The Big Picture

  • Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell shares the films that inspired her upcoming film Saltburn, which explores class dynamics and opulence.
  • Fennell's film choices, including The Servant and The Handmaiden, highlight the use of exquisite shots, erotic material, and power dynamics between classes.
  • Saltburn combines elements of dark comedy, psychological thriller, and eat-the-rich stories, featuring a stellar ensemble cast and earning early buzz at film festivals.

Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell is about to send audiences into a world of opulence with the release of her new film Saltburn. Before the Barry Keoghan-led affair can hit theaters on November 17, however, she's teaming up with Alamo Drafthouse to share a selection of films that inspired her eat-the-rich tale. Collider is excited to share the latest installment of the theater chain's "Guest Selects" series featuring Fennell as she walks through her five chosen films and how they impacted Saltburn on a fundamental level.

Fennell's first choice for the list is the 1963 British drama The Servant directed by Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter. Similar to Saltburn, the film plays with class, focusing on a rich aristocrat who finds himself entrenched in a conflict with his manservant who, at first, seemed perfectly ideal until he begins to flip the script on his master and cause chaos in his estate. Between its "exquisite" shots and erotic material, Fennell sees it as essential to her formula for her latest which itself plays around with its colors and camerawork to create a unique aesthetic. Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden from 2016 is also high on her list as a masterfully shot erotic thriller again playing with power dynamics between classes. The tangled tale of a Korean con man planning to seduce and pilfer a Japanese woman's inheritance with the help of an illiterate pickpocket is a film Fennell called one of her all-time favorites.

Her next choice, Robert Hamer's 1949 black comedyKind Hearts and Coronets, offers a more satirical angle by playing with reality. The film follows an aristocrat murdering his way to his family fortune, but each of his victims is played by the same actor, Alec Guinness. Fennell finds it to be a strong complement to Saltburn for not only its dealings with a despicable rich family but for its status as a wish-fulfillment tale. Further leaning into satire, her fourth film choice is Roger Kumble's Cruel Intentions, a romantic drama based on the classic Dangerous Liaisons. Fennell was inspired by the sheer sexiness and intelligence of the 1999 title as well as the satirization of private, upper-class life which translates directly to her upcoming drama. Rounding out the bunch is Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, a 2013 film based on true events about fame-obsessed teens robbing the rich. What stood out to Fennell was the sheer comedy and skill in adapting recent events as well as a killer performance from Emma Watson.

What's In Store for Audiences in 'Saltburn'?

Saltburn featuring Barry Keoghan
Image via MGM

Saltburn aims to combine the elements of these films and more into a darkly comedic psychological thriller centered on Keoghan's Oliver Quick. The misfit at the high-end Oxford University because of his status, he's quickly taken under the wing and into the titular home of the devilishly charming, tall, and handsome Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). While staying at their dream-like Gothic estate for an unforgettable Summer, he's caught in a world he's never known with Felix's eccentric family played by Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Allison Oliver, and Archie Madekwe.

Among film festival goers, Fennell's latest is already earning plenty of buzz with an 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider's Emma Kiely gave the film a B in her review, praising the stellar ensemble while adding that it doesn't reinvent the wheel regarding eat-the-rich stories. Alamo Drafthouse will give the public a window into Fennell's thought process with screenings of two of her "Guest Selects" films, The Servant and The Bling Ring on the same day Saltburn arrives in theaters in the U.S. Both films will screen in South Lamar (Austin), Seaport (Boston), Downtown Los Angeles (LA), and Lower Manhattan (NYC) while The Servant will also be available in Wrigleyville (Chicago), Sloan Lake (Denver), Raleigh (North Carolina), and New Mission (San Francisco).

Read our full guide to Saltburn here for everything there is to know about Fennell's latest. Check out the exclusive Guest Selects video below:

Saltburn Film Poster
Saltburn

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

Release Date
November 17, 2023
Director
Emerald Fennell
Cast
Rosamund Pike , Barry Keoghan , Jacob Elordi , Carey Mulligan , Archie Madekwe
Runtime
127 minutes
Main Genre
Drama