The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series
by Eddie Saeta, James Goldstone, Theodore J. Flicker, Alex March, Don Medford
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DVD details
Actor: David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll, Robert VaughnDirector: Alex March, Don Medford, Eddie Saeta, James Goldstone, Theodore J. Flicker
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 5620 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-10-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series
DVD Review: Sorry to be the Party Pooper...
Summary: 3 Stars
I revere all my predecessors who have but nice words for this Series. Yet I must say I am still astonished at the Myth U.N.C.L.E.
First of all, let me say that I only recognize the value of the First, the first quart of the Second, and the final Fourth Season as being well produced and worthwhile to be considered.
And the Fourth Season is just a halved Season, since during filming of it, it was suddenly canceled.
So, in all, we have here one and 3/4, if ever, out of Four Seasons truly worth watching. The rest is plain crap, deja-vu and bad imitations of other series, such as the Whap & Zap Batman series of the '60s.
Perhaps enjoyable by former Beatnicks and Hippies, but certainly not comparable to the values offered by other Series of the time, like "The Avengers", "Danger Man", and even the Black & White "The Saint".
In the end it is just a silly compilation of slapstick comedy, combined with the gadgetry contained in Bond movies.
But the story lines are as primitive as can come and the laughters are forced.
The comparison to Bond movies of the time (the Sean Connery ones), is simply outrageous at best. All they have in common are, as said, the gadgetry, and if ever a common (and always the same) enemy. SMERSH or SPECTRE for 007, and THRUSH for UNCLE.
The comparisons stop here.
The only redeeming factor is the cast (Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll), that does its best to keep it aloof from banality.
In many episodes we have prominent guest players like George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Bradford Dillman, Rip Torn, Jack Palance, Telly Savalas and even Joan Crawford, just to name a few, and yet they all seem totally out of place, knowing what careers they have had or would have.
They all contributed to make an unusually stupid Series shine. This is probably why they were also called in. Being all respected stage actors, besides being famous movie stars, justified the watching of such nonsense.
And indeed, it is just due to their contributions alone, that this set of episodes has survived to this day.
Series such as "The Prisoner" might have had a touch of silliness in them, but since they were not set in a true world situation, nor did they ever claim to be, came out far more dignified, although they too, reflected some kitch of the mid/late sixties (see "Department S" and "Jason King").
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E." is just part of nostalgia, but in my view, and I grew up in those turbulent times as well, it is just that, and not even one of the best representations.
Many have for instance criticized "Star Trek" for being "hammy", for its acting and scenery, and being an overblown Series. Well, I would like to answer that I could take a Series like this one any day, but not "Man from U.N.C.L.E.".
Now let us come to the values of the Episodes on DVD. The image quality is fair, but still sports spots and scratches here and there. The sound is very uneven.
From one episode to the other you may have to adjust your volume down or upwards.
Jerry Goldsmith was right to be angry at what they had done to his original theme, especially starting with Season Three.
While Lalo Schifrin's interpretation was still acceptable, by bringing it up-to-date with some slight jazzy interpolation, the Gerald Fried one is just outrageously shrill in tone, and vulgar at best. No true musical taste here.
Nelson Riddle got stuck in his "Batman"-type style and never seems to be more inventive than that, nor to let lose on the merry-go-round style.
Some other jazzy music seems to be originated in style, like from some annoying "elevator music", repeated over and over.
If someone praises such music, he must have been stuck in elevators for far too long, and it would be time to get the poor soul out of it.
I am very sorry to have bought the entire series, since compared to others (like the ones I have mentioned before), but also series like "Mission: Impossible", it simply cannot stand a comparison of this kind.
It is just far too uneven and at times, just very childish, to be even considered as a classic series.
My three stars only go to all those who have worked so hard to bring it all together. But then I still must ask: why?
See, some time ago I bought the British-made "U.N.C.L.E." movie set, which in my view is still superior than this. Despite that the movie collection missed out on two, if not three of the series, they were "finished works" and in a way represented the (questionable) best of the series, and indeed, in that format, they could even be considered that.
Some have complained that in this complete set, you don't get the movies in their theatrical version. But there is nothing new in the movies, that you do not get through the episodes.
Maybe some scenes have been recut and edited in a different order in the movie version, but the material is all there.
It is sad to see some series age in time as this one does.
I also own "The Complete original Twilight Zone" which was filmed years before, and it is still an icon in TV-making to this day.
In half-hour episodes you had far more story-telling and acting craft that in these almost one-hour long "U.N.C.L.E." incarnations.
The only series that really can compare to this one is, as said, "Mission: Impossible", but boy, is "Mission" far superior to this.
If you really want memorabilia worth of this name, than stick to "Mission: Impossible". Even "The Avengers", either the Honor Blackman, or the Diana Rigg versions are a good choice.
But the best ever, remains "Danger Man" starring Patrick McGoohan.
Stick to those, and do not waste any hard-earned money on this suitcase.
I am particularly sorry for Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, whose interviews are very informative and show how affectionate they still are to a series that helped their careers lift off considerably.
Particularly to Robert Vaughn who still seems very fond of the series, which is quite understandable...
But alas, "U.N.C.L.E." made its time, in fact is stuck in time and will never be more than that.
There are series that have survived the test of time, such as the aforementioned series like "Star Trek" (whether or not digitally enhanced), "The Twilight Zone", "I Dream of Jeannie", "Mission: Impossible" and even "M*A*S*H*".
Yet some others show their age and are just plain old...
This is one of them.
If you want Bond, then buy Bond, if you want laughter then stick to Sitcoms, but if you want TV-thrills look elsewhere.
This is a series that can only be enjoyed by those who like Cartoon-flat-characters, such as the sixties "Batman" and the fifties "Superman"... For real drama and real good acting, there is no time nor space in "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.".
I am really sorry for this, since the series did start on the right foot, but landed flat-faced, tripping over its own feet.
No wonder then, that executives of the time decided to cut it short.
More questions about the subject? I don't think so...
DVD Review: Waited for 40 years for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my favorite tv show back in the 60's. I had reel-to-reel tape of some of the episodes. Then they released some of the episodes on VHS (2 episodes per tape at $20 no less). Now the box set on DVD, Long wait but worth it. My favorite of the 2 actors is David McCallum.DVD Review: GREAT SERIES. GREAT PACKAGING, BUT
Summary: 5 Stars
I received the complete series, from Amazon.com, at a very good price, in a nice cardboard case. Of course, I am a fan, having seen only the series in color, and dubbed, plus the movies length couplings in english, and some episodes in english VHS.
Only one thing is missing from the Warner case: I feeel that, as fans, we should have received a blank U.N.C.L.E. card.
The packaging is very nice, not cumbersome, but the discs, on one side are very difficult to extract, which is not very nice.
DVD Review: Pricey, but well worth the wait for UNCLE fans....
Summary: 5 Stars
No doubt "The Man from UNCLE" was a trendsetting series that became a milestone in the spy genre on commercial television. A Golden Globe award winner in 1965 for "Best TV Series," the show was was clearly one of the most popular spy dramas on television and paved the way for many to follow. Lead characters, Napoleon Solo(Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) are the intrepid agents from UNCLE or, better known as the United Network Command for Law Enforcement, whose nemesis is THRUSH, an organization out to thwart UNCLE in its bid for world domination. The tounge-in-cheek style of the series along with the numerous gadgets (as seen in the Bond films of the day and the highly popular "Secret Agent" with Patrick McGoohan) was clearly in step with the times and accounted for the series strong appeal with younger audiences--especially college students.
This set, beautifully packaged in a sturdy cardboard "briefcase" with the UNCLE logo and latches to keep it closed tight is a textbook example of superb packaging and marketing. Paramount should have followed Warner Brothers lead from this when they repackaged the High Definition remastered and "retouched" (read: new special effects and CGI added!) Star Trek original series this year, but inside this magnificent UNCLE set you will find all four seasons (Season One was in black and white) and the color pilot episode "Solo." Also included is the UNCLE theatrical feature, 'One Spy Too Many." But there's more for fans to savor....
With over 10 hours of added features, Warner Brothers has included not only nine featurettes that explore the series' impact on TV as well as a focus on the UNCLE phenomenon, but extensive interviews with McCallum and Vaughn and many of Hollywood's A-list at the time who were guest stars on the series. With design and photo galleries galore, plus the Tom and Jerry cartoon feature, "The Mouse From HUNGER," what more could "The Man From UNCLE" fan possibly want?
Overall, the remastered quality of the transfers is excellent for all 105 episodes on 41 DVDs and presented in Standard Format. Additionally, there are booklets for each of the seasons with details about the episodes, guest stars, shooting schedules, and other useful trivia vintage television fans want. I was fortunate enough to pre-order the set several months ago to take advantage of the special introductory price of $139.99. All in all, with over 5000 minutes of vintage spy TV in this set, and a very entertaining show to boot, fans will find it worth every penny.
DVD Review: It's unanimous this full DVD set is Great!
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent quality digital transfers.
Lots of great extras and bonus material.
You'll need a lot of time to watch all these - but it's great being able to buy the whole kit in the cardboard briefcase and not having to wait for each season or half season to come out separately.
It also I find for the price is a very good value - and may perhaps become a collectable.
This set represents what DVD's should be - superb picture quality - and a vast improvement over VHS tapes.
If you enjoyed the show this complete set is a real treat!
Description of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Complete Series
It was the height of the Cold War, a time when most Americans had only the vaguest understanding of international espionage. Then, in 1964, the televised spy genre exploded on the screen in the U.S. and around the world when the groundbreaking series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. pulled the covers off of the spy game in what became must-watch television for the next four years on NBC. Here is The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series, beautifully packaged in a 60's style high tech attach, case, complete with all episodes along with hours of viewing extras.General DVDs
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