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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: May 26th, 2015.
Director: Various
Cast: Roger Moore
Year: 1962 - 1969
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The Movie:
Although The Saint was created by Leslie Charteris way back in the late 1920s, the character remains best remembered for its run on British television in the 1960s where the role of modern day Robin Hood Simon Templar was played by a pre-James Bond Roger Moore. In a stroke of genius casting, the producers definitely lucked out with that choice. Moore embodies the role perfectly, handling himself with ease during the series' many scenes of action and intrigue, but of course doing just as well the various female characters he would inevitably run into in any given episode.
As a wealthy playboy type, Templar would travel the world to right wrongs and woo women. He did it with class, with style and often times with a fairly wicked sense of humor - so you can see why Moore would fit the part so well, it's almost as if it were made for him. That said, Templar was more than just a handsome guy out to help those in need. There are times where his crime fighting seems almost obsessive and this comes into play when he often times has to bend the law in order to see that justice is served. Again, the Robin Hood comparisons are hard to ignore here. So too are the foreshadowing elements that would wind up coming into play once Moore replaced Sean Connery in the Bond films.
The episodes that ran from 1962 until 1964 were made in black and white but after that the series shifted to full color and stayed that way until it went off the air in 1969. The production team very quickly showed that they knew exactly how to take advantage of that. The color episodes feel livelier where the black and white ones were maybe a bit more mysterious. Either way, the elements of mystery and action and humor that made the show fun from the start never fade. If The Saint is a little repetitive (as any long running show can easily become) it very definitely remains a fun watch to this day.
This series almost always moves along at a nice fast pace and injects the mysterious wealthy avenger theme with some much-needed doses of humor and wit. Roger Moore is perfectly cast as Templar, the wealthy playboy who wants to do right and is never afraid to play things a little less straight when the movie calls for it. Moore almost seems to be winking at the camera a few times, knowing that he's the slickest, coyest man on the planet, or at least in this show's fictional world.
Aside from Moore in the lead, The Saint benefits from a great supporting cast and a bunch of fun guest appearances. Look for a young Ian Hendry (of Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter and Theater Of Blood), Aimee MacDonald, Oliver Reed, Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Edward Woodward and even a few Bond girls like Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton and even Lois Maxwell (instantly recognizable as Miss Moneypenny).
Fans of sixties pop culture should find much to love about the visuals in the show. While much of it may seem cliché thanks to films like Austin Powers, the series really does look like a living breathing piece of pop art. From Templar's slick roadster to the city settings in which he usually drives it there's loads of mod style on display. The eye pleasing all looks great and the show just looks very fluid. It tends to be much more interesting on a visual level than many other television shows from that period and it's often on par with better known classic British adventure shows like The Avengers and The Prisoner.
Video/Audio/Extras:
These episodes were all composed for 1.33.1 television broadcast and that's how they're presented here. The early episodes are in black and white and the later episodes are in full color. Contrast varies a little bit in spots but overall it looks decent and while there is definitely a bit of print damage here and there, for the most part the picture is clean and clear enough that we can forgive the small blemishes that show up from time to time. Mpeg compression artifacts do pop up in a couple of darker spots though thankfully these are few and far between. Edge enhancement doesn't prove to be a problem though some aliasing and mild shimmering is fairly constant and none of the transfers are flagged for progressive scan playback. The color episodes look fairly vibrant though warmer colors reds look just a little flat - this could be the way they were shot, however
The English language Dolby Digital Mono presentation isn't perfect by a long stretch and there are a few episodes where it isn't hard to pick up on some background hiss in spots. Thankfully, however, more of them than not things at least sound decent if not great. Dialogue can be a bit soft in some episodes but in others it can be quite clear. These are far from reference quality tracks but they do get the job done and they could have been a whole lot worse. There are no alternate language or subtitle options provided.
Carried over from the past DVD collections are the nine audio commentaries that were previously recorded. These tend to be pretty interesting, often with Moore looking back on the series with fondness and a sense of humor. Roy Ward Baker pops up in a few of them too, giving his two cents on what it was like working on the show. Dead air can be a problem now and again but if you're a fan of the show and haven't heard these before, they're worth checking out.
There's also a quick two minute bit here called Behind The Scenes With Roger Moore As Director which is a quick audio clip of the commentary track moderator quizzing Moore about his work behind the camera on The Miracle Tea Party episode.
Menus and episode direction are included for each dis in the set. Each season is packaged in its own case and those cases collectively fit inside a cardboard slipcover.
The Final Word:
The Saint is a blast. It's slick, exciting, tense and often very funny and it shows Moore at the top of his game. While this complete series DVD release could have used a little more love in the extra features department it's still a great set loaded to the gills with top notch televised entertainment!
