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47 reviews in total

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21 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
an 'ahead of its time' classic, 19 September 2001

Author: strokeguy from Canada

Long before Hannibal Lecter's first appearance on celluloid, William Wyler's "The Collector" presented us with the premise of the gentleman killer, although you do not think of him as a killer.

The Collector refers to a lonely butterfly collector played by Terrence Stamp, who lives by himself in rural England. He kidnaps a pretty college student played by Samantha Eggar. He has no plans to hurt her but feels that the more time she spends with him, the more chances she will fall in love with him

That backstory is the major difference between "The Collector" and your other serial killer movies. Today's serial killer movies starts with the mad killer. The Collector starts out fairly innocently and slowly loses that sense of kindness. The movie's end is almost the opening of today's murderer movies.

The two person cast is outstanding. Terence Stamp is wonderfully creepy- and smart! However he does give off a sense of pathos. You really hope that he could hook up with Samantha Eggar. Eggar's performance is brilliant. She is sexy, yet gives off a vulnerability and later on desperation.

Wyler's direction is wonderful when you consider he essentially has two actors in one set (for a comparison rent Hitchcock's "Rope").Even with these limitations, he still creates suspense and compels you to watch even though there's not a lot of 'stuff' going on.

"The Collector" is an underrated gem, perfect to rent when "Hannibal" or "Along came a Spider" is out at the video store

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22 out of 35 people found the following review useful:
The suspense here was in the interplay of two characters..., 28 April 2005

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

William Wyler once again examined the limits of suspense by confining them when he directed "The Collector," based on John Fowles' remarkable novel…

The story was rather different… Freddie Clegg (Terence Stamp) was an insignificant, ill-adjusted London bank clerk with the hobby of collecting and mounting butterflies…

From a safe distance, he was fascinated by the young art student Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar). Then, when he won the football pools, he decided to add Miranda to his collection… He bought a house with a strong cellar in a quiet district… He furnished the room in his own atrocious idea of good taste: a record player, lots of classical discs, art books, plenty of clothes in Miranda's size… And then he kidnapped Miranda and dragged her to his cellar…

The suspense here – and suspense there was in awaiting the unguessable consequence – was in the interplay of the two characters shut up in those four walls for two long months…

The unbelieving Miranda tried every woman's artful method of persuasion, every appeal to reason; while the insecure Clegg, subtly her social inferior, determined to keep her there until she came to love him… Shades here of "Phantom of the Opera," oddly enough, when misfit Lon Chaney told his victim: "I have brought you five cellars deep... because I love you."

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14 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
SEE THIS FILM, 29 March 1999
Author: Chuck Yoakum (theraves@hotmail.com) from Atlanta, GA

I should have commented on this excellent film long ago. I first saw it in the late 1970s on television and was immediately entranced by both Stamp and Eggar whose performances are are simply riveting. It is an almost "Hitchcockian" film, in that tension and suggestion are used to maximum effect keeping the viewer on the edge of their chair. This is a film that I'd love to see re-made or re-discovered, but again like Hitchcock's best, it owes a great deal of its impact to the time in which it was made and would likely suffer at the hands of a lesser director than Wyler. Fowles work is captured (like Miranda) and viewed with microscopic clarity through Freddy's watchful eye. It has also inspired a song called "Chastity" from The Raves CD, "Past Perfect Tense" which relates the whole of the story. SEE THIS FILM.

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15 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Deserves to be known better !, 21 October 2005

Author: Nicholas Rhodes from Ile-de-France / Paris Region, France

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 !

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12 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Terrence Stamp Delivers Creepy Performance in Deeply Unsettling Film, 12 December 2006

Author: brocksilvey from United States

This intensely creepy film showcases director William Wyler in his intimate, character-study mode, and features a superb performance from Terrence Stamp in the title role, as the "collector" of beauty. Stamp creates a portrait of sexual obsession that is every bit as unsettling in its way as the long legacy of serial killer movies in existence. Samantha Eggar, as one of Stamp's "specimens," is used more as a catalyst for driving the plot and less as a character for whom we have any great deal of interest. Is that a flaw of the material or the intention of Wyler and novelist John Fowles, on whose book this is based? If their intention was to make us sympathize with, and even relate to, the character with the obsession, they succeed brilliantly.

The ending genuinely surprised me, which happens all too infrequently in movies like this. The film feels like a product of independent cinema before independent cinema really existed.

Grade: A

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29 out of 53 people found the following review useful:
Not top drawer Wyler, 6 March 2005

Author: debblyst from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

First of all, let me say I'm a William Wyler fan -- while not being a "genius", he worked in a great variety of genres with passion, boldness and superior craftsmanship. He got us used to expecting first-rate films; because of that, "The Collector" is ultimately rather unsatisfying. It's not bad, of course – but it's a long shot from WW's huis clos masterpieces like "These Three", "The Letter", "The Little Foxes", "The Heiress" or "Desperate Hours".

"The Collector" is at least half an hour overlong. The plot has become predictable after 40 years of so many films about psychopath serial killers and the screenplay is underdeveloped in terms of potential conflicts and twists. The music here is crucial due to the little amount of dialogue and the building of a growingly desperate atmosphere and Maurice Jarre's music simply lacks inventiveness and thrilling power, it's just ineffective -- the film asked for a score in the line of Bernard Herrmann to fill up the action. The cinematography of masters Krasker and Surtees is luxurious instead of stifling. The clash between Stamp's and Eggar's acting styles doesn't help their characters: Stamp goes "Method" while Eggar stays realistic, though they both look extremely attractive in their mid-20s.

All that said, this movie will be a nice choice for a rainy evening, although one has, through the years, been given the right to expect more from champ Wyler. My vote: 6 out of 10.

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7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Creepy, but brilliant, 27 October 2002
Author: Barry-44 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Collector is one of the best movies I've ever seen with regards to suspense. This 1965 movie sent chills down my spine several times. Terence Stamp (Freddie Clegg) is exceptional. At first the movie appears a bit silly, but horror soon steps in. Freddie Clegg collects butterflies and then he collects a woman. Literally. He keeps her locked in his basement. Definitely not for children, but this movie is a must for horror fans. I recommend it highly.

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10 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Remarkable Suspenser Courtesy Of The Great William Wyler, 9 January 2007

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

Before Hannibal Lecter made serial killers iconic figures, William Wyler directed this suspenseful adaptation of John Fowless' bestseller. It was made a few years after "Psycho" and while it does not come near Hitchcock's classic in terms of technical expertise, I dare to say that it is much better in exploring the personality of a psychopath. Terence Stamp ("Superman I & II") plays a shy young man who kidnaps unsuspecting art student Samantha Eggar ("The Brood"). While Eggar is kept in captivity, Stamp proceeds to try to win her heart in one of the weirdest film courtships I've seen. The film is very much ahead of its time. It flirts with the concept of the "Stockholm Syndrome," years before Patsy Hearst made the medical term famous. And I liked how it does not care to explain why the serial killer is the way he is. It is mostly a two-character thriller, brilliantly acted by Oscar-nominated Eggar and (especially) Stamp, who won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. I was impressed with how Stamp insinuates perfectly the mood swings of a person with a mental disease. Wyler's direction is astonishingly efficient, making the must of a single set. I've always thought Wyler was a great stylist and this movie proves me right. It is a superb thriller, beautifully written, directed and acted, and highly recommended.

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11 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
A bite-your-nails-to-the-quick psycho-thriller, 3 April 2005

Author: Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman) from Toronto, Canada

Upon second viewing about 40 years apart, this holds up beautifully. Samantha Eggar (as Miranda) and Terence Stamp (as Freddy) are ideally cast in their respective roles as an art student and the psychopath who kidnaps her. The book is more interesting, with more layers to it (i.e a love story that Miranda has with an older artist)but had to be altered for the screen to include dialogue which the book lacks. Terence Stamp is downright creepy, always trying to fit his obsessive requirements to the object of his desire. His mannerisms and slouch make his character completely believable. Trivia buffs will be interested to know that Kenneth More's part, as Miranda's lover, was completely eliminated from the final cut, here he is seen in only one scene and it is in semi-profile. The ending is terrifying and set me to thinking of how many of these crimes are committed while the rest of the world remains unaware forever. 8 out 10. Fabulous film.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Great Film, 10 October 2000
Author: paintedponi from North Carolina, USA

I saw this movie on Encore a few years ago. I first only caught the last half of it, and then struggled to find it again. I was so enchanted by it, I had to find the book (of the same name, by John Folwes). My local library had to contact another branch in a larger city to get it for me. There are some slight differences between the movie and the book, as there usually are, but I highly recommend them both!

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