But she's not interested in him, so he kidnaps her and keeps her locked in the basement of his farmhouse home.

With William Wyler directing this could have and should have been a better film. But it's rather slow-moving and lacks the tension such a plot needs.

Stamp and Eggar play their roles well in what is largely a two-hander but are let down by the script. It's based on the book of the same name by John (The Magus) Fowles. On this showing, The Collector is better read than watched.