From Joseph Losey, the acclaimed director of The Servant, The Go-Between and The Sleeping Tiger, Accident (1967) is a cerebral drama exploring the passions and repression of 1960s English academia, with a screenplay by the legendary Harold Pinter (The Servant) and a standout performance from long-time Losey collaborator Dirk Bogarde (Darling). Accident won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes though initially failed to resonate with audiences at the box office. An adaptation of Nicholas Mosley’s novel of the same name, Bogarde is ably supported by a cast including Jacqueline Sassard (Les Biches), Stanley Baker (The Criminal), Michael York (The Lion in Winter) and Vivien Merchant (Alfie).

Stephen (Dirk Bogarde) is a middle-aged professor at Oxford University. Stifled by the predictability of his marriage and academic career, he yearns for an affair with his beautiful and enigmatic student Anna (Jacqueline Sassard). He finds himself locked into a battle for Anna’s affection with her fiancé, William (Michael York), whose youthful vitality he envies, and with his friend and academic rival Charley (Stanley Baker), whose media profile and sexual success he covets. 

One of the three film collaborations between Joseph Losey and playwright Harold Pinter, Accident is often acknowledged as one of the pinnacles of the legendary director’s distinguished career and is a compelling and unforgettable masterpiece.