ADDITION: Grindhouse Releaing - 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. Technically you'd think this wouldn't sound robust but surprisingly, right from the opening scene Marvin Hamlisch's (Behind the Candelabra, The Informant) score, including the theme Send for Me in Summer sounds very strong with notable depth. 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!