The Avengers - Vol. 17 of The Complete Emma Peel Megaset Collector's Edition (Bonus Disc)
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DVD details
Actor: Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman, Ian Hendry, Linda Thorson, Patrick MacneeCinematographer: Gerald Gibbs
Cinematographer: Walter J. Harvey
Editor: Frank P. Keller
Editor: John Glen
Writer: Sydney Newman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 216 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Avengers - Vol. 17 of The Complete Emma Peel Megaset Collector's Edition (Bonus Disc)
DVD Review: The Avengers - The very beginning
Summary: 5 Stars
A&E Home Video get closer to the completion of The Avengers on DVD with the release of this very special disc, available as part of the Emma Peel Mega-Set or as a stand alone disc. It may only appeal to real Avengers fanatics, but in itself it also provides a very key example of early television drama - a far cry from the stuff modern TV is made of indeed.
I am not entirely sure why this disc is part of the Emma Peel box set or indeed why the adorable Dame Diana Rigg appears on the disc sleeve. This disc is really a tribute to the earliest era of The Avengers, when the series mainstay, John Steed played so admirably by Patrick MacNee, was in fact the secondary character to that of Dr. David Keel, played by Ian Hendry. Only two and a third of the twenty-six episodes from the first season of the long running show have survived and they are all included here. Considering the age of the material and the less than perfect conditions in which they've been maintained, the quality of these prints are surprisingly good. Indeed, in many cases, this restoration and remastering is certainly superior to the discs of the later stories featuring Mrs. Cathy Gale, which were released a few years back. These episodes really have very little relation to those later episodes, but they are still engrossing enough and you can begin to see the formula for the more widely known later format emerging. Steed himself doesn't even appear in two of these stories - or at least he doesn't appear in what remains of one - and thus Dr. Keel is given his chance to shine in the lead role, abetted only by his `nurse' played by Ingrid Hafner. A far cry from the later Avengers ladies.
Even though I consider myself a huge Avengers fan, this is the first time I've seen these stories and I am not at all disappointed. But if you are a fan of the Emma Peel and Tara King episodes, then I suspect these stories may not be of much interest to you other than from a historical point of view.
Mrs. Peel does get to appear on this release with two gems from the archives. The black and white "Chess Board" introduction that was used to open her first season on US TV is included, as is the very short color mini-episode filmed as an introduction to the characters of Steed and Mrs. Peel for American viewers. There's also an episode from The New Avengers, made in 1977 that features a cameo by Mrs. Peel, albeit using rehashed film footage from a decade earlier. As this is already available in The New Avengers 77 box set, its inclusion here is a little redundant. But there's a gem to be had in a documentary made for British TV in 1991 - Avenging the Avengers - which features interviews with MacNee, Honor Blackman, Linda Thorson and many of the production team, along with some footage of Dame Diana Rigg from earlier interviews. Plus there's bonus footage not seen in the original broadcast.
It's all terrific stuff and a very worthwhile bonus disc. Thanks to A&E indeed for gathering up this `stray' material. It's much appreciated.
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