Word: losey
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...SERVANT is Director Joseph Losey's slick, frequently spellbinding study of class distinction in Britain. Dirk Bogarde contributes a perfect blend of good manners and menace as the "gentleman's gentleman" who destroys his master...
...aristocrat is the servant of his passions; the servant is the master of his master. A reversal of roles is certainly central to Harold Pinter's screenplay in The Servant. But Pinter and director Joseph Losey hint at much more--and hint is about all they do--for while milord falls from high estate, diabolical manservant wages war with snooty girlfriend, and the gentleman is more the pawn than the prize. The meaning of the conflict? Well--it's hard...
...Losey should have stopped here. Although it would have been a limited statement--the downfall of a weak man--it would have been unified and taut. But in the final thirty minutes he drags Tony down into hell and drags the film down with him. Barrett is taken back by Tony who desperately needs him. The reversal is made explicit; Tony waits on him, cringes from him, plays childish games with him. But Tony's demise is no longer very interesting, and so we question Barrett's motives. Questioning, however, is fruitless. Is Barrett a homosexual? Does he want Tony...
...Servant is a magnificent set piece. Brandy glasses, silk scarves, statuary, flowers, and portraits are lovingly and delicately photographed. But Losey's control does not extend to the whole film. Ironically, he and Pinter are not the masters of their material...
...SERVANT is Dirk Bogarde, who coolly corrupts his master, finally trades places with him, while Director Joseph Losey's camera peers into the British caste system like an evil-minded snoop...