The Idol 1966
Directed by
Daniel Petrie
Made by
Paramount Pictures
The Idol Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Idol (1966). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Marco, a young, arrogant art student, is friendly with Timothy, a medical student, and Sarah, Timothy’s girlfriend. Timothy is dominated by his wealthy and beautiful mother, Carol, who is divorcing her husband. There is an Oedipal undercurrent between mother and son, and Timothy is not happy that Carol plans to marry again. Nevertheless, as Carol continues to control his life, Timothy wishes to be more independent.
[Marco] finds a studio apartment, and Timothy pays the first two months’ rent, planning to move in with his friend and switch from medicine to art. An angry Carol prevents the move, and Sarah, who has fallen in love with Marco, moves in instead.
During a party at her weekend cottage, Carol becomes furious when she finds Marco and Sarah kissing in Timothy’s room, and she orders Marco from the house. Later, Timothy is involved in a pub brawl, and Marco defends him and brings him home unconscious. Carol is appreciative, and warms to him. Later at a bar, Marco and Carol dance, and it is clear the repressed Carol is attracted to him. Timothy looks on, uneasy.
On New Year’s Eve, Marco arrives at Carol’s house to accompany Timothy to a party. But Timothy had already left, and Marco is left alone with Carol. He seduces her, then scorns her in retaliation for his earlier humiliation at the cottage. He leaves for the party which is on a boat, and arrives drunk accompanied by a streetwalker. He hints broadly to Sarah of his conquest of Carol, which Timothy overhears. Anguished, Timothy runs up on deck and Marco stumbles after him. Timothy violently thrusts him away, but a woozy Marco falls into the water and drowns, despite Timothy’s efforts to save him. Questioned by the police, Timothy refuses to reveal the cause of the fight. Thus, without his admitting to the actual provocation, it is determined that Marco drowned at Timothy’s instigation. Carol, who has arrived during the questioning, reaches out to Timothy as he is being led away by the police, but he coldly turns away.
The Idol Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The Idol (1966) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Marco, Timothy, and Sarah are introduced with tense family dynamics
Marco, a young art student, becomes friendly with Timothy and Sarah. Timothy is dominated by his wealthy mother Carol, who is divorcing and planning to remarry. An undercurrent of Oedipal tension sets the tone as Timothy longs for independence.
Timothy seeks independence but is kept in check by Carol
Carol's controlling influence over Timothy strains their relationship as she resists his desire to break away. The possibility of true independence is overshadowed by Carol's demands. The tension hints at an impending conflict that will pull the trio in different directions.
Marco finds a studio; Timothy funds the move and art switch
Marco secures a studio apartment as a sign of his growing independence and ambition. Timothy pays the first two months' rent, supporting a plan to move in with his friend and switch from medicine to art. The arrangement signals a shift in their lives and in Marco's standing within the circle.
Carol blocks the move; Sarah moves in instead
Carol blocks the move to the studio, curbing Timothy's attempt at autonomy. In response, Sarah moves in instead, entangling the trio still further. The household dynamics become more tense and complicated.
Cottage party: Marco and Sarah kiss; Carol ejects Marco
At Carol's weekend cottage, Carol discovers Marco and Sarah kissing in Timothy's room and orders Marco to leave the house. The confrontation exposes the fragility of the relationships and Carol's protective aggression. Timothy observes the disruption with mounting unease.
Pub brawl; Marco defends Timothy and returns him home
Timothy is pulled into a pub brawl that underscores the volatility around him. Marco intervenes to defend Timothy and brings him home unconscious. Carol responds with warmth toward Marco, moved by his loyalty.
Marco and Carol share a bar dance; attraction grows
Later at a bar, Marco and Carol dance, revealing the repressed attraction Carol feels toward him. Timothy watches uneasily, sensing the dangerous chemistry between them. The dynamic hints at an impending moral collapse.
New Year's Eve setup: Marco seduces Carol before the boat party
On New Year's Eve, Marco arrives at Carol's house to accompany Timothy to a party, only to find Timothy has already left. He seduces Carol and then scorns her in retaliation for the cottage humiliation. He heads to the boat party drunk, accompanied by a streetwalker, and hints to Sarah that he has conquered Carol.
On the boat: Timothy overhears the boast and tamps into confrontation
On the boat, Timothy overhears Marco boasting about conquering Carol. He rushes to the deck to confront him, and Marco staggers after him in a woozy panic. The tension between them nears a breaking point.
Tragedy on the water: Marco drowns after confrontation
Marco tumbles into the water and drowns after the confrontation on the deck. Timothy's frantic attempt to save him is in vain, and the tragedy unfolds before bystanders. The incident appears to be driven by the heated provocation and alcohol-fueled chaos.
Police inquiry and Timothy's silence
Police question the circumstances of Marco's death, and Timothy refuses to reveal the trigger of the confrontation. Without Timothy's full cooperation, the authorities conclude that Marco drowned at Timothy's instigation. The truth remains buried under fear and guilt.
Carol consoles Timothy as he is led away
Carol arrives during the questioning and reaches out to Timothy, trying to offer support. He coldly turns away as he is led away by the police, severing any memory of warmth between them. The night ends with Timothy isolated and the family bonds broken.
The Idol Characters
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Marco (Michael Parks)
A young, arrogant art student who uses charm to manipulate others. He seduces Carol, provokes Timothy, and pursues gratification with little regard for consequences, masking deeper insecurity.
Timothy (John Leyton)
A medical student under his wealthy mother’s sway, he longs for independence but is drawn into a dangerous love triangle. His loyalties are tested as a pub brawl and a fatal confrontation unfold.
Sarah (Jennifer Hilary)
Timothy’s girlfriend who falls for Marco, becoming entangled in the triangle. She seeks connection and autonomy within a social circle that pressures her to choose sides.
Carol (Jennifer Jones)
Timothy’s wealthy mother, controlling and sophisticated, whose fear of losing status fuels manipulation and secrecy. Her Oedipal undertones with Timothy drive much of the tension.
The Idol Settings
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Time period
1960s
The story unfolds in a Britain of the mid-1960s, a time of shifting social norms. Private life and social rituals reflect evolving gender roles and class expectations. The New Year’s Eve party heightens emotional stakes and seals consequences for the characters.
Location
Studio apartment, Carol's weekend cottage, Pub, Boat
The action moves between intimate interior spaces and social venues: a studio apartment and a weekend cottage anchor private dynamics, while a pub and a New Year’s Eve boat party stage public interactions. The locations are used to contrast private desires with appearances, highlighting class and power plays among ambitious young adults. The shifts between indoors and on-deck settings heighten tension as relationships become exposed under scrutiny.
The Idol Themes
Discover the main themes in The Idol (1966). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
🗝️
Power and Control
Carol's dominance over Timothy shapes choices and fuels resentments, revealing how wealth and status can steer private lives. The mother’s influence becomes a constraint that prompts secret affairs and broken independence. The film uses this dynamic to explore manipulation, dependence, and the cost of control.
💋
Desire
Marco’s charm masks a self-serving hunger that destabilizes fragile relationships. Carol’s attraction to him exposes how longing can blur moral boundaries and threaten loyalties. The triangle of affection drives impulsive actions with lasting consequences.
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Guilt and Perception
Marco’s death is interrogated by the police, with Timothy's silence shaping a verdict by implication. The story questions whose version of events holds weight once secrets surface. It examines how truth is constructed through social judgment and personal deceit.
The Idol Spoiler-Free Summary
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In a sun‑drenched university town where artistic ambition collides with the rigor of medical study, the world of the film feels simultaneously vibrant and claustrophobic. The campus buzzes with late‑night critiques and clinical rounds, while the surrounding suburbs hide a quiet opulence that exerts its own pull on the characters. A muted palette of sleek modernism and lingering nostalgia sets the tone, hinting that beneath the polished surfaces lie tangled desires and unspoken resentments.
Marco arrives as a confident, somewhat arrogant art student whose talent is matched only by his restless need to prove himself. He quickly becomes close friends with Timothy, a disciplined medical student wrestling with the expectations of his family, and Sarah, Timothy’s girlfriend, who possesses her own quiet yearning for something beyond the predictable. The trio’s dynamic is a study in contrasts: ambition versus duty, freedom versus control, and the thin line each walks between loyalty and self‑assertion.
Carol, Timothy’s striking and affluent mother, dominates the household with a mix of charisma and manipulation. Recently separated and poised to remarry, she represents both a source of security and an unsettling, almost Oedipal presence in her son’s life. As the characters navigate parties, shared apartments, and intimate conversations, an undercurrent of tension builds around the boundaries they dare not cross. The atmosphere thickens with unvoiced longing, and the proximity of these relationships creates a fragile equilibrium that feels ready to tip at any moment.
The film balances sultry, introspective moments with a sharply observed social critique, inviting the audience to watch how youthful rebellion, parental influence, and hidden cravings intertwine. The stage is set for a series of choices that could redefine friendships, love, and personal identity, all while the quiet darkness beneath desire begins to surface.
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