The Servant (1963) on Netflix
Tony, a wealthy Londoner, hires Hugo Barrett as his live-in manservant for his new house. Barrett settles in well, but Tony's girlfriend Susan distrusts him and wants him dismissed.
- Netflix2.0/5
- IMDb7.7/1016,102 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
Barrett takes the job of live-in manservant to Tony, an aristocratic Londoner who says he is involved in plans to build cities in Brazil. Tony hires him for all services at home, and Barrett settles into the work easily. The two men form a quiet bond while keeping to their social roles as master and servant. Tony's girlfriend Susan meets Barrett and distrusts him, asking Tony to let him go, but Tony refuses. Barrett argues that the house also needs a maid, and Tony agrees. Vera arrives from Manchester to take up the post of maid and to live in the house.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Servant (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Joseph Losey's health was poor while making The Servant, so Dirk Bogarde gave significant assistance with the direction and helped finish the film.
- Losey first showed Robin Maugham's novella The Servant to Dirk Bogarde in 1954. Harold Pinter's screenplay, originally commissioned separately by director Michael Anderson, stripped the book of its first-person narrator and the arguably antisemitic characterisation of Barrett, replacing them with an economical language.
- John Dankworth's soundtrack includes the song "All Gone", sung by his wife Cleo Laine; her three different renditions of it give distinct emotional impacts throughout the film.
