A One Mann’s Movies review of “Savage House”. (2026, 4*, 15).
From the trailer this rather looked like a cross between “The Favourite“, the first “Downton Abbey” movie (with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire visiting rather than the king) and perhaps most of all the bawdiness and irreverence of the wonderful Russian-set TV series “The Great”. And so it turned out to be. Although quite a ‘small’ film in its scope, I found it extremely entertaining, full of excrement, sex and icky wounds!
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Humble ex-peasant, crook and cheat Sir Chauncey Savage (Richard E. Grant) – “an inspiration to noble ruffians everywhere” – has married up into the lowest levels of the nobility by wedding Lady Savage (Claire Foy), but has squandered her fortune on hookers, booze and gambling. But a surprise letter from Lord Devonshire, wishing to stay at Savage House, offers a chance of social redemption and sends the whole household into a spin of activity.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC website: “Very strong language, strong sex, injury detail, violence.”)
Talent:
Starring: Richard E. Grant, Claire Foy, Jack Farthing, Bel Powley, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Richard McCabe, Vicki Pepperdine, Pip Torrens, Robert Bathurst, Tony Way, Tom Godwin.
Directed by: Peter Glanz.
Written by: Peter Glanz.
Running Time: 1h 53m.
Review:
Positives:
- This is a film that would be a shadow of itself without the towering presence of Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy in the leading roles. Grant is just magnificent as the tragic but hilarious Chauncey and Foy is as brilliant as ever. It’s a bizarre thing that there is a 27 year age difference between Grant and Foy (Grant is now 69 and Foy is 42) and yet you can still believe that Lady Savage would have been attracted enough to the old Han-Solo-like rogue to want to marry him. Grant’s enormous energy in the role makes that believable, typified by a truly energetic and exhausting scene late in the film where he skips around the room singing “Lord and Lady Devonshire are coming”. It’s also really cute that despite all of his faults, Lady Savage really does love him: “Life would be many things…” she says “…but it would never be dull. I chose him”.
- Elsewhere, the casting is spot on, with Jack Farthing and Bel Powney perfectly cast as the two servants, having sex with each other and their respective Mistress and Master, with added clotted cream in the latter case! It’s hilarious that Halifax (Farthing) is a crack-shot and so always acts as Chauncey’s ‘second’ in duels, allowing Chauncey to defame everyone at will! (Until things take a surprising turn!)
- I found the script to be top-notch. We get progressively introduced to the key characters, but then surprised by the sudden appearance of a mouse-loving daughter Fanny (Kíla Lord Cassidy) – “like a field, to be cherished, nurtured and, on occasion, drunkenly ploughed in the night” (lol!). The script weaves in an outbreak of the Pox, the Jacobean Uprising and the prediction by Sir Edmond Halley of a total eclipse (which dates the film’s setting to 1715). A scene where the message “Down with The Rump” (read up on your history if you need the context) is graffitied on a building is written in such a clever way, relating to today’s politics, that I dissolved into helpless giggles: just brilliant!
- Hats off to the hair, make-up, costume and production design teams for rendering a truly foul recreation of 18th century England. A scene where Chauncey, with powdered face and ridiculous wig, is gurning at the camera is bizarre but hilarious.
- I really loved the music, well chosen by Sarah Giles and with additional music written by Laurence Love Greed: it’s a smorgasbord of composers including Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach and for the eclipse scene, in true “2001: A Space Odyssey” style, Ligeti.
- Regular readers will know that I normally object violently to narration in films, but this one – by Robert Bathurst – is quite droll and acceptable.
Negatives:
- The story arc is rather predictable, even if it is unwound in hilarious fashion with a very extended dinner party.
- I had no problem with the content, but those who are adverse to gruesome injury scenes, dirty sex acts (I’m thinking of one between Halifax (Farthing) and Lady Savage (Foy) in particular) and excrement might want to consider a lighter choice.
- As a character, Fanny (Kíla Lord Cassidy) felt a little under-developed.
Summary Thoughts:
I was going to go 3.5 stars with this one but, as sometimes happens, as I was writing it up I really found a lot of joy in recounting the film and very little to add to downgrade it. You need to have a slightly broad mind for the gruesome bits, the scatological bits and the ass-licking action! But if you are a big fan of “The Great” then this is the film for you! Writer/director Peter Glanz also wrote “Captain America: Brave New World“: but I won’t hold that against him. This was great.
By the way, in case you want to visit the locations, the principal ones were Montacute House in Somerset, Syon House in Brentford and West Wycombe Park.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB9HuMcaEGM.
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