The Collector (1965)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

John Fowles (novel)
Stanley Mann (writer) ...

Release Date:

17 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Almost a love story

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Butterfly | Bank Clerk | Art Student | Collector | Cellar

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Butterfly Collector (UK)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (flashback sequence) | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:X (1965) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1965) | Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Chilham, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Collector Company

Trivia:

For the sequence in which Freddie drags Miranda through the rain, William Wyler had prop men throw buckets of water over Samantha Eggar without warning between takes. Eggar later spoke of how Wyler succeeded in making her feel "defenseless," hence deepening her performance.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: You can call Freddie "Lightning" because of the speed he can change his socks. When he and Miranda agree on the four weeks, we can see that in the cellar Freddie has brown socks on. But right after that when he sits down in the garden, his socks are blue.

Quotes:

Freddie Clegg: There'd be a blooming lot more of this sort of thing, if more people had the time and the money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Deserves to be known better !

A butterfly collector finds a Camberwell Beauty and then sets his sights on a larger specimen ( i.e. a human whom he had been secretly admiring for some while ) to add to his collection ! Despite that this film has a limited number of characters, two to be precise, it is very good and captivating indeed, thanks to some excellent camera work and a semi-Hitchcockian sound track ! Naturally, and even more so with this type of film, it's the first viewing which leaves the lasting impression ! Now where could that lovely old house have been situated ? ? The picture quality is absolutely excellent and whilst viewing it recently it suddenly seemed to me that the 1960's were only yesterday and that the forty years that have elapsed since the making of the film had all been condensed into a form of black hole.

Films using a limited number of characters and a pretty basic plot are a bit of a risk but this one passes the test with flying colours and there are little if any dull moments. Both characters perform excellently and the viewer can sympathize with both, especially at the outset ; only as the film advances does one become aware of the underlying horror and this indeed makes the film far more effective than any old blood-and-gore horror movie.

First-time viewings are sure to wear down the edges of most of the viewers' seats ! To be recommended to all those who privilege suspense over special effects !