The Collector (1965)

As one of the greatest directors of Hollywood's golden age, William Wyler had a long and distinguished roster of films to his credit, among them a number of classics (including Wuthering Heights and The Heiress) that rank among the finest literary adaptations to emerge from the studio system. Near the end of his career, Wyler focused his veteran skills on John Fowles's novel The Collector, and it's easy to see how Wyler would be drawn to the story's resonant psychological underpinnings. It's conceivable that the director was also fascinated by the cinematic precedents set by Alfred Hitchock's Psycho and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom; like those films, Wyler's 1965 production of The Collector focuses on the obsessions of a young man whose need for a woman's affection leads him to desperate measures at the expense of his object of desire.

Terence Stamp was a fine choice for the role of Freddie Clegg, a young, nondescript bank clerk who wins a fortune in a sports pool and is financially liberated to pursue his psychological fixation--specifically a lovely London art student named Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar) whom Freddie captures in the comfortably furnished cellar of his remote, newly purchased Tudor farmhouse. In many respects she is just another addition to Freddie's impressive and meticulously catalogued collection of butterflies--delicate and beautiful, and kept against her will. Freddie genuinely loves her and treats her with utmost respect, but she is his prisoner. Having been subdued by Freddie's use of chloroform, she later observes that he is responsible for "so much death," and of course she could never return his affection. Or could she?

This richly psychological situation is handled by Wyler with understated grace, but the weight of Freddie's psychosis is never keenly felt; the film's subdued quality ultimately works against the thriller aspects of the story. And yet, the performances of Stamp and Eggar remain sharp and mutually sympathetic, and when Wyler brings the story full circle to yet another "butterfly" for Freddie's collection, the stalker theme leaves the viewer with a considerable chill. Where another movie like 1967's Wait Until Dark relied on more explicit and effective shocks, The Collector works on a subtler level of disturbing but undeniably human behavior. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com essential video

The Collector starring Terence Stamp

I saw this film when it was first released in 1965. I can only remember it being on TV once. I haven been looking for a copy for some time. I think it is very under-rated film and my opinion is that they do not make good films like this any more. The only downside is that you can only view this on a DVD player that plays Region 1. I thorougly recommend it. March 28, 2008

for "Psycho conisor"

Having been a fan of the book for many years now, I was very pleased to add "The Collector" DVD to my at home movie collection. My friends and I were especially thrilled with the magnificent, dramatic performance of Terrence Stamp! Picture a charming English cottage, now add a lovely lady,snoopy neighbor and a devistatingly handsome psychopath and it makes for a fun night of entertainment for the serious "Psycho" conisor! September 19, 2007

Good As A Stand Alone Movie But Frustrating As A Film Version Of An Ingeniously Written Novel

To flesh out what my title says, this is a good enough movie when taken for its own merits, and perhaps in fairness to consider it for its own merits is all that someone should do, but when it comes to getting the tone of John Fowles' masterful novel, it fails miserably.

I know there are many who will disagree with me but neither Samantha Eggar nor Terence Stamp were right for the roles they played. Eggar comes off as too worldly and seductive (and old) to properly embody Miranda Grey as Fowles wrote her. In the novel Miranda was an innocent and an idealist, though in her ability to draw men she was described by Fowles in terms that reached out to the Jungian concept of the anima, but in this film she is a more aware presence who not only understood her powers of seduction but harnessed them. Likewise Terence Stamp seems all too prepared to be a cold mastermind, whereas Frederick Clegg in the book (the definitive source, let's say) was more or less a misfit who never lost a sense of wonder that his timidly attempted dream plan actually worked in bringing the object of his attraction into his life.

Also in the film the relationship between the pair, Miranda and Freddie (aka Caliban) is far different than the one Fowles clearly described. True Clegg in the movie does promise to show Miranda "every courtesy" a line lifted straight from the text, but he is not the worshipful collector, he is more a cruel overlord whose self-confidence possesses none of the childlike wonder of the real character in the brilliant novel. Clegg in the book comprehends that he is undertaking acts of lawlessness but has no understanding that he is doing acts of egoistic evil; in the film Stamp plays Clegg as someone who understands his own darkness all too well.

Okay, so clearly I love the novel and am not happy with this treatment of it, but I will confess that as far as a films go, this isn't a bad way to invest some time, and it does get the bare bones of Fowles' plot right, so if you are someone who prefers movies over books or if you're likely never going to take a day to let Fowles' masterpiece unwind in your brain, then this film version is a passable surrogate. True, I ripped up on it here, but I do own copies on both DVD and VHS, and have seen it at least five times, so maybe my criticisms are wider than they are deep.

Four stars for the film, about ten stars for the book.
September 14, 2007

Chilling

I loved this movie almost as much as the book. Terence Stamp is perfectly cast and gives a flawless performance as the title character. Samantha Eggar is also very good, but I felt was miscast as "Miranda Gray" who was supposed to be 20 years old, very tiny, with waist length blonde hair. Ms. Eggar looks nearer to 30, is nearly as tall as Terrence Stamp and while she is incredibly beautiful, she does not come across as fragile. This is a very small gripe though because both actors give very strong fine performances in the story of unrequited love and its tragic consequences. Though this movie came out in the 1960's, there is nothing dated about it and it chills me as much to watch it today as when I saw it for the first time at 13 years old. August 23, 2007

love is like a butterfly ...

a true psychological horror movie, with terrance stamp as a nouveau riche sociopath who abducts a confused and confounded samantha eggar in this late william wyler adaptation of the john fowles novel. the movie is sinister and off-putting, yet oddly seductive -- just like its title character.
June 11, 2007

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