Victim (1961)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Further elevated by a strong central performance from Dirk Bogarde, Victim offers an eloquent and emotionally affecting argument against prejudice.
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Cast
as Melville Farr
as Laura
as Calloway
as Barrett
as Lord Fullbrook
as Paul Mandrake
as Harold Doe
as Eddy Stone
as Sandy Youth
as Detective Inspector Harris
as Bridie
as Scott Hankin
as Scott Hankin
as Phip
as Barman
as Madge
as Henry
as P.H.
as Mickey
as Miss Benham
as Frank
as William Patterson
as Sylvie
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Critic Reviews for Victim
All Critics (31) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (0) | DVD (4)
Dirk Bogarde offers one of his best performances... He is homosexual only by inclination, never by act. Yet even such equivocation is a big step towards candour, and casting a star in such a part demands courage.
Victim may seem archaic. But even its compromises teach us something about the era that produced it.
The film's presentation of sexual oppression remains shockingly relevant to this day.
[Victim] is a snapshot of social history that has dated in the past 40 years. But it is well worth watching for Dirk Bogarde's superb performance.
What a gripping film -- melodramatic and self-conscious, yes, but forthright and bold.
Impeccably liberal, weirdly restrained and, aside from anything else, a fascinating historical document.
Audience Reviews for Victim
This brave, if somewhat dour, film dramatizes the persecution of homosexuals in '60s England. The Web tells me that homosexuality was not only frowned upon but officially illegal in England until the Sexual Offences Act was passed in 1967 (six years after this film was released). Specifically, "Victim" depicts how closeted homosexuals with enviable careers and community standing were often blackmailed. Dirk Bogarde gives one of his marvelously controlled performances as Melville Farr, a prominent lawyer on the verge of a Queen's Counsel promotion. He has an attractive wife (Sylvia Sims) but also a history of homosexual affairs. When blackmailers drive a gay youth to suicide, Farr must choose whether to stay quiet and uphold his reputation, or follow his heart and risk everything to expose the culprits. The script and actors deserve much credit for resisting stereotypes and showing that homosexuals can be "normal," refined, suit-wearing citizens. But this subtlety also can be a minus: The action is a bit sluggish, since most dialogue is so flattened with that well-known British reserve. Quite controversial in its day, "Victim" works as both social commentary and as an effective whodunnit. Of course, it's also a must for Bogarde fans.
Super Reviewer
Will we ever stop trying to legislate morality? A brave role for Bogarde.
Super Reviewer
Groundbreaking in it's time and still a strong film today, excellent performances particularly Bogard's.
Super Reviewer
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