Freddie Clegg (Terence Stamp) is a butterfly collector. One-day he kidnaps and chloroforms Miranda (Samantha Eggar). Wyler focuses the entire film on just the two characters and their psychological toyings with one another. The Collector focuses on the obsessions of a young man whose need for a woman’s affection leads him to desperate measures at the expense of his object of desire. Freddie is shy , poor and utterly obsessed with her. When he wins a fortune in the football pools, he devises the perfect use for his newfound wealth. He buys a remote house and converts the basement into a comfortable prison for Miranda. Samantha strikes a deal with him, promising to stay a month. Freddie agrees, confident that she will soon love him. Samantha later realizes that there is no way of escaping as he “collected” her but Freddie never behaves like a monster. This intense creepy film features a superb performance from Terence Stamp in the title role as the “collector” of beauty. Stamp’s sociopathic brooding is fantastic, creating a vibe throughout the entire film that doesn’t waver in the slightest. This isn’t an exploitative, blatantly cruel film. It’s a disturbing love story, even if it’s a love that isn’t reciprocated.
debarshithecinemaniac 