SAVAGE GRACE
US/Spain, 2007, 105 minutes, Colour.
Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, Belen Rueda, Anne Reid.
Directed by Tom Kalin.
Years ago, Tom Kalin made Swoon, a black and white, low budget take on the Leopold- Loeb murders in 1920s Chicago (the basis for Hitchcock’s Rope). The film explored the sexual and violent obsessions that united the psyches of the two wealthy young men. Now Kalin is offering another case study of sexuality and violence and an obsessive relationship. This time it is bigger budget, in colour, with a Hollywood star.
Brookes Baekeland (Stephen Dillane) is the grandson of Leo Baekeland who invented (and grew wealthy from) bakelite. He is married to a working class wife, Barbara (Julianne Moore) who has assumed all the pretensions, and more, of New York society. She also dotes (an understated word) on her baby, Tony.
We see them and the brittle marital relationship in 1946 when Tony is born, in 1959 on holiday in Paris and in the late 60s and early 70s in Spain and London.
Barbara Baekeland wanted to be an actress and she certainly lives a histrionic life. Betrayed by her husband, she continues to smother-love her son (Eddie Redmayne of Like Minds and The Good Shepherd) who is also asserting his homosexuality. Neither consciously recognise their love as destructive and emotionally incestuous. It ultimately destroys them both in madness and violence.
All the cast except for Julianne Moore are either British or Spanish. Redmayne is British as is Stephen Dillane who portrays Brookes and Hugh Dancy who plays Barbara’s ‘walker’, her camp adviser.
Although there is more than a touch of prurience, this is an interesting tale of wilfulness among the rich and pampered.
1.The title of the film, American grace, European grace, surface grace, savagery under the surface?
2.The focus on wealth, love, pampering? Relationships? Sexual obsessions, violence? Madness?
3.The work of the director, the small budget, the use of New York and European locations, the international flavour, the international cast? The score?
4.The film as a psychological case study, of a wealthy American family, based on facts? How exploitative? How frank? How insightful?
5.The New York setting: the focus on Barbara, on the phone, her clothes, way of speaking, socialising? The reaction of Brookes? His wanting to be his own person? His having married Barbara? Her middle-class background, work, her mother doing the babysitting? Her talking to her baby? Treating him almost as an adult? Her moodiness, histrionics? Going out, the dinner, Dutch royalty, gossip? Her provocative questions? The meal, leaving alone, coming back late, Brookes and his waiting? Her fussing over the baby? Her relationship with her mother, her mother coming to babysit, Brookes’ wariness? The mother and her delight in looking after the child? Brookes and the sports club, the fencing, the showers, the discussions with his friend? His talking about his grandfather, his ingenious inventing of bakelite? The background history of the family, the wealth, his spoilt father, frittering the money away? Brookes and his admiration for his grandfather? The possibility of a loving marriage, a home?
6.Paris, 1959? Barbara still histrionic, Tony at thirteen? Precocious? Doting on his mother, wanting to go out, her giving him treats? His knowledge of languages, study? Brookes and his work, writing? His friendship with the Spanish couple? Inviting them to a meal? Their bringing the professor, the friend of Proust? Barbara and her chatter, asking about Proust’s homosexuality – and indication of themes to come? The comments about language, her wanting Tony to come and recite, his bringing a provocative book, but not reading? The Spaniard’s trying to put him at ease? Barbara’s angry reaction, her understanding the visitor’s remark about her figure? Her tantrum? Brookes and his reaction, going after the group? Barbara following him to the hotel, lovemaking, his brutality? The beginning of the end of the marriage?
7.Spain, 1967? Tony at twenty-one, his devotion to his mother? Their holidaying together in Spain? The absent father? Yet Tony wanting to relate well to his father, thinking his father disliked him? His friendship with Jake, the marijuana, the sex talk? Yet the infatuation between the two young men? Blanca and her becoming part of the group? The meals, Blanca, her manners? Barbara thinking that she understood Tony and his sexual attitudes? Setting up Blanca? The night, the kissing, the failure? The irony of Brookes looking at Blanca, going off with her? Barbara at the airport to meet Sam, her seeing Barbara and Brookes, her loud tantrum at the airport? Her going off with the taxi driver – and sexual activity just for spite? Her praising him, giving him the tip? The effect on Tony? His relationship with Jake? Barbara countenancing it? Yet her still wanting to protect him? Tony and his age, his build, physical appearance? His dependence? The arrival of Sam, the Walker for Barbara? His arranging gossip about the divorce, letting her be seen with her Spanish friend, the old lady? That she was her own woman? To continue her painting, have a gallery exhibition? His advice to Tony about Jake, that he was looking after Jake, that he was looking after his mother, that he had to do something for himself? Tony and his confidence, going into the bed, the threesome? Their laughing? Barbara’s reaction to Tom spending the night with Sam? Sending him off? Tony feeling betrayed? The character of Sam, the homosexual who was the Walker, his advice to the women, a suitable companion? Sexual behaviour?
8.Barbara, her growing depression, her slitting her wrists, going to hospital? Out, at dinner, having Tony bathe the wounds? The sensual touch? Tony and his attitude towards his father, writing him the letters, going to the house, hiding them in the garden, Blanca seeing and pursuing him? His wanting to write, and the letters to his father?
9.1972 in London, Barbara and high society, insinuating that she would like a dinner at a wealthy house, their acquiescence? Her exhibition? Tony and his new suit? The texture of the material? The sexual encounter between mother and son – the way it was photographed, the effect on Barbara, the effect on Tony?
10.Tony and his mother, dependence, talking in the kitchen, her atmosphere of joy, his getting the knife, killing his mother? Ordering the food, saying he was hungry? Collecting the food, eating it in the kitchen with his dead mother? The arrival of the police?
11.The crowd seeing him taken off, asking whether it was a celebrity? The aftermath about his being in prison – his letters to his father, saying that prison was what was expected? Manslaughter because of criminal insanity? His being released – going to his grandmother, arguing with her and killing her within a week? Return to an institution, killing himself the next year with a plastic bag?
12.The insights of the case study? Not just a theoretical case but real people, real stories, the pampered and the spoilt, the wealthy? The insights into Tony’s character, obsessive mother-love?
