The Collector (The Butterfly Collector) poster & wallpaper
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Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar, Maurice Dallimore, Mona Washbourne, William Bickley ... see more see more... , Gordon Barclay , David Haviland

John Fowles's novel The Collector was written in the form of a dual diary, one kept by a kidnapper, the other by his victim. The film is told almost exclusively from the point of view of the former, a... read more read more... nerdish British bank clerk named Freddy Clegg (Terence Stamp). A neurotic recluse whose only pleasure is butterfly collecting, Clegg wins $200,000 in the British Football Pool. He purchases a huge country estate, fixes up its cellar with all the comforts of home, then kidnaps Miranda (Samantha Eggar), an art student whom he has worshipped from afar. The demented Clegg doesn't want ransom, nor does he want to rape the girl: he simply wants to "collect" her. She isn't keen on this, and tries several times to escape. After several weeks, Clegg and Miranda grow increasingly fond of one another, and Clegg promises to let her go. When time comes for the actual release, however, Clegg decides that Miranda hasn't completely come around to his way of thinking and changes his mind, leading to a further series of unfortunate events. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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79% liked it

2,721 ratings

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100% liked it

12 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: William Wyler

Release Date: May 1, 1965

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DVD Release Date: October 1, 2002

Stats: 168 reviews

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STAMP SHRIMP Samantha Eggar in The Collector Terence Stamp in The Collector Samantha Eggar in The Collector TERENCE STAMP TERENCE STAMP Samanta Eggar in The Collector Samantha Eggar in The Collector Samantha Eggar in The Collector
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Flixster Reviews (168)

  • FilmFanatik
    November 1, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    You could call this a love story if you wanted to, but it doesn't quite describe William Wyler's 1965 psychological thriller The Collector. It's more about learning about a man who's mind is clearly not stable, and what we find out about him later. The film builds on a tension th... read morerough the eyes of the culprit and his victim and rarely moves away from that, if ever. Through dialogue and body language, we learn a lot about these two people and we're interested in seeing what becomes of them. A minor complaint would be the film's look. Despite very strong direction from Wyler, the look of the film is pretty sparse and uninteresting. It looks like a television show rather than a film, which is a shame because playing with the color palette and lighting could have been a real benefit for such a tense atmosphere. Regardless, it's still a masterwork of terrific performances and story Wyler and from both Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar.
  • jjnxn
    October 15, 2011
    jjnxn
    Sad and creepy but still very watchable thanks to the usual excellent direction of William Wyler and the accomplished playing of Samantha Eggar and especially Terence Stamp whose icy demeanor as well as his ice blue eyes have rarely matched his character so well. The ending is ch... read moreilling.
  • jennifxu
    April 29, 2011
    jennifxu
    Eh, the book was much creepier.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 18, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    You won't dare open your mouth, but you'll be screaming for her to escape! And the weird thing the Idea fascinated me.
  • RCCLBC
    September 17, 2009
    RCCLBC
    A really solid thriller.

    No gore needed, just tense dialog solidly acted. The slightly claustrophobic setting really serves to heighten the tension.

    Stamp is sublime as Freddie who loves beautiful things and is an avid butterfly collector. Things begin to go awry for the ... read moresocially inept Freddie when he decides to take his love of collecting beautiful things a little too far by capturing the young lady who he has "admired" from afar (sort of) for quite some time. Stamps ability to make Freddie both an ominous and oddly sympathetic creature is impressive.

    Eggar is perfect as Miranda the object of Freddie's "affection" and does a fine job of making Miranda feel both a helpless victim and a very cunning prisoner willing to do or say whatever it takes to free herself from the nightmare she has fallen into.

    A really creepy, yet enjoyable film.
  • Redlats
    August 4, 2008
    Redlats
    The premise of the movie is that Freddie who a klutz and has no social capabilities kidnaps a pretty girl with the idea that he can make her fall in love with him. The movie revolves around the tension between the two of them. I like my movies to wrap themselves up in nice bund... read morele, but this ending is logical but not too satisfying.
  • drblood
    June 24, 2007
    drblood
    The sexual tension between Stamp and Eggar sometimes does not quite work and the format is more like a stage play than a film, but, for all its flaws, it is better than most thrillers on offer today.
  • pier007
    June 5, 2007
    pier007
    Superb psychological thriller. flawless on technical level. Great acting couple Stamp-Eggar. riveting and stylish direction on a minimal space by veteran William Wyler.
  • fb208103125
    February 3, 2012
    fb208103125
    "The Collector" has been remade recently with poor results, but this is the original by William Wyler and is a classic suspense film that is genuinely disturbing and frightening in a very fundamental way. The film is more or less focused on portraying one man's obsession with co... read morellecting and controlling the fate of both his butterfly collection and as of recently, a woman he has stalked for quite some time. After winning a substantial amount of money from a Football Pool, the mentally disturbed collector Freddy Clegg makes all the arraignments in his newly acquired estate to hold his latest piece for his collection. This specimen is Miranda (Samantha Eggar) who is kidnapped and taken back to the estate and locked away in a secret chamber behind a desk in an outside cellar. The problem is that there is nothing linking Freddy to the kidnapping and so there isn't much of a chance for poor Miranda who goes from trying to desperately escape to giving into Freddy's will. In the end he is hit over the head by Miranda with a shovel and must frantically run to the hospital and leaves Miranda unattended for over three days with no food or water. In the end when he finally comes back home and to Miranda's side, she dies before the doctor can make it to her. He convinces himself that it was her fault and that she got what she deserved because of her actions, not his. The film ends with him searching and finding a new less ambitious (Miranda acted sophisticated and better than Freddy which he resented) target. The film has a haunting and eerie score which fits the film rather perfectly and the acting is superb to match the Direction and screenplay of the film. This is a great and well done film that makes for a solid and disturbing suspense drama and is a fascinating look into the mind of a madman.
  • DocHalister
    December 22, 2011
    DocHalister
    A truly great novel, but not a great film. The genius of John Fowles was in the dual-diary aspect of it, the sharply contrasting points of view. That's entirely lost here...the movie is just about presenting the plot in a straightforward manner. I can't really recommend this t... read moreo either those who have read the book, or to those who haven't.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
August 5, 2010
Emanuel Levy, Variety

William Wyler received his twelfth (and last) Oscar nomination for directing this tense, well-acted adapation of John Fowler's novel, starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 9, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Wyler's skill with performances makes the film constantly riveting. Full Review

Cole Smithey
October 27, 2005
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

A must-see classic.

Victoria Alexander
July 25, 2004
Victoria Alexander, FilmsInReview.com

Stamp was beautiful to behold.

Ken Hanke
May 23, 2004
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Creepy, unsettling thriller from the great William Wyler.

Dan Lybarger
March 9, 2004
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

Eerie 60s class-consciousness thriller that features Stamp and Eggar in top form.

V.A. Musetto
August 22, 2007
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Click to read the article Full Review

April 25, 2007
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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