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THE SAINT: THE EARLY EPISODES
Set 2
Review by Chastity Campbell
Starring: Roger Moore
Director: Various
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
Video: 1.33:1 Standard Fullscreen
B&W
Studio: A&E
Features: See Review
Length: 816 Minutes
Release Date: August 30,
2005
Film **
Roger Moore has held many jobs over the years.
At one point he was a Moonraker, which was an out of this world
job. For a while he worked in the
Zoo’s aquatic center tending the Octopussy, and he’s always had a Live
and Let Die attitude about life.
However, those jobs in my opinion don’t compare to his
earlier career choice of becoming a Saint. Now, we are not talking about your garden variety, halo
wearing, wing bearing saints here. No,
this is the kind of Saint that can charm the knickers off a blonde at twenty
paces, while foiling the bad guys' plots, and still have time for a smoke and
dance.
I think the only way you can truly appreciate Mr. Moore and
his smoke tinged halo is to pick up The Saint: The Early Episodes set 2
on DVD.
Simon is the suavest saint this side of trouble, and he
proves that he’s still got the same magic touch he had in Set 1.
Whether he’s foiling the bad guys, running from the ever persistent
Inspector Teal, or seducing the newest lady of the hour, you’ll never find
yourself bored when in the company of the Saint.
The Saint is one of those older TV shows that can
really give you a since of what creativity and imagination used to be.
TV fans are currently left with an entire entertainment industry bogged
down in Reality TV shows and teen soap operas that rely more on shock value each
week than creativity. What’s the
cure for this serious lack of entertainment on TV?
A saintly intervention of course!
Whether your viewing the Saint for the first time,
or you are a returning fan, you will definitely get a dose of good old fashioned
entertainment when you pop in one of these DVDs!
Video **
I wish there was something amazing to report about the
video on this four-disc set. However,
black and white TV shows from the 60’s don’t really have a lot going for
them other than the handsome actors and actresses in each episode.
The 1.33:1 Standard Fullscreen format worked well for this
TV show. There is no need for wide
sweeping angles and panoramic views when it’s a good old-fashioned detective
show that begs you to pay attention to the smaller on screen details.
Black and white is devoid of color, but the use of shadows,
and lighting help illuminate not only the actors, but the sets as well.
A lot of detail went into the sets for series like this one, and
sometimes the colorless images will reveal more details to you than their vivid
counterparts ever could.
Audio **
Audio is so very important.
Never has the need for good clean audio been as high as it is right now.
The digital age is spoiling us all beyond belief, and I’m afraid that
older shows like The Saint will suffer at the hands of critics who are
unable to be forgiving of the audio and video quality when it makes its way onto
DVD.
I’m sure some work was done to the audio tracks in order
to get them transferred onto DVD. However,
there is quite a bit of hiss and hum audible, along with fluctuating audio
levels.
This Dolby Digital Stereo mix was not the best audio I’ve
ever heard, but I can be lenient because I know how old this show is.
I understand that audio recording techniques from that era are beyond
outdated, and digital recordings were just a gleam in some super techno geek’s
eye. So I have to stand in the
middle of the road on this box set’s audio.
It’s not great, but it’s not horrible either.
Features **
This Saint isn’t going to earn any big points
toward his wings with these extras, but a little goes a long way to getting your
foot in the door, I always say!
A Featurette giving us “The History of The Saint”
is included for your viewing pleasure, along with Roger Moore’s Biography and
Filmography.
A photo gallery of saintly images, interactive menus and
scene selection serve to round out the extras this box set has to offer.
Summary:
