The Collector (1965)

A man kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

John Fowles (novel), John Kohn (screenplay),

Stars:

Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar, Mona Washbourne

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Terence Stamp	...	Freddie Clegg
Samantha Eggar	...	Miranda Grey
Mona Washbourne	...	Aunt Annie
Maurice Dallimore	...	The Neighbor

Storyline

Freddie, a socially withdrawn bank clerk and butterfly collector, decides to expand to collecting human specimens. That's where art student Miranda Grey comes in. Miranda matches wits with Freddie the icy psychopath.

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Plot Keywords:

butterfly | kidnap | love | bank clerk | bank | 

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Taglines:

Almost a love story

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

El coleccionista

Filming Locations:

Chilham, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Collector Company, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (flashback sequence) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie Christie, Suzanne Pleshette and Sarah Miles were considered for the part of Miranda.

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Goofs

By the fireplace, Freddie's shirt changes from unbuttoned to buttoned awfully fast.

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Quotes

Miranda Grey: I've stayed the four weeks.
Freddie Clegg: I just have to have you here a little longer.
Miranda Grey: Why? What more can I do? What more can you want?
Freddie Clegg: You know what I want... it's what I've always wanted. You could fall in love with me if you tried. I've done everything I could to make it easy. You just won't try!

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Crazy Credits

The song "Prosthetics" by Slipknot is based loosely off of this movie.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sound of Music: From Fact to Phenomenon (1994)

User Reviews

SEE THIS FILM

I should have commented on this excellent film long ago. I first saw it in the late 1970s on television and was immediately entranced by both Stamp and Eggar whose performances are are simply riveting. It is an almost "Hitchcockian" film, in that tension and suggestion are used to maximum effect keeping the viewer on the edge of their chair. This is a film that I'd love to see re-made or re-discovered, but again like Hitchcock's best, it owes a great deal of its impact to the time in which it was made and would likely suffer at the hands of a lesser director than Wyler. Fowles work is captured (like Miranda) and viewed with microscopic clarity through Freddy's watchful eye. It has also inspired a song called "Chastity" from The Raves CD, "Past Perfect Tense" which relates the whole of the story. SEE THIS FILM.