Accident Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Accident Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 22, 2026

Joseph Losey's "Accident" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter; recent program with dialogue coach Claire Davidson; archival program with critic Tim Robey; archival program with John Coldstream, Dirk Bogarde's official biographer; remastered vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A car crashes somewhere in the Oxford countryside. A middle-aged man quickly pulls a beautiful girl out of the car and takes her to his lavish home. The driver, a young man who has died on the spot, is left in the car. Shortly after, the police arrive and begin asking questions.

A very long flashback follows.

Stephen (Dirk Bogarde, The Night Porter), the middle-aged man, is a well-respected philosophy professor who spends most of his time with colleagues. They bore him to tears, but he does his best not to show it. At home, his pregnant wife, Rosalind (Vivien Merchant, Frenzy), also frustrates him, but he tries to be a good husband and father.

To escape the banality of everyday life, Stephen frequently fantasizes about an affair with Anna (Jacqueline Sassard, Violent Summer), one of his students. She is an Austrian princess engaged to William (Michael York), an aristocrat and fellow student without any real friends. Eventually, Stephen gathers the courage to invite Anna and William to his country house for lunch, hoping to spend some time alone with her while her fiancée entertains his wife. Anna and William accept the invitation but arrive with Stephen’s middle-aged colleague Charley (Stanley BakerThe Guns of Navarone), who has the bad habit of speaking his mind.

Based on Nicholas Mosley’s novel of the same name, Accident, the second collaboration between American director Joseph Losey and British Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, is a subdued yet intense film that reminds of Alfred Hitchcock’s best work. It is a giant puzzle where many different pieces are frequently realigned to effectively mislead the viewer. However, unlike Hitchcock’s films, Accident also targets a wide range of social and cultural stereotypes. Naturally, it is as much of a thriller as it is a political statement.

Its narrative is loosely divided into two large sections. The first section focuses on a series of quiet conflicts. As these conflicts emerge, Losey and Pinter cut open the ugly underbelly of academia, an elitist system supposedly ruled by cynics and pseudo-moralists with different ambitions. Accident then easily portrays academia a rotten, often dangerous, detached from the real world place.

The second section explores several profound character transformations, followed by surprising confessions. It is completely free of melodrama. After the confessions, Bogarde’s character quietly retreats into his shell and all returns to normal.

Accident is usually compared to The Servant, but they are different films. In Accident, even the most casual exchanges between its protagonists frequently cut through hypocrisy like a hot knife through butter. It is an unapologetically political film.

The cast is excellent. In a film where silence is of utmost importance, Bogarde is enormously impressive as the repressed professor, quietly struggling with powerful, conflicting emotions. Baker also leaves a lasting impression as the outspoken cynic. York’s acting debut is memorable, too. Sassard looks somewhat cold at times but is still believable as the adventurous Austrian princess. Pinter, perhaps mimicking Hitchcock, also joins the cast.

*In 1967, Accident won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Accident arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

In the United Kingdom, Accident made its high-definition debut thirteen years ago with this release, also produced by StudioCanal. The linked release presented a digital restoration of the film, which at the time was exclusive. Several years later, Kino Lorber presented the same digital restoration in America with this release. Now, StudioCanal has an exclusive new 4K 16-bit restoration, completed at Silver Salt Restoration in London.

I viewed the new 4K 16-bit restoration on 4K Blu-ray and later spent time with its 1080p presentation on the this Blu-ray. I performed extensive comparisons with the previous presentation of Accident.

The new 4K 16-bit restoration is superior. Most visuals, and darker ones in particular, have a better dynamic range now, which is something I previously speculated is to be expected. Color reproduction is more convincing as well. Several darker nuances are rebalanced and expanded, and I suspect that this is how they should have been reproduced on the previous release. (In our review of the 4K Blu-ray release and Kino Lorber's release I explain why). There are small but meaningful improvements in delineation and clarity, and they are just as easy to appreciate on the new Blu-ray as they are on the 4K Blu-ray. I did not encounter any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks exceptionally healthy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0 and French LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the 4K restoration of Accident on 4K Blu-ray and later spent time with its 1980p presentation on this Blu-ray.

The lossless track is very healthy. John Dankworth's jazzy score sounds quite nice, and all exchanges are clear and easy to follow. However, in a few places, the audio can become rather 'thin', impacting dynamic movement, which is likely a limitation present on the original soundtrack. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger initially appeared on Kino Lorber's release of Accident.

• Course Collision - in this new program, critic Pamela Hutchinson discusses Accident, its conception, unique narrative construction, and key conflicts and themes. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Claire Davidson - in this new program, dialogue coach Claire Davidson discusses her work with actress Jacqueline Sassard during the shooting of Accident. Davidson also comments on interactions she had with Dirk Bogarde and Harold Pinter. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Maxwell Caulfield - in this program, Maxwell Caulfield remembers what it was like to play a child in Accident with critic Michael Billington. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• John Coldstream on Dirk Bogarde - in this program, John Coldstream, Dirk Bogarde's official biographer, reveals how the late actor became involved with Accident. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Harry Burton on Harold Pinter - in this program, Harry Burton, director of Channel 4's Working with Pinter, discusses Harold Pinter's life and legacy. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Melanie Williams - in this program, Dr. Melanie Williams, feminist author and lecturer in Film Studies at University of East Anglia, discusses Accident and the roles women typically have in Joseph Losey's early films. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Interview with Tim Robey - in this program, critic Tim Robey (The Daily Telegraph) discusses the creative relationship between Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter and the type of statement Accident delivers. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter Discuss Accident - in this archival episode of the TV program Camera Three from 1967, Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter discuss Accident, the difference and similarities between American and European films, the political climate in America, The Servant, etc. The program is hosted by James Macandrew. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Behind the Scenes Gallery - a collection of stills. Presented silent. (2 min).

• Lobby Cards Gallery - a collection of lobby cards. Presented silent. (1 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Accident. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Booklet - a 32-page illustrated booklet.

Accident Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Simplified elegance and uncompromising cynicism, the former easy to trace to Joseph Losey and the latter even easier to trace to Harold Pinter, transform Accident into a most intriguing film. Its dissection of academia stands out because it exposes hard truths that matter even more today. StudioCanal's Blu-ray presents a gorgeous new 4K 16-bit restoration, completed at Silver Salt Restoration in London. The 4K restoration will also be available on 4K Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.