Savage! is a 1973 American-Philippines action film with elements of blaxploitation. The funding and distribution came from Roger Corman's New World Pictures which also provided the leading players from among a number of American actors who regularly appeared in such features. It was produced and directed by Cirio H. Santiago who, between 1973 and his death in 2008, partnered with Corman on over 40 Philippines-based action-adventure exploitation films which took advantage of much lower local production costs.[1][2][3]
| Savage! | |
|---|---|
 Film poster for Savage! by John Solie | |
| Directed by | Cirio H. Santiago |
| Written by | Ed Medard |
| Produced by | Cirio H. Santiago |
| Starring | James Iglehart Lada Edmund, Jr. Carol Speed |
| Cinematography | Philip Sacdalan |
| Edited by | Richard Patterson |
| Music by | Don Julian |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The title role is played by top-billed James Iglehart, with co-stars Lada Edmund, Jr. and Carol Speed.[4] As in most such productions of the 1970s and 1980s, the setting is not identified as the Philippines, but rather an unspecified Latin American location ruled by a military-based authoritarian regime.[5][6]
The soundtrack is by Don Julian.
Plot
editThe main character played by James Iglehart is a criminal on the run who gets involved in a revolution against a military government.[7] An unnamed tropical country in Central or South America is governed by a military dictatorship. Jim Haygood starts out working for the government to defeat rebel forces and capture the rebel leader Moncada. Later he becomes appalled by his superiors' abuses and brutality, subsequently sides with the rebels and becomes known under the nom de guerre "Savage". He is joined by two American friends who are performers at the local American club — knife-thrower Vicki and acrobat Amanda.[8]
Cast
edit- James Iglehart as Savage
- Lada Edmund, Jr. as Vicki
- Carol Speed as Amanda
- Sally Jordan as Sylvia
- Rossana Ortiz as Julia
- Ken Metcalfe as Melton
- Vic Diaz as Minister
- Aura Aurea as China
- Eddie Gutierrez as Flores
- Harley Paton
- Marie Saunders
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Gattanella, Jack. "Savage! 1973 Directed by Cirio H. Santiago" (Letterboxd)
- ^ "The Films of Cirio H. Santiago (1936 - 2008)" (Critical Condition / Obscure and Bizarre Films on Video & DVD)
- ^ Savage at Grindhouse Database
- ^ Savage press photo/lobby card {front and back, stamped "SUN-TIMES MAR 19 1973"} depicting James Iglehart and Carol Speed
- ^ Parish, James Robert and Hill, George H. Black Action Films: Plots, Critiques, Casts, and Credits for 235 Theatrical and Made-for-Television Releases. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989 ISBN 0899504566
- ^ Koven, Mikel J. Blaxploitation Films (Oldcastle Books, December 1, 2010) ISBN 1842434101
- ^ Geek.com, November 6, 2019 - MOVIES, 11 Forgotten Blaxploitation Classics That Deserve Your Time,← Savage! By K. Thor Jensen
- ^ The Spinning Image - Savage! - Reviewer: Andrew Pragasam