Word: servant
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...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...
...filled; Barrett is wenching after hours. Flabbergasted and befuddled, Tony cannot bring himself to fire the man who props up his lie until Susan humiliates him. Even then Barrett has the final word as he reveals Tony's affair with the very girl who shares the servant's--er, master's bed. Susan having won has lost; Tony's weakness is so appalling she leaves him to disintegrate...
...final contorted scene, Susan inexplicably returns to the townhouse to find Tony in nighttown, grovelling drunkenly on his knees, surrounded by whores. She and Barrett have a final confrontation; she gives into him, tries to kiss him, because like Tony she is a servant of desire and has been without love too long. But she is repelled, slaps him, and rushes away. Neither one has conquered; but whether this means that the aristocracy and lower classes will never mix or that class will always tell or that deep down Susan is frigid is ony another frustrating imponderable. All that...
...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...