The Protectors – The Complete Series (1972 – 1974/Network U.K./PAL Region 2 DVD Import
Set)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Episodes: B
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD set can only be operated
on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Two/2 PAL
format software and can be only be ordered from our friends at Network U.K. at
the website address provided at the end of the review.
Made four
years after the huge worldwide success of The
Man From U.N.C.L.E. (reviewed elsewhere on this site), The Protectors gave Robert Vaughn his second regular action role as
a spy. This time, he played Harry Rule,
leading a trio of for-hire that were expert detective and exceeded in doing
more than just legwork and simple investigations. Joined by the Contessa Caroline de Contini
(Nyree Dawn Porter) and Paul Buchet (Tony Anholt), the show as not only part of
a continuing series of such action shows from Lord Lew Grade and ITC, but also
involved ITC producer Gerry Anderson.
Known for
hits like Thunderbirds and the other
SuperMarionation series, Grade wanted Anderson
to expand and this was the way they decided to do it. Vaughn would also be a producer and Grade
hoped to finally have a big hit with a big U.S. star. In a move that later (allegedly) made Anderson unhappy, Vaughn
made the show a half-hour series (something he may have also wondered if he
miscalculated on) and the series only lasted for two seasons.
That is a
shame, because this is a fun show and obviously, one trying to imitate The Avengers and U.N.C.L.E. at the same time.
Yet, it also developed its own style and as it heads for its (already?)
40th Anniversary, holds up better than you might expect. The show has not been broadcast as much as
you’d think it would considering all the success Vaughn has had with Hu$tle and an enduring career since of
major appearances on TV and feature film, but Network U.K. has issued this
Complete Series set with all the episodes in one place and in upgraded copies
as well.
Those
episodes include (with guest stars where applicable:
Disc One:
1) 2,000
Ft. To Die (Paul Stassino)
2) Brother
Hood (Vladek Sheybal and Patrick Troughton)
3) See
No Evil
4) Disappearing
Trick (David Bauer and Darren Nesbit)
5) Ceremony
For The Dead (Toby Robins, Bob Sessions, Jenny Lee Wright)
6) It
Was All Over In Leipzig
(Phil Brown and Paul Weston)
7)
The Quick Brown Fox (Christopher Benjamin)
8) King
Con (Anton Rodgers, Brian Worth, Peter Cellier)
Disc Two:
9) Thinkback
(Ian Hendry, Donald Burton, Keith Bell)
10)
A Kind Of Wild Justice (Anna Palk, Barry Stanton, Patrick O’Connell)
11)
Balance Of Terror (Nigel Green, Laurence Naismith, Janos Kurucz, Barry
Warren)
12)
Triple Cross (Peter Bowles, John Neville, John Barrard, Angharad Rees, Del
Henney)
13)
The Numbers Game (Margaret Lee, Henry McGee, Frederick Treves, George
Innes)
14)
For The Rest of Your Natural… (Damien Thomas, Susan Travers)
15)
The Bodyguards (Freddie Jones, Harry Hutchinson, Manning Redwood)
16)
A Matter Of Life & Death (Julie Crosthwaite, Maxwell Shaw, Cyril
Chaps)
17)
The Big Hit (Derek Smith, Arthur Howell, Bob Anderson)
Disc
Three:
18)
One & One Makes One (Michael Gough, Neil McCallum, Anthony
Stamboulich)
19)
Talkdown (John Nettleton, William Moore)
20)
Vocal (Shane Rimmer)
21)
…With A Little Help From My Friends (Jeremy Brett, Marc Zuber, John
Gatrell, Martin Benson, Saeed Jeffrey, Desmond Jordan)
22)
Chase (Patrick Magee, Keith Buckley, Gertan Klauber)
23)
Your Witness (Stephanie Beacham, George Baker, Gordon Sterne)
24)
It Could Be Practically Anywhere On The Island (Vernon Dobtcheff, David Glover)
Disc
Four:
25)
The First Circle
(Ed Bishop, Sally Bazely)
26)
A Case For The Right (Milo O’Shea,
Jacques Sernas, Jeffrey Segal)
27)
Quin (Peter Vaughan, Tristan Rogers, Luis Barboo)
28)
Bagman (Patricia Haines, Stephen Chase, Paul Dawkins, John Ford Davies)
29)
Fighting Fund (David Suchet, Hugh Morton)
30)
The Last Frontier (Hildegarde Neil, Yuri Borionko, William Lucas)
31)
Baubles, Bangles & Beads (Frederick Jaeger, John Barron, Robert Russell)
32)
Petard (Iain Cuthbertson, Ralph Bates, Angela Douglas, Basil Dignam)
Disc Five:
33) Goodbye
George (Paul Jones, Geraldine Moffat, Arnold Diamond, David Suchet (uncredited!))
34)
Wam (2 episodes/Prentis Hancock, Michael Sheard)
35)
Implicado (Peter Firth, Patrick Mower, Ruth Trouncer, Neil Hallett, Ron
Eagleton)
36)
Dragon Chase (Donald Houston, William Dexter, Richard Marner)
37)
Decoy (Mark Damon, Ronald Radd)
38)
Border Line (Oskar Homolka, Jon Laurimore, Gabor Vernon)
39)
Zeke’s Blues (Shane Rimmer, Donald Webster, Ray Lonnen)
Disc Six:
40)
Lena (John Thaw, Judy Parfitt, Frederick
Peisley Terence Plummer, Roger Lloyd-Pack)
41)
The Bridge (Michael Goodliffe, James Maxwell, Diana Quick)
42)
Sugar & Spice (Cicely Paget-Bowman, Gerry Crampton)
43)
Burning Bush (Sinéad Cusack, Anthony Steel)
44)
The Tiger & The Goat (Derek Newark, Douglas Wilmer, Derek Godfrey,
Drewe Henley, Max Faulkner)
45)
Route 27 (Michael Coles, Jeremy Wilkin, Carl Bohen, Virginia Wetherell, Dan
Meaden, Terry Richards)
46)
Trial (Joss Ackland, Richard Hurndall, Fred McNaughton, John Ringham,
Graham Ashley)
47)
Shadbolt (Tom Bell, Stanley Stewart, Neville Barber)
Disc Seven:
48)
A Pocketful Of Posies (Eartha Kitt, Kate O’Mara, Kieron Moore, Bernard
Kay, John Law, Michael Lees)
49)
Wheels (Dinsdale Landen, George Pravda)
50)
The Insider (Stuart Wilson, Donald Hewitt, Allison Griffith, Alf Joint)
51)
Blockbuster (Peter Jeffrey, Christopher Neame, Stanley Meadows, Ron Pember, Maurice O’Connell,
Paul Antrim)
When the
show finally hit home video in the U.S., it was on A&E DVD in two
sets, which we covered as follows:
One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1928/The+Protectors+-+Season+One
Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2227/The+Protectors+-+Season+Two
The only
extra from those sets not here is a great audio commentary on the first
episode, but the improvements otherwise are very noticeable in this upgraded
edition.
The 1.33
X 1 image on the A&E DVDs were fine for their time, but ITC’s owners have
gone back to the original 16mm materials the show was shot on and upgraded
them, with the result being a richer, warmer set of prints with color not only
better than all previous versions of the show, but noticeable upgrades from the
best versions of the other ITC shows shot in 16mm: Jason King and The
Adventurer, reviewed elsewhere on this site. Brendan J. Stafford and Frank Watts were
Directors of Photography for all 52 shows and they made the smaller film frame
look great, something you can really see in these copies. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is an improvement over
previous versions, sounding almost stereo-like at times and warmer
overall. Network did a 5-CD soundtrack
for the show, so they are working with the best possible materials. Even Tony
Christie’s theme song (at the end of each show) Avenues & Alleyways sounds better than ever.
Extras
include over 1,500 stills on DVD 7 that show the PR on the show, plus
behind-the-scenes and more, plus PDF promotional material including press
information and an original brochure.
More would have been nice, but this is not bad at all. Miss Porter and Mr. Anholt (later on Space: 1999) are sadly no longer with
us and they deserve a special thanks in making this show work with their star
quality and personalities. They will be
missed. With Vaughn, they made a fine
team as The Protectors and a big
screen revival was even discussed recently, but the odds of that working are
slim. It would take three exceptional
stars with chemistry together to make it work and achieving that is slim, but
why bother when this show is still so good?
As noted
above, you can order this DVD import set (PLUS a separate 5 CD complete
soundtrack collection of the series noted in the text) exclusively from Network
U.K.
at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
