The Committee 56 years old

The mystery film of the 1960's

The Committee

The Committee, starring Paul Jones of Manfred Mann fame, is a unique document of Britain in the 1960s. After a very successful run in London’s West End in 1968, viewings of this controversial movie have been few and far between. Stunning black and white camera work by Ian Wilson brings to life this “chilling fable” by Max Steuer, a lecturer (now Reader Emeritus) at the London School of Economics. Avoiding easy answers, The Committee uses a surreal murder to explore the tension and conflict between bureaucracy on one side, and individual freedom on the other. Many films, such as Total Recall, Fahrenheit 451 and Camus’ The Stranger, see the state as ignorant and repressive, and pass over the inevitable weaknesses lying deep in individuals. Drawing on the ideas of R.D. Laing, a psychologically hip state faces an all too human protagonist.

Credits

The Committee Cast

Name Character
Tom Kempinski He was 30, now 86 years old as Victim
Pauline Munro as Girl
Robert Langdon Lloyd as Committee Director
Arthur Brown He was 25, now 82 years old as Himself
Paul Jones as Central figure

The Committee Crew

Name Department
Ian Wilson as Director of Photography. He was 29 (now 85) years old Camera
Peter Sykes as Director. He was 28 (66) years old when He died Directing
Peter Sykes as Writer. He was 28 (66) years old when He died Writing
The Committee poster
The Committee (56 years)

The mystery film of the 1960's

  • Release day: Friday, May 31, 1968
  • Runtime: 58 minutes