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The Servant (1963 film)

From Alfawiki
Springbok Films
IndustryFilm production
Founded1963
FounderJoseph Losey, Norman Priggen
ProductsFilms
ParentElstree Distributors

The Servant is a 1963 British drama film directed by Joseph Losey with a screenplay by Harold Pinter, based on Robin Maugham's 1948 novella. The cast includes Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, and James Fox.

As the initial collaboration between Pinter and Losey, The Servant presents a tightly woven psychological study of four main characters, emphasizing issues related to social hierarchy. This film’s narrative approach and stylistic choices made a notable impact on British cinema by exposing class conflicts both within the domestic sphere and society more broadly.

Produced by Joseph Losey and Norman Priggen through Springbok Films and Elstree Distributors, the film was made on a budget of £138,005 and earned £389,276 at the box office. Distributed by Warner-Pathé, it debuted at the Venice Film Festival in 1963 before its London release. Its commercial success highlighted its significance in the UK film industry.

Plot

Tony, a wealthy London businessman engaged in Brazilian urban development projects, employs Hugo Barrett as his servant. Barrett quickly settles into his role, developing a subtle yet complex relationship with Tony while maintaining their social distinctions. Suspicion arises when Tony’s girlfriend Susan doubts Barrett’s intentions and urges Tony to fire him, but he declines.

Barrett convinces Tony to bring a maid into the home, introducing his lover Vera under the pretense that she is his sister. Barrett encourages Vera to seduce Tony. Upon an unexpected early return from vacation, Tony and Susan find Barrett and Vera together. Mistaking them for siblings, Tony reacts with anger; Barrett then reveals Vera is actually his fiancée and exposes Tony’s affair with her, leading to Susan's quiet exit.

Tony becomes increasingly reliant on Barrett and Vera, sinking into alcoholism exacerbated by Susan’s rejection. Through manipulation, Barrett convinces Tony to reinstate him after fabricating a story about Vera’s infidelity. The balance of power shifts as Barrett gains dominance and Tony becomes more childlike. Barrett reintroduces Vera into the household while Susan attempts to win back Tony but finds him under Barrett’s control amid alcohol and prostitutes.

During a tense encounter, Susan kisses Barrett, who responds with hostility. Tony tries to intervene but collapses drunk while others mock him. After an outburst, Barrett expels everyone from the room. Before leaving, Susan strikes Barrett with her jeweled coat collar; he quickly recovers and returns upstairs to Vera, leaving the incapacitated Tony behind.

Production

Directed by Joseph Losey—an American filmmaker who relocated to England after being blacklisted in Hollywood during the 1950s—The Servant faced challenges as Losey’s health deteriorated during filming. This led Dirk Bogarde to take on substantial directing responsibilities to help complete the project.

The film adapts Robin Maugham's 1948 novella The Servant, with Harold Pinter crafting a screenplay that condenses the story into a more focused and chilling narrative. Pinter also appears briefly in a minor role as a restaurant customer.

Film critic Nick James observed that Losey introduced Bogarde to the novella in 1954. Pinter’s adaptation eliminates the original narrator’s viewpoint and certain character elements, concentrating instead on the evolving power struggle between Tony and Barrett.

Losey’s work with Pinter continued in films such as Accident (1967) and The Go-Between (1971), which similarly examine the erosion of the British class system—a theme seldom addressed in British cinema during that era.

Music

The film’s score, composed by John Dankworth, includes the track "All Gone," which is delivered in three emotionally varied versions by his wife, Cleo Laine, adding depth to the movie’s atmosphere.

Release

The movie debuted at the 24th Venice International Film Festival in September 1963 and was chosen to represent Britain at the first-ever New York Film Festival later that same month, marking director Losey's return to the United States after ten years. Its commercial release took place at London's Warner Theatre on 14 November 1963, followed by a re-release in 2013 commemorating its 50th anniversary.

Reception

Variety lauded the film for its direction, performances, and Harold Pinter’s incisive script, particularly emphasizing Dirk Bogarde’s exceptional acting and James Fox’s assured debut. Critics such as Penelope Gilliatt of The Observer hailed it as "a triumph," while Richard Roud from The Guardian and Ann Pacey of the Daily Herald referred to it as a "masterpiece." In 2013, the Los Angeles Times praised it as "brilliantly icy."

On Rotten Tomatoes, The Servant holds a 90% approval rating with an average score of 8.1/10 based on 51 reviews, recognized for its sharp exploration of class distinctions through Losey’s direction and Pinter’s screenplay. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 94/100 derived from nine critical evaluations.

From a financial perspective, the movie earned £238,893 domestically in the UK and £150,383 overseas, amounting to a total worldwide gross of £389,276. The British Film Institute ranked it as the 22nd-best British film ever made in 1999.

Retrospective appraisal

Robert Maras wrote in the World Socialist Web Site that "Drawing inspiration from Brecht and Meyerhold, this film’s rejection of a passive, purely observational approach along with its inventive use of sound, framing, and editing heightened viewers’ awareness not only of the destructive dynamics within the master’s London household but also those pervasive in British society overall." Maras further noted that "The Servant received widespread acclaim within European cinema circles and played a role in ushering in an era of increased social and psychological realism in British filmmaking." Meanwhile, Dan Callahan, writing for Senses of Cinema in 2003, stated that the movie "cemented Losey’s international reputation."

Film historian David Thomson remarked that "With The Servant, Losey matured into an artist embraced by the cultural elite... The director who had created gripping, low-budget thrillers like The Prowler and M was now operating in an environment prepared to recognize his serious work." However, Thomson pointed out that some critics favored subtlety while overlooking the intense hysteria present in The Servant, which he argued did a disservice to Losey’s unique strength—the combination of both elements.

Home media

In 2001, The Servant was made available on DVD through Anchor Bay Entertainment. A digitally restored version in 4K was released on both Blu-ray and DVD by the Criterion Collection in June 2023, improving access for modern viewers.

Awards

  • Recipient of Best Cinematography – British Society of Cinematographers (Douglas Slocombe)
  • Awarded Best Cinematography – BAFTA (Douglas Slocombe)
  • Best Actor Winner – BAFTA (Dirk Bogarde)
  • BAFTA Winner for Most Promising Newcomer (James Fox)
  • BAFTA Nominee for Best Picture (Joseph Losey, Norman Priggen)
  • Best Actress Nomination – BAFTA (Sarah Miles)
  • BAFTA Nominee for Best Screenplay (Harold Pinter)
  • Nominee for Most Promising Newcomer – BAFTA (Wendy Craig)
  • Winner of Best Foreign Director – Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (Joseph Losey)
  • Best Screenplay Winner – New York Film Critics Circle (Harold Pinter)
  • New York Film Critics Circle Nominee for Best Actor (Dirk Bogarde)
  • Nominee for Best Director – New York Film Critics Circle (Joseph Losey)
  • Golden Lion Nomination – Venice International Film Festival (Joseph Losey)
  • Winner, Best Dramatic Screenplay – Writers' Guild of Great Britain (Harold Pinter)

See also

Sources

Further reading

  • Billington, Michael. Harold Pinter. London: Faber and Faber, 2007. (13). Revised second edition of The Life and Work of Harold Pinter. Originally published London: Faber and Faber, 1997. (10). Print.
  • Gale, Steven H. Sharp Cut: Harold Pinter's Screenplays and the Artistic Process. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2003. (10). (13). Print.
  • Gale, Steven H., editor. The Films of Harold Pinter. Albany: SUNY Press, 2001. . . Print.
  • Klein, Joanne. Making Pictures: The Pinter Screenplays. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1985. Print.
  • Sargeant, Amy. The Servant. Palgrave Macmillan/BFI Modern Classics: 2011.
  • Weedman, Christopher (2019). "A Dark Exilic Vision of 1960s Britain: Gothic Horror and Film Noir Pervading Losey and Pinter's The Servant." Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 58(3), pp. 93–117.

External links

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