THE COLLECTOR  1965
Directed by William Wyler
119 minutes
In English

This film was an odd one for veteran Hollywood director William Wyler. Why? Because it was a film that he cared about - in other words, he wasn't doing it just for the money. At the time, Wyler was about to sign the contract to direct The Sound of Music, something he wasn't enthusiastic about at all. Then at the last moment  the opportunity to direct this film came along instead and he jumped for it. Starring Terence Stamp (The Limey, Pasolini's Teorema), it's considered to be one of the best films about a crazed or distorted mind.... long before the appearance of Hannibal Lecter (who, quite frankly, just seems cartoonish in comparison).

The Collector is about a lonely bank clerk who is also a butterfly collector, living in the rural English countryside. Deciding to expand his collection by capturing girls, he ends up kidnapping a pretty young college student played by Samantha Eggar. The film is not a serial killer thriller as such, but more of a twisted love story....a film about loneliness and longing, desire and need. It is based on the first novel by British author John Fowles (who would later write The Magus and The French Lieutenant's Woman).

Venturing into the more warped directions of Alfred Hitchcock, this film is more for those who value suspense and subtle creepiness rather than overblown gore and special effects. A real gem which is rarely seen these days.

This will be a high-definition screening.