‘The Servant’ returns to cinemas in new 4K restoration

Joseph Losey’s 1963 classic starring Dirk Bogarde & James Fox, one of the greatest British films of the last century, returns to cinemas.

To celebrate the centenary of British acting legend Dirk Bogarde STUDIOCANAL is thrilled to announce a brand new 4K restoration of Joseph Losey’s ground-breaking classic The Servant.

Based on the screenplay by revered playwright Harold Pinter, The Servant stars beloved British actor Dirk Bogarde (The Blue Lamp, Darling, Accident) in the title role, alongside James Fox (A Passage To India, The Chase), Sarah Miles (The Big SleepRyan’s Daughter) and Wendy Craig (The Nanny, The Mind Benders).

The multiple BAFTA-winning film, which has been meticulously restored as part of their VINTAGE CLASSICS collection, will premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival on 19th August, followed by a cinema release on 10th September and a 4K UHD collector’s edition Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital release on 20th September.

Sexual tensions and class conflicts run high in must-see classic The Servant with BAFTA-winning performances from Dirk Bogarde and James Fox. Marking the first of three collaborations between director Joseph Losey and celebrated playwright Harold Pinter, The Servant follows sly and seductive manservant Barrett (Bogarde) as he worms his way in to the affections of foppish aristocrat Tony (Fox).  Barrett’s awe-inspiring efficiency cleverly masks his true intentions, ultimately giving way to a suspicious and insidious control where the roles of master and servant are reversed. Adapted from Robin Maugham’s short story and with stunning black & white photography from cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, The Servant is a thrilling and ingenious British classic that’s not to be missed.

Cited by Bong Joon Ho as one of five films that influenced his masterpiece PARASITEThe Servant is considered ahead of its time for its ambitious cinematography and its exploration of class and sexual politics in 1960s Britain. It boasts stunning cinematography from Douglas Slocombe (The Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts And Coronets), a fantastic soundtrack by composer John Dankworth (The Avengers, Darling) and is considered by many to be one of the greatest British films of the last century.

About The Restoration

Scanned from the original negative on the ARRI 4K, the restoration was completed at Silver Salt, taking 450 hours. In-depth manual repair was undertaken on certain reels, some requiring significant stabilising and dirt clean-up work and sections of the film were wet-gate scanned and scratch fixed. The film was also graded in Dolby Vision in order to capture more detail and contrast than ever before. 

4K UHD Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray

Available to own on 20th September, or via pre-order now the special UHD collector’s edition Blu-ray presented in both 1.66 and 1.77 aspect ratios, offers exciting bonus content including a brand-new video essay with Matthew Sweet and Phuong Le, a new location featurette with Adam Scovell, a Richard Ayoade interview with James Fox, plus interviews and commentaries with cast, crew and industry experts.

The full list of extras includes:

NEW: Video essay with Matthew Sweet and Phuong Le
NEW: Location featurette with Adam Scovell
NEW: Trailer
Stills Gallery
James Fox interviewed by Richard Ayoade
Interview with Wendy Craig
Interview with Sarah Miles
Interview with Stephen Woolley
Harry Burton on Harold Pinter
John Coldstream on Dirk Bogarde
Audio interview with Douglas Slocombe conducted by Matthew Sweet
Joseph Losey & Adolphus Mekas at the New York Film Festival in 1963
Harold Pinter Tempo Interview
Joseph Losey talks about THE SERVANT
64-page booklet with essays from Peter Bradshaw & Anna Smith 

STUDIOCANAL’s 4K restoration of Joseph Losey’s ‘The Servant’ will premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival on 19th August, followed by a cinema release on 10th September and a 4K UHD collector’s edition Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital release on 20th September as part of their VINTAGE CLASSICS collection. 114mins / English Language / Cert: 12.


❉ News Source: Zoe Flower Publicity.

❉ We Are Cult is not responsible for the content of this news release.

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