Avengers '63: Set 2 [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The second grouping of episodes from The Avengers' British television run in 1963 is not quite as striking as the first, but it does have the virtue of a bonus seventh program. The quality is overall the same or slightly superior, within the limits of kinescope transfers, but "Second Sight," rather than dealing with clairvoyance, deals with an investigation of a supposed new procedure involving corneal transplants, which may be a cover for something very different. The plot is unusual but not enough to make this one of the better entries in the series, except for a very nicely constructed scene in which a key supporting player is killed, as well as a notably sadistic performance by Peter Bowles as a larcenous henchman, and a complex performance by John Carson as the presumed ringleader. "The Medicine Men" could easily have been the first dramatic television program with a plot hooked around the sale of counterfeit goods -- in this case, however, the consequences could be catastrophic, since the products in question are drugs. The story doesn't seem to hold much promise except that it has one entertaining eccentric -- Harold Innocent as a criminal and artist, part of whose work consists of using women covered in paint, leaning on sheets -- and one great shot involving the discovery of a corpse. "The Grandeur That Was Rome" is a script that could easily have been remade in the later filmed series co-starring Diana Rigg. The plot, involving a multi-millionaire (Hugh Burden) obsessed with rebuilding the Roman Empire by destroying the existing world (with an outbreak of crop failures and an epidemic of bubonic plague), is worthy of a James Bond film, and the execution is sufficiently grand scale for live television. The dénouement is particularly involved for a program of this scale, set in a recreation of a Roman senator's villa, filled with guests in full Roman garb enjoying a bacchanal, and several layers of treachery taking place at once. "The Golden Fleece" is another story of a smuggling investigation, this one involving mainland China and gold being spirited out of England, this time with a twist -- the British subjects behind it are all military men who are engaged in this activity in order to sustain their retired comrades. The episode is on the dull side, and isn't helped much by the fact that the audio on this particular show is substandard. This disc is highlighted by two shows that were remade in the later international run of the series. "Don't Look Behind You," which was remade with Diana Rigg in 1967 as "The Joker," is an acting tour de force for Honor Blackman. The plot separates Cathy Gale (Blackman) from John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and places her alone in a large, strange house with a bizarre visitor and one unseen stranger who apparently means her harm. Kenneth Golley plays an intimidating young man who intrudes for a time in memorable style, and he and Blackman do sparkle in their scenes together. Maurice Good is superb as a Harry Lime-type malefactor who has no conscience and nearly succeeds in breaking down the heroine. "Death A La Carte" is a murder mystery with a culinary theme, as a visiting Middle Eastern ruler dies from apparent poisoning while under the protection of Steed and Mrs. Gale. The mystery has some surprisingly stylish twists, involving temperamental chefs, unctuous hotel managers, and a political twist worthy of a Hitchcock thriller, all sparked by lively performances and fast-paced direction. "Dressed to Kill," the "bonus" episode on this disc, is a primo piece of television. The story, a variation on Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians (which was rewritten and remade as "The Superlative Seven" with Diana Rigg in 1967), places Steed aboard a train with seven other guests at a costume party, each believing they were invited by a different host, who quickly discover that they've got at least one murderer among them. The familiar faces among the guests include John Junkin (from A Hard Day's Night) as a loveable railway enthusiast and Leonard Rossiter playing a boisterous Robin Hood, and the ambience has a charming, early Swinging London ambience, akin to the party scene in John Boorman's Having a Wild Weekend. The preservation quality of this episode is above average, particularly the sound, and it is just about worth the price of the disc by itself. The menu is easy to navigate, the chapter breaks are well chosen, and the chapter panels are illustrated with clips from each episode, highlighting the action. Overall, the second volume of 1963 episodes isn't as entertaining as the first, although longtime fans of the series and the performers will find something special about volume two. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Producer:

  Brian Clemens, Albert Fennel

• Show Creator:

  Sydney Newman