THE DVD SET OF THE YEAR HAS ARRIVED!
Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer provides the first review of the U.N.C.L.E. boxed set
Santa arrived a month and a half early with an advance review set of one of the most eagerly-awaited DVD collections ever - The Man From U.N.C.L.E. from Time Life, distributed under license from Warner Home Video. Quite obviously, I haven't had time to make a dent in the 100+ episodes contained on the staggering 41 discs. However, I did choose the episode I was most eager to watch: The Alexander the Greater Affair. This two-part episode was the season 2 opener in September 1965 and has been virtually unseen since. It also formed the basis of the feature film One Spy Too Many. Purists always argue over the merits of each individual episode, but for me, this was representative of the best of the series. Just as the third James Bond movie, Goldfinger, found the perfect balance between adventure and humor, so, too did season two of U.N.C.L.E.- at least in this writer's humble opinion. Many fans prefer the more straight-forward, less-than-humorous episodes in season one, when the show was seen in black and white. Virtually all agree that season three was a disaster, with the content designed to emulate the campiness of Batman. Things got considerably back on track for the aborted season 4, which ran from September 1967 to mid-January 1968, but the bloom was off the rose. The spy craze had peaked and U.N.C.L.E. had also been damaged by being placed in constantly new nights and timeslots, opposite ratings powerhouses like Gunsmoke.
The series has not been widely seen in syndication since the 1970s. Those episodes that have been shown on networks like TNT have been cut to shreds to accomodate more commercials. Thus, the arrival of the show on DVD is especially liberating for enthusiasts who will no longer have to depend upon the largesse of cable stations to show the occasional episode. The first aspect of the collection that commands attention is the packaging. The entire set is packed in a sturdy mini-silver attache case that boasts an U.N.C.L.E. emblem on the top and even has traditional snap locks to open the "case". When you do open it, there is a cool black and white photo on the upper inside cover of Del Floria's tailor shop. Each season is packaged as a separate set and features an illustrated collector's booklet complete with extensive and informative liner notes. Each season's notes is written by an expert on the series: New York TV critic David Bianculli, Jon Burlingame, Cynthia Walker (a professor) and Craig Henderson, who is authoring Cinema Retro's continuing series of articles about the U.N.C.L.E. feature films. Each collector's booklet also contains a statement about the series by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. The only hitch here is that the same statement appears in each set, rather than presenting their views on each specific season. A small quibble, though, considering how welcome the booklets are in an age in which standard DVD releases have virtually done away with this once omnipresent value-added feature.
The quality of the transfers themselves is nothing short of breath-taking. The images are virtually perfect and its safe to say that until you see the episodes on these DVDs, you haven't really seen them at all. I was also grateful to see the uncut Alexander the Greater Affair because, although certain scenes were added for the theatrical release of One Spy Too Many, a key scene wherein the villain Alexander's parents are discovered in captivity in a rock quarry. It's a rather extensive sequence and features Madge Blake, who also played Aunt Harriet in Batman.
The other great joy in this set is the extensive number of extras. They are literally staggering. Here is a breakdown of what you'll find:
- Every set has an U.N.C.L.E. VIP segment in which David McCallum and Robert Vaughn discuss working with the extraordinary guest stars who appeared on that particular season. The third season set features some rare silent footage of the guys presenting Joan Crawford with a bouquet of flowers outside her dressing room.
- The original unaired pilot for the series under its original title, Solo. Even better, unlike the televised version, it's in color.
- The Cloak and Swagger Affair is a fascinating documentary in which cast, writers and directors recall the great times they had making the series. This entire segment is infectous fun and makes it clear the show was a true labor of love. There are also archival interviews with series producer Norman Felton and the late Sam Rolfe, who developed the series.
- MGM's Secret Operations provides a look at the thrill the cast and crew had of working on the backlot amidst some of the most historic movie props of all time, left over from MGM's heyday. Director Joseph Sergent discovered that that the entire showboat from the musical of the same name was still there and wrote an episode utilizing it!
- Double Agents: The Vaughn and McCallum Reunion is a wonderful segment in which the stars take a trip down memory lane, recalling the great fun they had working on the show. Although they both concede they never became close friends at the time because of their different lifestyles, it also becomes clear there never was a feud, as was widely reported by the press at the time. It's also obvious they have great respect and affection for each other.
- The Secret Tapes of Illya Kuryakin is a real showstopper. McCallum provides his 8mm home movies and narrates the action. These include filming the drive from his apartment to the lot, goofing around with co-stars and passing iconic landmarks on the MGM backlot including a ship from Mutiny on the Bounty and a giant outdoor tank where they were preparing to film Ice Station Zebra. The footage also includes behind the scenes views of the filming of The Indians Affairs Affair on location in the surrounding hills. A revealing aspect of the footage is the seriousness of Robert Vaughn. In between every take, he immerses himself in studying a textbook or newspaper. McCallum is clearly enjoying reliving these moments that he hasn't seen in decades. It's a sentimental journey enhanced by his heartfelt recollections of the crew members he respected so much.
- The Spy Fi Tour finds spy movie prop collector Danny Biederman presenting an extraordinary look at the items he has amassed, which are now on display on the Queen Mary. In addition to original uniforms, weapons and costumes, he also has letters and script notes from Ian Fleming as well as the original hook from Del Floria's tailor shop that led to the inside of U.N.C.L.E HQ. Biederman is a knowledgable and engaging host and what could have been a dry segment (looking at stationary props) is quite exciting thanks to creative editing and the use of film clips.
- Cold War, Hot Spies features the stars and U.N.C.L.E experts discussing the social and political era in which the film was shot.
- Guns, Gizmos, Gadgets and Garb is an insightful look into how weapons and props were created on the spur of the moment and a shoestring budget
- Behind the Wheel: U.N.CL.E.'s Piranah has special effects wizard Robert Short taking viewers on a tour of the U.N.C.L.E. car which he owns. (Lucky guy!)
- The Music From U.N.C.L.E. is a look at the contributions of the various composers hosted by music historian Jon Burlingame, who produced the recently-released soundtrack CDs from the show
- The Girls of U.N.C.L.E. pays tribute to the many sexy starlets who appeared on the show
- There are numerous original NBC promos and trailers from the feature films, some of which are of very dubious quality, but were obviously the only elements available for transfer. Interestingly, the trailer for The Spy with My Face carelessly uses footage from To Trap a Spy and One Spy Too Many. Guess the MGM editor was feeling no pain when he put these together back in 1966!
- Separate interviews with Vaughn, McCallum, directors Richard Donner and Joseph Sergent, writer Dean Hargrove and associate producer George Lehr.
- Vintage footage from McCallum's appearance on The Andy Williams Show, two awkward acceptance speeches by Vaughn and McCallum at the Emmys and Golden Globe awards (in one the series is called A Man From U.N.C.L.E by presenter Mia Farrow!), and an amusing Tom and Jerry cartoon, The Mouse From H.U.N.G.E.R.
- There are also various still galleries. This is the only area where the set falls a bit short. The number of photos are somewhat skimpy and although there are many interesting shots, there are no captions to identify what or who you are looking at. However, given the magnitude of the presentation in this set and the tight deadline the producers were working on, its very understandable that the bulk of their time was devoted to the interview segments.
- The set also contains the entire feature film One Spy Too Many - a most welcome addition, but somewhat disturbing for those of us who are hoping to see Warner Bros. release all the feature films as a boxed set. Does the inclusion of this "orphan" film mean this may not be forthcoming?
Congratulations to Warner Bros for releasing the set, Time Life for its superb packaging and presentation and especially producers Martin Fisher and Robbie Davis of DG Entertainment for a job well done. It may have been a forty year wait but it was worth it. Okay, now back to the TV to watch
The Cherry Blossom Affair for the first time since 1966!
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