Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		5.0

The Servant Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 21, 2023

Joseph Losey's "The Servant" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Imogen Sara Smith; archival interviews with cast and crew members; archival interview with playwright Harold Pinter; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

After years of living and working in Africa, Tony (James Fox, A Passage to India) returns home to London and buys himself a new home. To get the house in order Tony also recruits Barrett (Dirk Bogarde, The Night Porter, The Damned), a quiet and very efficient servant.

Barrett immediately decorates the house like a stylish club for wealthy gentlemen. Then he proceeds to reorganize Tony’s chaotic life. But the move quickly annoys Tony’s upper-class fiancee, Susan (Wendy Craig, The Mind Benders), who likes to be in control. With Tony present, Barrett is made aware that his efforts are not appreciated.

Sensing that tension is building up, Tony attempts to spend more time with Susan and make her understand that Barrett is simply trying to be helpful. For a while Susan relaxes, but when Barrett accidentally spoils what should have been a very special night for her and Tony, she once again confronts him.

But instead of stepping back, Barrett introduces his sister, Vera (Sarah Miles, Blow-Up), to Tony. Shortly after, she is hired as a maid. Before Susan can intervene, Vera completely overwhelms Tony with her physical attributes and he makes a crucial mistake.

Based on the novel by Robin Maugham (nephew of Somerset), Joseph Losey’s The Servant is a wildly entertaining and subversive film that is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest ever made in Britain. Scripted by the legendary Harold Pinter, The Servant is like a giant puzzle whose pieces can be rearranged in endless ways to expose different themes and undertones.

The film is loosely divided into two somewhat uneven parts. In the first the main characters’ interactions are predetermined by a familiar set of rules – Tony, the wealthy master, gives all the orders and Barrett, the poor but sophisticated servant, follows them. Here the two men are well aware of their roles and never dispute them. Vera’s arrival, however, quickly undermines the authority of the master and a gradual shift of powers occurs. After a series of provocative scenes, most highlighting in different ways the hypocrisy of the master and his servant, the roles are discarded. Without their masks the ‘new’ characters and their actions are carefully used to produce some quite scathing observations about the true nature of the British class system.

Also in the second part plenty of attention is given to the homoerotic nature of the relationship between the stripped of their class identities characters. Very sharp and at times brilliantly subversive exchanges between them repeatedly target different stereotypes and prejudices.

The majority of the film takes place inside the house where the master and his servant live, but it never feels claustrophobic. On the contrary, light and shadow are carefully used by the great cinematographer Douglas Slocombe (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Titfield Thunderbolt) to give the film a notably stylish look. A fantastic jazz score with lush sax solos courtesy of John Dankworth (TV's The Avengers) also compliments the elegant visuals.

*In 1964, The Servant won BAFTA Awards for Best British Actor (Dirk Bogarde), Best British Cinematography, and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (James Fox).

The Servant Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

The following information appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this release:

"Undertaken by StudioCanal, this 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera and soundtrack negatives at Silver Salt Restoration Ltd., in Slough, England."

This release introduces StudioCanal's recent 4K restoration of The Servant, which was also made available on 4K Blu-ray on the other side of the Atlantic. If you have seen our review of the 4K Blu-ray release, you already know that I like the 4K makeover a lot. However, this film already looked very, very good on StudioCanal's original Blu-ray release from 2013, so there was not much of a room for a substantial upgrade in quality. The 4K makeover strengthens some of the outdoor footage and possibly minor nuances in the grayscale, but this is an improvement that becomes easier to appreciate in native 4K where the dynamic range of the visuals is stronger. The entire film looks very healthy. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. So, if you wish to experience the 4K makeover in native 4K, you should consider picking up the 4K Blu-ray release. However, I think that the 1080p presentation is very impressive, too. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Servant Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

It is immediately obvious that the audio has been remastered. All exchanges are sharp, clear, and very easy to follow. However, there is sporadic flatness during a couple of music themes that is retained. I am quite certain that it is inherited because it has appeared on all previous releases of The Servant. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Servant Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Servant. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Look of Losey - in this exclusive new program, critic Imogen Sara Smith discusses Joseph Losey's style, some of the common themes in his work, including the ones that define The Servant. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Losey on The Servant - presented here is a collection of excerpts from an archival audio interview with Joseph Losey in which he discusses the making of The Servant. The interview was conducted by critic Michel Ciment. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).
  
  1. Origins
  2. Pinter
  3. Shooting
  4. Themes
  5. Design
  6. Legacy

• Harold Pinter, Screenwiter - presented here are excerpts from an archival interview with Harold Pinter that was conducted by his official biographer, Michael Billington. Pinter discusses his collaborations with Joseph Losey and some of their unique qualities. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• The Actors - in the interviews that are listed below, the four stars of The Servant recall their interactions with Joseph Losey during the making of the film. There are some interesting comments about the director's working methods as well. The interview with Dirk Bogarde is from the documentary Dirk Bogarde: By Myself (1992), while the rest were shot in the UK in 2013. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Dirk Bogarde. (12 min).
  2. James Fox and Richard Ayode. (48 min).
  3. Sarah Miles. (11 min).
  4. Wendy Craig. (6 min).

• Leaflet - .an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by author Colm Tóibín as well as technical credits.

The Servant Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This Blu-ray release introduces the recent 4K restoration of The Servant, which is outstanding. However, even before the 4K restoration was completed, there was another older restoration that produced a pretty impressive Region-B Blu-ray release. In my opinion, The Servant is a minor masterpiece with some stupendous character transformations and quite possibly Joseph Losey's best film. This year, The Servant celebrates its 60th anniversary, so if somehow you missed it over the years, the Blu-ray release should be on your radar. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.