--- title: "The Servant: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-servant/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-servant" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Servant (1963): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 10 reviews: 8 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews lean firmly positive: eight of ten recommend the film and none dismiss it. Most critics describe it as a cold, unsettling study of class and power that has not softened with age, and the praise clusters around Dirk Bogarde’s performance as Barrett, which The Guardian ranks among his greatest. Douglas Slocombe’s black-and-white photography is the other recurring compliment, several reviews noting how the shadows and spaces of the house track who holds the upper hand. Harold Pinter’s dialogue and James Fox’s louche employer also draw approving mention. The reservations are mild but real. Variety, reviewing on release, finds the atmosphere fades and the ending less convincing than what precedes it. Empire, decades later, admires the film but calls it a museum piece, its treatment of class and desire too deliberately inscrutable. Slant Magazine, otherwise a rave, flags a troubling portrayal of queerness. The spread of scores is wide, from the mid-fifties to full marks, though the warmest notices come from the restoration-era reviews. ## Slant Magazine — Matthew Connolly Rating 4/4. 22 July 2013. Connolly regards the film as a thrilling, stylish masterwork while noting its troubling portrayal of queerness. He especially praises the cinematography and the way the mansion’s shadows and spaces convey shifting power. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-servant/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 17 August 2021. The review presents the restored film as an ice-cold British classic. It highlights the silent class warfare between Dirk Bogarde and James Fox. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-servant-1963) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2013. Turan calls the film brilliantly icy and praises the restoration’s ability to preserve its disturbing study of class and power. He singles out Dirk Bogarde’s performance and Douglas Slocombe’s moody black-and-white cinematography for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-the-servant-20130830-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2021. Bradshaw praises the film as a brilliant, subversive attack on the British class system. He particularly singles out Dirk Bogarde’s performance as one of his greatest. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/10/the-servant-review-losey-and-pinters-nightmarish-version-of-jeeves-and-wooster) ## Evening Standard — The Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2013. The critic finds the film powerful in its day and still resonant. They single out its charged, claustrophobic filmmaking as hard to forget. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-servant-film-review-8545794.html) ## The Independent — Ben Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 April 2013. The review finds the film still disturbing and powerful decades later. It singles out James Fox’s performance as exquisitely louche. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-bluray-review-the-servant-15-8559995.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1963. Variety finds the film strong overall, though its atmosphere fades and the ending is less convincing. It praises Harold Pinter’s literate, incisive dialogue and Dirk Bogarde’s assured performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1962/film/reviews/the-servant-2-1200420281/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 1988. The article URL identifies this as a review of The Servant, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specifically praised or criticized element cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/07/movies/review-film-a-superior-servant.html) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Smith finds the film fascinating but now more of a museum piece, with its deliberately inscrutable treatment of class and desire. He singles out Losey’s crisp black-and-white cinematography for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/servant-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2021. Wilkinson praises the film as a chilling, precisely constructed study of class and psychological power. She singles out Dirk Bogarde’s subtle, edged performance as Barrett. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-servant-1963-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-servant.md