Director: Michael Powell

This is a particularly strange piece of work by the renowned director, Michael Powell, that was universally lambasted by critics at the time ? with summations ranging from ?crude?, to ?tasteless?, to ?disgusting!? ?Peeping Tom? is an expose of a psychopath ? an explorer of the concept of pure terror ? who uses murder to achieve his erotic desires.

The storyline is relatively simple ? Mark (Carl Boehm) is a particularly shy and reclusive focus puller (camera assistant) for a film studio during the day, but on some nights he ?moonlights? as a private photographer of ?girlie?/glamour? pictures. We also discover that he is the landlord of the apartment house he lives in (though the tenants do not know). When not indulging in either of these pictorial pursuits, he is forever seen with a movie camera in his possession? Why? ? nobody knows? One of tenants of the apartment block, Helen Stevens (Anna Massey) falls for Mark despite his rather secretive and eccentric behaviour - particularly his reluctance to part with his movie camera, and his penchant for voyeurism?

Helen?s mother (Moira Shearer), though blind, has a ?feel? for Mark?s disposition; and despite mortal peril, gains an assurance from Mark that he will never film Helen (always the ?spark? for his gross misdeeds). I refuse to give any more away ? except to say that Helen is amazingly resilient and loyal through to the end ? I think I would have used up a month?s supply of Sorbent?!

Many people will find it annoying that there is no real surprise to this film ? we know right from the very beginning that Mark is the killer - the only thing we have to wait for is the reason for his unusual social manners?

Whilst no slick was provided for this movie, I believe that some publicity claims that this movie ?ruined? the career of the director of this film, Michael Powell ? this is clearly ?tosh? as Powell went on to direct later half-decent films such as ?They?re A Weird Mob? in 1966, ?Age of Consent? in 1969 and act as the producer in ?Sebastian? with Dirk Bogarde in 1967. Powell had a distinguished film career overall; in various combinations of writing, production and directing roles, especially between 1942 and 1957 (often in collaboration with the equally great Emeric Pressberger) in films such as ?One of Our Aircraft is Missing?, ?The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp?, ?I Know Where I?m Going?, ?Black Narcissus?, ?The Red Shoes? among many, many others? This fella clearly had a great deal of talent; and most of his films (even the ones slammed by the critics) show a degree of innovation that is beyond the norm.

Trivia time (again!): there is an interesting technical/editing gaffe very early on in the picture ? in one of the street scenes, shadows reveal the type of camera shooting the pictures of the street walker ? and it?s not the one hidden in Boehm?s coat!

THE EXTRAS

None, apart from a scene selection index that doesn?t work!

CONCLUSION

This is a long way from the best of Michael Powell?s work, but at the same time it still contains a couple of interesting technical touches that take it out of the ?ordinary? class. The story has a nasty edge to it, and in 1960 it may have been considered quite controversial and poor in taste ? these days it is rather pass? in view of the standard of the ?shock flick? scripts of today. Similarly, the violence is implied rather than graphic in any way.

Overall though, many scenes retain a degree of intensity and suspense; and the viewer has to wait to the very end to fully understand the reason for the villain?s madness. On the whole the film ? from the soundtrack to the ?mod cons? ? has not survived the passage of time that well; but it cannot be dismissed as a piece of tawdry rubbish; unlike much of the tripe dollied out these days…