I saw another review tying Felix's wings to Icarus, in Greek mythology. Mainly because the maze has a minotaur statue in its center. In greek mythology the maze is designed by Icarus's father, Daedalus
i think exactly the same bc oliver's deer stuff looks like minotaur, especially when you consider the maze. It gets you thinking who's prey and predator...
I totally thought of Icarus too and saw the Minotaur standing over him. I'm glad "changlings" were mentioned too - as soon as I saw those little horns...
I thought the spider imagery associated with Venitia could be a reference to Ariadne from Greek mythology. Ariadne used a ball of thread to help Theseus (Felix?) trace his way out of the maze (which Ariadne's father had built) and escape the minotaur (Oliver?), but then Theseus abandons her and she kills herself.
@lunaoliveira7965 I hadn't heard that version before but looking online now I see there are variations where she's married to Dionysus indeed. I guess it depends which version you read. :)
I love this theory so much this is exactly how theories should be it never even occurred to me to think of it that way and that’s so cooool, congrats on the media literacy
i also think its interesting that oliver sees through farleighs costume straight away!! and farleigh reveals himself to oliver by taking the mask off, linking to the fact that oliver and farleigh are two sides of the same coin, able to see what the other is doing because they are so similar and are both outsiders to saltburn
[spoiler alert] i also think the stag costume is a reference to the greek myth of artemis (goddess of the hunt) turning actaeon into a stag after she caught him spying on her while she bathed in the woods. considering ollie is such a voyeur throughout the film (and literally spies on felix while he’s in the bath), it feels super fitting that he’s made to dress up as the stag at his birthday party after felix begins to catch him in the act.
All the analysis I've seen of this movie always say Felix was the only one with good intentions......was he really? I understood he was more like the rich boy with a new weird toy, and even it is said every summer he took a different friend to his house. So that means it WAS a matter of time before he dumped Oliver
It is often mentioned that The Catton Family savior complex is not from a place of sincerity. As seen with Elspeth's masterclass in double talking when concerning Pamela at the first dinner scene. Felix likes to think his motives are genuine due to his guilt complexes over being born into generational wealth but friends like lovers were equally disposable since they come so easily to him. Yet the disposal of them isn't openly ruthless as we expect it to be.
@@chrisallen1934 The way Felix got possessive over Venetia getting with his friends, you'd think she was one of them at some point. One could see that truth bomb came with a hint of jealousy. "We're all cold-blooded. Haven't you noticed" Another Venetia truth bomb. But by the Talented Mr. Quick, the Cattons are outmatched in this regard.
@@chrisallen1934Thank you. In the best possible way, Saltburn is viewed as the bastard child of Brideshead Revisited & The Talented Mr. Ripley, minus the pleasantries and identity theft. Tell me this. Can we both agree that Felix, however self aware of his ability to use and discard friends, strays and lovers alike due to how much they all come so easily to him is a chip off the old block? His mother's that is.
Another interesting aspect of Oliver wearing deer antlers is that the films director Emerald Fennell cast Barry Keoghan after seeing him in the film The Killing of a Sacred Deer!
Small thing, Oliver is not in fact lower class, he pretends he is, but when we go to his parents house we see he is very much middle class judging by their huge house and also the fact he is even at Oxford in the first place. In England lower class people live in housing estates which are large apartment blocks, Oliver’s parents house is a large double story suburban in a nice neighbourhood, very much middle class. Father is definitely middle or upper management.
@babydoll5128 So it all boils down to that universal thing called greed then? Where Oliver's from, being of Old Money meant you were somebody in a town full of nobody's.
@senate300 I think it's not only about money for Oliver, but also about status and "being someone". If it were only money he was after he could've taken the money Sir James offered him to leave and be done with it, but he wanted Saltburn. He wanted the casual luxury, the history, the self-perception of naturally being above everyone else. He wanted to be the light not the moth and I believe the money is only a part of that.
@@s0phi3e Correct. Oliver was a middle class nobody envious of those with the generational wealth & prestige he coveted for himself. What I was getting at was that Greed is universal. It's just that for the have not's it's considered excusable if not exclusive.
He’s middle class, BUT he’s also Northern and didn’t go to private school (two things which leave you very much on the outside in posh Oxford circles). He also grew up as a loner. And just parents live in a normal semi detached house, definitely not huge. I think there’s also the factor that he’s just not as tall and conventionally beautiful and effortless and carefree as the Felixes of the world. He worked hard to go to Oxford, it wasn’t just handed to him
I thought it was interesting that farleigh and oliver are both dressed as animals *overtly* (venetia is less obviously a spider) because it is a cool contrast to the rest of the guests, who are dressed as mythical/magical creatures or noble characters, and while the costumes themselves are intricate, the actual thing they're dressing up as is more real, in a way--donkeys and stags exist in real life, fairies and angels don't. Oliver and Farleigh are the only characters who really *see* the other one--they're the only real things there. Even still, there is another layer here, because while farleigh is dressed as an animal, he's also dressed as a character from a play, whereas oliver is not--indicating again that while they both might be outsiders, farleigh still "belongs" to saltburn more than oliver does. He's not native, but he's still a citizen. Oliver is just a tourist.
Just one obvious miss - Theseus in the Labyrinth who slays the Minotaur (which is what the statue at the center of the labrinth in Saltburn portrays). Ironically Oliver is the minotaur in this case (half man half beast) who slays the golden child, Felix so it's a subversion of a common myth and also plays with the audience's perception of what's really happening.
****SPOILER ALERT***** I also think Oliver's stag costume holds a powerful dual-symbolism of "innocent deer" as we see him throughout the film that is unveiled to be "the devil" or a demon-like creature once we learn the twist at the end of the film.
I feel like Felix taking “outcasts” under his wing per say, makes him feel a sense of self worth. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. People often do “good deeds” for selfish reasons. He knows he’s been blessed with good looks, and an extreme privilege upbringing. Unfortunately this time, the kid was a psychopath. Lol
It could easily be argued that the Cattons take in strays beneath them from a place of vanity rather than sincerity before discarding them the moment they step out of line or when he tires of them. In this regard, Felix is no different. He's just less ruthless and self aware, but doesn't have his mother's ability to double talk.
I think at first Felix is just acting on an impulse to be distracted by somone he can show off to and feel like he's doing Oliver a favour. But I do think that by the time we were approaching Oliver's birthday Felix had started to have some actual feelings for him, there are a number of shots of Felix from his pov which show him watching Oliver more and more and it does feel that he may have begun to actually care for him until it all went wrong. The act of taking him to reconcile with his mother on his birthday was something I think Felix actually did out of genuine care and real feeling towards Oliver, as it saddened him to see somone he cared about estranged from there mother.
FYI, Saltburn isn’t a castle, it’s a stately home. Castles are fortified and usually much older (generally from old military / royal applications), whereas stately homes are just massive sprawling residential estates. Just mentioning here for international watchers.
Interesting, thanks for the clarification! Is it common for these estates to look like castles? Cause it does have a castle-esque look doesn't it? Wonder if that's a unique trait
lots of English stately homes were built in the elizabethan era, at this time Britain was fairly threatened by a foreign invasion, so they were used to show the wealth and protection of the upper class. these people would spend insane amounts of money to exhibit their wealth even compared to each other, so they'd all be trying to built their new homes to be more extravagant than their peers' :)@@kcutie987656
There are some stately homes which have castle in there names even though they are not castles such as Highclere Castle which was seen on TV as Downton abbey and Castle Howard.
I thought the stag antlers were referencing Falstaff. In the final act of Merry Wives of Windsor the women he is trying to court have told him to meet him in the woods dressed as “Herne the Hunter” who has horns growing out of his head. It’s this moment of the play where Falstaff’s lies all catch up with him and he confesses.
Finally someone pointed out the r o ths child surrealist party reference. It matches the themes perfectly. 1. Paganism 2. The rich 3. Surrealism 4, sacrifice 5. The occult
As much as I love Saltburn but didn't like how it ended in a way that defeated itself as a psychological thriller, I didn't pay much attention to the symbolism. Just the characters actions. But since where speaking of how the symbolism of Saltburn relates to the characters, lets get into it; Oliver Quick was such an effective Chameleon, we're left unsure of what his true form was inspite of him being of flesh and blood. He was a predator in preys clothing. A covetous Homme Fatale bent on possession, consumption, usurpation and conquest to be precise. Felix was the sun to which all the stars revolved around and under his rays, they all wished to shine the brightest. Family, boys or girls alike. But his sun was overpowered by the darkness fuelled by Oliver's avarice, envy and unrequited love at it's most obsessive. Farleigh was the closest to an antagonist as it gets because his gatekeeping of Oliver came from a glass house built from self preservation since he himself was less wealthy than his English relatives and endanger of being disinherited. He can also be sighted as the film's fallen anti-hero. Venitia was both a bored blue flame crying out for the attention of Moths since she was left flickering in the shadow of her older brother who's flame burned the brightest and a Black Widow Spider who was all webbing and no teeth. She was not yet fully formed in either regard and had yet to realise her full potential. Possibly as the last line of opposition to Oliver's conquest of the Saltburn Estate. Which is Catton families ancestral home and her birthright. If only V had the strength of will to live for that to happen. With all that said, Saltburn was a funny, vibrant, opulent, decadent, obsessive, ruthless, seductive, flamboyant thrill ride of a movie that was pure sociopath.
@@stephaniesmith5515Thank you so much. Since the subject is that of symbolism, I wrote this from a place of "let's talk". I simply got by on what the characters symbolise to me. I also love the videos breakdown of the Femme Fatale archetype down to their vulnerabilities which for me makes them more well rounded in character. As well as the foolish equation of sex with power which in the long run serves as a weakness. How this was applied to Saltburn's Venitia who for all intensive purposes was a toothless Black Widow Spider. If Sir James & Elspeth represent anything it's old money at it's most naive, guilty, superficial, insulated, woefully ignorant and endangered. The Cattons as a whole were a self eating snake slowly devouring itself whole and Ollie was just the Snake Charmer to help it along and claim it's head.
Oliver's costume immediately reminded me of deers often being used as a bad omen in horror movies. As soon as I saw him in it I expected someone to die!
SPOILERS‼️‼️‼️ another small detail for Venetia’s dress that may not have been intentional, but still cool!! in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, two of the lines in the fairies’ lullaby of protection for Titania is “Weaving spiders, come not here. Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence.” This could be slight foreshadowing of Venetia’s realization of Oliver’s true character, as well as a reference to her later monologue, when she says “you’re always skulking around weaving your spidery, Oliver-y web” and that she has become fully trapped by it. Even after she realizes what he has done, she also knows that her own escape is inevitable (which I feel is reflected in the kiss directly following the monologue)
How interesting. Especially the assertion that instead of being the Black Widow Spider of Saltburn who was all webbing and no teeth, Venitia was just another victim caught in Ollie's Web. But don't you mean her demise was imminent rather than escape?
@@amberbusse Tell me this. Am I the only one who felt Venitia calling Oliver a Spider then a Moth to a flame came was like the Pot calling the kettle black?
@@Senate300 I do agree, and I think it’s especially interesting given that Venetia has almost the complete opposite desires from Oliver, who strives for wealth and power, while Venetia “has everything she could possibly want”, yet lives basically her entire life in spite of that privilege, as shown by her uneven/splotchy hair dye & chipped nail polish (despite having more than enough wealth and resources to maintain the clean and polished appearance that is expected of her), as well as when she tells Oliver that Felix must like him so much because he’s so “real.” I think by her ending monologue she has possibly realized how far removed she is from a “normal” life, and that she can never truly have one. She may be projecting her feelings onto Oliver, or it could be her way of finally letting go of those dreams. Either way, it is an incredibly layered and impactful monologue with SO much depth
@@amberbusse Venitia was both a bored blue flame crying out for the attention of Moths since she was left flickering in the shadow of her older brother whose flame burned as bright as the Sun and a Black Widow Spider who was all webbing and no teeth. She was not yet fully formed in either regard and had yet to realise her full potential. Judging by your latest assertion, Saltburn meant different things to both her and Oliver. To Oliver, Saltburn was the pinnacle of unlimited wealth, prestige and power he coveted for himself but to a jaded Venetia it was a gilded cage. Which is why even after confronting Oliver with all that she could see through, she had no inner strength of will to live long enough to take the stand in opposition to Oliver's campaign to usurp her family from her ancestral home via conquest.
I got to the party scenes and had the midsummer nights dream epiphany. I honestly wasnt sure if i was just grasping at straws but i thought if it was Fennels intention then 10/10, i love it! I also love symbolism+picking apart films, thanks for this great video ❤
SPOILERS Yes. The party was deliberately themed off of "Midsummer Night's Dream." They express this clearly. But as you make clear these references are deliberate and symbolic.
Oliver's costume is a reference to Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a fairy who drives the plot by manipulating people and their relationships without being caught. Ultimately the play is a comedy, but not so in this version. The Cattons are superficial and so see only the aesthetics without the themes, the tragedy blindsides them because they were expecting a happy ending.
As it turns out, Oliver was from a respectable middle-class family - not the mentally-challenged parents and squalor he referred to, so why was he so enamored of Felix's lifestyle? I guess that could happen to someone from any class. Apart from that, I loved the film. In addition to Barry Keoghan's brilliant performance, I was impressed by Rosamund Pike as Felix's mother. Barry's 'costume' at the end was quite something!
Perhaps it symbolises the changeling he is. Oliver seemed to be ashamed of his parents and siblings, never liked them or considered himself above them. I loved Saltburn as a movie but didn't like the reveal at the end. I'd have perfect it to remain ambiguous. But I suppose the ending highlighted how ruthless the movie and it's main character was.
I think it says something about Oliver's nearly psychotic ambition. Even as a middle class student at a prestigious school, he's not satisfied because he genuinely believes he deserves more despite already having more than many. It also speaks to how he views Felix and his family: rich people who pat themselves on the back for taking in poor people. Oliver assumes he has to paint himself as poor to get their attention and get into saltburn for his plans.
@@kcutie987656 Which is what made him all the more dangerous. It screamed that the uppercrust had more to fear from the discontent, over ambitious, entitled, lower middle class than they ever will from the reverse discriminatory under/working classes interms of being usurped.
I don’t get why Venetia isn’t at university herself? The ‘mysterious sister who lives at home’ thing works in Brideshead Revisited, because it’s from a whole different era, but it absolutely doesn’t fit for 2006
When I first saw Felix wearing angel wings and Oliver wearing the horns I quickly thought abt the devil and his encounter with Adam and Eve with Adam being Felix and the girl he was with being Eve.
I saw Oliver's costume as a fawn. Oliver is fawning over Felix and his life. I just watched it twice, back to back. Great movie! Reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Parasite.
considering felix's party costume it reminded me just know of the club kids and the murder of andre "angel" melendez by michael alig. the club kids were a crowd of people in the 1980's and 1990s who threw a lot of glamorous and excessive parties with people dressing up extravagantly. one of them, angel, who always wore angelwings, too, was killed by his "friend" and roommate michael.
Maybe! Could potentially be another layer to it, but this is the only costume that the designer confirmed the symbolism behind. She stated explicitly that it represented Oliver being a changeling
i think felix’s wings were related to titiana from a midsummer nights dream and Oliver’s donkey ears being bottom (the donkey). considering the fact that bottom and titiana fall in love in the play, maybe this had a connection with their characters?
(Spoiler) I immediately thought Jacob Elordi's costume was an homage to Angel Melendez in Party Monster even mirroring a similar demise. This whole movie feel's like it is Party Monster coded, including the bathtub, the cologne and the eroticism and drug use. Even throwing stones into the river mirror's the demise of Angel. I feel like Oliver's arch sort of mirrored Michael Alig's in a way which made the movie stay in realism even though it could have gone any way.
Toward the end of the movie Elspeth wears a deep green, partially sheet partially geometric dress that mirrors the maze at a scene at the table. I haven't seen anyone discuss this.
I noticed that when Farleigh and Oliver are meeting with the Professor and Farleigh is being smug and condescending, that whatever is on his shirt is partially obscured by his jacket and all you can see are the letters “ID.” This made me wonder if in that scene, and at other points throughout the film, Farleigh represents a deeper, unconscious, self talk aspect of Oliver’s character. This stemming from the Freudian Id…
[Spoilers Ahead] Felix made me think of Icarus. Also an angel because he seems so sweet and genuine. He is the only person who is genuinely kind to Oliver. Also, he dies. And I definitely thought of Romeo and Juliet with the poisoned bottle. It definitely struck me as suuuuper low effort; not only is this just another one of his mother's parties, but also, he's done with the "guest of honor" too. For Oliver, my first thought was the Erlking. In some mythology, he's the king of the elves who stalks and kills children in the forest. In some tellings, Oberon is the Erlking. And lo my "surprise" when he finds and kills Felix in the maze. In some mythology, he is the king of the Wild Hunt and has large antlers. I think in one version I read, he was a satyr even. Farleigh made me think of Donkey from Shrek; a side kick who thinks he's a main character. An animal companion that thinks he's a prince charming hero. And despite not "really" being "one of them" he's the biggest ass of them all. "rental?" wow. (that being said; I'm surprise he wasn't wrapped up as neatly as all the others. He was probably the meanest to Oliver and he's merely sent away where as all the others...).
HE IS A WHITE STAG In general, the stag represents strength, grace, and intuition. The white color may symbolize purity, spiritual awakening, or a connection to higher realms.
@@kingdomofskeough6880 Fair dues. But wouldn't you agree that's what made Oliver all the more dangerous? My takeaway from Saltburn was that the Uppercrust have more to fear from the middle class than they do the working/underclasses in terms of being conquered or usurped.
@@Senate300 I didn't see it as a social commentary. I just saw it as a story of a fascinating psychopath and how he manipulates a rich family. There was good comedy in the fact that the rich family felt so sorry for him and shocked that he was apparently so poor, but I don't think this sent any sort of deeper message
@@kingdomofskeough6880 Saltburn is multilayered enough for people to take it how they want. Oliver didn't just manipulate the Cattons. Via subterfuge, seduction, self preservation, ruthless cunning and killer instinct, he usurped them and conquered their ancestral estate.
The cinematography is absolutely 🔥, the writing is pretty good too also the soundtrack was impressive however there were a few things I felt were a bit distasteful such as the naked dance number, the sexual gyration on the burial ground, and the menstrual blood make out scene
I think this movie is being over hyped because of the last sequence with very deliberate tiktok virality. I've seen similar lots quite a few times now. its nothing new
I saw another review tying Felix's wings to Icarus, in Greek mythology. Mainly because the maze has a minotaur statue in its center. In greek mythology the maze is designed by Icarus's father, Daedalus
Mmm. I was thinking about Dionysus when I saw it. This is an interesting take as well.
i thought the same thing omg !!
i think exactly the same bc oliver's deer stuff looks like minotaur, especially when you consider the maze. It gets you thinking who's prey and predator...
I read that the Minotaur statue’s body is a replica of Barry’s. Kinda creeps me out thinking of it.
I totally thought of Icarus too and saw the Minotaur standing over him. I'm glad "changlings" were mentioned too - as soon as I saw those little horns...
I thought the spider imagery associated with Venitia could be a reference to Ariadne from Greek mythology. Ariadne used a ball of thread to help Theseus (Felix?) trace his way out of the maze (which Ariadne's father had built) and escape the minotaur (Oliver?), but then Theseus abandons her and she kills herself.
Only in this version The Minatour destroyed them both.
She kills herself? I thought Ariadne then married god Dionysus
@lunaoliveira7965 I hadn't heard that version before but looking online now I see there are variations where she's married to Dionysus indeed. I guess it depends which version you read. :)
I love this theory so much this is exactly how theories should be it never even occurred to me to think of it that way and that’s so cooool, congrats on the media literacy
@@Senate300although it’s ambiguous, the film makes out that Venetia killed herself
i also think its interesting that oliver sees through farleighs costume straight away!! and farleigh reveals himself to oliver by taking the mask off, linking to the fact that oliver and farleigh are two sides of the same coin, able to see what the other is doing because they are so similar and are both outsiders to saltburn
[spoiler alert] i also think the stag costume is a reference to the greek myth of artemis (goddess of the hunt) turning actaeon into a stag after she caught him spying on her while she bathed in the woods. considering ollie is such a voyeur throughout the film (and literally spies on felix while he’s in the bath), it feels super fitting that he’s made to dress up as the stag at his birthday party after felix begins to catch him in the act.
All the analysis I've seen of this movie always say Felix was the only one with good intentions......was he really? I understood he was more like the rich boy with a new weird toy, and even it is said every summer he took a different friend to his house. So that means it WAS a matter of time before he dumped Oliver
It is often mentioned that The Catton Family savior complex is not from a place of sincerity. As seen with Elspeth's masterclass in double talking when concerning Pamela at the first dinner scene. Felix likes to think his motives are genuine due to his guilt complexes over being born into generational wealth but friends like lovers were equally disposable since they come so easily to him. Yet the disposal of them isn't openly ruthless as we expect it to be.
“Felix was never good about sharing his toys. Even when he’s tired of playing with them” Venetia truth bomb.
@@chrisallen1934 The way Felix got possessive over Venetia getting with his friends, you'd think she was one of them at some point. One could see that truth bomb came with a hint of jealousy.
"We're all cold-blooded. Haven't you noticed" Another Venetia truth bomb. But by the Talented Mr. Quick, the Cattons are outmatched in this regard.
@@Senate300 I like what you did there.
@@chrisallen1934Thank you. In the best possible way, Saltburn is viewed as the bastard child of Brideshead Revisited & The Talented Mr. Ripley, minus the pleasantries and identity theft.
Tell me this. Can we both agree that Felix, however self aware of his ability to use and discard friends, strays and lovers alike due to how much they all come so easily to him is a chip off the old block? His mother's that is.
Another interesting aspect of Oliver wearing deer antlers is that the films director Emerald Fennell cast Barry Keoghan after seeing him in the film The Killing of a Sacred Deer!
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
Small thing, Oliver is not in fact lower class, he pretends he is, but when we go to his parents house we see he is very much middle class judging by their huge house and also the fact he is even at Oxford in the first place. In England lower class people live in housing estates which are large apartment blocks, Oliver’s parents house is a large double story suburban in a nice neighbourhood, very much middle class. Father is definitely middle or upper management.
Kinda defeats any reason for him to be infatuated with the upperclass lifestyle doesn't it?
@babydoll5128 So it all boils down to that universal thing called greed then? Where Oliver's from, being of Old Money meant you were somebody in a town full of nobody's.
@senate300 I think it's not only about money for Oliver, but also about status and "being someone". If it were only money he was after he could've taken the money Sir James offered him to leave and be done with it, but he wanted Saltburn. He wanted the casual luxury, the history, the self-perception of naturally being above everyone else. He wanted to be the light not the moth and I believe the money is only a part of that.
@@s0phi3e Correct. Oliver was a middle class nobody envious of those with the generational wealth & prestige he coveted for himself. What I was getting at was that Greed is universal. It's just that for the have not's it's considered excusable if not exclusive.
He’s middle class, BUT he’s also Northern and didn’t go to private school (two things which leave you very much on the outside in posh Oxford circles). He also grew up as a loner. And just parents live in a normal semi detached house, definitely not huge. I think there’s also the factor that he’s just not as tall and conventionally beautiful and effortless and carefree as the Felixes of the world. He worked hard to go to Oxford, it wasn’t just handed to him
I thought it was interesting that farleigh and oliver are both dressed as animals *overtly* (venetia is less obviously a spider) because it is a cool contrast to the rest of the guests, who are dressed as mythical/magical creatures or noble characters, and while the costumes themselves are intricate, the actual thing they're dressing up as is more real, in a way--donkeys and stags exist in real life, fairies and angels don't. Oliver and Farleigh are the only characters who really *see* the other one--they're the only real things there. Even still, there is another layer here, because while farleigh is dressed as an animal, he's also dressed as a character from a play, whereas oliver is not--indicating again that while they both might be outsiders, farleigh still "belongs" to saltburn more than oliver does. He's not native, but he's still a citizen. Oliver is just a tourist.
I absolutely love that part 'oh i can wear my suit of armour, Elspeth' 😂 so adorable 🥰
Just one obvious miss - Theseus in the Labyrinth who slays the Minotaur (which is what the statue at the center of the labrinth in Saltburn portrays). Ironically Oliver is the minotaur in this case (half man half beast) who slays the golden child, Felix so it's a subversion of a common myth and also plays with the audience's perception of what's really happening.
****SPOILER ALERT*****
I also think Oliver's stag costume holds a powerful dual-symbolism of "innocent deer" as we see him throughout the film that is unveiled to be "the devil" or a demon-like creature once we learn the twist at the end of the film.
I feel like Felix taking “outcasts” under his wing per say, makes him feel a sense of self worth. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. People often do “good deeds” for selfish reasons. He knows he’s been blessed with good looks, and an extreme privilege upbringing. Unfortunately this time, the kid was a psychopath. Lol
It could easily be argued that the Cattons take in strays beneath them from a place of vanity rather than sincerity before discarding them the moment they step out of line or when he tires of them. In this regard, Felix is no different. He's just less ruthless and self aware, but doesn't have his mother's ability to double talk.
Mmm…no, he’s slumming. It’s a purely selfish act. Oliver is a diversion, not a peer.
I think at first Felix is just acting on an impulse to be distracted by somone he can show off to and feel like he's doing Oliver a favour.
But I do think that by the time we were approaching Oliver's birthday Felix had started to have some actual feelings for him, there are a number of shots of Felix from his pov which show him watching Oliver more and more and it does feel that he may have begun to actually care for him until it all went wrong.
The act of taking him to reconcile with his mother on his birthday was something I think Felix actually did out of genuine care and real feeling towards Oliver, as it saddened him to see somone he cared about estranged from there mother.
FYI, Saltburn isn’t a castle, it’s a stately home. Castles are fortified and usually much older (generally from old military / royal applications), whereas stately homes are just massive sprawling residential estates. Just mentioning here for international watchers.
Interesting, thanks for the clarification! Is it common for these estates to look like castles? Cause it does have a castle-esque look doesn't it? Wonder if that's a unique trait
Well a castle is fortified, and usually has a Keep ( a central tower where villagers could take refuge)@@kcutie987656
lots of English stately homes were built in the elizabethan era, at this time Britain was fairly threatened by a foreign invasion, so they were used to show the wealth and protection of the upper class. these people would spend insane amounts of money to exhibit their wealth even compared to each other, so they'd all be trying to built their new homes to be more extravagant than their peers' :)@@kcutie987656
@@kcutie987656kind of. Many Stately homes like this in the UK and depends on when built.
There are some stately homes which have castle in there names even though they are not castles such as Highclere Castle which was seen on TV as Downton abbey and Castle Howard.
i love how differently everyone is interpreting this. u know a movie is good when everyone has a different interpretation
I thought the stag antlers were referencing Falstaff. In the final act of Merry Wives of Windsor the women he is trying to court have told him to meet him in the woods dressed as “Herne the Hunter” who has horns growing out of his head. It’s this moment of the play where Falstaff’s lies all catch up with him and he confesses.
Finally someone pointed out the r o ths child surrealist party reference.
It matches the themes perfectly.
1. Paganism
2. The rich
3. Surrealism
4, sacrifice
5. The occult
I absolutely thought the same and was glad to see I wasn't the only one thinking it.
As much as I love Saltburn but didn't like how it ended in a way that defeated itself as a psychological thriller, I didn't pay much attention to the symbolism. Just the characters actions. But since where speaking of how the symbolism of Saltburn relates to the characters, lets get into it;
Oliver Quick was such an effective Chameleon, we're left unsure of what his true form was inspite of him being of flesh and blood. He was a predator in preys clothing. A covetous Homme Fatale bent on possession, consumption, usurpation and conquest to be precise.
Felix was the sun to which all the stars revolved around and under his rays, they all wished to shine the brightest. Family, boys or girls alike. But his sun was overpowered by the darkness fuelled by Oliver's avarice, envy and unrequited love at it's most obsessive.
Farleigh was the closest to an antagonist as it gets because his gatekeeping of Oliver came from a glass house built from self preservation since he himself was less wealthy than his English relatives and endanger of being disinherited. He can also be sighted as the film's fallen anti-hero.
Venitia was both a bored blue flame crying out for the attention of Moths since she was left flickering in the shadow of her older brother who's flame burned the brightest and a Black Widow Spider who was all webbing and no teeth. She was not yet fully formed in either regard and had yet to realise her full potential. Possibly as the last line of opposition to Oliver's conquest of the Saltburn Estate. Which is Catton families ancestral home and her birthright. If only V had the strength of will to live for that to happen.
With all that said, Saltburn was a funny, vibrant, opulent, decadent, obsessive, ruthless, seductive, flamboyant thrill ride of a movie that was pure sociopath.
Wow! Great analysis!
@@stephaniesmith5515Thank you so much. Since the subject is that of symbolism, I wrote this from a place of "let's talk". I simply got by on what the characters symbolise to me.
I also love the videos breakdown of the Femme Fatale archetype down to their vulnerabilities which for me makes them more well rounded in character. As well as the foolish equation of sex with power which in the long run serves as a weakness. How this was applied to Saltburn's Venitia who for all intensive purposes was a toothless Black Widow Spider.
If Sir James & Elspeth represent anything it's old money at it's most naive, guilty, superficial, insulated, woefully ignorant and endangered. The Cattons as a whole were a self eating snake slowly devouring itself whole and Ollie was just the Snake Charmer to help it along and claim it's head.
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
Oliver's costume immediately reminded me of deers often being used as a bad omen in horror movies. As soon as I saw him in it I expected someone to die!
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
SPOILERS‼️‼️‼️
another small detail for Venetia’s dress that may not have been intentional, but still cool!! in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, two of the lines in the fairies’ lullaby of protection for Titania is “Weaving spiders, come not here. Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence.” This could be slight foreshadowing of Venetia’s realization of Oliver’s true character, as well as a reference to her later monologue, when she says “you’re always skulking around weaving your spidery, Oliver-y web” and that she has become fully trapped by it. Even after she realizes what he has done, she also knows that her own escape is inevitable (which I feel is reflected in the kiss directly following the monologue)
How interesting. Especially the assertion that instead of being the Black Widow Spider of Saltburn who was all webbing and no teeth, Venitia was just another victim caught in Ollie's Web. But don't you mean her demise was imminent rather than escape?
@@Senate300 yes thank you that is what I meant!! the downside to watching analysis videos past 3 am 😭
@@amberbusse Tell me this. Am I the only one who felt Venitia calling Oliver a Spider then a Moth to a flame came was like the Pot calling the kettle black?
@@Senate300 I do agree, and I think it’s especially interesting given that Venetia has almost the complete opposite desires from Oliver, who strives for wealth and power, while Venetia “has everything she could possibly want”, yet lives basically her entire life in spite of that privilege, as shown by her uneven/splotchy hair dye & chipped nail polish (despite having more than enough wealth and resources to maintain the clean and polished appearance that is expected of her), as well as when she tells Oliver that Felix must like him so much because he’s so “real.” I think by her ending monologue she has possibly realized how far removed she is from a “normal” life, and that she can never truly have one. She may be projecting her feelings onto Oliver, or it could be her way of finally letting go of those dreams. Either way, it is an incredibly layered and impactful monologue with SO much depth
@@amberbusse Venitia was both a bored blue flame crying out for the attention of Moths since she was left flickering in the shadow of her older brother whose flame burned as bright as the Sun and a Black Widow Spider who was all webbing and no teeth. She was not yet fully formed in either regard and had yet to realise her full potential. Judging by your latest assertion, Saltburn meant different things to both her and Oliver. To Oliver, Saltburn was the pinnacle of unlimited wealth, prestige and power he coveted for himself but to a jaded Venetia it was a gilded cage. Which is why even after confronting Oliver with all that she could see through, she had no inner strength of will to live long enough to take the stand in opposition to Oliver's campaign to usurp her family from her ancestral home via conquest.
I got to the party scenes and had the midsummer nights dream epiphany. I honestly wasnt sure if i was just grasping at straws but i thought if it was Fennels intention then 10/10, i love it!
I also love symbolism+picking apart films, thanks for this great video ❤
She’s a genius, I can’t wait to see what she does next! ❤
didn’t the character of elspeth actually say it was “midsummer night’s dream” themed?
@@monicad99 Did she? 🤣 Maybe I heard but it didn't overtly register, I can be absent minded.
SPOILERS
Yes. The party was deliberately themed off of "Midsummer Night's Dream." They express this clearly. But as you make clear these references are deliberate and symbolic.
All I know is, I want Pamela’s entire wardrobe!
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
@@vickyallen4566 That is so not the lesson of the movie. 😉
This movie is just filled with hidden gems!
Oliver's costume is a reference to Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, a fairy who drives the plot by manipulating people and their relationships without being caught.
Ultimately the play is a comedy, but not so in this version. The Cattons are superficial and so see only the aesthetics without the themes, the tragedy blindsides them because they were expecting a happy ending.
As it turns out, Oliver was from a respectable middle-class family - not the mentally-challenged parents and squalor he referred to, so why was he so enamored of Felix's lifestyle? I guess that could happen to someone from any class. Apart from that, I loved the film. In addition to Barry Keoghan's brilliant performance, I was impressed by Rosamund Pike as Felix's mother. Barry's 'costume' at the end was quite something!
Perhaps it symbolises the changeling he is. Oliver seemed to be ashamed of his parents and siblings, never liked them or considered himself above them. I loved Saltburn as a movie but didn't like the reveal at the end. I'd have perfect it to remain ambiguous. But I suppose the ending highlighted how ruthless the movie and it's main character was.
I think it says something about Oliver's nearly psychotic ambition. Even as a middle class student at a prestigious school, he's not satisfied because he genuinely believes he deserves more despite already having more than many. It also speaks to how he views Felix and his family: rich people who pat themselves on the back for taking in poor people. Oliver assumes he has to paint himself as poor to get their attention and get into saltburn for his plans.
@@kcutie987656 Which is what made him all the more dangerous. It screamed that the uppercrust had more to fear from the discontent, over ambitious, entitled, lower middle class than they ever will from the reverse discriminatory under/working classes interms of being usurped.
while we might say we want to "eat the rich" if given the chance the vast majority of people would rather be the rich.
@@wwaxwork the vast majority aspire to be rich fr
Please please please make more of these. This was great and I’d watch a million of these, with new and old movies. ☺️💕
This video was so fun to make, i just might! ❤ thanks for watching l’m so glad you enjoyed!
I loved the spider dress ❤ great video would like to see more!
This was soo good. I didn't even expect such good insights.
Farleigh dressed as Bottom. Enough said.
I don’t get why Venetia isn’t at university herself? The ‘mysterious sister who lives at home’ thing works in Brideshead Revisited, because it’s from a whole different era, but it absolutely doesn’t fit for 2006
My guess is, she's either finished her last year of Six Form or was home schooled.
the vomit/ purge theme was fascinating (and I say that as an emetophobe 😂)
Cillian kills Barry in Dunkirk!
There needs to be a Secret History movie and Emerald Fennell needs to direct it
Beautifully presented - love it! Saltburn, indeed, is an incredible film!
Thank you so much! ❤ It really is, I can’t stop thinking about it!
When I first saw Felix wearing angel wings and Oliver wearing the horns I quickly thought abt the devil and his encounter with Adam and Eve with Adam being Felix and the girl he was with being Eve.
I saw Oliver's costume as a fawn. Oliver is fawning over Felix and his life. I just watched it twice, back to back. Great movie! Reminiscent of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Parasite.
except fawns don't have antlers. very surface/simplistic take
@@nottheone582 Some have
fantastic video thank you for making it! I had wondered about the costumes and symbolism, their meaning makes the film even more wonderful now!
So glad you enjoyed, thanks for watching! ❤
Wow you need more views. Good editing!
Thank you so much! ❤
Felix’s angel wings were also giving angel Melendez, kind of an ominous nod to impending murder
The whole party was very club kid tbh
considering felix's party costume it reminded me just know of the club kids and the murder of andre "angel" melendez by michael alig. the club kids were a crowd of people in the 1980's and 1990s who threw a lot of glamorous and excessive parties with people dressing up extravagantly. one of them, angel, who always wore angelwings, too, was killed by his "friend" and roommate michael.
Farleigh is mixed race, people who used to be called mulatto or Spanish for mule.
Thanks super dope video ! Such attention to detail is crazy for sure have to rewatch brava !
Are you sure Oliver wasn’t the Celtic god of hunting when searching for Alex?
Maybe! Could potentially be another layer to it, but this is the only costume that the designer confirmed the symbolism behind. She stated explicitly that it represented Oliver being a changeling
Love everyone s comments!
Can’t wait to rewatch
It’s amazing how many extra thing you see each time you watch it
in the script they say something about felix’s moth eaten clothes
I was also very much reminded of Hannibal Lecter when I saw Oliver's costume, especially in the scene where he was entering the maze
i think felix’s wings were related to titiana from a midsummer nights dream and Oliver’s donkey ears being bottom (the donkey). considering the fact that bottom and titiana fall in love in the play, maybe this had a connection with their characters?
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
(Spoiler) I immediately thought Jacob Elordi's costume was an homage to Angel Melendez in Party Monster even mirroring a similar demise. This whole movie feel's like it is Party Monster coded, including the bathtub, the cologne and the eroticism and drug use. Even throwing stones into the river mirror's the demise of Angel. I feel like Oliver's arch sort of mirrored Michael Alig's in a way which made the movie stay in realism even though it could have gone any way.
I got that too.
This is such an American way to see it. I doubt this was in Emerald Fennell's mind when writing it...
@eily_b such a European response. Wreaks of superiority even though you have the same amount of information as me. BTW I'm not American. Touch grass
Toward the end of the movie Elspeth wears a deep green, partially sheet partially geometric dress that mirrors the maze at a scene at the table. I haven't seen anyone discuss this.
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
This is just the content I need after seeing this film.
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
@@vickyallen4566He was bisexual.
Wait, this is so good 🤯
Thank you! ❤
Wow, great insight.
This is the best video I've seen on salt burn
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
Oliver’s not lower class. His family seems solidly suburban lower-middle class or even middle-class with their nice suburban home.
To wear “the horns” in Shakespeares lingo would mean you are a cuckhold, Oliver embodied this
Venetia is the spider but Oliver is a moth
Venitia was a flame crying out for a Moth. Only Oliver was the Moth who gave her the means to put out her own light for good.
I noticed that when Farleigh and Oliver are meeting with the Professor and Farleigh is being smug and condescending, that whatever is on his shirt is partially obscured by his jacket and all you can see are the letters “ID.” This made me wonder if in that scene, and at other points throughout the film, Farleigh represents a deeper, unconscious, self talk aspect of Oliver’s character. This stemming from the Freudian Id…
loved this movie sooo much
This is absolutely fantastic! Thank you
[Spoilers Ahead]
Felix made me think of Icarus. Also an angel because he seems so sweet and genuine. He is the only person who is genuinely kind to Oliver. Also, he dies. And I definitely thought of Romeo and Juliet with the poisoned bottle. It definitely struck me as suuuuper low effort; not only is this just another one of his mother's parties, but also, he's done with the "guest of honor" too.
For Oliver, my first thought was the Erlking. In some mythology, he's the king of the elves who stalks and kills children in the forest. In some tellings, Oberon is the Erlking. And lo my "surprise" when he finds and kills Felix in the maze. In some mythology, he is the king of the Wild Hunt and has large antlers. I think in one version I read, he was a satyr even.
Farleigh made me think of Donkey from Shrek; a side kick who thinks he's a main character. An animal companion that thinks he's a prince charming hero. And despite not "really" being "one of them" he's the biggest ass of them all. "rental?" wow. (that being said; I'm surprise he wasn't wrapped up as neatly as all the others. He was probably the meanest to Oliver and he's merely sent away where as all the others...).
Such a good analysis!!
Whats the painting with the deer head women is called
Does Venetia not go to university? Or do anything herself..is she just stuck in the home all week?
Either she's a private school kid who just finished the six form stage or she was being home schooled.
Great video !! Loved this movie 🍿
Olliver is Puck, that’s also why he has antlers. Just like Farleigh is the incarnation of Bottom, Olliver is Puck.
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
@@vickyallen4566 what? That’s your weirdo interpretation.
such a goood video analysis
thank you
HE IS A WHITE STAG In general, the stag represents strength, grace, and intuition. The white color may symbolize purity, spiritual awakening, or a connection to higher realms.
What venetia doesnt also go to school?
Did you not think the antlers where an allusion to his role in killing of a sacred deer
great vid
Thank you so much! ❤
i'm sorry can someone tell me which movie/series the scene from point 8:11 is? Thanks!
i also want to know!
Sweet Tooth, it's a TV show on Netflix
You’re so smart
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
The movie was great but the best performance was Oliver sans any clothing as he danced naked in his acquired mansion. That alone was Oscar worthy.
SPOILER ALERT
Love the end scene gave you space to pause and also its a release after all the deceit Ollie is free to bare all.
Very clever film
Nice
Does anyone know what appear to be 2 films referenced here? Male with baby and giant backpack at Yellowstone and changeling type babies in cots?
It’s from the show on Netflix Sweetooth
Or sweet tooth
Oliver was not from a working-class family!
Nope. But from the middle class and discontent with his position in life and wants what he can't have which made him far more dangerous.
@@Senate300 yeah no shit but I'm just correcting the narrator who said working class
@@kingdomofskeough6880 Fair dues. But wouldn't you agree that's what made Oliver all the more dangerous? My takeaway from Saltburn was that the Uppercrust have more to fear from the middle class than they do the working/underclasses in terms of being conquered or usurped.
@@Senate300 I didn't see it as a social commentary. I just saw it as a story of a fascinating psychopath and how he manipulates a rich family. There was good comedy in the fact that the rich family felt so sorry for him and shocked that he was apparently so poor, but I don't think this sent any sort of deeper message
@@kingdomofskeough6880 Saltburn is multilayered enough for people to take it how they want. Oliver didn't just manipulate the Cattons. Via subterfuge, seduction, self preservation, ruthless cunning and killer instinct, he usurped them and conquered their ancestral estate.
These spoiler warnings are so annoying and unnecessary. Why watch a video that talks about details of a movie if you do not want to be spoiled?
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
Theres no way that dude is playing an 18 year old... he looks well over 30 😂😂😂 Oliver, that is
Oliver is the Minotaur not deer. Go deeper with your analysis.
And that Minotaur Statue was coincidentally based on Barry's likeness.
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
The cinematography is absolutely 🔥, the writing is pretty good too also the soundtrack was impressive however there were a few things I felt were a bit distasteful such as the naked dance number, the sexual gyration on the burial ground, and the menstrual blood make out scene
YOu might want to add a spoiler alert, friend
His desire to be inside and part of them no matter how vile of gross an action. It was a power thing too
Marjan pejowski made a dress identical to that in 2009
I think this movie is being over hyped because of the last sequence with very deliberate tiktok virality. I've seen similar lots quite a few times now. its nothing new
Theme of movie is so important: Don't trust gay men, especially YOUNG ones. What a great lesson to all of us.
This was soo good. I didn't even expect such good insights.