Kent MOMI presents … HOT BRITAIN (a series of films appropriate to the season)
Joseph Losey’s dark 1963 satire The Servant was the first of his three film collaborations with Harold Pinter, a taut psychological drama of the relationships between four central characters, exploring tensions relating to social class and sexuality.
On its re-release in 2021, Peter Bradshaw reflected: “Gay sexuality is everywhere and nowhere in The Servant … It is a woman who seduces Tony, but it is a man (Barrett) who pulls the strings, effecting the seduction at one remove. Pinter’s own elliptical, disquieting dialogue is able to hint, imply, suggest, seduce, repulse in precisely the way that gay men were forced to adopt in 1963, when homosexuality was still a criminal offence. The Servant is like a nightmarish version of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster: the benign, discreet and all-knowing servant effectively controlling everything in the life of the feather-headed young man who is notionally in charge”. A superbly sinister performance by Dirk Bogarde as Barrett, a disturbing self-evisceration by James Fox as Tony, pitch-perfect tartiness from Sarah Miles, and a career best from Wendy Craig as Tony’s frustrated upper-crust fiancée.
Doors open 5.30, for drinks, nibbles & classic cocktails. Films start 6.30 with a brief introduction from the curators. Entry is free with a yearly ticket, although we suggest a small donation of £5pp to help keep the lights on. Yearly tickets can be purchased on the door (£7.50 adult / £6.00 concessions).