Press Release Criterion Press Release: The Servant (1963) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​

The prolific, ever provocative Joseph Losey, blacklisted from Hollywood and living in England, delivered a coolly modernist shock to the system of that nation’s cinema with this mesmerizing dissection of class, sexuality, and power. A dissolute scion of the upper crust (James Fox) finds the seemingly perfect manservant (a diabolical Dirk Bogarde, during his transition from matinee idol to art-house icon) to oversee his new London town house. But not all is as it seems, as traditional social hierarchies are gradually, disturbingly destabilized. Lustrously disorienting cinematography and a masterful script by playwright Harold Pinter merge in The Servant, a tour de force of mounting psychosexual menace.
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FILM INFO

• United Kingdom
• 1963
• 115 minutes
• Black & White
• 1.66:1
• English
• Spine #1182

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES​

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New program on director Joseph Losey by film critic Imogen Sara Smith
• Rare interview from 1976 with Losey by critic Michel Ciment
• Interview from 1996 with screenwriter Harold Pinter
• Interviews with actors Dirk Bogarde, James Fox, Sarah Miles, and Wendy Craig
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by author Colm Tóibín
  
  New cover by Sterling Hundley
  
  June 20, 2023

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate, HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

See on Amazon

 

[titch]

NO! StudioCanal released this as a fabulous 4K UHD last year. One of the best I have seen. Criterion can't keep on ignoring the 4K masters, releasing them as blu-rays and then subsequently releasing them as 4K UHDs.

 

[Derrick King]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this title would not sell enough in the US to justify the added costs of doing a UHD.

 

[titch]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this title would not sell enough in the US to justify the added costs of doing a UHD.

I'm sure you're right. It's a business decision, after all. But woe betide Criterion, if they announce a 4K UHD of this down the line! I've been replacing the blu-ray titles with their 4K UHD upgrades - these blu rays were initially published before they started publishing 4K UHDs. But now there is no excuse. The same applies to Arrow Video, by the way!

 

[Robert Harris]

Great film!

 

[bujaki]

Great film indeed! Glad I got the 4K from the UK.

 

[david hare]

Great film indeed! Glad I got the 4K from the UK.

Me too. FIM and Mackenzie did the encode. And the extras are noteworthy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Great film indeed! Glad I got the 4K from the UK.

The same here, I just need to finally watch it.

 

[lark144]

The same here, I just need to finally watch it.

You'll be pretty amazed when you do. I've never seen it looking so good.

 

[JPCinema]

Glad I purchased the 4K from the UK

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Preorder post #2

 

[Derrick King]

I'm sure you're right. It's a business decision, after all. But woe betide Criterion, if they announce a 4K UHD of this down the line! I've been replacing the blu-ray titles with their 4K UHD upgrades - these blu rays were initially published before they started publishing 4K UHDs. But now there is no excuse. The same applies to Arrow Video, by the way!

The Virgin Suicides and Night of the Living Dead are the 4K upgrades that are closest to the original Blu-ray release (about 4 years for both.) I think about 5 years is enough time to not be upset at an upgrade, especially if those releases happened before a company started releasing UHDs. However, if company had been releasing UHDs, then it is too soon. (i.e. Arrow and The Last Starfighter, 3 years between the Blu and UHD.)

 

[titch]

The Virgin Suicides and Night of the Living Dead are the 4K upgrades that are closest to the original Blu-ray release (about 4 years for both.) I think about 5 years is enough time to not be upset at an upgrade, especially if those releases happened before a company started releasing UHDs. However, if company had been releasing UHDs, then it is too soon. (i.e. Arrow and The Last Starfighter, 3 years between the Blu and UHD.)

Arrow have re-released quite a few of their 4K mastered blu-rays as 4K UHDs. I have upgraded Robocop, 12 Monkeys, An American Werewolf in London, Donnie Darko, Candyman, Deep Red, Silent Running. If I'm not mistaken, Donnie Darko was Arrow's first 4K UHD, released some five years after the blu-ray.

There are a lot of 4K mastered blu-rays in the Criterion Collection since 2014 and I will accept them upgrading their 4K mastered blu-ray catalogue to 4K UHD, using the same masters - e.g. L'Avventura. Of course, I'm fine with them upgrading their older, dated transfers to 4K UHD - the StudioCanal 4K UHD of Breathless is superb. But if Criterion now opt out of publishing a stunning, available, 4K master in 4K UHD and only publish a blu-ray instead, then I will not accept them subsequently changing their minds and releasing a 4K UHD of The Servant later!

 

[Derrick King]

There are a lot of 4K mastered blu-rays in the Criterion Collection since 2014 and I will accept them upgrading their 4K mastered blu-ray catalogue to 4K UHD, using the same masters - e.g. L'Avventura. Of course, I'm fine with them upgrading their older, dated transfers to 4K UHD - the StudioCanal 4K UHD of Breathless is superb. But if Criterion now opt out of publishing a stunning, available, 4K master in 4K UHD and only publish a blu-ray instead, then I will not accept them subsequently changing their minds and releasing a 4K UHD of The Servant later!

Criterion really has avoided double dipping on Blu-ray. Setting aside a few titles in the Bergman and Fellini sets, Monterey Pop is the only time they have re-released a Blu-ray with a new transfer. So it is a pretty safe bet that if they are going to re-release something like Breathless or Le samouraï,they will be on UHD.

 

[Rob W]

Can anyone tell me if the basic UK 4K release of The Servant ( not the box 'o junk edition) contains both the 1:66 and 1:77 transfers ?
Amazon's UK listing specifies both for the more expensive box set but says nothing for the standard version.

 

[Paul Shackleton]

Can anyone tell me if the basic UK 4K release of The Servant ( not the box 'o junk edition) contains both the 1:66 and 1:77 transfers ?
Amazon's UK listing specifies both for the more expensive box set but says nothing for the standard version.

It does contain both versions.

 

[Garysb]

Thank you Kevin for the heads up about the Studio Canal 4K release.

Rarewaves currently has a 20% off coupon on Studio Canal 'Vintage Classics" which includes the 4K "The Servant". It's marked "last chance" so coupon is about to expire. Code RWVC23.
The code does work on the 4K even though the listing doesn't say so for the 4K version.

FYI the Amazon UK listing is also from Rarewaves.

£15.25 after coupon plus shipping. Always cheaper for me using British Pounds rather than dollars. If in the US you have to manually change currency as it will show prices in dollars as default currency.

The Servant (Vintage Classics)

Joseph Losey directs this classic British drama, adapted by Harold Pinter from Robin Maugham's original novel. Spoiled young British aristocrat Tony (James Fox) buys a handsome Georgian townhouse in London and employs Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde) as his servant. Initially appearing to settle in...

www.rarewaves.com

 

[albert_m2]

I was just reading about the film, which brought me to this thread that I guess that I missed earlier in the year and honestly, some of the 4K comments are just insufferable. Criterion (and Kino etc) have reasons and justifications for their decisions. It wasn't that long ago people cried for blu ray over DVD and at least that was a huge upgrade and also made sense in a HD world.

I any case, it's great that his is released and for those want a different release, hey choices.

 

[Robin9]

. . . . some of the 4K comments are just insufferable.

Which comments, and in what way are they insufferable?