In the 1970s, there was certainly no shortage of great British television. Shows like THE SWEENEY, THE PROFESSIONALS, FAWLTY TOWERS and MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS are all widely regarded as some of the finest TV series ever produced in the UK. But in a time before both the internet and BBC America, there is one show that really stands out as being an international hit; a global sensation, and that is THE PERSUADERS! from 1971, created by the late Robert S. Baker, one of the producers and directors of THE SAINT. In fact, it was an episode of THE SAINT that inspired Baker to develop a buddy adventure series. The result? Tony Curtis and Roger Moore teaming up to become one of the most dynamic duos in television, even to this day.
Now, if you've been following my posts over the last while, you'll know that an incredible eight-disc set of THE PERSUADERS! on Blu-ray is now available in the UK. Courtesy of classic TV specialists Network DVD, it features all 24 episodes of the show, plus a wealth of bonus material (listed below), including plenty of rare content, some of which I recently shared with you right here on AICN. This is truly a stunning release. Every punch, kick and bullet fired during the escapades of Curtis and Moore have never looked, nor sounded, better than on Blu-ray.
And who could forget John Barry's classic synthesised theme tune? It was a sheer embellishment. Perhaps bizarrely, it also sounds like it would be quite befitting of a giallo.
For those who are not familiar with the series, which aired on ITV in Britain and ABC in the US, THE PERSUADERS! is centred around two wealthy international playboys, Lord Brett Sinclair (Moore) and Danny Wilde (Curtis), who are paired up when they reluctantly accept the proposal of a judge to investigate a case that the courts could not solve, in order to evade jail time after a fight broke out between them in a hotel restaurant. From that point onward, adventure and danger seem to lurk around every corner as they find themselves travelling around Europe, bringing it to the bad guys.
The tag team of Curtis and Moore is an excellent example of perfect casting. They had such amazing chemistry and it translated onto the screen in spades. The culture clash, the constant one-upmanship, the pressing matter of whether one or two olives complete a Creole Scream... their camaraderie has scarcely been repeated in TV and films since.
Being that THE PERSUADERS! is such a stylish show, Blu-ray really brings out the best in it. I completely understand and quite often agree with those who are of the opinion that classic television should be left untouched and not cleaned up. After all, who would really want to see STEPTOE AND SON in high definition? I think doing so would take something away from the viewing experience, whereas the antics of Curtis and Moore are perfectly welcoming to the best picture quality possible (and believe me, it looks great). It's such an aesthetically pleasing, colourful programme, from the beautiful cars to the cutting edge fashion of the times, and the new remasters absolutely complement it. It exudes slickness, and yet the wonders of HD have somehow made it even slicker. This is just one of the many reasons why it couldn't be remade. It's a '70s show through and through. THE PERSUADERS! redux would be utterly devoid of charm. You couldn't repackage characters like Sinclair and Wilde in 2011. They would feel terribly outdated.
Whether you're a long time fan or the recent news has piqued your interest in checking it out for the first time, THE PERSUADERS! on Blu-ray is something special.
The special features included over the eight discs are:
- 156-page, fully-bound book of viewing notes by British TV expert Andrew Pixley
- Recently found, HD-remastered material
- A previously unseen alternate title sequence in HD
- Extensive HD image galleries of rare and previously unseen stills
- 1972 Sun TV Awards footage with Tony Curtis
- Contemporary French interview on-location from 1971
- Moore and Curtis 2008 reunion on THE ALAN TITCHMARSH SHOW
- Merchandise image gallery (HD)
- Exclusive documentary: THE MORNING AFTER – REMEMBERING THE PERSUADERS!
- Commentaries with Roger Moore, Tony Curtis and production staff
- AVROSkoop contemporary documentary from 1971
- TOP OF THE POPS promotional video for John Barry's theme
- Promotional spots
- Trailers and archive newsreel footage
- Interview with Tony Curtis by Russell Harty
- French titles
- Commercial break bumpers
- Script PDFs
- International movie versions and trailers for four episodes
TTFN.
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