Swept Away (1975) is one of Wertm�ller's more frequently criticized films. The relationship that exists between Rafaella and Gennarino when they are on the island is based on the violence that he inflicts on her. He is the master and she the slave, not only because he possesses better survival skills, but also because he is physically stronger and able to force her to submit. Wertm�ller defends the violence in Swept Away by saying that Gennarino's revenge on Rafaella is "not so terrible,"1 because he only slaps her five times. Not only is this figure inaccurate, but Wertm�ller doesn't even address the verbal and emotional abuse that Gennarino inflicts on Rafaella.
Wertm�ller also defends the film with the claim that the relationship between Rafaella and Gennarino in Swept Away is intended to address social class issues more than gender issues. She presents the idea that equality between men and women cannot exist as long as society forces women into traditional family roles.2 However, since Rafaella is a wealthy, independent person when she is not on the island, Gennarino's violent attacks on her reinforce the idea that women can be victims of sexism even when they have escaped established "female" roles. In the case of Rafaella, she is actually victimized because of her nontraditional status.
In many of her films, Wertm�ller seems to discourage sympathy with her female characters. This manipulation is accomplished not only through character development, but also through objectification of the female body. Wertm�ller admits to working with grotesque images, but very few of her male characters could be described as grotesque, at least in the physical sense. A possible exception is the overweight teacher Sperelli in Ciao, Professore! (1993), but Wertm�ller never intends for the viewer to regard him with disgust. Images of grotesque women pervade Wertm�ller's filmography, from the madam in Love and Anarchy (1973) to the nazi commandant in Seven Beauties (1976) to the transvestite male prostitute in Sotto...Sotto (1984).
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1 Peter Biskind, "Interview with Lina Wertm�ller" in Women and Cinema: A Critical Anthology, ed. Karyn Kay and Gerald Peary (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1977).
2 Ibid.
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