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Do we have a thread anymore for the classic '60s British spy series?
"The Avengers"
- Thread starter Snarky Oracle!
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Joan Collins presents:
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I'm intrigued by the psychedelic sets. Could this be my cup of tea?
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You really haven't seen it??
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It was before my time, but I've seen the 90s movie with Sean Connery as Sir August De Wynter. I loved it!
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Oh no, the film wasn't anywhere as good as the TV series which was nothing short of brilliant.
When Channel 4 launched in the UK in the 1980s it had very poor viewing figures for the first few months which meant it couldn't attract advertisers so they decided to put reruns of The Avengers on Saturday evenings and it practically saved the channel. It was a huge hit and was how I became aware of this series.
When you watched it you were never sure if it was an action adventure series, a drama or a comedy or a combination of all three. It was just really entertaining TV.
I watched a few episodes a couple of years ago, for the first time in over 30 years, and I still enjoyed it.
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Most people didn’t. Jeremiah S. Chechik apologised to me about it.
Funnily enough, there was a much longer BBC Four documentary on the show, airing on the very same night. Different interviews. Mano of the same contributors.
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I have bought the complete series boxset so we'll see if it's better than the movie.
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Cannot comprehend. Apart from daring to suggest the possibility that the movie might be better the 161 episode series, which it isn’t and nobody gets on the wrong side of me and gets away with it, even though I can’t remember it (my mind’s way of sparing me from pain), there are multiple box sets. With different extras. Some with reconstructions and 50th anniversary panels. Also, most of the first series is missing. Only three out of 26 episodes exist plus the first act of the very first episode. And Tunnel of Fear was found and released on it’s own. So how complete is your complete series box set?
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How dare you threatening me?
I also love that optical illusion stairs that goes up and down at the same time. Just love it!
139 episodes and 30+ hours extra features. Is there more?
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I've never seen those missing episodes, or any episode for that matter, so I don't think it'll feel as if something's missing.
I only hope it has lots of bizarre, mouthwatering sets.
I only hope it has lots of bizarre, mouthwatering sets.
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Well, you will be missing something. It is called the tunnel of a million thrills. It does have bizarre sets and not in the way that some of the series two episodes stop for singing numbers by Julie Stevens. Also, it is a wonderful showcase for each of the leads. It is set in a funfair and is easily my favourite surviving episode of series 1. It is the surviving episode of series 1 that most begins to point towards the way that future series developed. It was only discovered four years ago and released on DVD in 2018. Plus it comes with a book, 1960s interviews with Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, surviving scripts for series 1 and other things.
Since you get episode reconstructions and photos from missing episodes on the discs, you will be aware that you are missing things anyway.
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But...but..it's 139 episodes vs. the 0 episodes I've watched so far.
Oh well, maybe you're right. Maybe I should throw this fake-complete set in the trash container
At least it was fun thinking I was going to watch The Avengers.
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Relax, Willie Oleson. Play it cool. Laugh a little. Enjoy your “Complete” set. I have the Complete Collection of Adam Adamant Lives!. There are 12 missing episodes. And I have the Complete and Uncut Danger Man 1 hour series, which has scene cuts (dialogue cuts!...dastards!) to two episodes. And the complete unedited Gideon’s Way, which has the opening titles edited off four episodes and replaced with the dire American opening. And the complete and uncut Department S with one episode that has several edits. And the complete and uncut Randall and Hopkirk Deceased, which has the handprint credits edited out of four episodes and dodgy edits of the graveyard credits inserted very badly. And The Complete Unedited Sir Francis Drake with some titles in French. And worst of all, the complete and Uncut release of The Prisoner, where they keep getting the opening titles wrong. Wrong sounds, wrong credits. Do enjoy!But...but..it's 139 episodes vs. the 0 episodes I've watched so far.
Oh well, maybe you're right. Maybe I should throw this fake-complete set in the trash container
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Well, yes but those things happen gradually. Remember that it is a show that evolves quite considerably from being videotaped in monochrome in a tv studio in the space of an hour (with some filmed inserts) to being videotaped over two days (to allow Honor Blackman more elaborate set piece fight sequences), to being shot on 35mm film and eventually in colour at Pinewood Studios (briefly in 1966, until Steve Forrest completed filming on The Baron and the studio space became available) but mainly at Elstree for the last 83 episodes. The tone changes. It becomes increasingly more fantasy. Steed changes. He is a lot more delightfully more manipulative in the videotaped episodes. When they first launched it on VHS , they first collection case had an episode from each series, so you may want to sample it that way, so you can get an idea of that. Or you may want to watch it in sequence. Just don’t pick Return of the Cybernauts, unless you have previously watched The Cybernauts. The above picture of Patrick, Honor, Diana and Linda is from that Lumiere 1993 launch. I’ve met most of the main cast by the way.
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It needed more Steed.