Secret Agent Aka Danger Man, Set 1 (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)Despite the superfluity of attention lavished on THE PRISONER, you get much the best of John Drake and Patrick McGoohan in the original series, DANGER MAN (shown in the US as SECRET AGENT). Originally written as a spy for NATO, Drake eventually became a British agent in the Bond tradition, but with a decidedly sardonic working-class flavor that meshed neatly with McGoohan's Brooklyn upbringing.
There is something for everyone in the one-hour SECRET AGENT teleplays. The writing and character-acting (featuring the cream of the British TV troupe of the time) are superb, so that your intellect is diverted regardless of the subject matter. Although the location budget was limited, the producers managed to convey a genuinely exotic flavor week after week in luminous black-and-white. Noticeable wisps of LA DOLCE VITA suffuse the wardrobe and coiffure of these swinging-60's episodes. The music is exquisite, often using a single harpsichord or spare brass and drums to convey a wide range of moods. And has been noted, Drake takes on assignment after assignment using his own brains and a certain amount of brawn, often under his own name, and often in the face of local (including British) authorities. Towards the end of the series, when McGoohan's celebrity value had maxed and the limitations of the DANGER MAN formula were evident, a remarkably freewheeling style emerged, one that made THE PRISONER a logical next step or perhaps a reaction.
I have watched these shows for years with fierce affection. To develop a taste for DANGER MAN is to partake of some of the very best British TV of the 20th century. Their release on DVD is an occasion of great joy, and I intend to collect everything issued.

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Before there was The Prisoner, there was Secret Agent. American audiences welcomed handsome secret agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan) into their homes when CBS ran the unique spy series known as Secret Agent (originally titled Danger Man in the U.K.) in 1965. The show was the epitome of cool, with its now famous theme song ("Secret Agent Man," sung by the indomitable Johnny Rivers) reaching No. 3 on the Pop Charts. Enjoy the first 6 hour-long episodes as broadcast in the U.S. of this exciting international spy thriller, digitally restored and uncut. Episodes: The Battle of the Cameras, A Room in the Basement, Fair Exchange, Fish on the Hook, No Marks for Servility, Yesterday's Enemies.

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Secret Agent (aka Danger Man) - The Complete Collection Megaset 2007 (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)Don't get the other megaset confused with this one - this is the real deal. Every episode of the series is on the DVD set, not just half! The quality is great and rather compact since they used the thin cases.

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Now, all 86 episodes from John Drake's entire crime-solving career are available together on DVD. Each episode of this exciting spy thriller is presented in the original broadcast order, from the original season that aired only in the U.K. as Danger Man to the 47 episodes of Secret Agent that were seen internationally, including the two color episodes that provided a vivid finale to the long-running suspense thriller.

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Secret Agent AKA Danger Man: The Complete Collection (SLIMLINE) Review

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(More customer reviews)One year before The Avengers started avenging, and two years before Bond started claiming his extravagant living expenses, there was Danger Man.
All the usual ITC hallmarks are here, good actors, beautiful actresses and fast paced storylines.
This is the most real interpretation of spying on TV before Callan, Drake has some fancy gadgets, but nothing in the unbelievable Bond league.
Plus, the added bonus of McGoohan's smouldering personality.
Series one introduction:- "Every government has its secret service branch. America, CIA; France, Deuxième Bureau; England, MI5. NATO also has its own. A messy job? Well that's when they usually call on me or someone like me.
Oh yes, my name is Drake, John Drake".
Watch "View From the Villa" and see Portmeirion being used for the first time.
(The 30 minute series.)
Watch "Colony 3" and see where McGoohan started to formulate the idea of The Prisoner.
(The 50 minute series.)
The last two episodes made "Koroshi" and "Shinda Shima" were filmed in colour.
Drakes contact in,"Koroshi" called Potter reappears in The Prisoners,"The Girl who was Death" episode.
I can't help noticing the US theme music "Secret Agent Man" has aged worse then Edwin Astley's UK instrumental theme.
My favourite episode is the atypical episode "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove", most bizarre, and refreshingly different. I think it must have influenced the writers of the Prisoner episodes "A, B & C" and "Living in Harmony".
I am aware that this show is Danger Man and not The Prisoner, but it's hard not to notice the location's, actors and director (Don Chaffey) who would also be involved with The Prisoner.
All 39 of the thirty minute episodes are here along with all 47 of the fifty minute version.
Originally aired; 1960-62 (30 min eps.), 1964-66 (50 min eps.)
Life without this collection is just too full of danger....man!

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It was 1965 when American audiences first welcomed handsome secret agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan of The Prisoner) into their homes as CBS ran the unique spy series known as Secret Agent. Wielding brains and a moral outlook instead of weapons, Drake traveled to the corners of the globe on the trail of international criminals, corrupt politicians, and stolen secrets.Now, all 86 episodes from John Drakes entire crime-solving career are available together on DVD. Each episode of this exciting spy thriller is presented in the original broadcast order, from the original season that aired only in the U.K. as Danger Man to the 47 episodes of Secret Agent that were seen internationally, including the two color episodes that provided a vivid finale to the long-running suspense thriller.

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Secret Agent AKA Danger Man Megaset (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)What was golden about "Secret Agent" in 1965 remains golden: it tackles the familiar spy-story themes---duty, honor, country; loyalty, brotherhood, betrayal---with a theatrical style, with romanticism, wit, and grace, often with deep human feeling. In 1965, when the moral norms in television and movies were starting to go to hell in a handbasket and the spy genre was characterized by the comic-book vulgarity of the James Bond films and the moral pessimism of John Le Carre, the strong moral tone and absence of promiscuity in "Secret Agent" were remarkable. That turned out to be a deliberate device, at the personal insistence of the star. Certain of the writers and directors seemed to recognize the possibilities and seize on them, deftly exploiting their star's unique characteristics to create some fascinating, unforgettable television.
With this reissue of the complete '65-'66 series on DVD---and now that things in the culture have gotten a lot darker---my own thanks go to Patrick McGoohan for that particular moment in his career: for the glowing, graceful Cold Warrior he made of John Drake; for his insistence on a principled approach to the character; for the enduring mystery of personality he brought to a small-screen hero.
Can't go to the theater? Watch McGoohan, with his strange quality of aggressive shyness, in a repertory of amusing impersonations: the tipsy playboy, the wheeler-dealer businessman, the shy schoolteacher, the crisp colonial officer, the langorous beachcomber, the insolent artist, the veddy English butler, the flirtatious German encyclopedia salesman, the supercilious physician ("It's Bailey-Carpenter---ehm---there's a hyphen"). The darkness of "The Prisoner" and 35 years of villain roles haven't dimmed the glow of this princely performance, or the image of the decent, thoughtful man behind it, who seemed to care so genuinely about his influence on the television audience.
Faulkner said, "The artist's duty is to lift up men's hearts and help them endure." The people who worked on this series did their duty.
So spend your money. This is great stuff.
M.E.M.

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He always fights fair. He rarely carries a gun. He never falls into bed with the girl. He is John Drake, a spy like no other.Before he made TV history with The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan rocketed to stardom with his unforgettable portrayal of the principled Drake, a top operative for the British M9 Intelligence Agency. Stylish, suspenseful, and smart, SECRET AGENT's missions took Drake to the corners of the globe on the trail of international criminals, corrupt politicians and stolen secrets.This definitive DVD collection includes all 47 episodes of SECRET AGENT. From the opening strains of Johnny Rivers's classic theme song to the two rarely-seen color shows that brought the series to a close, every moment is here, digitally remastered and presented in the original CBS broadcast order.

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Danger Man - The Complete First Season (1961) Review

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(More customer reviews)Recently, I received these DVDs from another source and I would like to strongly encourage all fans of the hour long Danger Man shows and The Prisoner to consider this set. First of all, the transfer is exceptional. The shows are remarkably clear in their black and white format. There is no fuzziness that I could see. Also, the half hour format suits the show well. The stories are as well plotted as the hour long show, just faster paced. And then there's the music. I actually perfer the score of the half hour shows to the score of the hour long programs. The music in these programs remind me of the type of music you would hear in the old series Peter Gunn, and anyone who is fortunate enough to have seen that series knows how much the music contributed to the overall effect of the show. Finally, the writing of the show is very strong. Of the twenty stories that I have viewed at the time of this review, only one stood out in my mind as a bit disappointing. That's a pretty good record for a weekly series.
But what I think may be of most interest for fans of this series is Patrick MacGoohan. There is no question what an exceptional actor he is and that would be reason enough to buy this set. However, the John Drake of this show is slightly different than the one in the hour long programs. To me, he seems almost optimistic. I realize this is an odd word to use when referring to this series, but the impression is given that Drake really believes in his missions and that he is on the side of right. In the hour long show, Drake comes off more world weary, more cynical and a bit disillusioned. By the time he becomes The Prisoner (and we know it is him-who else could it be?) his faith in the morality of the political system has collasped completely. For after all, Drake is an extremely moral person, which is one of the elements that make him so fascinating to watch. It might be interesting for new viewers to start with the half hour series, go to the hour long shows, and then end the journey with The Prisoner. No doubt it will give them considerable food for thought.
Though at the end of the day, one has to ask: Are these half hour shows entertaining? And the answer is: extremely so. I think you will be pleasantly surprised on how well the show was written, directed, and acted. I just hope everyone who buys this set enjoys it as much as I have!

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In a world where a careless word can undo years of work and the slightest misstep can prove fatal, John Drake is without peer. A lone operative working for a top-secret NATO office, he travels the globe bringing international villains to justice and defusing explosive situations with unshakable aplomb. The precursor to Secret Agent, DANGER MAN set the standard to which all spy shows aspire. It also defied the conventions of the genre with a hero (The Prisoner's Patrick McGoohan) who fights only as a last resort and never lets temptation distract him from the mission at hand. Now, all 39 episodes of the groundbreaking series are available on DVD for the first time, remastered, restored and presented in their original UK broadcast order.System Requirements:In a world where a careless word can undo years of work and the slightest misstep can prove fatal, John Drake is without peer. A lone operative working for a top-secret NATO office, he travels the globe bringing international villains to justice and defusing explosive situations with unshakable aplomb. The precursor to Secret Agent, DANGER MAN set the standard to which all spy shows aspire. It also defied the conventions of the genre with a hero (The Prisoner's Patrick McGoohan) who fights only as a last resort and never lets temptation distract him from the mission at hand. Now, all 39 episodes of the groundbreaking series are available on DVD for the first time, remastered, restored and presented in their original UK broadcast order.

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