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The Collector (1965)
  
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Director:
William Wyler |
COUNTRY
UK/USA |
GENRE
Drama/Thriller |
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Samleren |
RUNNING
TIME
119
minutes |
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Producer:
Jud Kinberg
John Kohn |
Screenwriter (based on the novel by John Fowles):
Stanley Mann
John Kohn |
Review
This British psychological thriller,
about a young social misfit (Stamp) who captures and collects first
butterflies and then the local girl he wants to make the love of his
life (Eggar), had several controversial elements at the time of its
release in 1965 – few of which prevail today. The film is directed by
veteran movie maestro William Wyler, and although it isn't satisfactory
on all levels, it remains a consistently compelling study of a deranged
yet sympathetic captor and his increasingly wavering captive. The
psychological profiling and power struggle are at the centre of
Wyler's attention, and this is also where The Collector proves
most valuable – largely thanks to the performances by the two leads. The
film is slow-paced, elongated, and spatially restricted, and Wyler's
persistently scrutinising camera gives the performers a tough job, but
they are both able to delve deeply into the psyche of their characters –
to such a degree, in fact, that we forget about their beautiful exterior
and accept them as the poor souls they've become. Stamp is particularly
effective, finding the perfect balance of spite, reserve, and class in
his portrayal. Except for a hint of melodrama in one or two key scenes,
the film remains a thematically relevant study of a sex criminal who is
both fuelled and hampered by the sexually repressive society he was
brought up in.
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