Considered by many to be one of the greatest British films of the last century, Joseph Losey’s The Servant features BAFTA-winning performances from Dirk Bogarde and James Fox as servant and master in this taut drama exploring class conflicts and sexual tensions in a west London townhouse in 1960s London.
Marking the first of three collaborations between director Joseph Losey and celebrated playwright Harold Pinter, The Servant was adapted from Robin Maugham’s short story and features stunning black & white cinematography by Douglas Slocombe (The Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts & Coronets, Indiana Jones) and a fantastic soundtrack by composer John Dankworth (The Avengers, Darling). Sly, seductive manservant Barrett (Bogarde: The Blue Lamp, Darling, Accident) worms his way in to the affections of foppish aristocrat Tony (Fox: Performance, A Passage to India). His awe-inspiring efficiency cleverly masks his true intentions, ultimately giving way to a suspicious and insidious control where the roles of master and servant are reversed.
Cited by Bong Joon Ho as one of five films that influenced his Oscar-winning masterpiece Parasite, The Servant is considered ahead of its time for its ambitious cinematography and its exploration of class and sexual politics, and is a thrilling and ingenious British classic that’s not to be missed.
Extras
Video essay with Matthew Sweet and Phuong Le
Location featurette with Adam Scovell
New Trailer
James Fox interviewed by Richard Ayoade
Interview with Wendy Craig
Interview with Sarah Miles
Interview with Stephen Woolley
Harry Burton on Harold Pinter
John Coldstream on Dirk Bogarde
Audio interview with Douglas Slocombe conducted by Matthew Sweet
Joseph Losey & Adolphus Mekas at the New York Film Festival in 1963
Harold Pinter Tempo Interview
Joseph Losey talks about The Servant
Stills Gallery
New 64-page booklet with essays from Peter Bradshaw & Anna Smith
