The Savage Is Loose: Difference between revisions
Rating controversy and Reception |
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{{Infobox film |
{{Infobox film |
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| name = The Savage Is Loose |
| name = The Savage Is Loose |
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| image = TheSavageIsLoose.jpg |
| image = TheSavageIsLoose.jpg |
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| caption = |
| caption = Theatrical release poster |
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| director = [[George C. Scott]] |
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| producer = George C. Scott |
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| writer = {{plainlist| |
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| writer = [[Max Simon Ehrlich|Max Ehrlich]]<br>[[Frank De Felitta]] |
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| starring =[[George C. Scott]]<br>[[Trish Van Devere]]<br>[[John David Carson]]<br>[[Lee Montgomery]] |
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* [[Frank De Felitta]] |
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}} |
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| starring = {{plainlist| |
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* [[Trish Van Devere]] |
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* [[John David Carson]] |
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⚫ | | released = {{Film date|1974|10|30|Los Angeles|ref1=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/55458-THE-SAVAGE-IS-LOOSE?sid=fe643363-4ea1-4989-9097-0a8c211b473d&sr=4.112777&cp=1&pos=0#3 |title=The Savage Is Loose - Details |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] | |
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* [[Lee Montgomery|Lee H. Montgomery]] |
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}} |
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| country = Mexico<br>United States |
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| studio = {{plainlist| |
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* The Savage Is Loose Company |
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}} |
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⚫ | | released = {{Film date|1974|10|30|Los Angeles|ref1=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/55458-THE-SAVAGE-IS-LOOSE?sid=fe643363-4ea1-4989-9097-0a8c211b473d&sr=4.112777&cp=1&pos=0#3 |title=The Savage Is Loose - Details |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=December 18, 2018 }}</ref>}} |
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| country = {{plainlist| |
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* Mexico |
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* United States |
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}} |
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| gross = |
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}} |
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'''''The Savage Is Loose''''' is a 1974 |
'''''The Savage Is Loose''''' is a 1974 American [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] produced and directed by [[George C. Scott]]. It stars Scott, [[Trish Van Devere]], [[John David Carson]] and [[Lee Montgomery|Lee H. Montgomery]]. |
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==Plot== |
== Plot == |
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In 1902, John |
In 1902, John, his wife Maida and their infant son David are the only survivors of a ship that crashes into the rocky beach of an uncharted island during a violent storm. By 1912, David, now a seemingly happy 12-year-old boy, begins to enter [[puberty]]. By the time he is 17, David is consumed by lust for his mother, which drives a wedge between him and his father to the point where they hunt each other down for the affections of the only woman on the island. |
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== Cast == |
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* Screenplay - Frank de felitta |
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* Executive Producer - [[Robert Relyea]] |
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* Cinematography - Alex Phillips Jr. |
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* Editor - [[Michael Kahn (film editor)|Michael Kahn]] |
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* Music - [[Gil Melle]] |
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* Art Direction - Augustin Ytuarte |
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* Set Decorator - Enrique Estevez |
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* Sound Rerecording Mixer - Richard R. Portman |
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* Sound Mixer - Dennis Maitland |
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* Assistant Director - Joseph Lenzi |
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* Assistant Director - Jesus Marin |
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* Paintings - [[Ed Miracle|Edward Miracle]] |
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* Titles - [[Ed Miracle|Edward Miracle]] |
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[[File:John David Carson publicity photo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|John David Carson in ''The Savage Is Loose'']] |
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* [[Trish Van Devere]] as Maida |
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* [[John David Carson]] as David |
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* [[Lee Montgomery|Lee H. Montgomery]] as Young David |
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The film was photographed entirely on location south of [[Puerto Vallarta, Mexico]]. It was produced by Campbell Devon Productions and distributed by George C. Scott through WCII on video (now out of print). |
The film was photographed entirely on location south of [[Puerto Vallarta, Mexico]]. It was produced by Campbell Devon Productions and distributed by George C. Scott through WCII on video (now out of print). |
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==Rating controversy and distribution== |
== Rating controversy and distribution == |
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When the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]] gave the film an "R" rating, Scott blasted the decision and urged exhibitors to defy it by running the movie unrated.<ref name="mcbride" /> Scott strongly disagreed with the MPAA's position that incest was a "major" theme of the film and said he was "appalled" that his movie was given the same rating as films like ''[[Candy Stripe Nurses]]'' and ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]''.<ref name="mcbride">McBride, Joseph (October 9, 1974). "Geo. C. Scott Excoriates MPAA R On His 'Savage Is Loose'; Tells Exhibs To Ignore Rating". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 5.</ref> Scott took out full-page newspaper ads in key cities offering a "money-back guarantee" from his own personal funds to any parent who took a child under 17 to the film and agreed with the R rating.<ref>"Scott's 'Savage Is Loose' Offered With Uniquie Money-Back Guarantee". ''[[BoxOffice (magazine)|BoxOffice]]''. November 4, 1974. C-1.</ref> |
When the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]] gave the film an "R" rating, Scott blasted the decision and urged exhibitors to defy it by running the movie unrated.<ref name="mcbride" /> Scott strongly disagreed with the MPAA's position that incest was a "major" theme of the film and said he was "appalled" that his movie was given the same rating as films like ''[[Candy Stripe Nurses]]'' and ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]''.<ref name="mcbride">McBride, Joseph (October 9, 1974). "Geo. C. Scott Excoriates MPAA R On His 'Savage Is Loose'; Tells Exhibs To Ignore Rating". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 5.</ref> Scott took out full-page newspaper ads in key cities offering a "money-back guarantee" from his own personal funds to any parent who took a child under 17 to the film and agreed with the R rating.<ref>"Scott's 'Savage Is Loose' Offered With Uniquie Money-Back Guarantee". ''[[BoxOffice (magazine)|BoxOffice]]''. November 4, 1974. C-1.</ref> Less than $10,000 was reportedly paid to patrons who accepted the offer.<ref name="afi">{{cite web |url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/55458-THE-SAVAGE-IS-LOOSE?sid=fe643363-4ea1-4989-9097-0a8c211b473d&sr=4.112777&cp=1&pos=0#1 |title=The Savage Is Loose - History |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=December 18, 2018 }}</ref> |
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The film was sold directly to regional exhibitors by sales executives, bypassing traditional distribution channels.<ref name="murf" /> |
The film was sold directly to regional exhibitors by sales executives, bypassing traditional distribution channels.<ref name="murf" /> |
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==Reception== |
== Reception == |
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Reviews from critics were largely negative.<ref name="afi" /> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "What begins as a kind of [[tab show]] version of 'The Swiss Family Robinson' quickly disintegrates into a muddled meditation upon the survival of the human race, but under conditions so special that the film's primal concerns eventually become ludicrous."<ref>Canby, Vincent (November 16, 1974). "Film: 'Savage Is Loose'". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 21.</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4 and called it "a pretentious potboiler" with characters that have "no identity other than sex-starved or sex-threatened."<ref>Siskel, Gene (November 5, 1974). "Savage Is Loose". ''Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 3, p. 5.</ref> He ranked it behind only ''[[The Trial of Billy Jack]]'' on his year-end list of the worst films of 1974.<ref>Siskel, Gene (December 29, 1974). "On the Big 10 scoreboard: Europe 6 U.S. 4". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 6, p. 2.</ref> Arthur D. Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that "Scott and associates have done a first class job in making this film. All four performances are excellent, and Scott's direction (after the '[[Rage (1972 film)|Rage]]' debacle) is in complete control."<ref name="murf">Murphy, Arthur D. (October 16, 1974). "The Savage Is Loose". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 14.</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that the film "crawls by in slightly under two hours, but they're about as agonizing as any two hours I've ever spent at the movies ... Scott has to take the rap for his crapehanger's direction and for not knowing better than to buy this script, but the scriptwriters, Max Ehrlich and Frank De Felitta, really ought to have their names inscribed in a special hall of infamy."<ref>Kael, Pauline (November 25, 1974). "The Current Cinema". ''[[The New Yorker]]''. 183-184.</ref> [[Tom Milne]] of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote, "The performances are sound enough, but it is difficult to feel much conviction when Trish Van Devere sports the same daintily besmirched white nightie throughout the eighteen odd years covered by the action, and when the jungle boy still moves and talks like a sullen Californian beach bum."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Milne |first=Tom |date=December 1983 |title=The Savage Is Loose |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=50 |issue=599 |page=340 |
Reviews from critics were largely negative.<ref name="afi" /> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "What begins as a kind of [[tab show]] version of 'The Swiss Family Robinson' quickly disintegrates into a muddled meditation upon the survival of the human race, but under conditions so special that the film's primal concerns eventually become ludicrous."<ref>Canby, Vincent (November 16, 1974). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/16/archives/film-savage-is-loose.html Film: 'Savage Is Loose']". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 21.</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4 and called it "a pretentious potboiler" with characters that have "no identity other than sex-starved or sex-threatened."<ref>Siskel, Gene (November 5, 1974). "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39110338/ Savage Is Loose]". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 3, p. 5.</ref> He ranked it behind only ''[[The Trial of Billy Jack]]'' on his year-end list of the worst films of 1974.<ref>Siskel, Gene (December 29, 1974). "On the Big 10 scoreboard: Europe 6 U.S. 4". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 6, p. 2.</ref> Arthur D. Murphy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that "Scott and associates have done a first class job in making this film. All four performances are excellent, and Scott's direction (after the '[[Rage (1972 film)|Rage]]' debacle) is in complete control."<ref name="murf">Murphy, Arthur D. (October 16, 1974). "The Savage Is Loose". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 14.</ref> [[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that the film "crawls by in slightly under two hours, but they're about as agonizing as any two hours I've ever spent at the movies ... Scott has to take the rap for his crapehanger's direction and for not knowing better than to buy this script, but the scriptwriters, Max Ehrlich and Frank De Felitta, really ought to have their names inscribed in a special hall of infamy."<ref>Kael, Pauline (November 25, 1974). "The Current Cinema". ''[[The New Yorker]]''. 183-184.</ref> [[Tom Milne]] of ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' wrote, "The performances are sound enough, but it is difficult to feel much conviction when Trish Van Devere sports the same daintily besmirched white nightie throughout the eighteen odd years covered by the action, and when the jungle boy still moves and talks like a sullen Californian beach bum."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Milne |first=Tom |date=December 1983 |title=The Savage Is Loose |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=50 |issue=599 |page=340 }}</ref> [[Leonard Maltin]]'s film guide gave its lowest rating of BOMB.<ref name="maltin">{{cite book |editor1-last=Maltin |editor1-first=Leonard |date=1995 |title=Leonard Maltin's 1996 Movie & Video Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltinsmo00newy/page/1135 |publisher=Signet |page=[https://archive.org/details/leonardmaltinsmo00newy/page/1135 1135] |isbn=0-451-18505-6 }}</ref> |
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== |
== References == |
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* [[Survival film]], about the film genre, with a list of related films |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
== External links == |
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* {{IMDb title| |
* {{IMDb title|0072114}} |
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* {{Amg movie|42999 |
* {{Amg movie|42999}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage Is Loose, The}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage Is Loose, The}} |
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[[Category:1974 films]] |
[[Category:1974 drama films]] |
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[[Category:American drama films]] |
[[Category:American drama films]] |
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[[Category:American independent films]] |
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[[Category:American survival films]] |
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[[Category:Films directed by George C. Scott]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Gil Mellé]] |
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[[Category:Films set in 1902]] |
[[Category:Films set in 1902]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Films set on islands]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Films shot in Mexico]] |
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[[Category:Films about incest]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:58, 28 December 2023
The Savage Is Loose | |
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Directed by | George C. Scott |
Written by | |
Produced by | George C. Scott |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Álex Phillips Jr. |
Edited by | Michael Kahn |
Music by | Gil Mellé |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Campbell Devon Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 114 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
The Savage Is Loose is a 1974 American drama film produced and directed by George C. Scott. It stars Scott, Trish Van Devere, John David Carson and Lee H. Montgomery.
Plot
[edit]In 1902, John, his wife Maida and their infant son David are the only survivors of a ship that crashes into the rocky beach of an uncharted island during a violent storm. By 1912, David, now a seemingly happy 12-year-old boy, begins to enter puberty. By the time he is 17, David is consumed by lust for his mother, which drives a wedge between him and his father to the point where they hunt each other down for the affections of the only woman on the island.
Cast
[edit]- George C. Scott as John
- Trish Van Devere as Maida
- John David Carson as David
- Lee H. Montgomery as Young David
Production
[edit]The film was photographed entirely on location south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was produced by Campbell Devon Productions and distributed by George C. Scott through WCII on video (now out of print).
Rating controversy and distribution
[edit]When the MPAA gave the film an "R" rating, Scott blasted the decision and urged exhibitors to defy it by running the movie unrated.[2] Scott strongly disagreed with the MPAA's position that incest was a "major" theme of the film and said he was "appalled" that his movie was given the same rating as films like Candy Stripe Nurses and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.[2] Scott took out full-page newspaper ads in key cities offering a "money-back guarantee" from his own personal funds to any parent who took a child under 17 to the film and agreed with the R rating.[3] Less than $10,000 was reportedly paid to patrons who accepted the offer.[4]
The film was sold directly to regional exhibitors by sales executives, bypassing traditional distribution channels.[5]
Reception
[edit]Reviews from critics were largely negative.[4] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "What begins as a kind of tab show version of 'The Swiss Family Robinson' quickly disintegrates into a muddled meditation upon the survival of the human race, but under conditions so special that the film's primal concerns eventually become ludicrous."[6] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 1.5 stars out of 4 and called it "a pretentious potboiler" with characters that have "no identity other than sex-starved or sex-threatened."[7] He ranked it behind only The Trial of Billy Jack on his year-end list of the worst films of 1974.[8] Arthur D. Murphy of Variety wrote that "Scott and associates have done a first class job in making this film. All four performances are excellent, and Scott's direction (after the 'Rage' debacle) is in complete control."[5] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker wrote that the film "crawls by in slightly under two hours, but they're about as agonizing as any two hours I've ever spent at the movies ... Scott has to take the rap for his crapehanger's direction and for not knowing better than to buy this script, but the scriptwriters, Max Ehrlich and Frank De Felitta, really ought to have their names inscribed in a special hall of infamy."[9] Tom Milne of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "The performances are sound enough, but it is difficult to feel much conviction when Trish Van Devere sports the same daintily besmirched white nightie throughout the eighteen odd years covered by the action, and when the jungle boy still moves and talks like a sullen Californian beach bum."[10] Leonard Maltin's film guide gave its lowest rating of BOMB.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Savage Is Loose - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ a b McBride, Joseph (October 9, 1974). "Geo. C. Scott Excoriates MPAA R On His 'Savage Is Loose'; Tells Exhibs To Ignore Rating". Variety. 5.
- ^ "Scott's 'Savage Is Loose' Offered With Uniquie Money-Back Guarantee". BoxOffice. November 4, 1974. C-1.
- ^ a b "The Savage Is Loose - History". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ a b Murphy, Arthur D. (October 16, 1974). "The Savage Is Loose". Variety. 14.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (November 16, 1974). "Film: 'Savage Is Loose'". The New York Times. 21.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (November 5, 1974). "Savage Is Loose". Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 5.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (December 29, 1974). "On the Big 10 scoreboard: Europe 6 U.S. 4". Chicago Tribune. Section 6, p. 2.
- ^ Kael, Pauline (November 25, 1974). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. 183-184.
- ^ Milne, Tom (December 1983). "The Savage Is Loose". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 50 (599): 340.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard, ed. (1995). Leonard Maltin's 1996 Movie & Video Guide. Signet. p. 1135. ISBN 0-451-18505-6.
External links
[edit]- The Savage Is Loose at IMDb
- ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Savage Is Loose at AllMovie
- 1974 films
- 1974 drama films
- American drama films
- American independent films
- American survival films
- Films directed by George C. Scott
- Films scored by Gil Mellé
- Films set in 1902
- Films set on islands
- Films shot in Mexico
- Films about incest
- Rating controversies in film
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s American films