Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5179 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-01-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Synopsis
In THE SERVANT, Joseph Losey's 10th film made in the U.K. after his 1951 blacklisting in the U.S., the powerful undercurrents of class struggle and sexual repression erupt through the very British patina of civility to expose the poisoned undercurrents of a class-based society. Dirk Bogarde plays Barrett a seductive and insidious manservant hired by flamboyant playboy Tony (James Fox, in his film debut) to take control of his newly established household. When asked what he wants in a manservant, Tony responds, "Well...everything." And that's just what Barrett takes. As his awe-inspiring efficiency gives way to a suspicious and overarching control, Tony's fiancee, Susan (Wendy Craig), begins to nurture a severe dislike of the omnipresent Barrett. When Barrett brings his girlfriend on as the maid--telling Tony that she is his sister--the inevitable disaster that results sees Barrett (and girlfriend) expelled from the household and Tony left by his fiancee. Alone and left to his own rather debauched devices in his spectacularly appointed bachelor pad, Tony eventually rehires Barrett and the role reversal becomes complete as the two reestablish the household--however, now with Barrett seemingly at its head. Losey's pessimistic obsession with character and English class system is cynically crystallized in this ironic allegory penned by Harold Pinter, based on the novel by Robin Maugham.

Customer Reviews

The seamy side of the '60s
'The Servant' used to be shown on telly - a lot. It seemed to crop up just about every school holiday - on BBC2, where it was shown at a 'respectable' hour when young minds could not possibly be corrupted by it.
As I child, I loved it. I knew it virtually off by heart, without really understanding a word of it.
Thirty years later, and rather more grown up, I rejoiced at its release on dvd. Douglas Slocombe's stunning black and white photography looks infinitely finer than it ever looked on telly, and the nasty little world that Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter have created from Robin Maugham's novel is compelling viewing.
There are some magical moments of pure Pinter, both tragic and very amusing, and for my money this film is vastly superior to the rather tedious 'Accident'. The performances are remarkable, with the crown of course going to Dirk Borgarde, whose creepy Barratt manages to act everyone off the screen without upsetting the balance. 'The Servant' sums up an era, and the hard winter of 1963 is shown to great effect. The rain and snow over a bleak London are obviously the real thing - and every bit as chilly as the emotions of the characters portrayed.
This film is one for the collection. Enjoy (if that's the right word!)

Losey studies the British like an alien life form
Cyril Connolly said of the British: "the greater part of the ruling class remains adolescent, school-minded, self-conscious, cowardly, sentimental, and in the last analysis homosexual." Joseph Losey was a shrewd enough observer of the British to see evidence of Connolly's observation.

There's a moment when Tony, (Edward Fox) says how much fun it is to be in Hugo's (Dirk Bogarde's) company, "it's like being back in the army." It's the closest any too characters get in the film (much closer than the men get to any of the women.)

The power play is exquisite, as is Bogarde's acting. It's a great allegory of the 1960s. Brilliant.

'Forget all about equality, let's play Master & Servant..'
I first heard about this cult film about five years ago but couldn't track it down for love nor money. After several years wait it was finally released on DVD and I settled down with a glass of red wine and a bag of kettle chips to see if it was worth the wait. Overall I'd say yes; Harold Pinter's screenplay depicts a confusing of traditional class roles and is given a dark undercurrent by Dirk Bogarde's creepily subservient manservant, who gradually erodes Edward Fox's ideas of class and status until the latter is a gibbering wreck and the former is in complete control. The role of Hugo Barrett exemplifies Bogarde's later roles where he got out of his comfort zone and began to play edgy as well as morally and sexually ambiguous characters to great effect. Fox is a competent 'upper-class twit' who is easily drawn into a compromising relationships whilst Wendy Craig spits feathers as his much maligned - and eventually discarded - lover. On the minus side, the film sags about half way through and never really recovers; the ending is muddled and disappointing and takes the edge of an otherwise masterful period piece.