |
| Edited by | Robert Gordon |
| Distributed by | Millimeter Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $747,013 |
The Girl in a Swing is a 1988 American supernatural drama film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Meg Tilly, Rupert Frazer, Nicholas Le Prevost, and Elspet Gray. Based on the 1980 novel The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams, the film is about an English antique dealer who travels to Copenhagen where he meets and falls in love with a mysterious German-born secretary, whom he marries. Knowing nothing about her family or background, he soon discovers a darker side to his new bride.
Alan Desland (Rupert Frazer) is an English antique dealer who specializes in ceramics. A solitary man, he is a bachelor with no romantic ties. On a business trip to Copenhagen, he hires a German-born secretary, Karin Foster (Meg Tilly), to do some clerical work—she is fluent in English, Danish, and German. Alan's attraction to Karin is immediate, and over the coming days, he falls deeply in love with her. Karin is an attractive, sensuous, and mysterious woman who reveals little about herself. Her actions reflect both a quiet sensitivity (crying during a classical concert) and a dispassionate coldness (breaking the neck of an injured seagull). During a conversation about Karin's unmarried friend Inge and her child, Alan makes an offhand comment that he would have trouble marrying a woman with a child—the remark clearly upsets her. Before leaving Copenhagen, Karin expresses her love for Alan, who responds by proposing marriage, and Karin accepts.
Alan returns to England and meets with his mother, who expresses concern that they know very little about Karin's family or background. When Karin arrives, Alan begins to notice her strange behavior—frightened by the sound of children and fearful of the dark. As they prepare for their wedding, Karin states she cannot be married in a church. Karin's playful sensuality, however, overwhelms and enchants Alan. Alan and Karin soon travel to the United States on holiday and get married in a civil ceremony in Florida, where they spend their honeymoon. While swimming in a lake, Karin sees a body beneath the water, but Alan confirms it's only an old log.
When Alan and Karin return to England, she continues to captivate him and their entire social circle, engaging in discussions of philosophy and religion. At one dinner party, she asks Alan's best friend and vicar, "Can anything be forgiven?" He tells her yes, if a person truly wants to be forgiven. Alan suspects there is something deep and troubling in her—some dark secret or hidden guilt.
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