Savage House: This is madness... but isn't it fun?
You could say Savage House is a story about following your dreams – but dreams aren’t always pretty. Claire Foy and Richard E. Grant star in this black comedy about a couple of grotesque nobles with big ambitions and little morals.
In eighteenth-century Yorkshire, Sir Chauncey and Lady Savage will do anything to appear respectable... despite not having a respectable bone in their bodies. Their bad reputation deters their peers from wanting to associate with them – but when the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire inform them of their impending visit, the Savages seize the opportunity by the throat. They intend to show off, win the favour of their guests, and finally become part of society. But with a pox outbreak, Jacobite uprising, scheming servants, and absolutely no common sense between them, their plans spin wildly out of control.
The film is written and directed by Peter Glanz, the writer behind rom-com The Longest Week and Marvel film Captain America: Brave New World. Glanz’s eclectic experience makes Savage House a refreshing pivot, but his talent for comic timing shines through. Like Brave New World, this is a pretty timely political piece. There’s the issue of growing class division, and struggles for status, all led by the bad-spirited fools who have somehow fallen into power. Grant and Foy, both so likeable and well-suited to black comedy, bring delightful charm to the characters – despite their many, many flaws.
Like MadFabulous (another comic historical film recently at the Dukes), Savage House looks back with a contemporary lens – but this time, the focus is not so fabulous. The film brings life to the rancid realities of the eighteenth century, which was, it turns out, not all Jane Austen cracked it up to be! The ridiculous truth of noble hierarchy reveals itself as the Savages descend into... well, savagery. With its crude humour, the film shows the grisly truth behind Georgian nobility – and watching such ruthlessly unfiltered villains (and their comeuppance) is savagely satisfying.
Written by Jodie Passey
