THE GIRL IN A SWING is an odd little mystery film, directed by horror stalwart Gordon Hessler and based on a book by Richard Adams (of WATERSHIP DOWN fame) of all people. As I understand it, it follows the classic novel adaptation format of removing pretty much of all of the lyrical beauty and atmosphere of the prose, leaving it a very ordinary kind of mystery/romance.
The main problem with this movie is that it's so very slow. I find watching romance films a very boring experience, and 90% of this is romance. A handful of weird events and clues are thrown in to keep the viewer interested, but for the most part this is just about characters lounging around and declaring their love for one another. The film DOES benefit hugely from casting the lovely Meg Tilly (PSYCHO II) as the love interest. Tilly has an ethereal beauty that Hessler captures well on film, and it's a shame that she's not matched by Rupert Frazer who plays against her, although to be fair he doesn't have much to do as the insufferably straight leading character.
Hessler was making B-movie fun with the likes of THE OBLONG BOX and SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN some twenty years before this film so he knows his way around the camera, so it's just a pity that the material is quite dull. A series of erotic and sex scenes flesh out the narrative (quite literally in terms of Tilly's nudity) but the plot really only kicks in in the last twenty minutes and by then it's all over. THE GIRL IN A SWING has potential and a commendable atmosphere on occasion, but I'm afraid there's too little here to whet the appetite of all but the most dedicated cinema fans.
The main problem with this movie is that it's so very slow. I find watching romance films a very boring experience, and 90% of this is romance. A handful of weird events and clues are thrown in to keep the viewer interested, but for the most part this is just about characters lounging around and declaring their love for one another. The film DOES benefit hugely from casting the lovely Meg Tilly (PSYCHO II) as the love interest. Tilly has an ethereal beauty that Hessler captures well on film, and it's a shame that she's not matched by Rupert Frazer who plays against her, although to be fair he doesn't have much to do as the insufferably straight leading character.
Hessler was making B-movie fun with the likes of THE OBLONG BOX and SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN some twenty years before this film so he knows his way around the camera, so it's just a pity that the material is quite dull. A series of erotic and sex scenes flesh out the narrative (quite literally in terms of Tilly's nudity) but the plot really only kicks in in the last twenty minutes and by then it's all over. THE GIRL IN A SWING has potential and a commendable atmosphere on occasion, but I'm afraid there's too little here to whet the appetite of all but the most dedicated cinema fans.