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The Servant

131 statements
24 feature instances
2 referencing feature instances

The Servant	type	TVTItem
The Servant	label	The Servant
The Servant	page	TheServant
The Servant	comment	The Servant is a 1963 British film from expat American director Joseph Losey, adapted by screenwriter Harold Pinter from a 1948 novella of the same name by Robin Maugham.It is a story of Tony (James Fox), a wealthy aristocrat who hires a lowlife servant named Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde, who won a BAFTA for his performance). Initially, Barrett does well at his job, but the relationship shifts as Barrett manipulates and corrupts Tony and dominates the household. Tony attempts a rebellion but in the end, he loses and remains subdued to his manservant for good.One of the film's main fortes is its gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by Douglas Slocombe. It also touches on the topics of social position versus psychological strength.
The Servant	fetched	2023-11-20T08:29:56Z
The Servant	parsed	2023-11-20T08:29:56Z
The Servant	processingComment	Dropped link to Foil: Not a Feature - IGNORE
The Servant	processingComment	Dropped link to GenericGuy: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Servant	processingUnknown	GenericGuy
The Servant	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Servant / int_127fc252	type	Creator Cameo
The Servant / int_127fc252	comment	Creator Cameo: Writer Harold Pinter appears as one of the restaurant patrons in the middle of the movie.
The Servant / int_127fc252	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_127fc252	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_127fc252
The Servant / int_15a41205	type	Relatively Flimsy Excuse
The Servant / int_15a41205	comment	Relatively Flimsy Excuse: Barrett introduces his girlfriend Vera into the household by pretending she is his sister.
The Servant / int_15a41205	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_15a41205	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_15a41205
The Servant / int_171b1206	type	Men Can't Keep House
The Servant / int_171b1206	comment	Men Can't Keep House: When Barrett and Tony live together without a woman, the house descends almost immediately into squalor, and Barrett makes it clear that he thinks of cleaning as "beneath" him. It's likely, however, that this is only a manipulation tactic from Barrett to get Tony to rehire Vera as the maid.
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The Servant / int_171b1206	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_171b1206
The Servant / int_1ed05659	type	No Hero to His Valet
The Servant / int_1ed05659	comment	No Hero to His Valet: It is clear Barrett has no respect for Tony, even before his true nature becomes obvious.
The Servant / int_1ed05659	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_1ed05659	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_1ed05659
The Servant / int_1f50c188	type	Home-Early Surprise
The Servant / int_1f50c188	comment	Home-Early Surprise: Tony and Susan catch Vera and Barrett having sex in his bed. Barrett is manipulating the situation so that he and Vera, on the brink of being fired, will confess that Vera and Tony were having an affair, and break up Tony's relationship with Susan.
The Servant / int_1f50c188	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_1f50c188	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_1f50c188
The Servant / int_25b05c04	type	Hitler Cam
The Servant / int_25b05c04	comment	Hitler Cam: Used on Barrett in the very first scene to show how the balance of power will play out for the rest of the film; Tony lies snoozing in a chair while Barrett towers over him, shot from near floor level.
The Servant / int_25b05c04	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_25b05c04	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_25b05c04
The Servant / int_347e35d6	type	Grim Up North
The Servant / int_347e35d6	comment	Grim Up North: Vera and Barrett are both scheming employees from the north of the UK, with distinctive northern accents. Tony lives in London and speaks in perfect R.P.
The Servant / int_347e35d6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_347e35d6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_347e35d6
The Servant / int_40c57041	type	Manipulative Bastard
The Servant / int_40c57041	comment	Manipulative Bastard: Hugo Barrett, as played by the suave and sinister Dirk Bogarde. Tony's relationship with Susan is at something of a crossroads, so Barrett destroys it by having Tony hire his "sister" (actually his girlfriend) Vera as a maid, then having Vera seduce him. When Tony fires Barrett after finding him and Vera in bed together, Barrett retaliates by revealing Tony's indiscretion with Vera in front of Susan, who breaks up with him. Knowing that Tony can't manage on his own for long, Barrett gets himself re-hired by pretending that Vera double-crossed him as well, whereupon his manipulations through drink and psychological abuse accelerate until he has Tony completely at his mercy while he and Vera (whom Tony has also re-hired) live off his money.
The Servant / int_40c57041	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_40c57041	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_40c57041
The Servant / int_40f3b23a	type	FilmOfTheBook
The Servant / int_40f3b23a	comment	Film of the Book: Based on the novella by Robin Maugham.
The Servant / int_40f3b23a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_40f3b23a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_40f3b23a
The Servant / int_4cacfcc3	type	Honey Trap
The Servant / int_4cacfcc3	comment	Honey Trap: Part of Barrett's scheming involves having his girlfriend Vera seduce Tony (who believes Vera is Barrett's sister). When Susan finally persuades Tony to fire Barrett after catching him in bed with Vera, Barrett snarks that sleeping with Vera is something he and Tony have in common, causing Susan to break off their engagement. Once Barrett is re-hired, he has Vera pretend she is still in love with Tony, who eventually capitulates and re-hires her as well.
The Servant / int_4cacfcc3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_4cacfcc3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_4cacfcc3
The Servant / int_567e7c4d	type	Wounded Gazelle Gambit
The Servant / int_567e7c4d	comment	Wounded Gazelle Gambit: In a crossover with Playing the Victim Card, Barrett pretends to have been deceived by Vera, who has apparently stolen his money, to manipulate his way back into Tony's life and house.
The Servant / int_567e7c4d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_567e7c4d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_567e7c4d
The Servant / int_6056f853	type	Homoerotic Subtext
The Servant / int_6056f853	comment	Homoerotic Subtext: A lot between Barrett and Tony.
The Servant / int_6056f853	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_6056f853	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_6056f853
The Servant / int_663f35c0	type	Only One Name
The Servant / int_663f35c0	comment	Only One Name: Not by chance Tony's surname is not mentioned. While the antagonist is Hugo Barrett.
The Servant / int_663f35c0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_663f35c0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_663f35c0
The Servant / int_71cc4b5a	type	Descent into Addiction
The Servant / int_71cc4b5a	comment	Descent into Addiction: While Tony seems to have a predisposition towards drinking too much (he's passed out drunk in the first scene), Hugo gets him drunk on a daily basis until he's clearly an unraveling alcoholic.
The Servant / int_71cc4b5a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_71cc4b5a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_71cc4b5a
The Servant / int_7aba8180	type	Job Title
The Servant / int_7aba8180	comment	Job Title
The Servant / int_7aba8180	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_7aba8180	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_7aba8180
The Servant / int_7eebe99c	type	The Alcoholic
The Servant / int_7eebe99c	comment	The Alcoholic: In the film's first scene, Tony is sleeping off "too many beers at lunch", thereby presenting Barrett with one of his avenues of attack for the final act of the film when he makes Tony completely dependent on him by getting him stinking drunk on a daily basis.
The Servant / int_7eebe99c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_7eebe99c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_7eebe99c
The Servant / int_916c72b3	type	Rule of Symbolism
The Servant / int_916c72b3	comment	Rule of Symbolism: When they play games, the servant Barrett has to play "uphill" while Tony gets the apparently superior position.
The Servant / int_916c72b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_916c72b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_916c72b3
The Servant / int_aa65b1e	type	Haughty Help
The Servant / int_aa65b1e	comment	Haughty Help: Barrett is a subdued example, but he is extremely passive-aggressive, dislikes Susan (the only member of the household to challenge him), and destroys Tony's sanity.
The Servant / int_aa65b1e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_aa65b1e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_aa65b1e
The Servant / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
The Servant / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: When Barrett phones Vera with the news that he has persuaded Tony to take her on as a maid, a group of young girls hammer on the sides of the phone box with growing impatience. When Barrett exits the phone booth, he shouts "Get out of my way, you fucking bitch!" to one of the girls (this being 1963, the offending words are partially drowned out by a vehicle, but what he says is still clear).
The Servant / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_bc00493f
The Servant / int_bd0230fb	type	Ambiguously Bi
The Servant / int_bd0230fb	comment	Ambiguously Bi: Both Hugo and Tony, necessitated by the time period. They have relationships with the same woman (Vera), but Tony is almost immediately dependent on Hugo and doesn't take kindly to Susan insulting him. His clear dependency on (and attraction to) Barrett becomes clearer after Susan leaves him.
The Servant / int_bd0230fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_bd0230fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_bd0230fb
The Servant / int_cde51255	type	Antagonist Title
The Servant / int_cde51255	comment	Antagonist Title: Hugo Barrett is a definite villain here.
The Servant / int_cde51255	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_cde51255	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_cde51255
The Servant / int_dae3844e	type	Hidden Disdain Reveal
The Servant / int_dae3844e	comment	Hidden Disdain Reveal: It gets revealed in parts to Tony that this is how Barrett feels about him, such as when they hear Vera and Barrett mocking him, and then more so at the end.
The Servant / int_dae3844e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_dae3844e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_dae3844e
The Servant / int_ef20dac5	type	Servile Snarker
The Servant / int_ef20dac5	comment	Servile Snarker: Barrett has a few moments when his manipulative nature starts to come through.
The Servant / int_ef20dac5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Servant / int_ef20dac5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_ef20dac5
The Servant / int_name	type	ItemName
The Servant / int_name	comment
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The Servant / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Servant	hasFeature	The Servant / int_name
The Servant / int_name	itemName	The Servant

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

	The Servant	hasFeature	Definite Article Title / int_8cb79b5a
	The Servant	hasFeature	Le Film Artistique / int_8cb79b5a

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