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SAVED!
6/10
USA 2004 : Brian DANNELLY : 92 mins
The title of Saved! includes an exclamation mark - but this punctuation
is presumably not motivated to avoid confusion with Edward Bond's
play Saved, which became an notorious artistic cause celebre back
in 1965 with its unflinching depiction of violence and degradation. This
new Saved! is nothing like so confrontational although in the
current climate its blending of political/religious satire with bouncy
teen comedy is, by major-studio Hollywood standards, decidedly subversive.
This 'trojan
horse' technique is spelled out in the film itself by would-be 'hip
priest' Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan): "You get their attention,
then you hit 'em with the message - and boom! You've saved another soul!" Skip
is the principal of Baltimore's American Eagles Christian High, a somewhat
extreme (but by no means implausible) example of what in Britain would
be known as "faith-based" education. The school's strict moral
stance causes problems for pupil Mary (Jena Malone) when she becomes
pregnant by her (gay) boyfriend Dean (Chad Faust). Mary's "problem" brings
her into conflict not only with the authorities, but also with aggressively
devout teen-queen fellow pupil Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). An unholy furore
rapidly ensues.
Setting Saved! in Baltimore is presumably a nod to that city's
high priest of harmful cinematic matter John Waters, though Dannelly's
approach is much more restrained than anything Waters might have dreamt
up. Despite its engagingly skepticism and nimble wit, this is fundamentally
quite a conventional foray into territory previously covered by the likes
of Election, Heathers and, most recently, Mean Girls.
The new twist
is, obviously, the Christian element - which is nothing if not topical,
with the US governed by one of the most ostentatiously religious administrations
in its history and Mel Gibson's blood-streaked passion-play burning
up the box offices. An easy target, of course, but Dannelly and co-writer
Michael Urban do land several arrows close to bullseye - they give
the monstrous Hilary Faye most of the best lines, and Moore milks them
all for maximum comic potential: "I am filled with
Christ's love!" she barks, hurling a bible at a hapless unbeliever's
head.
17th October, 2004
[seen 10th October : Odeon, Nuneaton : press show
- CinemaDays event]
by Neil
Young
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