Savage House – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Peter Glanz
Starring: Claire Foy, Richard E. Grant, Bel Powley, Kila Lord Cassidy, Jack Farthing, Richard McCabe, Vicki Pepperdine

In cinemas June 5

It is a rarity these days for an original period drama to hit the screens – producers seem to prefer tried-and-tested material. Therefore, most big screen period offerings tend to be an adaptation of some well-known novel. However, this raucous and chaotic romp shows exactly why studios should be investing more in original work.

Written and directed by Peter Glanz, it boasts an impressive cast including the legendary Richard E. Grant and  The Crown star Claire Foy. Set against the backdrop of eighteenth-century England, a massive pox outbreak, and a Jacobite uprising, they play social climbers Sir Chauncey Savage (Grant) and Lady Savage (Foy). He is hung up on his extremely humble beginnings and constantly reminded that his wife had significant social standing before they met.

When they are invited to host a dinner for the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, they see it as a means to elevate themselves socially, and Chauncey insists they go all out to ensure the event is a success – at any cost.

As his wife flogs her jewels to pay for repairs to the house alongside new finery for the family and a succulent banquet, things quickly go askew thanks in no small part to their own carnal desires and myopic ambitions.

As the dinner plans descend into chaos, it highlights their ridiculous pretensions and the shabbiness behind the decadent facade.

This may be set in the 1700s, but the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality will surely strike a chord in the Instagram age, where the vast majority of people are trying to project a perfect online persona. Equally, the political commentary and the observations on class and power feel as relevant today as they were back then.

Grant and Foy are fabulous as the delusional and shallow aristocrats, helped in no small part by an amazing costume department. Glanz directs this with suitable whimsy, even in its darkest moments, and the soundtrack is suitably frenzied. Funny and thought-provoking, this manages to be bleak and yet poignant in the same breath. It is a thoroughly entertaining riot!