The Collector (1965 film)
| The Collector | |
|---|---|
Australian theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William Wyler |
| Produced by | Jud Kinberg John Kohn |
| Written by | Stanley Mann John Kohn John Fowles (novel) |
| Starring |
Terence Stamp Samantha Eggar Mona Washbourne |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
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June 17, 1965 |
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,500,000 (rentals) |
The Collector is a 1965 British/American psychological crime/thriller film based on the 1963 novel The Collector by John Fowles and filmed at various locations in England. The film was adapted by Stanley Mann and John Kohn and was directed by William Wyler, who turned down The Sound of Music to direct it. It stars Samantha Eggar and Terence Stamp.
Frederick Clegg (Terence Stamp) is a lonely, unbalanced young man who stalks, kidnaps, and imprisons a pretty, young art student, Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar). One day, after following her in his van, Frederick kidnaps and chloroforms Miranda, locking her in the windowless stone cellar that he has prepared with a bed, some furnishings, and an electric heater. Frederick is a butterfly collector and treats Miranda as if she is one of his specimens.
When Frederick proclaims his love for Miranda, she fakes appendicitis as a ploy to escape but is caught. Seeking her freedom, Miranda tries to connect with Frederick, to bargain with him, and finally to seduce him, all to no avail. Many weeks go by, and Miranda realizes just how unstable Frederick is and that she will never leave alive. While being taken from the house to the cellar in the rain, she seizes a nearby shovel and strikes Frederick in the head with it. Frederick is wounded; but he manages to pull her back into the cellar, breaking the heater during their struggles. Miranda remains locked in the cold cellar, soaking wet. Frederick returns three days later to find Miranda terribly ill, and he goes into town to get medicine. When Frederick returns, he finds Miranda dead.
In a voice over, he says it was Miranda's fault for not trying to get to know him and for losing his respect and that his only mistake was choosing a woman who was much too clever and of a different social background. The final scene shows Frederick back behind the wheel of his van, stalking a young nurse.
In his autobiography, Stamp confessed surprise as being chosen for the role, expecting Anthony Perkins or John Hurt to play Clegg. Having been chosen, he assumed (as had most others) that Julie Christie — regarded at that time as the best young actress of the era — would be given the role of Miranda, but Wyler chose Eggar because he thought it would introduce the correct air of sexual tension and awkwardness between the two protagonists. Wyler also knew Eggar had turned Stamp down when they both were studying together at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
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