Get ready for an electrifying and chilling film experience that lays bare the intimate longings of a man—and the woman who has become his captive. Based on the best-selling novel by John Fowles, The Collector tells the story of a quiet London bank clerk (Terence Stamp) whose butterfly collecting hobby takes a sinister twist when he kidnaps a most unusual specimen—a beautiful woman (Samantha Eggar, Golden Globe Best Actress winner for this role). This film is a classic thriller and features a haunting musical score by Maurice Jarre.

***

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.

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.

1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 23,482,360,058 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.90 Mbps

Release Information:
Studio: Image Entertainment

Edition Details: