Servant, The (1963)

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Barrett (Dirk Bogarde) becomes butler, cook and more for wealthy layabout Tony (James Fox), despite the dislike of Tony's girlfriend Susan (Wendy Craig). Later, he receives permission for his sister, Vera (Sarah Miles), to come and stay.

What follows is some kind of weird and class-conflict psychodrama in which Barrett, an abusive manipulator, takes control of Tony's life. It's not an arc that I found plausible or compelling. I might have found the journey more engaging had I seen it before Parasite, which covers some of the same territory but to a wildly different end.

It's brilliantly executed, however, from stunning black and white cinematography to heightening sense of claustrophobia. I preferred The Caretaker from the same year, also written by Harold Pinter and also, in its way, about class.

- Sam - 2021-05-01 13:14:12