The Servant 1963

Bosley Crowther, New York Times: It is a flesh-creeping demonstration of human destructiveness that Mr. Pinter and Mr. Losey are presenting in this film, and it is made all the more horrifying by the genteel surroundings in which it occurs. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: The film is very studied and smooth, even though it deals in sexual hysteria; it could use some of the roughness and drive of Losey's early work. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Glaciers might be melting, the polar caps might be crumbling, but not even the passage of half a century has taken the frozen edge off this brilliantly icy film. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: The performances are note-perfect and Pinter's script is smart, subversive and sly, lifting the lid on our age-old feudal hierarchy and having a good dig about inside. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: A perfect storm of perversity, pre-Persona identity transference, prole pole-positioning and mutually assured psychological destruction, Joseph Losey's masterpiece immediately transformed the director from has-been Hollywood exile to European auteur. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: The Servant is for the most part strong dramatic fare, though the atmosphere and tension is not fully sustained to the end. Read more