Feeble Upperclass gentleman, Tony, finds that the power balance in the relationship he has with his manservant shifts to an alarming degree
by Adam Smith |
Published on
Release Date:
01 Jan 2001
Running Time:
0 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Servant, The
Self-consciously 'modern' when it came out, this study of class, power and sexual desire was adapted by king of the... pause, Harold Pinter, so it's no surprise that it borders on the deliberately inscrutable.
James Fox is an upper-class twit, Dirk Bogarde his gentleman's gentleman, while director Joseph Losey makes the most of the talky material and shoots in beautifully crisp black and white. These days, however, it's more a fascinating museum piece than anything else.
Certainly difficult to define, this period piece messes with genres, power relationships and your head.
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