Product description

Victim [DVD] [1961]

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Average customer rating: 5.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5027626242848
Label : Network
Manufacturer : Network
Publisher : Network
Release date : 2006-04-10
Title : Victim [DVD] [1961]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 12 years and over
Format : PAL
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1961-01-01
Region code : 2
Running time : 100
Studio : Network
Theatrical releaseDate : 1961

Customer reviews

review by: Richard date: 2009-06-25 rating:

Bogarde: the essential film actor
There are lots of reasons why you should watch this film (and it repays repeated viewings)but Dirk Bogarde is possibly the best of them. Here he is in a role that few actors - at the time - would have dared attempt (the fact that Bogarde was himself a homosexual, albeit one who preferred to keep his private life to himself only emphasises how much he stood to lose in a less 'liberal' social climate than the one we have today). With one stroke, he ended his increasingly uncomfortable career as a matinee idol and became the great actor he was always destined to be. br / br /This film is criticised nowadays for its attitude to homosexuals: it treats them as sad, tortured creatures who deserve our pity - and whilst I can understand people making that objection, I think that director Basil Dearden and all involved had their hearts in the right place. You'll also see a very early (and moving) performance by Peter McEnery and a couple of excellent acting turns by Sylvia Syms and Dennis Price. br / br / br /Definitely a film to watch, learn from and savour.

review by: date: 2009-04-06 rating:

Dirk does it again ... So does London.
This is one of those classic British movies - and the film world would be a sadder place without it. br /Faultlessly directed by Basil Dearden, it's a dark melodrama of unpleasant matters, mostly concerning the antiquated laws governing gay culture. br /Remember that the film was made in 1961 - before the sexual revolution, and before homosexuality was decriminalised. In hushed tones, the press of the time would occasionally mention a 'subculture' or a 'twilight world' that respectable people wanted nothing to do with. br /Well, in this brilliant and ultimately uplifting film, the most upstanding and right-thinking characters are brought face to face with things they would perhaps prefer not to admit. br /Blackmail, fear, and obsession stalk the monochrome streets of London - and this film is endlessly absorbing. br /There are plenty of surprises, some of them very touching, and the acting from the well-chosen cast is superb throughout. Dirk Bogarde is teriffic as a lawyer about to reach the peak of his career - only to have his ambitions dashed by - br /But that would spoil it. The plot is cleverer than that, and keeps you guessing. br /Be glad this film is available on dvd in such a sumptuous print - it's one to return to again and again. Go buy.

review by: I.J. Parnham date: 2009-03-31 rating:

A film ahead of its time
Dirk Bogarde plays Farr, a top barrister on the verge of becoming a judge, who thinks he's being blackmailed by a young man with whom he once had a brief, platonic dalliance. As it turns out, the young man is the one who is being blackmailed about his relationship with Farr and to protect Farr he kills himself. Farr resolves to track down the blackmailers and bring them to court, even though that will expose his own situation and in so doing end his career, his marriage, and as that was the law then, get him sent to jail. br / br /This film manages to succeed in everything it tries to do. Firstly it is a classic piece of campaigning film making, bringing home how ridiculous the legal situation was then. In fact, it has been said that this film managed to help in some small way to change the law. br / br /Wisely though the film doesn't preach too obviously at the audience, which would create something that is worthy but dull, as is often the case with campaigning films. Instead it draws you in with a well-constructed mystery tale. There are numerous story strands with red herrings galore, each inviting you to work out who the blackmailers are and who else is involved with the mystery being viewed from both the police's and the victims' viewpoint. The characters too are believable and the acting from the leads is convincing. Dirk's relationship with his wife Sims in particular is moving. br / br /Even though the film is ahead of its time, some aspects feel clunky. Every time a bigot expresses a view you feel that the script has been analysed beforehand by the censors to produce a speech they'll accept. And there's a silly bit where it's realized that a famous actor is being blackmailed but his name is drowned out to imply something. And there's one bit that tries to be too clever in which when we find out who the blackmailer is, a picture on the wall suggests something about the blackmailer's motivations. But ultimately these quaint and dated bits only go to make the film more impressive and bring home how tough it must have been for everyone to make this film at that time.

review by: moviebuff05 date: 2008-05-17 rating:

v. good show
i managed to squeeze this film into a couple of hours gap i had at university and how glad i was. At my uni there is a seperate dvd section for people to watch films in separate film booths with headphones on. This has been my sanctuary for three years and i have ploughed my way through many brilliant and absurd films assembled clumsily on the shelves that i would never normally look at. This film also came into this category. I stumbled across it by chance and was mesmerised by the clever plot that was being explained on the back of the box. an hour and a half later i was sitting speechless in my chair, amazed by what i had just seem. This film incorporates dark drama, social issues and is filmed in black and white with 2 brilliant, classic actors, what more could anyone want? Watch it. I guarantee you will be glad you did.

review by: date: 2006-12-11 rating:

A classic film on many levels
This is a fascinating film in many ways. The acting by Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Sims and the rest of the cast is excellent, and it is well directed. br / br /The film works on many levels. On one level it is a whodunit - a homosexual commits suicide, and the man's lawyer (Bogarde) tries to track down the blackmailer who drove him to it. br / br /On another level it is a drama - as the lawyer goes deeper into the gay world, it reopens his uncertainty over his own sexual orientation, and puts a strain on his marriage (to Sylvia Sims). br / br /On a third level it is gay propoganda. At the time (Early 1960's) male homosexual acts were illeagal. This film led to greater tolleration by the public - leading to a change in the law. In fact, this has probably had a greater impact on changing public opinion (on any subject) than any other British film. br / br /Some gay activists may now dislike the film, because many of the gay charaters are shown as sad, pathetic individuals living secret lives in the shadows, who only wanted to be left in peace away from the police and blackmailers. However, this was probably an accurate reflection of the times.

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