Savages (DVD, 2004)

Product Specs

Description

The first American film from Merchant Ivory Productions, SAVAGES is an allegorical tale which takes a hard look at what we deem civilized. When a croquet ball rolls into the middle of a human sacrifice, a tribe called the Mud People becomes curious and follows it into a deserted stately home. After the primitive people enter the mansion, a mysterious change occurs and the motley crew is suddenly transformed into refined individuals attending an elegant dinner party in 1930s. The group includes a songwriter, a hostess, a capitalist, a man dressed as a woman, a debutante (former model Susan Blakely) and a limping man (played by a young Sam Waterston). The script was written by New Yorker staff writer George Swift Trow and Michael O' Donoghue, a writer for National Lampoon who went on to be a major writing force in the early years of Saturday Night Live. SAVAGES director James Ivory conceived of the idea for the film after discovering Beechwood, a deserted mansion in Scarborough, New York, 40 miles outside of New York City. The film was shot on location there in both black-and-white and color. The scenes depicting primitive times are black-and-white; modern times appear in color.