Victim: John Coldstream's New Book about the Landmark 1961 Film

The latest book in the British Film Institute's BFI Film and TV Classics series is Victim, a 115-page paperback reference volume devoted to the controversial 1961 film starring Dirk Bogarde. Author John Coldstream discusses the film's production history, describes the film in depth, and addresses critical reaction when it was first released. Coldstream concludes with a short essay about Victim's significance in cinema history.

For those unfamiliar with Victim (plot spoilers ahead), it tells the story of Melville Farr (Bogarde), a successful, married London barrister who was "seeing" Jack Barrett, a young homosexual man. In the film's most potent scene, Farr tells his wife that he never engaged in a physical relationship with Barrett, but he eventually admits: "I stopped seeing him because I wanted him. Do you understand?" A photograph of Farr consoling a crying Barrett falls into the hands of blackmailers, who threaten to ruin Farr's life (a homosexual relationship between two men was still a criminal act in England in 1961). When Barrett commits suicide to protect Farr, the barrister sets out to expose the blackmail ring.

In his book, Coldstream provides a compelling history of the many obstacles that had to be overcome to bring Boy Barrett, as Victim was known in pre-production, to the screen. Coldstream notes that the financial and critical success of Sapphire (1959), a mystery with strong racial themes, paved the way for Victim. In fact, Victim reunited the writer (Janet Green), director (Basil Dearden), and producer (Michael Relph) from Sapphire. Yet, despite their pedigree, they faced an uphill battle in getting Victim through the censors. Coldstream writes that John Trevelyan, head of the British Board of Censors and considered a moderate, "warned Relph to be aware of present-day public opinion in balancing attitudes toward homosexuality and not to give ideas to potential blackmailers by having the detective say it 'offered unrivaled opportunities to any extortionist.'"

Alas, Coldstream's lengthy description of the film is not as interesting for anyone who has seen it. He includes key lines of dialogue, a plethora of outstanding stills, and portions of the annotated script.

The author's discussion of Victim's critical reception and historical significance is much more engrossing. Coldstream plays fair by presenting a diverse number of critical opinions about Victim. One of the more interesting ones came from James Breen of The Observer: "With a few plot changes (none of them vital), the film could have been made at any time during the last fifteen years --for it is not primarily about homosexuality at all, but about blackmail, and it is shaped not as a social study, either compassionate or critical, but as a mild thriller." For this film buff, I would certainly never label Victim a "mild thriller", but Breen may have have a point in regard to the importance of the blackmail angle.

As with any reference book dedicated to a single movie, Victim has limited appeal. Still, John Coldstream has written a well-researched history of the film, especially in regard to censorship in Britain in the early 1960s. Victim is recommended for the film's admirers and for libraries with large film reference collections.


Palgrave Macmillan provided a review copy of this book.