Customer Reviews

The Persuaders!, Set 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally! The continuing adventures of Danny Wilde and Lord Brett Sinclair on DVD - Set II consists of the remaining 11 episodes (13 were included in Set I) of this excellent British series of the early 1970s. Regrettably, only 24 installments of the Persuaders! were ever made. The extras on this set are disappointing - the first set had two excellent audio commentaries by Sir Roger Moore and others. The show itself is the real gem here. The episodes are fun, not to be taken too seriously, lively action, adventure. I don't have a favorite episode, but I definitely have many favorite scenes, always involving the interaction between Curtis and Moore. They play off each other in subtle and not so subtle ways, often very spontaneously. There is clearly a great chemistry between them that they exploit masterfully. Since the first set came out, I have discovered a wonderful and very active and current Appreciation Society "The Morning After" (TMA)(see web site www.itc-classics.com for details) and a related outstanding website (www.blofeldscat.com/persuaders/the_persuaders.html. TMA has a great magazine (latest issue released in April 2004) with excellent access to photos and memorabilia - I highly recommend. As for the show itself, after 30 years it is still fresh. Curtis and Moore are at their best - not taking themselves or the show too seriously. If you enjoyed Set I, you will no doubt get a kick (and a lot of laughs) out of Set II. Thanks to A&E for bringing these shows to DVD in the US!!

It seems Americans must pay twice for the same product that sells as one set in Europe. We all know that this series was cancelled after a short run. As to "The Persuaders" featuring Roger Moore and Tony Curtis; the idea (a good one)was to unite two unmarried globe trotters who are rich, have a reputation as playboys and risk takers, and cause them to become a team that solves international problems. You also get to see some of the lunacy of the psychedelic era, presented in the colors of costumes and sets. The actors work well together and the back and forth humor is funny. Mr. Curtis is a little old for the role of "Playboy" but still has charm and Mr. Moore used this series to feature his line of clothing as a fashion designer amid practice for his future role as James Bond. The DVD is sharp and the John Barry music for this show was made into an album that sold well in Europe. The show had a large budget and they invested it in location filming, supporting cast and writing so I can't understand why anyone would not appreciate a good effort as this series plainly indicates. It should be viewed as "entertainment", not meant to be taken seriously and is good semi-campish detective fiction.

I first saw this British series when it was broadcast on a local channel in the early to mid 1980's and I enjoyed it quite a bit then.

When I became aware of the initial DVD release, I was curious to see if it would hold up to my memories of it, and I'm very pleased to say that it did.

What I like about this series is the light, fun and witty chemistry between Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, the 70's fashions and ambiance, the outstanding theme song and music, and the refreshing international feel to the show. This show is reportedly the most expensive series ever produced by ITC Entertainment and with filming locations in Monaco, France, Italy, etc. it shows.

The series only ran for one season and I was ever so slightly irked that the one season has been split into two DVD sets, but that is a minor gripe. If you enjoyed A&E's, "Set 1" of this series, then you'll want to complete it and own "Set 2."

If you've never seen the series, it makes the most sense to start with "Set 1" to see the first episode which establishes the premise of the series. However, the series is very easy to understand even if you haven't seen that, so you may want to consider buying "Set 2" first as it is cheaper.

Overall, a very nice package and a truly great television relic from the 1970's. It may not have been groundbreaking, but it has a wonderful and unique feel to it which I enjoy revisiting.

The first set was very entertaining--a spy/crime caper spoof with dashes of comic brilliance provided by Moore and Curtis--Set II is another kettle of fish altogether. The second set is strictly played for laughs--there is little or no character development and the plots and dialogue run rather thin. Frankly, I hoped for more.

For those who wish to obtain a true collector's set of this highly entertaining series, would do better to purchase the Network DVD Megaset Special Edition of The Persuaders, now available thru AmazonUK with some delighful extras including bumpers, promotional materials, episode commentaries, tv spot interviews, title sequences, and hour-long interviews with director, Robert Baker, Tony Curtis, and Roger Moore. Tony Curtis' unabashed comments regarding the production team, guest-star Joan Collins's antics on the set, and his marijuana bust en route to London for the taping of the first episode, are absolutely priceless in this Network DVD set.

Surprisingly, the acute observer will notice that some of the episodes in the second box of the A&E set are written by none other than Terry Nation--who would go on to pen a bigger and more serious series SURVIVORS in the UK four years later-when will that be available in the US?

These are the original episodes from the TV show. I remember them well. This was a tongue-in-cheek series about two rich guys with nothing better to do than solve mysteries, goof off, get in trouble and make a mess of things. Wonderful! I love this show. Corny, playful, fun. Filmed on location so some great photography. If you like Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, Europe, adventure, fast cars and fun, you will love both DVD sets. Get both sets. BTW: is that the same Beretta pistol in every episode? It sure looks like it. For a series with such a huge budget, it would appear that they only had two prop pistols in their inventory! Pay close attention: you will realize that whenever you see a pistol, it is the same one whether it is the bad guys or the heroes. Funny about that.

I really like the show The Persuaders (!), I love Roger Moore and Tony Curtis, the european 70's shots and the expensive lifestyles and all that good stuff, it's my cup of tea so to say. But this show only lasted ONE season. A&E knowing they have an affluent audiance doesn't release the set in one box they split it up. I picked up set one for under 15.00 but set two is over twice that price, NO WAY! If you buy it (both 1 &2) on Amazon its 130.00, get real man! Great show, I'd like to see more of it but there are a lot of other shows I can get for my money right now so it'll have to wait. A&E has a lot of stuff I'd like to watch, I already bought The Prisoner, Dangerman (both complete sets) and Monty Python, and Persuaders set 1, so they know what shows I like, it just pisses me off that they as a rule charge TWICE what the other studios charge.

This is an exact continuation of the first season, only there are 11 episodes instead of the usual 13 for a season. Because of the exactness, it tends to become boring. Fans of Roger Moore or Tony Curtis may not find this objectionable. The TV audience at the time did and that is why the program was discontinued.