Rating: 
Summary: "Cult - Classics" A brief overview
Review: The term "Cult", properly speaking; means any organized system of belief... so how this term ever came to be applied to movies and television programs is beyond me... In any event, the best movies and T.V. series and what have you, almost without exception, were produced back in the fantastic seventies... in color... best science-fiction movies; Silent Running (1972) and "Sleeper" with Woody Allen... "Logan's Run" wasn't too shabby either... But complete start-to-finish T.V. series are always superior to mere movies because they're more comprehensive... that's one good reason among any other number of reasons why Battle Star Galactica (1978) is far superior to the "Star Wars" movies even though a lot of material from the two are virtually identical... what about best war movies?... Apocalypse Now (1979)... by far... best overall T.V. series?... Planet of the Apes with Ron Harper..."UFO" (Ed Bishop... this was a superior British production starring an American)...Space 1999... S.W.A.T.; Baretta; Mannix; Kung Fu (David Carridine); Dr. Who; Barney Miller; Barnaby Jones; Rockford Files; Circle of Fear; Night Stalker with Darren McGaven... among others... unfortunately, however, not all of these excellent series are presently available on DVD or SVCD to the best of my knowledge... I wish they were... I also don't purchase these types of products merely for "entertainment" purposes... Although there's certainly nothing wrong with a little "R&R" (rest and relaxation)... I personally collect DVD's and such as a study in americana... for information purposes... for nostalgia... and as a study in social "evolution" if you will... I was recently reading on amazon.com some very interesting reviews of the 1960's psychological thriller called "Prisoner" starring and produced by Patrick McGoohan... (not the comic book guy called Mr. McGoo)... and I also recently purchased the boxed mega-set containing 10 individual albums with every single episode... a must have for prisoner fanatics but I bought it just to add to my collection... Now, I also grew up with that kind of stuff and that was a darn good series for its time... However, the beginning can only be as good as the ending... but unfortunately, the program developed into an utterly childish, silly, overly dramatic neurotic fantasy played out particularly in the final two episodes, by a bunch of mostly jerky British actors whose names I cannot even remember off the top of my head... especially the tall lanky red-haired freak in the gun fight scene... as an exception to... the rule (the rule which says that the 1970's produced the best scripts; cinematography & soundtracks) is the mid-to-late 1990's series called Nowhere Man starring Bruce Greenwood (an American) which is far superior to "Prisoner" in every respect or anything else like it as is "Spy!" (1989) starring the same actor but, unfortunately, is not yet available on DVD or even VHS video to the best of my knowledge__ End C.B.M....C. Brendan McHugh is a disabled veteran as well as a former marine noncommissioned officer who has been residing in the Orient for the better part of the past twenty years going back to 1986 while serving with the 3rd Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan... he has written a number of books and studies mostly on Science; Religion; & Philosophy; some of which were formerly published by the Dean Burgon Society and which are maintained in print by the Pilar Loyola Estate.+
Rating: 
Summary: Fine Classic Viewing. A Must for Patrick McGoohan Fans
Review: This megaset is well worth the price. Each episode in original broadcast order, crystal clear uncut in glorious black and white, except for the final two episodes of course. Relive the excitement along with excellent characterizations over 47 episodes. Includes the original U.S. opening Secret Agent Man them.
Rating:
Summary: The orginal secret agent
Review: This series which was broadcast on regular tv years ago is perfect for baby boomers as well as James bond fans. John Drake outsmarts the spies with his brains ve brawn. He has a bag of secret agent tools such as an electric shaver that contain micro tapes that records his summary of his activities and the other sides discussions. He is sure of himself and is a top operative for the British secret service. This box set contains the entire set that was released for American TV. Enjoy it as I did and so will you! You will remember the series soundtrack that lasts a lifetime! Over and out..
Rating:
Summary: US vs UK confusion; the half-hour shows now available
Review: US vs UK and boxed-set confusion: The very good first half-hour series, called "Danger Man" when broadcast in both the US and UK, is now available in the US in NTSC format in a 5-DVD set under the title "Danger Man - The Complete First Season." The superb later one-hour series, called "Danger Man" when broadcast in the UK and "Secret Agent" when broadcast in the US, is sold here under the title "Danger Man AKA Secret Agent" on 13 DVDs. (5 of the previously-released 6 subsets have 2 DVDs, one has 3 DVDs.) The way the publishers have confused all this -- "Someone Is Liable to Get Hurt." ------------------------ Now for the actual shows: "You're Not in Any Trouble, Are You?" In both the half-hour and the one-hour shows, he is an intelligence agency troubleshooter who is sent in to do "the messy jobs" (as he narrates in the half-hour intro.) In the half-hour shows he assumed a transatlantic accent and is sometimes referred to as being from the US or NATO. The opening shot is of the US Capitol dome. In the one-hour shows he is from "M9" and there are regular shots of the dome of St Peter's. When the one-hour shows were run on US network TV, a short theme and intro were added for the US market. Different title -"Secret Agent" in the US; "Danger Man" in the UK. The add-on has a twirling gun, a gloved hand (not Drake's) firing three shots, and the Johnny Rivers song - all ending with a gunshot sound. More gunplay than in the actual episodes! The DVDs are of the UK version. The US theme and intro are included as a separate track at the end of each DVD. The music under the closing credits of each episode is the UK harpsichord theme rather than Johnny Rivers. The half-hour shows are also very good. They don't have the plot complexity (most of the one-hour shows have a very realistic major setback or other plot twist at the half-way point) or the plot depth (the half-hour shows are nearly 100% action and suspense; McGoohan and the excellent guest stars have more time for characterization in the one-hour shows.) And, of course, it is the later one-hour shows that bring out Drake's moral concerns and rebelliousness about his work. The half-hour shows and the one-hour shows are beautifully plotted, written, acted, and filmed. The half-hour shows are very satisfying and will give you a lift. I have to admit that some of the one-hour shows, being more realistic, can be a bit of a downer. ------------------------ Connection with "The Prisoner" "I am not a number - I am a free man!" I personally do not like the next series - the nightmarish "The Prisoner." Most episodes have poor plots, little character development, no foreign locations, few guest stars, no humor, uninteresting costumes, the midget butler, that silly teeter-totter, the overdrawn villains, and the horrible weather balloon. (The killer robot failed - the balloon was a last-minute fix.) The reason that he is not called "John Drake" is that Ralph Smart, creator and producer of "Danger Man" and "Secret Agent" would allow use of the character. (Just like Bob Denver can appear wearing the costume but cannot bill himself as "Gilligan") The reason the episodes are so uneven is that at the last minute, McGoohan had to come up with ten more episodes than the seven he had originally planned - in order to sell the show to American TV. His budget was not appreciably increased to pay for the additional filming and it shows. ------------------------ In conclusion: "No Marks for Servility" Anyhow, get this set and the "Danger Man - The Complete First Season" set as well. Then you know the whole story.
Rating:
Summary: Prince of Spies
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Only hour episodes in this megaset
Review: While I agree with "George O." that the 30-minute episodes from 1960-61 are worth viewing, this Megaset includes only the 1964-66 B&W and 1968 color episodes (all of which were 60 minutes), previously released as Secret Agent AKA Danger Man sets 1-6. The first series is now available from Amazon -- see DANGER MAN - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (ASIN: B0000TWNAQ).
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!
Review: `Secret Agent' was the series that preceded Patrick McGoohan's `The Prisoner'. Having seen `Secret Agent' for the first time makes you understand `The Prisoner' much more. The agent that resigned in `The Prisoner' is probably John Drake of `Secret Agent'. It was a brilliant espionage TV series with many ideas that were later seen in the `James Bond' movies and `Mission Impossible'. It was brilliantly written and played and although most of the episodes are in black and white, it doesn't make much difference as long as it is so fascinating and reliable. It really stands the test of time. Every episode is different than the other but they all involve spy games. The quality of the series exceeds anything we see today.
So Patrick, why did you resign?
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