leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (01/23/86)
SAVAGES
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: SAVAGES is a microcosmic history of the
world, told in allegory. The Mud People find a mansion and
take on the roles of upper-class snobs for a night, then
return to the jungle. The idea had possibilities but the
execution was pretentious and dull. Avoid this one.
Back when THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY was released, the published plot
reminded me of a review I read in the early 70's of a film about jungle
savages who find a croquet ball and, in returning it, find a mansion and
begin taking up roles of people living in the mansion. The film, SAVAGES,
is now available on videocassette so I rented it for comparison.
SAVAGES, made in 1972 in Tarrytown, New York, was a film before its
time. Pray God that time never comes. In Greenwich Village, where art
films are popular, the film played a remarkable four days before word-of-
mouth killed it. The film indeed falls neatly between THE GODS MUST BE
CRAZY (which it may have inspired) and KING OF HEARTS (which may have
inspired it). That may well be loftier company than the film deserves.
Somehow related to Dr. Who's TARDIS, the film is hours longer on the inside
than it is on the outside.
SAVAGES opens with an introductory sequence showing the savages
happening on the mansion and putting on the clothing they find in the
mansion. After this short prologue, the film takes the form of an
interminable upper-class house party done in a surrealistic style in which
anything can happen as long as it doesn't make sense. One moment the guests
are all dancing to "Stepping on the Spaniel" (a lilting song about the joys
of treading on dogs), the next two lesbian lovers are discussing how to
remove hair from the face while they are making love. Every once in a while
a narrator chimes in, apparently to explain what is going on--in German,
though the rest of the film is in English.
Fine actors wasted in this film include Thayer David and Sam Waterston.
If you found LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD, you'll find SAVAGES even worse. If you
wish to see it, do so without me. On the -4 to +4 scale, I give it a
confused -2, but when I can think more clearly I may not like it as much.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper