The Servant

The Servant (1963)

  • 86% of critics liked it
    (22 reviews)

  • 90% of users liked it
    (2,741 ratings)

Wealthy wastrel James Fox hires insouciant cockney Dirk Bogarde as a valet. No sooner has he donned his working clothes than Bogarde begins exercising a subtle but insidious control over his master. Suggesting that the house could use a little fixing up, Bogarde convinces Fox to spend a whopping… More

Unrated,
Directed By
Genres
Drama, Art House & International, Classics
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1963 Wide

Critic Reviews

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    The Servant is for the most part strong dramatic fare, though the atmosphere and tension is not fully sustained to the end.

  • Tom Huddleston, Time Out

    The performances are note-perfect and Pinter's script is smart, subversive and sly, lifting the lid on our age-old feudal hierarchy and having a good dig about inside.

  • Bosley Crowther, New York Times

    It is a flesh-creeping demonstration of human destructiveness that Mr. Pinter and Mr. Losey are presenting in this film, and it is made all the more horrifying by the genteel surroundings in which it occurs.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    The film is very studied and smooth, even though it deals in sexual hysteria; it could use some of the roughness and drive of Losey's early work.

  • Philip French, Observer [UK]

    From the first frame it's clear we're about to see a masterpiece.

Read all 15 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Stella D


    well i can only say this blew me away. losey is a very interesting director, showing flashes of brilliance even in his worst films, and it finally all comes together for him here, with a marvelous harold pinter script and once in a lifetime performance by dirk bogarde. superb

  • Cassandra M


    This is a superb, sinister movie of the very highest class. Unlike the character Tony (James Fox) who is upper class without being high class, if you get my drift. You cannot really sympathise with Tony, who toys with some high falutin' development projects but basically is a… More

  • Steven C


    "The Servant" (most noted for it's collaboration between play write Harold Pinter and Director Joseph Losey and for Dirk Bogarde's BAFTA winning performance) is a bit to elusive to truly engage, but it's intoxicating photography, subtly creepy performances and… More

  • Stefanie C


    Let's play master and servant! A subtly twisted trademark Pinter screenplay. Collaboration with Joseph Losey for direction. Bogarde in a polished, sinister, homoerotic role. Film making doesn't get much better than this.

  • AJ V


    I know a lot of people think this is a really great movie, but I couldn't get past the beginning, it was way too slow and boring. Maybe it gets better later, I'll have to see it again sometime.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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