By Dean Brierly
The
wait is over. The cult series It Takes a Thief (1968-1970), which
starred Robert Wagner as Alexander Mundy, a world-class thief given a pardon by
SIA director Noah Bain in return for plying his felonious trade on behalf of
Uncle Sam, has finally arrived in a Region 1 DVD package. After years of DVD
limbo marked by gray market bootlegs and an incomplete Region 2 release,
multimedia company Entertainment One recently put out a deluxe, 18-disc box set
featuring all 66 episodes from the entire three seasons.
The
episodes have been digitally re-mastered, and while I haven’t looked at them
all yet, the dozen or so I’ve watched are clear and sharp, with vibrant color
and little video noise. Certain shots show their age more than others (these
are typically stock shots), some nighttime scenes are a bit murky, and the
amount of film grain is variable, especially in the season 3 episodes (which
also exhibit some minor ghosting), but that’s understandable given the show’s
age and the condition of the source material. I watched episodes from all three
seasons on my 55-inch flat screen, albeit in the 4:3 ratio (which is how
television series from the 1960s and ’70s should be watched), and was
generally quite impressed with the picture quality. The audio is fine too,
especially when I crank up the volume during the glorious title sequence.
Overall,
the sound and video quality is a big upgrade from the 2010 Region 2 release
from German company Polyband. (And Polyband only put out season 1 and half of
season 2.) Even if Entertainment One had limited this to a bare-bones set, it
would still be manna from TV heaven, but they’ve also stocked it with some
terrific extras. Fans will be thrilled to learn that the set includes both the
pilot episode, “A Thief is a Thief,†plus the long-unavailable, extended-length
version of the pilot, which was released theatrically under the title
“Magnificent Thief.â€
In
addition to that magnificent bonus, there is a 30-minute video interview with
Wagner that touches on various aspects of the show’s production history, the
creative team, the brilliant roster of guest stars, and his feelings about the
character of Alexander Mundy. Wagner’s charisma remains as potent today as when
he made the series, and he obviously retains a strong emotional connection to
what was arguably his most famous role. The show’s abrupt and mystifying
cancellation after season 3, despite solid ratings, took Wagner completely by
surprise, and though he’s gracious about it, it’s clear he regrets the
network’s decision. Listening to him wax reminiscent is pure gold.
As
if that weren’t enough, there’s also a video interview with series writer and
producer Glen A. Larson, who shares fascinating behind-the-scenes insights on
the show’s inception, the differing styles of its producers, and the commitment
to maintaining the scripts’ unique blend of narrative invention, suspense and
sophisticated humor. Rounding out the extras are a collectible booklet with
retrospective essay (full disclosure: penned by this Cinema Retro contributor),
a limited-edition senitype (reproduced 35mm film frame) and 4-piece coaster set
(for imbibing sophisticated cocktails while watching Mundy purloin secret documents
and seduce beautiful girls).
The
packaging is simple, functional and striking. The discs come packed in three
sturdy foldout booklets (one for each season) that are liberally illustrated
with rare publicity stills and cool screen grabs. The booklets themselves, plus
the essay booklet, the senitype (which is set into a protective cardboard
square) and the coasters, are kept in place in a cube-like box with an interior
placeholder. It’s a bit unconventional, but works well enough.
Having
already written extensively about the show on this site, I won’t dwell here on
its creative DNA of action, espionage, humor and hedonism. Fans of It Takes
of Thief are well aware of its ingenious premise, its jet set ambience, its
swinging music, its urbane villains, and its smart and sexy women. They don’t
need to be sold on its merits; they just want the opportunity to add it to
their DVD collections. Suffice it to say that Entertainment One’s class
treatment does justice to the legacy of this one-of-a-kind series and iconic
star.
Click here to order discounted from Amazon
(Click here to read Dean Brierly's 2010 review of the German DVD edition and overview of the series)