The Avengers International Fan Forum

Written by Martin Woodhouse

Directed by Peter Hammond

Production completed: 11 October 1963

This was the first videotape Avengers I saw in the early 90's. Once I'd been reacquainted with the show in 1992 whilst on holiday in Florida (watching repeats everyday), I was keen to see it again and I wasn't aware of the videos at the time. It must have been 1993 as I think channel 4 did some sort of TV Heaven series of repeats. My brother recorded about two thirds of the episode. It didn't really register that the theme was different (!?!) or that it was shot on videotape. I connected the episode to Death at Bargain Prices as they both had a blind man living in a large penthouse. Then I forgot about it.

I got the video in 1999 (Dial a Deadly Number and Get-A-Way on same tape) and by that point I already knew it was a Peter Hammond directed story who had fast become a favourite. His work didn't disappoint. It's packed with some wonderful shots, the famous mirrored table top shot from the opening scene. There's lots of tracking shots around Halvarssen's brutalist home/office. A wonderful special effects shot of poor Dr. Spender falling to his doom seen in the reflection of the assassin's sunglasses.

Hammond also got a good cast and this has Peter Bowles (always good value), John Carson (so different in all his appearances), Ronald Adam (poor man seems to suffer from the technical faults like the phone falling to ring on time) and an actor who don't know Judy Bruce, who does a brilliant aloof manner.

It's a strong script by Martin Woodhouse. Though it has the rather clichéd diamond smuggling aspect, it's wrapped up in intriguing situations and great characters. I like how Steed and Cathy both get their own acts. Steed handles act one mostly dealing with Halvarssen and Cathy gets act two dealing with the Swiss clinic.

The whole episode just looks and feels so sophisticated. Love it.

10/10

I watched this last night whilst following along with the camera script. It made for a fascinating exercise to note the changes in dialogue and camera moves.

I spotted deleted scenes. Two whole short scenes are missing from Act 2. A sequence of Dr. Spender going down the corridor to Hilda Brauer's room and the following scene in the operating theatre with dialogue about the operation.

There's one scene where it was scripted as using two cameras but in the event they only used one.

8 for me. Peter Bowles is good here and I remember the Swiss connection; I don't remember much of an outdoor shot of Switzerland?

darren wrote:I watched this last night whilst following along with the camera script. It made for a fascinating exercise to note the changes in dialogue and camera moves.

I spotted deleted scenes. Two whole short scenes are missing from Act 2. A sequence of Dr. Spender going down the corridor to Hilda Brauer's room and the following scene in the operating theatre with dialogue about the operation.

I've just watched it and compared to the camera scrip pdf on the DVD but can't see any scenes in the script (pages 42-44 in the copy with "Tony Pelly" on the front page?) that aren't on the DVD. Is it possible you saw an edited version?

one of the better Gale episodes...as she makes her presence known, etc

A first look at Second Sight. The brothers view and review....

I've noticed a few of these threads..comment about using these video fans....so which one seems to be preferred ? Marie...or the ' brothers ' ???

in terms of their reviews, etc