The Sleeping Tiger

“Don’t make me angry. You don’t know what I’m capable of.” Everyone has a “sleeping tiger” inside them that can attack at any moment under certain pressures, according to psychiatrist Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) in Joseph Losey’s The Sleeping Tiger, where such tigers are unexpectedly plentiful. The legendary Dirk Bogarde plays petty criminal Frank Clemmons, whose unsuccessful attempt at mugging Esmond results in an invitation to move in to Esmond’s home for experimental psychoanalysis aimed at releasing him from his criminal tendencies. Once welcomed into the household, the magnanimous yet predatory Clemmons wastes no time before mocking, harassing, and assaulting the maid Sally (Patricia McCarron) to such an extent that she’s forced to resign, while Esmond’s wife Glenda (Alexis Smith) resists the idea of a housemate at first but over time opens her mind (and arms) to the handsome, young rake. Violence, betrayal, and death ensue. As always, Bogarde presents a unique combination of despicability and vulnerability (his final breakthrough with Esmond is brilliantly rendered), and Smith is very good as a woman who slowly loses control of not just her marriage but her mind. Despite the slightly unbelievable setup (what man would invite his assailant to move in?), the story’s psychoanalytical aspects are slightly more sophisticated than the subject’s often comical treatment in other noirs, and Malcolm Arnold’s jazz score adds to the sense of cool confidence surrounding Clemmons throughout. Historical note: This was Losey’s first film after being blacklisted in Hollywood for communist sympathies; in fact, upon initial release, the director credit went to a producer named Victor Hanbury.