Jacques Deray's psychological drama stops short of being a real thriller by keeping the pace maddeningly slow. Alain Delon and Romy Schneider are well paired as an upper class couple enjoying an idyllic vacation on in the south of France. Their holiday in the sun is interrupted by old friend Maurice Ronet and his young, very odd daughter. Ronet and Delon are old pals and Ronet and Schneider MAY be old lovers...Delon goes slowly mad trying to find out. Complicating things is Jane Birkin as Ronet's bored daughter. What seems like a straightforward triangle blooms into something hellish. LA PISCINE (The Pool) is strikingly photographed, and the principles are all at their peak, however the overall viewing experience is not exactly enjoyable...Deray (a very good director) really mis-steps. The buildup is just too long for the finale to be very satisfying. Still, he gets terrific performances out of the swinging cast and the movie includes one of Michel Legrand's more bearable music scores.
Review of The Swimming Pool
