| The Avengers '63 | ||
 The Original Avengers |
Television was coming of age in 1963 as
viewership expanded rapidly in North America and the United Kingdom. The
limited capabilities of television cameras made high quality output
from scriptwriters and top notch performances from actors and actresses
essential to a program's continued success. Excellent scriptwriting
and acting propelled the success of the early British television series,
The Avengers, which is now available on DVD. The first volume from 1963
features three delightfully entertaining episodes. In the first
episode, a group of corrupt undertakers help rich folks avoid taxes
by arranging early death and change of identity. One cannot help but smile
as a group of men in black arrive in phalanx formation to carry away the
next victim. The Undertakers is followed by Episode Two, aptly entitled
Man With Two Shadows. Using the popular early '60s theme of
"doubles", this episode features a brainwashed agent who reveals
a plan to plant perfect doubles, including a surgically perfected
Steed, in the Ministry of Security. The Nutshell is the suspenseful finale
on this disc with a twist ending that keeps the viewer in suspense until
the final scene. Who is behind the infiltration of a secret, allegedly
impenetrable underground high-tech government facility?
Patrick Macnee is the suave John Steed, and Honor Blackman, the brilliant Mrs. Cathy Gale, in this trio of episodes with a total running time of 156 minutes. Producer John Bryce drew on some fine scriptwriters and enhanced the suspense with music by Johnny Dankworth. Well worth a view if you can find at a rental store or have some extra entertainment money. |