The Saint - The Complete Series 1 DVD

Long before assuming the mantle of 007, Roger Moore made his name as suave, ultra-sophisticated amateur sleuth Simon Templar in The Saint. First broadcast in 1962--coincidentally the year Dr No appeared in cinemas--the show ran until 1969, by which time Moore was internationally famous and poised to make the move to big-screen Bond. Simon Templar suits Moore's personality well: he plays Leslie Charteris's creation with the merest raised eyebrow reaction to imminent danger and the unflappable demeanour of a man whose first concern is to prevent any creases in his Saville... Row suit. Templar's dialogue is sprinkled with trendy Americanisms and the show is filled with American supporting actors in a blatant attempt to sell it to a transatlantic audience (the attempt failed, which is why Moore took on The Persuaders in 1967). A bevy of exotic women and even more exotic foreign locations establish it as a product of the Jet Set era, even though most of the production is in fact studio-bound aside from a handful of establishing shots. The second episode, "The Latin Touch", is typical: supposedly the action takes place in Rome, but its sense of location is fatally undermined by some distinctly dodgy back projection and the casting of Warren (Alf Garnett) Mitchell as an Italian taxi driver. Sophisticated it once was, but it all seems rather quaint now: the suits, the old school tie, the phallic sports car (a Volvo!), and Templar's smug, patronising attitude all grate on modern sensibilities. This is one for nostalgia lovers, certainly, but it hasn't dated too well. On the DVD:Although billed as Series 1, this 10-disc box set contains the first 39 black-and-white episodes, dating from 1962-64. There are a handful of extra features on the first four discs, including some text biographies and fact files, plus an interview with series creator Robert S Baker. Picture and mono sound quality are generally poor, reflecting the age of the original material, which doesn't appear to have been remastered. Still, it's adequate for what it is and shouldn't deter fans from acquiring this generous collection of a cult TV classic. --Mark Walker [show more]

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