THE SERVANT

Wendy Craig, James Fox, and the servant's shadow

THE SERVANT (1963). Director: Joseph Losey. Colorized version.  

Tony (James Fox), a wealthy if somewhat dizzy Londoner, simply can't function without a manservant, and hires Barrett (Dirk Bogarde) to be his cook, butler and chief bottle washer. His fiancee, Susan (Wendy Craig), takes an almost instant dislike to Barrett, who clearly isn't much impressed with her, either. Barrett has his "sister" (Sarah Miles of White Mischief) come move in to do the housekeeping, and it isn't long before she and Tony are carrying on, far more passionately than Tony ever did with Susan. One night Susan and Tony come back early and discover things may be even more twisted than they thought ... 

Bogarde meets Fox' approval

Although the screenplay for The Servant is written by Harold Pinter, who has a cameo in a restaurant, it is based on a novella by Somerset Maugham's gay nephew (I believe Somerset was also gay). He based the novella on his own experiences with a manservant who wanted to bring in his "nephew," but he feared being blackmailed. The novella changes gay characters to straight, as does the film, although there are certain intimations which go unexplored -- late in the film Tony and Barrett come off like a quarreling married couple, for instance, and there are those posters of muscle men on the bedroom wall. But both men seem to be lustily interested in the ladies (another case of gay erasure?) 

Setting up housekeeping: Bogarde; Fox

Acclaimed in its day, I'm not certain if The Servant deserves its reputation, although it is well-directed by Losey (who had to work in England after being blackballed by Hollywood), extremely well-acted, and has absolutely stunning cinematography by Douglas Slocombe. Not to mention an interestingly quirky score by John Dankworth. Perhaps the problem is that after all these years The Servant makes such obvious points about class distinction and the character flaws of the rich, the characters are not quite as dimensional as you might have hoped, and the predictable ending doesn't carry the punch that it might once have. Losey also directed Bogarde in King and Country and The Sleeping Tiger, both of which are arguably better than The Servant.  

Verdict: Outstanding cinematography is the film's major asset. **3/4. 

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983). Director: Irvin Kershner.

This remake of Thunderball is even longer than the original, but it has its pleasures. An "aged" Sean Connery is perfectly able to go through 007's paces with aplomb, even if he could probably act the role in his sleep by now. As Blofeld, Max von Sydow goes for a grandfatherly approach that radiates absolutely no menace whatsoever. Klaus Maria Brandauer is not a bad actor and adds a few nuances to his portrayal of the rather child-like Maximilian Largo, but he doesn't have enough dynamism and presence to make a major Bond villain. As his mistress Domino, Kim Basinger is attractive but hardly the simmering European sensualist of other Bond beauties. Barbara Carerra wipes her off the screen – and nearly steals the picture – as the sexy Fatima Blush, Largo's fiendish assassin. Bernie Casey makes a solid African-American Felix Leiter, although he has little to do. James Fox isn't bad as a comparatively buffoonish “M.”

Although somehow the movie isn't as good as the original, it does have some excellent sequences. There's a rousing, splendid fight between Bond and a hulking hired killer that takes the duo from one end of Shrublands to the other, nearly wrecking the health spa in the process. There are some amazing shots when a Great White pursues Bond into an underwater wreck, shoving its toothy snout into doorways in a startling manner and trying to get a big bite out of our hero. A tabletop “Domination” game with lethal jolts of electricity for the loser replaces the milder gambling sequence between Bond and Largo in the original. The underground grotto set where Largo keeps some of the bombs is strikingly designed. In Thunderball Largo's yacht was named Disco Valenti; here it is called “Flying Saucer,” which is the English translation. Largo's estate, Palmyra, has been moved from Nassau to North Africa [although most of the story still takes place in the Bahamas]. The underwater climax follows the novel more faithfully than the first film version: Domino spears Largo as he fights with Bond. There is no hydrofoil chase and the ending is much less thrilling and satisfying than the end of Thunderball; in fact, it's rather flat.
Director Kershner keeps things moving. The title tune is a lesser Bond theme, and in general the music is mediocre, although the cinematography is superior. Lorenzo Semple Jr.'s. screenplay is occasionally campy.

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, Never Say Never Again does have plenty of entertainment value. ***.