This is the ultimate compulsive/obsessive film ever made for the big screen. Wyler does a magnificent job of direction here; every bit as good as Hitchcock in Psycho, and in some instances, even better. Psycho, of course, was the ultimate Hitchcock thriller, and was a great film in its own right. But this film goes much deeper into the psyche of one of the primary characters, and it absolutely pulls no punches. A bank clerk wins a fortune in a football (soccer) pool and collects butterflies. He graduates to human beings. It is a relentless study of a sick mind done to perfection by Wyler and company. Terrance Stamp is outstanding; as is Samantha Eggar. Both deserved nominations, but only Eggar got one and lost to Julie Christie for Darling. Eggar was better. But the real travesty was Wyler losing to Robert Wise for The Sound of Music. I could see an award for best choreography, but not for best director. Please. Catch this masterpiece.
Review of The Collector
