Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Film Review: 50 Years Later British Classic 'The Servant' Is Still Dizzying And Resonant

theservant-moviestill.jpg
Dirk Bogarde and James Fox star in the British classic 'The Servant.' (Photo courtesy Rialto Pictures/StudioCanal)
()

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

By Carman Tse

Fifty years after it was released, Joseph Losey's The Servant is back in theaters in limited release with a sparkling digital restoration by StudioCanal. The film, which is ranked #22 on the BFI Top 100 British Films, is a subtle study in British class undercurrents. It won three BAFTA awards, including one each for stars Dirk Bogarde and James Fox, and was nominated for five more.

Tony (Fox) has just bought a swanky Chelsea house and all he needs to really tie it all together is a dutiful manservant of his very own. No nouveau-riche London home would be complete without one—preferably one from a humble working-class background.

Barrett (Bogarde), the titular "gentleman's gentleman" of The Servant, is so dedicated to his craft that his persistent presence becomes a point of contention between Tony and his haughty fiancée Susan (Wendy Craig). Catalyzed one night when he walks in on their lovemaking (whether this is accidental or not is left perfectly unclear), Susan and Barrett engage in a struggle behind Tony's back over control of his life. Every mundane decision is a power play, with this struggle coming to a head over the position of a vase of flowers.

Support for LAist comes from

With Barrett so occupied tending to his master, the remaining housekeeping duties are given to his sexpot "sister" Vera (Sarah Miles) who soon moves in. The defenses afforded Tony from his wealth and stature erode through the conniving ways of Barrett and seductive allure of Vera. Losing his fiancée, dignity, and sobriety, he at least has a very nice home to crawl around drunkenly in.

Losey is probably most famous in his native country for his noir remake of Fritz Lang's M, but would leave the United States for good in the early '50s because of his ties to Communism and make a name for himself in Britain. Originally released in 1963, The Servant would be his first collaboration with playwright Harold Pinter.

Class struggle is the most apparent raison d'être of the film, but The Servant is a much more layered work that dramatizes the dynamics of authority rather than being a fantasy of upending them. Sexual, societal, and structural hierarchies don't become inverted but instead are rendered meaningless and merely nominal in this dizzying and uneasy film that perhaps resonates even stronger today.

The Servant opens today at Laemmle's Royal (West L.A.) and Playhouse 7 (Pasadena).

Carman Tse is a native of Northern California but not one of Those Guys that hates on Los Angeles (despite his affection for the Giants over the Dodgers). When he's not sharing long-winded thoughts on movies, he's probably sharing long-winded thoughts on baseball or reading about weird sea creatures.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist