Customer Reviews

The Saint - The Early Episodes, Set 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A&E doesn't list the episodes on the outside of the Set 1 box, or on their website, so here goes:

DISC ONE
The Talented Husband
The Latin Touch
The Careful Terrorist
The Covetous Headsman

DISC TWO
The Loaded Tourist
The Pearls Of Peace
The Arrow Of God
The Element Of Doubt

DISC THREE
The Effete Angler
The Golden Journey
The Man Who Was Lucky
The Charitable Countess

If you enjoy The Saint and Secret Agent Man/Dangerman, you will love this B&W first season of The Saint. Roger Moore is at his best. I love the way he talks to the viewer at the beginning and end of every episode. Very personable.

If you are a fan of the B&W, gritty, 60's spy genre, you will enjoy this series better than the later "color" Saint episodes. These earlier shows are based on the Leslie Charteris, creator of The Saint, original stories. You also get to see the famous white Volvo.

I watched this and the second set both on DVD in three days (released earlier on another website). This is the good stuff. Please release more of the early episodes.

The first series of black and white episodes of the Saint apppear to be more gritty and realisitc compared to the later color series also available thru A&E and Amazon. In this set Simon Templar is less the cocky, errant playboy and more akin to a hardened private investigator outswindling the swindlers and working for the little guy.

This was Roger Moore's first starring role in a series that earned him a place in movie history as the longest-playing actor to portray Ian Fleming's 007. It has been said that the first series represents Leslie Charteris' protagonist more accurately than the later color episodes.

As with other series produced by ITC, expect to see many of the same fine English supporting actors from other popular programs like "Secret Agent," "Man in a Suitcase," "Gideon's Way," and "The Baron." It is astounding how many quality programs were produced thru the ITC Network in the UK during the 60's.

The episodes in both sets I and II are nicely remastered and the audio quality is excellent--A&E has done a fine job here as usual. Sadly, some extras would have been more welcome. The Carlton DVD set (in Region 2 encoding) of the b&w episodes offer interviews with Robert Baker, the director of the series, as well as original publicity documentation from ITC promoting the series.

These are fun. A remarkably young Roger Moore takes on a variety of villains in this crisp black-and-white set. The video transfer is excellent and the monophonic sound good. Now, nobody has ever accused The Saint of being highbrow entertainment, and these early episodes are no exception. "Danger Man" is more intelligent, while "The Avengers" are more offbeat. I enjoy them all for what they are.

Simon Templar, aka the Saint, has been around a loooong time. Author Leslie Charteris debuted him way back in the 1928 novel MEET THE TIGER. Since then the Saint has seen plenty of time on-screen, as fleshed out by a boatload of actors (Louis Hayward, the wonderfully suave George Sanders, Hugh Sinclair, and even Val Kilmer). But, let's be real, no one fit the halo better than Roger Moore.

From 1962 to 1969, the British television series THE SAINT chronicled the globetrotting exploits of Simon Templar as he sought to help the helpless, punish the criminal element, and have a good time doing it. THE SAINT - THE EARLY EPISODES, SET 1 contains the 12 episodes which make up the 1962 debut season. Presented in crisp black & white (the series would be colorized in 1966), these early adventures sparkle with freshness and charm. And, yup, from the get-go, that memorable theme song wormed itself into the brain.

The first episode is titled "The Talented Husband." Its pre-credit sequence unveils a dapper Roger Moore as the Saint gazing at the camera and bemoaning the woes of crappy theater, yet he does this with a twinkle in the eye. This sets the tone for his character as Templar would mostly retain this lighthearted touch even when dealing with the "ungodly," as he calls them. But there are moments when the Saint gets down and dirty and very serious. One of his quotes referencing the "ungodly" is: "Sooner or later, the ungodly get what they deserve." And if it's up to the Saint, it'll be sooner. As exemplified in "The Careful Terrorist," he can be ruthless in his meting out of justice.

One of the things I enjoy best about the show is Templar's habit of breaking the fourth wall and directly addressing the viewers. This would become a signature gimmick in these early episodes. Another conceit of the show is that someone always recognizes him within the first opening minutes, at which point the halo would appear and the opening creds would roll out.

The episodes themselves are well-crafted stuff and mostly aren't mysteries in the classic sense, except for "The Arrow of God." The show doesn't keep you guessing too long as to the culprits's identities. Rather, it fills you in on who the bad guys are and then keeps you in suspense as to how things will turn out. So it's actually more suspense than whodunit. There are nice twists and turns peppered in, of which one very well done example is found in "The Talented Husband." Sometimes the Saint is barely even in the show. The Saint's absence is pronounced in whole chunks of scenes in several episodes as corrupt human drama would play out, only to have Templar come in in the latter stages and don his halo. Anyway, to me, the episodes which stand out are: "The Careful Terrorist" - as the Saint goes against a meticulous bomb-maker called the Engineer; "The Pearls of Peace" - this one's a touching love story (that's right; you heard me); and "The Element of Doubt" - when the courtroom is unable to dispense justice, the Saint offers his own brand.

Cool cars, international villains, ravishing women, and Roger Moore juggling them all with cool, debonair flair. Moore was around 34 years old when he first got this gig and he immediately breathed iconic life into Simon Templar. Dude simply oozes charisma, that crackling aura of something. And the droll, tongue-in-cheek wit doesn't hurt. Never mind James Bond, Moore was always better suited to play the Saint. In fact, as his 007 films progressed, he became more and more of a caricature. As the Saint, Roger Moore never got old.

Not much in the way of special features, but what there is can be found on Disc 3. "The History of the Saint" in text, Roger Moore's Biography & Filmography, and a photo gallery. You'd think there'd be at least an interview with the man. Sucks.

In three discs, here's Season One:

- Episode 1-01 - "The Talented Husband" - Simon helps a sexy insurance agent (Shirley Eaton) investigate a playwright who might have it in for his wealthy wife.
- Episode 1-02 - "The Latin Touch" - In Rome, the city of "yells, bells, and smells," Simon meets a lovely American tourist, only to have her be kidnapped in his presence and him slugged from behind.
- Episode 1-03 - "The Careful Terrorist" - In New York City Simon means to avenge a journalist buddy fatally targeted by a crooked labor union boss.
- Episode 1-04 - "The Covetous Headsman" - On a New York to Paris flight Simon encounters a lovely woman bound for France to meet her long-lost brother. But murder greets them first in the City of Lights.
- Episode 1-05 - "The Loaded Tourist" - In Geneva a stabbing pits the Saint against jewel smugglers.
- Episode 1-06 - "The Pearls of Peace" - Simon financially invests in a friend's pearl diving scheme in Mexico, but the venture goes horribly wrong.
- Episode 1-07 - "The Arrow of God" - This time it's in the Bahamas as the Saint rubs elbows with a dubious household, among whom are an Indian mystic, a malicious newspaper columnist, and a murderer. Gorgeous Honor Blackman guest stars.
- Episode 1-08 - "The Element of Doubt" - This one's a courtroom drama as a murderous arsonist hires an unscrupulous defense attorney renowned for acquitting his crooked clients. But the Saint objects.
- Episode 1-09 - "The Effete Angler" - Simon goes to Miami Beach for some fishing and hauls in a luscious femme fatale and some smugglers as his catch of the day. Guest-starring Shirley Eaton (now playing a different character).
- Episode 1-10 - "The Golden Journey" - No crime-fighting in this one. In Spain Simon teaches a lesson to a spoiled, shrewish girl who's about to marry his good friend.
- Episode 1-11 - "The Man Who Was Lucky" - The Saint tangles with protection racketeers.
- Episode 1-12 - "The Charitable Countess" - In Rome the Saint takes in a thieving street urchin and accepts a risky challenge from a contessa.

Roger Moore is an excellent choice for the Saint; and almost all the monochrome episodes have the inestimable advantage of being based on Leslie Charteris's stories, more or less loosely adapted -- although some are very loose indeed.

If you'd like to read the originals, here's where you can find them:

01 The Talented Husband -- #31: The Saint Around the World
02 The Latin Touch -- #29: The Saint in Europe
03 The Careful Terrorist -- #32: Thanks To The Saint
04 The Covetous Headsman -- #29: The Saint in Europe

05 The Loaded Tourist -- #29: The Saint in Europe
06 The Pearls of Peace -- #33: Señor Saint
07 The Arrow of God -- #30: The Saint on the Spanish Main
08 The Element of Doubt -- #34: The Saint To the Rescue

09 The Effete Angler -- #30: The Saint On the Spanish Main
10 The Golden Journey -- #29: The Saint in Europe
11 The Man Who Was Lucky -- #21: The Happy Highwayman
12 The Charitable Countess -- #21: The Happy Highwayman

Shirley Eaton (the golden girl from Goldfinger) appears as Adrienne Halberd in Episode 1, and as Gloria Uckrose only four hours later in Episode 9; and Erica Rogers is Joss Hendry in Episode 6 and Belinda Dean in Episode 10, even sooner. Which is a bit cheeky of the Casting Director.

The flamenco piece on "The Golden Journey" is a soleá, beautifully played by Ricardo Cortés, of whom I can discover no further trace. No two guitarists play soleares identically; but if you like that and want more, try Paco Peña's Flamenco Guitar.

P.S. For a list of -- and discussion of -- all Charteris's Saint books, see my So You'd Like To... Guide.

The early episodes are the best ones. Great show especially for fans of Roger Moore or classic 60's spy/action shows. I would like to see a new set with all the B&W episodes released on region 1 DVDs.

These are great episodes. If you like crime/mystery type shows, this is a good bet, especially if you like Roger Moore. I also like the international settings. Very cool.

This is really cool. I remember the old reruns on TV from when I was little, and recall enjoying them so I took a chance and bought this set. I do not regret it. Even these early episodes are very well-written, well-acted, and to my surprise the film quality is quite good. Sometimes with older TV shows you get iffy visual quality, but these are crystal clear. Moore is terrific as the Saint. It's also cool to see different parts of the world circa the early 1960's. Cool cars, cool furniture, everyone is well-dressed, and of course Moore is very classy. The thing that impressed me the most is the writing and the plots. I was afraid TV from this era might not age well, but they're not cheesy at all, and they really did age quite well. Still completely watchable today.

The first thing that surprised us about this set is how incredibly young Roger Moore looks in these. One of our favorite actors, and this is an aspect of him we've never seen. These also start with some philosophy in the beginning, and the stories really get to the heart of matters. After the first few minutes, you won't even notice they're in black and white. The themes are current, but if they were to be remade, some updating would have to take place (for instance, people no longer go to the butcher's or sign "poison books"). I watched some of these when I was a kid, but I obviously don't remember them, just the look and feel of them.