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Cambridge Film Classics
The Films of Joseph Losey
The Films of Joseph Losey examines the career of the expatriate director through a close analysis of five of his most important and challenging films. When his leftist politics made him a target of the House Committee on Unamerican Activities in 1951, the blacklisted Losey left America and continued his film career in England. Concerned mainly with the use and abuse of power inherent in intimate relationships, Losey also examined these issues as manifested in institutions and social classes. His finest films attack the injustices and hypocrisy rooted in the privileges of the English class system and frequently depict the moral failure of characters who betray their best instincts. The Films of Joseph Losey also examines Losey's close working relationships with playwright/screenwriter Harold Pinter and actor Dirk Bogarde, his experimental form of storytelling, the psychological complexity of characters acting as narrator of their own stories, and the intricate handling of time in the structure of his films. Close studies of King and Country, The Servant, Accident, The Go-Between, and The Romantic Englishwoman confirm Losey's stature as a director of powerful and compelling films of both moral importance and great formal complexity.
188 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 1993
25 people want to read
About the author
James Palmer
34 books16 followersLibrarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. This profile will contain more than one author. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.
James Palmer (2 spaces): historical books mainly about the Far East
James Palmer (3 spaces): GRs’ author, sci/fi, fantasy, pulp
James Palmer (4 spaces): self-help books
James Palmer (5 spaces): illustrator
James Palmer (6 spaces): print on demand
James L. Palmer is credited as “James Palmer” sometimes
James Palmer (2 spaces): historical books mainly about the Far East
James Palmer (3 spaces): GRs’ author, sci/fi, fantasy, pulp
James Palmer (4 spaces): self-help books
James Palmer (5 spaces): illustrator
James Palmer (6 spaces): print on demand
James L. Palmer is credited as “James Palmer” sometimes
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 21, 2022
Joseph Losey is a filmmaker whose work I had encountered sporadically through years of hopping around the world of cinema. He’s an interesting character, who is largely defined by his experience with the Hollywood blacklist at the start of his career. He is an American whose career was largely made upon works done in England. Losey’s career is also notable for two collaborative relationships, these being with the screenwriter Harold Pinter and actor Dirk Bogarde.
This book looks in detail at five of Losey’s most noted films; King and Country (1964), The Servant (1963), Accident (1967), The Go-Between (1971), and The Romantic Englishwoman (1975). The first three of these star Bogarde, and The Servant and Accident were written by Pinter.
The analyses by Palmer and Riley dig deep into the films, with special attention paid to themes that occur again and again in the Losey filmography: The difficulty of different social classes existing side-by-side. The use and misuse of power. The concept of the “intruder” imposing themselves into the lives of others. The book also explores Loseys innovative narrative techniques, primarily with regards to narration, and shifting timelines.
This study does a fabulous job of getting us inside the head of the filmmaker and helping understand why directors do some of the things they do. For instance, in the commentary for The Go-Between, and the story of a clandestine romance between Julie Christies wealthy noblewoman and Alan Bates’ poor farmer, Palmer and Riley focus in one instance how Bates receives a letter from his love immediately after having been hunting. The authors are perceptive in pointing out how the rabbit blood he inadvertently gets on the letter presages the events to come.
In the discussion of The Servant, about how a malevolent butler gradually assumes control of the life of his employer, Palmer and Riley are astute in cataloguing how the parasitic relationship between Dirk Bogardes Barrett and James Foxes Tony develops. They authors note an undercurrent of homosexual tension between the two men and point out the recurring motif of a dripping faucet as a visual cue to this. These sorts of observances are what make movie-watching fun for me.
Palmer and Riley also take the time to note the historical criticism of Losey – That he is a cold director, and that he holds his characters at arm’s length. They also discuss the perception of Losey being a filmmaker who isn’t especially interested in female characters. This is noted to great effect in the section on Accident, where the female student that the plot revolves around (Jacqueline Sassard) is largely portrayed as an empty vessel.
The greatest thing a book like this can accomplish is to make you want to go and seek out the films in question. For all the quality of his resume, Losey is a somewhat underappreciated filmmaker, and this book is a great on-ramp into his work. Of the five films discussed, I have only seen King and Country, and found it to be a brilliant and powerful war drama. The book has roused my interest in all the rest, so I will be looking them up, as well.
This book looks in detail at five of Losey’s most noted films; King and Country (1964), The Servant (1963), Accident (1967), The Go-Between (1971), and The Romantic Englishwoman (1975). The first three of these star Bogarde, and The Servant and Accident were written by Pinter.
The analyses by Palmer and Riley dig deep into the films, with special attention paid to themes that occur again and again in the Losey filmography: The difficulty of different social classes existing side-by-side. The use and misuse of power. The concept of the “intruder” imposing themselves into the lives of others. The book also explores Loseys innovative narrative techniques, primarily with regards to narration, and shifting timelines.
This study does a fabulous job of getting us inside the head of the filmmaker and helping understand why directors do some of the things they do. For instance, in the commentary for The Go-Between, and the story of a clandestine romance between Julie Christies wealthy noblewoman and Alan Bates’ poor farmer, Palmer and Riley focus in one instance how Bates receives a letter from his love immediately after having been hunting. The authors are perceptive in pointing out how the rabbit blood he inadvertently gets on the letter presages the events to come.
In the discussion of The Servant, about how a malevolent butler gradually assumes control of the life of his employer, Palmer and Riley are astute in cataloguing how the parasitic relationship between Dirk Bogardes Barrett and James Foxes Tony develops. They authors note an undercurrent of homosexual tension between the two men and point out the recurring motif of a dripping faucet as a visual cue to this. These sorts of observances are what make movie-watching fun for me.
Palmer and Riley also take the time to note the historical criticism of Losey – That he is a cold director, and that he holds his characters at arm’s length. They also discuss the perception of Losey being a filmmaker who isn’t especially interested in female characters. This is noted to great effect in the section on Accident, where the female student that the plot revolves around (Jacqueline Sassard) is largely portrayed as an empty vessel.
The greatest thing a book like this can accomplish is to make you want to go and seek out the films in question. For all the quality of his resume, Losey is a somewhat underappreciated filmmaker, and this book is a great on-ramp into his work. Of the five films discussed, I have only seen King and Country, and found it to be a brilliant and powerful war drama. The book has roused my interest in all the rest, so I will be looking them up, as well.
December 15, 2019
A miraculously rich study of a handful of this great director's key works (unfortunately "Mr. Klein" is conspicuously absent) and one of the best interpretations of Losey's oeuvre in print.
The best (maybe the only) way to read this is to have DVD (or, better, Blu-ray) copies of each film to revisit as one delves into each chapter. And that also would provide the excuse of seeing again such profound classics as "King and Country," "The Servant," "Accident" and "The Go-Between" (the last three in collaboration with playwright Harold Pinter), all perfect examples of works of art that uplift the experience of living, especially as Losey's best work cannot be pidgeonholed, stamped, filed away, or explained easily.
And even if you never open the covers of this book, do yourself a favor and check out those masterpieces of cinema when you get the chance, especially "The Go-Between."
The best (maybe the only) way to read this is to have DVD (or, better, Blu-ray) copies of each film to revisit as one delves into each chapter. And that also would provide the excuse of seeing again such profound classics as "King and Country," "The Servant," "Accident" and "The Go-Between" (the last three in collaboration with playwright Harold Pinter), all perfect examples of works of art that uplift the experience of living, especially as Losey's best work cannot be pidgeonholed, stamped, filed away, or explained easily.
And even if you never open the covers of this book, do yourself a favor and check out those masterpieces of cinema when you get the chance, especially "The Go-Between."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews