The film starts with an accident in which young Michael York is killed and beautiful Jacqueline Sassard lives. Dirk Bogarde rescues her and we flash back to their relationship. Basically Bogarde is York's tutor and he lusts after his girlfriend - who is also chased by Stanley Baker.
There are plenty of creepy bits like the chair at the tennis match which is suddenly empty, and Bogarde stalking in to a room at night. But after a while I did get a bit sick of it. The Servant had a steadily rising narrative line as James Fox sunk further into depravity. This is just bits and pieces - you long for someone to want to kill someone else.
Bogarde is excellent as the mid life crisis Don - all the outward signs of success (nice house, good job, wife and kids) but still pining for a hot bit of French totty, jealous of his student's youth and looks and his friend Baker's fame. Baker is effective as an academic - not an all time great performance (it smacked a little of gimmick e.g. "hey it's Stanley Baker playing an academic how non typecasting is that?") Sassard and Vivienne Mercant have the thankless girl roles - this is really all about the guys.
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