"The Servant" opens with an astonishing sequence, during which Bogarde, as a man-servant, is interviewed by his new employer Tony, played by James Fox. Watch how Bogarde sits absolutely, perfectly still on the chair in the attic, except for this: subtly, yet unmistakably, he is working his jaw muscles, and they pulse with waves of seething anger, and you can read how unhappy he is, having to behave so subserviently to his new snob of a master. This is a magnificent bit of film-making.
This movie, along with "Victim", demonstrates what an extraordinary actor Dirk Bogarde was. Bogarde seems to have more control over every muscle in his body than any actor you will ever see. Not a finger twitches, not an eyebrow rises, not a single superfluous body part moves, that is not under the absolute control of Dirk Bogarde. In fact, every actor in this film is under the masterful control of the director. The camera-work too is mesmerizing, panning left and right here, and zooming in or out there. And look for the clever use of distorted mirrors and shadows (a naked Dirk Bogarde, for example) to indicate the action. This is real art, my friends.
The plot is a strange one, though on paper it seems straight forward enough. Bogarde, as the newly hired servant, slowly but surely, through extreme manipulation, takes over the home of his new master. But this does not begin to describe how bizarre and extreme Bogarde's plots are. I don't think we ever really understand exactly what Bogarde's goal is here. He lets his girlfriend, Vera, seduce and carry on an affair with Tony, but why? Tony, enamored with Vera, loses his own fiancé, and slowly gives up on life, ultimately changing from an idealistic and active member of the nobility to a complete drunken wreck. Bogarde befriends him, rising above the servant-master relationship, but it is such a weird co-dependent relationship – an extended sequence shows them trying to hit each other with a ball, and arguing about the score. We never really figure out what is going on in Bogarde's mind. The servant is indeed an enigma of a character.
Sarah Miles, by the way, is achingly gorgeous and sexy as Bogarde's girlfriend. Nothing dirty happens directly on screen, yet some of the sex scenes are so cleverly suggestive that they will leave you panting. Look out particularly for the scene later in the movie where Fox takes Miles on an over-sized lounge chair –but we only see her legs and the back of the chair.
"The Servant" is a truly bizarre and astonishing film, with tremendous acting and amazing directing. Highly recommended.
This movie, along with "Victim", demonstrates what an extraordinary actor Dirk Bogarde was. Bogarde seems to have more control over every muscle in his body than any actor you will ever see. Not a finger twitches, not an eyebrow rises, not a single superfluous body part moves, that is not under the absolute control of Dirk Bogarde. In fact, every actor in this film is under the masterful control of the director. The camera-work too is mesmerizing, panning left and right here, and zooming in or out there. And look for the clever use of distorted mirrors and shadows (a naked Dirk Bogarde, for example) to indicate the action. This is real art, my friends.
The plot is a strange one, though on paper it seems straight forward enough. Bogarde, as the newly hired servant, slowly but surely, through extreme manipulation, takes over the home of his new master. But this does not begin to describe how bizarre and extreme Bogarde's plots are. I don't think we ever really understand exactly what Bogarde's goal is here. He lets his girlfriend, Vera, seduce and carry on an affair with Tony, but why? Tony, enamored with Vera, loses his own fiancé, and slowly gives up on life, ultimately changing from an idealistic and active member of the nobility to a complete drunken wreck. Bogarde befriends him, rising above the servant-master relationship, but it is such a weird co-dependent relationship – an extended sequence shows them trying to hit each other with a ball, and arguing about the score. We never really figure out what is going on in Bogarde's mind. The servant is indeed an enigma of a character.
Sarah Miles, by the way, is achingly gorgeous and sexy as Bogarde's girlfriend. Nothing dirty happens directly on screen, yet some of the sex scenes are so cleverly suggestive that they will leave you panting. Look out particularly for the scene later in the movie where Fox takes Miles on an over-sized lounge chair –but we only see her legs and the back of the chair.
"The Servant" is a truly bizarre and astonishing film, with tremendous acting and amazing directing. Highly recommended.