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Saltburn is not quite what I expected.
Part of this is deliberate. It looks like a film where the poor shy kid at boarding school is devoured by the handsome rich ones.
Well, if you’ve seen it...that’s not what happens.
But I was expecting a sort of straight-ahead thriller. And as we met the rich kid’s family in their castle home, who are unbelievably, dryly absurd, it sort of clicked that this was really a send-up of the whole concept.
Taken in that light, it’s brilliant.
I am envious of the cast. Rosamund Pike is hysterically funny. Carey Mulligan is there practically in a throwaway role. Jeez, when you win an Oscar, you can really get people to sign on!
There’s a really good score by relatively newcomer Anthony Willis, and some great needle drops. Apparently, when I was working on a Logan’s Run CD in 2001, the rest of the world was grooving to “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which features in an unforgettable solo dance scene at the end of the film.
Here is its 2001 video, what a good song!
One of many interviews online with writer/director Emerald Fennell:
This was, coincidentally, the second movie in a row I saw (the other being Maestro) which was filmed (or mostly filmed) in the old TV (or Academy) aspect ratio of 1:33 to 1. In Saltburn, it was to make it feel like we were spying on the characters.
Well, I hate it. It just reminds me of pan and scan, which I loathed.
I would like to see The Holdovers next, which is apparently on Peacock. Oh man, I am not paying for Peacock.
We live in an era where we all have widescreen TVs and now we're getting 4x3 movies. I don't get it either. Also, we've become accustomed to immaculate video transfers and I guess it was a stylistic decision to include negative dirt in "Maestro."
"Nothing makes any sense."
-Mr. Plinkett
Now I have to watch this, as a big fan of Ellis-Bextor. I played the hell outta that album(alongside Logans Run!). Great point on 1:33 Joe. Cassettes another in vogue novelty now....
I suspected that Mulligan showed up in this film as a favor/callback to Fennell's debut Promising Young Woman. Too bad you have bad feelings about 4:3—I think the younger filmmakers are playing with it because it's a novelty—like vinyl records,
Regardless, The Holdovers is worth paying for (Just maybe not on Peacock ;-)