The Servant 4K 1963

I looked for the first time a few years ago and just recently reviewed it again. I thought that this time the film would not capture me, because all the main plot moves are already known, but no, it did, and how! I got it right to the bone!

The plot in a nutshell is as follows: a young and vain aristocrat, played by a very young James Fox, hires a butler with impeccable manners to run the entire household. But the young man still does not know what kind of person his butler really is and what kind of game he is playing ...

First of all, I want to say that this film would not have taken place if it had not been for the amazing work of the operator. Now it is clear that some of the shots that are now ubiquitous in world cinema and even became cliches, were Slokom's real know-how. For example, when he shows the talking protagonists through the reflection in the mirror. Or when Fox's hero sees a huge and ominous shadow of Bogard approaching him, who at this moment is at the top of the stairs.

Music also plays an important role here (sorry for the occasional pun). Anxious, at times beckoning and touchingly beautiful.

And, finally, an actor who wants to say a separate merci. This is Dirk Bogard. Magnificent, demonic Actor with a capital letter. It is thanks to his restrained but soulful play that suspense is so incredibly pumped up. The current generation of actors, whom we often see in villainous roles, in my opinion, is only a pale reflection of Bogard's genius. Of the modern actors of a similar role, only Kevin Spacey can compare with him in his best works.