On their Blu-ray, Indicator also use a linear PCM mono (24-bit) track, in the English language. It's clean and authentically flat. The music plays an immense part in the film and right from the opening scene, 24-year-old, Marvin Hamlisch's (Behind the Candelabra, The Informant) score, including the theme Send for Me in Summer with solo harp - sounds very strong with notable depth. An isolated music and effects score is also accessible in uncompressed. Indicator also offer optional English (SDH) subtitles but their Blu-ray is Region 'B'-locked!

The Indicator Blu-ray offers a commentary by Frank Perry biographer Justin Bozung (also author of The Cinema of Norman Mailer: Film is Like Death). He discusses the difficulties Frank Perry and his wife, Eleanor, had in bringing this to the screen forcing them to make a deal with producer Sam Spiegel. He identifies extensive edits and can provide immesne detail on specifics on the production  including early drafts, references to poetic realism, the intended pacing, what scenes were shot by Sydney Pollack, screen tests, Eleanor Perry and John Cheever's cameos, and some deep analysis plus much more on the director and the film. Duplicated from the Grindhouse edition are the 18-minute Marge Champion video piece and the audio of the original short story, which appeared in the July 18th, 1964, issue of The New Yorker, read by author John Cheever. New is 11-minutes with British actor, comedian, Richard Ayoade talking about The Swimmer in a piece entitled "Against the Tide". Indicator also include 4-minutes of title sequence outtakes, Illeana Douglas doing a TFH trailer commentary, the original theatrical trailer and 5 TV spots, plus 5 image galleries with Frank Perry's storyboards, the deleted Barbara Loden scene, Production stills, behind the scenes original promotional material and Janet Landgard stills. The package contains a limited edition 80-page exclusive booklet with a new essay by Sophie Monks Kaufman, a profile of writer John Cheever, extracts from interviews with Frank Perry and Eleanor Perry on the making of the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

Frank Perry's The Swimmer remains as brilliant and impacting as it was over a half-century ago. It was shot on location in Westport, Connecticut, the hometown of director Frank Perry. The stylized sequences export a hallucinogenic tone of guilt, regret, delusion and inability to embrace mistakes. It really is timeless and is continued to be lauded as a masterwork of cinema to this day. The new, 2022, Indicator Blu-ray has the best image quality, a new commentary, other supplements and a limited edition booklet. I suspect this will get many year-end votes for one of the best Blu-rays of the year. It has our highest recommendation! 

***

ADDITION: Grindhouse Releasing - Region FREE Blu-ray - March 2014 - The new Grindhouse Releasing of The Swimmer looks marvelous. The colors brighten, some looking rich and deep, the grain texture is pleasing with none of the artifacts of the SD. Flesh tones alter and the greens of the countryside and shimmering blue waters of the pools look extremely impressive. There are many close-ups exporting very high levels of detail. This is housed on a dual-layered disc but the feature file size smaller than you might suspect due to sharing it with the extensive supplements. The bitrate is modest but the presentation is solid.

The film's audio is transferred in original mono via a DTS-HD Master at a lowly 875 kbps.  Grindhouse Releasing include an isolated score in simple Dolby but it's rich, contemplative, music. There are optional subtitles (sample below) and the disc is region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

The Blu-ray is stacked with extras - most notably the, brand new, 5-part 2.5 hour, The Story of THE SWIMMER documentary by Oscar-winner Chris Innis featuring in-depth interviews with stars Janet Landgard, Joan Rivers (who performs in the film) and Marge Champion, composer Marvin Hamlisch, film editor Sidney Katz, assistant directors Michael Hertzberg and Ted Zachary, UCLA Olympic swim coach Bob Horn, and Joanna Lancaster (daughter of Burt). It covers many details that I found interesting. Probably a little heavy on discussion of the participants as opposed to the film but still a gem to watch if you were keen on The Swimmer. Other extras include director Allison Anders (Four Rooms) interviewing Marge Champion April 2013 for almost 15-minutes and the original NEW YORKER short story read by author John Cheever. This lasts 25-minutes. There are rare stills, galleries, trailers and TV spots and the package contains a new DVD of the Feature as well as a 12 page booklet with liner notes by director Stuart Gordon (RE-ANIMATOR.)

I love this film which has elevated to a cult-status in certain circles. It captures the delusion of mid-life crisis and resonates universal appeal for the acceptance age - reflecting on life's positive and negative experiences. This new Grindhouse Releasing Blu-ray is strongly recommended!