Schlockmania has a lengthy post on the upcoming Blu-Ray and the extras:
The first part of The Story Of The Swimmer is entitled “Backstroke” and deals primarily with the pre-production phase. Fans will be interested to hear that Burt Lancaster had zero swimming skills at the outset of the production…
However, that’s not all that the set itself includes. The final extra is a liner notes booklet featuring two essays. The first is an appreciation of the film from director Stuart Gordon that compares and contrasts the film with the short story that inspired it and makes an interesting case for it as an allegorical ghost story. The second essay is by Innis who chronicles the film from genesis to cult following. It offers a lot of information that supplements The Story Of The Swimmer, particularly the intriguing biographical details about Eleanor and Frank Perry.
Simply put, this set is a stunner. Grindhouse Releasing has proven they can step into Criterion territory with skill and style, delivering a killer transfer and a set of supplements that go deep into the film and the artistic tug-of-war that spawned it.
It’s an early contender for 2014’s best-of-year list and proof that Grindhouse has plenty of surprises up its sleeve.
