Servant 50th Anniversary Edition [DVD]

Fox and Bogarde on excellent form as reprehensible reprobates off the Kings Road society.The anti-Jeeves and Wooster.But who will take most advantage of the other?

Of course, by the time Dirk Bogarde’s deceiving 'underling’, Barrett, is pleading his case to Wendy Craig’s schoolmarm-ish Susan, the pairing of director Joseph Losey and screenwriter Harold Pinter have already (in our minds) at least partially put paid to any archaic definition of social/class roles in their stunning 1963 cinematic collaboration. The Servant remains one of a handful of defining British films of the era that encapsulate the revolutionary effect that the new-found liberalism of the ‘swinging 60s’ would have on the arts and culture in the UK – the film’s innovative look and feel being heavily influenced by US-exile Losey’s European connections and delivered to the screen with much evocative and inventive cinematography courtesy of (ex-Ealing man) Douglas Slocombe, accompanied by John Dankworth’s alternately sultry and comedic, jazzy score.Losey’s film is also an acting tour-de-force – Bogarde playing against type (and demonstrating great versatility) as the softly-spoken, subversive (but cultured) Lancastrian man-servant to the inexperienced (but highly impressive) James Fox’s self-confident, well-connected 'aristocrat’, Tony (albeit, as an ex-Harrow man, the role being something of a busman’s holiday for the aspiring actor). Equally, and perhaps surprisingly, impressive is Craig (yes, TV’s 'most respectable mother’!) as Tony’s open-minded, perceptive fiancée, whose hackles are raised as Barrett begins to (subtly) wrest influence over Tony from her. Losey’s film is also ground-breaking in its latent (and not-so-latent) sexual themes – Tony and Barrett’s early scenes being underpinned by hints of homo-eroticism ('I’m keeping an eye on them’) – whilst Barrett’s 'sister’ and coy seductress, Sarah Miles’ Vera’s, arrival on the scene, prompts things to boil over. Losey’s handling of, and Pinter’s dialogue for, the scenes between Barrett and Susan and those between Tony and Vera (the dripping tap) are particularly impressive, being brilliantly suffused with (respectively) tension and eroticism. Further mention should also be made of Slocombe’s work as integral to the film’s haunting, unnerving tone – great use of mirrors’ distorting effect on proceedings, as well as shadows, tilted frames and shots through glass.Elsewhere, the film’s parodying of the British class system (a pet Pinter subject, of course) hits a high point during the brilliant 'cameo scene’ between Tony, Susan and Tony’s mother and father, Lord and Lady Mounset (respectively, Richard Vernon and Catherine Lacey), full of hilarious pretense and self-importance ('fascinating’). Indeed, the film’s depiction of this class-manners-taste theme calls to my mind, particularly during the claustrophobic scenes in Tony’s West London 'pad’, Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party, as well as hints of the cinema of Bunuel and Renoir. But, perhaps The Servant’s most direct comparator is Cammell and Roeg’s 'turn of the decade’ classic, 1970’s Performance – both films being set in 'trendy 60s’ West London, both being films of two halves, the second halves in each involving the breakdown of a defined British 'social system’ (Performance – gangland, The Servant – the aristocracy) into anarchic, drug-fuelled hippy liberalisation, and both films (oddly enough) featuring impressive ‘downfalls’ of a James Fox character.The 2013 Studiocanal DVD also includes extensive interviews with James Fox, Wendy Craig, Sarah Miles, Pinter, Losey and Douglas Slocombe (audio only).For me, The Servant represents the pinnacle of the highly fruitful collaborations between Losey and Pinter and is a key British film of the 60s (and indeed any era).

This 4K version of Losey's THE SERVANT has a razor-sharp tightness to it, and a sumptuous deep inky blackness courtesy of the Dolby Vision pass it has received; at times the image is three-dimensional, like an optical illusion [ which of course it is. . . ]The film itself needs no superlatives - if you're reading this you know how wonderful it is.It replaces the earlier StudioCanal bluray from circa ten years ago - this was [ still is] excellent in its own right, but if you have the tech to watch this new disc in 4K, do so! The rewards are there.The decision to include two ever-so-slightly different aspect ratios genuinely baffles me: a complete waste of disc space that could [ should] have been used to lay over the film a commentary track instead. Very strange, and pointless.A great film, gorgeously presented in the new format that is likely never to be bettered on the home video market.

What can I say without spoilers? Just a great film, a classic

Studio Canal Blu Ray version: THE FILM: This is one of the finest films ever committed to celluloid and deserving of this high quality restoration; Harold Pinter's screenplay, a reworking of an original short story, was written at the height of his powers, cleverly omitting enough from the narrative for the viewer to think and draw his own conclusions (the covert hints of homosexuality, the unspoken battle of who is really the master of the house, an observation of the class structure). The camerawork and lighting exemplify the finesse with which Douglas Slocombe executes his craft as the master - look at the rainy afternoon in the lounge scene and you'll see what I mean. This is one of those rare films that improves with age, capturing the atmosphere of 1960s Britain wonderfully. The off-beat humour injected by Patrick Magee as a bishop in the restaurant scene is pitched well. And notice Patrick's gritting of teeth as he swigs the last of his wine! A very fine film which I hope one day will be released in 4K. For those interested, Losey was taken ill during filming and Bogarde took over some of the direction, at times receiving instructions from Losey by telephone from his sick bed. When Losey returned he was unhappy with some of the direction and re-took certain scenes. Dirk mentions the tension between himself and the Director in an autobiography but adds that he always respected Joseph's professionalism. The pub sequence was actually filmed in a real pub in Fulham, although sadly it no longer exists as a pub. THE BLU RAY: Picture quality is excellent - clearly a lovingly restored project. There are also many interesting extras. Amazon has a serious data quality problem with their synopsies as they tend to use their same review on different presentations of the same material (eg a review of an unrestored DVD release seem to be used for restored BD release, etc - so buyers should conduct further research before buying). This BD presentation is unequivocally recommended.

My son bought me this film in the remastered 4K version. It's one of the greatest British films made. All the characters are played well by the actors. The film has a definite pre 'Swingin' Sixties' London feel to it. It captures the dark and seedy premise to the story. There are great features with this edition, with the locations used in the film. There are interviews with some of the actors, and also Joseph Losey. Some of the finest British films were made during the 1960s, many of them capturing the very essence of that time, and this rates as one of the finest. A must for any film buffs collection.