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Secret Agent (aka Danger Man) - The Complete Collection Megaset 2007
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Editorial Review:
It was 1965 when American audiences first welcomed handsome principled secret agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan of The Prisoner ) into their homes as CBS ran the unique spy series known as SECRET AGENT.Now at last John Drake s entire crime-solving career including the first season that aired only in the U.K. under the name Danger Man as well as all 47 episodes of the international hit Secret Agent is available in one unique collection. Each episode of this exciting spy thriller is complete and uncut and presented in the original broadcast order from the original Danger Man episodes through the two rarely seen color episodes of Secret Agent that provided a vivid finale to the long-running suspense thriller.The complete Secret Agent series including the first season that aired only in the U.K. is now available togther for the first time in one high-margin 18-disc set.Features all 86 episodes from the SECRET AGENT A.K.A. DANGER MAN series at a 50% discount from buying the Danger Man and Secret Agent Megaset™ collections separatelyStarring the Emmy® Award-winning Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner ). Special Features: Patrick McGoohan Biography/Filmography WComplete Full-Length Original U.S. Opening Featuring SecretAgent Man Sung by Johnny Rivers WPhoto GallerySystem Requirements:Run Time: 3420 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 733961768589 Manufacturer No: AAE-76858
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 1
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
Editorial Review:
Danger Man first aired in 1960 as a half-hour spy program on British television. Phenomenally popular, it returned in England in 1964 as an hour-long series that CBS imported in 1965 for prime-time programming. Taking heed of the James Bond craze and the ratings success of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the show was renamed Secret Agent.This collection contains six vintage 1964 episodes. Patrick McGoohan stars as John Drake, who is dispatched around the globe to quell cold war intrigue. Danger Man was a gritty spy series, relying more on realistic stories of espionage than on the gadgets and beautiful women popularized by 007. The episode "Yesterday's Enemies" is particularly brutal and cynical, as an increasingly conflicted Drake travels to Beirut to uncover a traitorous former British spy's network of double agents. In "Fair Exchange," Drake races to stop a relentless fellow agent from killing the East German secret policeman who tortured her. In "No Marks for Servility," the often undisciplined Drake must pose as "the perfect English butler" to a ruthless blackmailer and extortionist. Also included in this collection are "The Battle of the Cameras," "A Room in the Basement," and "Fish on the Hook." --Donald Liebenson
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 2
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5
Average rating: 4.0 of 5
Editorial Review:
Before he was the title character in The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan was the suave, smooth British intelligence agent John Drake in Danger Man (Secret Agent in the U.S.), Britain's cool and clever cold war espionage series. The eight episodes on Set 2 dabble in darker themes than the shows in the more playful Set 1: the coercion of a defector to return ("The Professionals"), the destabilization of a Latin American government ("Whatever Happened to George Foster"), and a conspiracy surrounding an attempted coup on the eve of elections in an African nation ("The Galloping Major"). For Prisoner fans, however, the highlight is easily "The Colony." This spy school behind the Iron Curtain has a twist: it's an exact replica of a British town with captive citizens. In this episode you can see the inspiration for "Your Village" (as well as an unusually ambivalent conclusion). The spy game is no longer lighthearted gentleman's sport. Also features the episodes "A Date With Doris," "The Mirror's New," "It's Up to the Lady," and "The Colonel's Daughter."The uncut episodes feature the complete British versions, with the Danger Man title and bouncy spinet theme song. But if you miss the Johnny Rivers theme song from the American version of the show, just click to the supplements and you can enjoy the U.S. credits as well as a still gallery and a biography and filmography of star Patrick McGoohan. --Sean Axmaker
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 3
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
Editorial Review:
Much like the U.S. series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., this cool, clever cold war spy show is built on elaborate espionage shell games and diplomatic chicanery, and Patrick McGoohan's John Drake is the ingenious con man behind the bluffs and feints. The eight episodes on set 3 feature the usual array of plots pulled off with tongue-in-cheek charm--the nationalistic fervor of "Have a Glass of Wine" turns espionage into a veritable sporting event between spies, and in "You're Not in Any Trouble, Are You?" Drake gets to the bottom of a murder for hire ring by taking out a hit on himself. But the humor is interspersed with more ambivalent episodes. "That's Two of Us Sorry" offers up a casualty of the cold war mentality, and the assassins school of "Such Men Are Dangerous" rings with an undercurrent of fascism. For sheer invention, "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" delivers a mind game worthy of The Prisoner's Number 2. The set also features "A Man to Be Trusted," "The Affair at Castelevara," and "Don't Nail Him Yet."The episodes feature the complete British cuts, with the Danger Man title and bouncy spinet theme song, but if you miss the Johnny Rivers theme song from the American version of the show, just click to the supplements and you can enjoy the U.S. credits as well as a still gallery and a biography and filmography of star Patrick McGoohan. --Sean Axmaker
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 4
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3
Average rating: 4.5 of 5
More realistic than James Bond 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful.
The people involved in producing and writing this program were previously involved in early post war journalism specializing in espionage. This is what makes the program so realistic. Some liberties are taken from reality by the use of gadgets. Watching this series will give members of the X generation a feel for what the world was like a few decades before they were born.
Danger Man Set 4: Gadgets and Gizmos 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Patrick McGoohan returns as British secret agent John Drake in the fourth boxed set of one hour long episodes of Danger Man. Presented in black and white, are adventures in espionage around the world. Here are summaries and/or comments for the episodes in this set. Episode ratings are on a scale from one to five (best).Volume 7: (Disc 1)
Sting in the Tail (3): This episode features Derren Nesbitt, as "Rachid Noureddine", a hit man headquartered in Beirut. Drake's plan is to lure him to where he can be captured, by using his girlfriend, a nightclub singer. Drake's cover is as an artist, interested in painting the woman's picture. Nesbitt is an actor who usually has a riveting screen presence, and this is the case here. There are sparks, when he and Drake, clash swords over the woman. The plot is simple and direct, though accepting McGoohan as a romantic figure is always a challenge. This episode's title is drawn from a gadget weapon similar to those provided by Q Branch in the Bond films.
The Black Book (4): Sir Noel Blanchard has been indiscreet, and is feeling a blackmailer's bite. John Drake is enlisted to look into the situation, and is sent to Paris to investigate. Tracking the payoff money, Drake encounters a mysterious young woman, and a connection to a Russian spy network. An above average episode, that has a gritty edge. More gadgetry, this time it is a typewriter that tracks and transmits radio signals.
English Lady Takes Lodgers (4): After George Stanway, a well known local smuggler disappears, Drake is sent to Lisbon to investigate. Stanway's wife Emma, takes in boarders, and is on unusually good terms with her lodgers. Drake too becomes a guest, and is soon swept up into the mysterious affairs of the villa's occupants.
Loyalty Always Pays (4): There's trouble in an unnamed African country, where the Minister of Defense has signed a secret treaty with China. Drake is sent in to get proof the treaty's existence. Making use of the local intelligence network to get the information he needs, Drake runs a con game, forcing a security official to help him to get access to the Ministry. This is a well-written episode full of intrigue, and featuring more gadgets.
Volume 8: (Disc 2)
Are You Going To Be More Permanent? (3): The last two comptrollers in Geneva have disappeared. The three local agents are under suspicion. Prepared for a trap, Drake is sent in to ferret out a double agent. A solid, no-frills tale of espionage.
Parallel Lines Sometimes Meet (4): A couple employed at an English atomic research lab, mysteriously disappears. Seeking to discover their fate, John Drake turns up in Haiti, of all places. There he encounters a mysterious English couple, a Russian agent, an overly intrusive police official, and the owner of a mining operation with much to conceal. Forming an alliance with the Russian; Drake explores the secrets of the mine, leading to an explosive finish.
A Very Dangerous Game (4): Drake assumes the identity of a teacher on his way to take a position in Singapore. Upon arrival, Drake is contacted by Chinese spies, and instructed to help trap a British agent. Soon Drake has located the ring's base of operations, and is playing a dangerous game of deception, where the price of failure is death. A fast paced adventure with an interesting but somewhat curious resolution.
The Mercenaries (3): Once again in an unnamed African nation, John Drake's initial undercover role is as a mercenary. Uncovering a connection between the leader of the mercenaries and an unscrupulous surgeon, Drake then must prevent the death of the country's Prime Minister, and avert a forced takeover. This episode is not with some humor, featuring a native witch doctor, and a most impressive pole vault.
In Danger Man Set 4, gadgets and gizmos seem to be more prominent than in previous episodes, particularly in Volume 7. The inclusion of such devices does not detract too much, as they remain tools used within context of the stories. In summary, another solid collection that should satisfy fans of the series, and cold war espionage.
The editors at A&E might pay a bit more attention to detail, and get the location correct in the episode synopsis. Spain is substituted for Portugal, Vienna for Geneva, and Hong Kong for Singapore. Fans of Danger Man, may find my other reviews of the series of interest. Be seeing you.
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 5
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
"Six feet two and a half inches at your service, Madam..." 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 25 people found this review helpful.
Patrick McGoohan is back as John Drake, the stylish no-nonsense good guy. Sets 4 and 5 of this clever spy show contain some of the best Danger Man episodes of all. Drake himself is a shade more cynical than in the earlier sets, and he is more reluctant than ever to blindly obey his upper-class superiors. Sometimes he seems tired of his job which forces him to live without wife and family and one can feel he is on the brink of resigning. As he is shown to be a chivalrous man, he is genuinely upset when his missions force him to inflict emotional distress on a lady.The quotation above is from the delightful comedy "Have A Glass Of Wine" from set 3, but there are few as lighthearted episodes in sets 4 and 5. Most of the stories here are serious dramas, with lots of memorable scenes and sometimes tragic endings.
In "To Our Best Friend" Drake has to investigate one of his oldest friends who is suspected of being a double agent. Drake has to find the real traitor and at the same time save his friend from being executed by his own department.
In "The Man On The Beach" Drake's own loyalty is being questioned. The arrogance and cynicism he displays in this episode do not help him in that difficult situation. The episode has two spectacular and brutal fight sequences and memorable scenes with Patrick McGoohan and three leading ladies. Watch out for Drake's powerful scenes with Lady Kilrush and the dramatic ending.
The atmosphere of "The Man Who Wouldn't Talk" is particularly oppressive. Much of the story is set in a hotel room in Sofia - with the Bulgarian secret police closing in on Drake and a colleague of his who has to be rescued from imprisonment and torture.
In "Sting In The Tail" Derren Nesbitt almost steals the acting honours as psychopathic assassin Nourredine. In a chilling, film-noir like scene, two of Nourredine's thugs prepare to beat Drake up with the murderer cynically commenting on the procedure and a record playing Chopin's Nocturnes in the background.
"Someone Is Liable To Get Hurt" shows Drake in a very "Number-Sixish" mood. Part of the episode is set in a spacious villa where Drake is being held captive by a beautiful femme fatale. The situation makes him furious and we can watch him pacing up and down like a caged panther, constantly snapping his fingers and barely able to contain his rage. Patrick McGoohan is always great in scenes like these.One of my all-time favourite episodes is "Are You Going To Be More Permanent?" which is a companion piece to "You Are Not In Any Trouble, Aren't You?" In both stories Drake obviously breaks his no-romance rule and both have the lovely Susan Hampshire as leading lady. She and Mr. McGoohan have several terrific scenes together and there are moments of intense sensuality between them. In the final scenes, which include some of the finest acting moments in the whole series, Drake's loneliness and disappointment are almost tangible.
"Danger Man" is a unique show. It has clever plots, beautiful filming, haunting music and a charismatic leading man. What further adds to its attraction is the way it captures the political climate of the Sixties which was so different from ours today. Britain still had parts of her empire, some of the episodes show the problems of newly independent countries and the British people left behind in their former colonies and in the Middle Eastern episodes the spirit of the Great Game of the 19th century can still be felt. This spirit of adventure makes the show still highly enjoyable and interesting to watch.
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man, Set 6
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
A dark, realistic, and stunning classic 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.
I've been a big follower of 60's cult television and Secret Agent Man is by far the darkest and most realistic of the spy genre. Assasinations, plot twist after plot twist, intelligent writing that will keep you on the edge of your seat--this series has it all---even a character that is showing his frustration at what his job involves (which helps to build the perfect segway into "The Prisoner"--) The set completes the 1 hour collection (and I certainly hope that they'll release the 1/2 hour episodes at some time)-- My only critique is that they should have included not only the 1 hour versions of "Shindo Shima" and "Koroshi" (as they did) but also the entire full length version as it was put together for a feature film--a few scenes were added for continuity that collectors would have appreciated-
(even moreso because the segway that ties the two episodes together in the film version actually shows a differant impression of where an agent's loyalty lies then in the pt.1 and pt.2 version---a cool little twist that you'll only catch in the film version)---At any rate---the entire series is fantastic and excluding the final two episodes, the noirish Black and White atmosphere of Secret Agent morphing into the color of The Prisoner has an almost Wizard of Oz effect if you watch the two series back to back and assume that Drake and No. 6 are indeed the same character (which I tend to believe regardless of the lingering debate amongst hardcore fans)
Editorial Review:
He's a spy like no other. The top operative for the shadowy government agency M9, John Drake is reluctant to resort to violence, rarely draws his gun, and never ends up in bed with the girl. Before he made history as the Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan broke the mold for small-screen spies with SECRET AGENT. This collection includes the nine final episodes of the classic series--digitally restored, remastered and presented in their original U.S. broadcast order--and features the only two shows filmed in color.Episodes: I Can Only Offer You Sherry, The Hunting Party, Two Birds with One Bullet, I'm Afraid You Have the Wrong Number, The Man with the Foot, The Paper Chase, The Not-So-Jolly Roger, Koroshi, Shinda Shima.
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man Megaset
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
The Best Television Can Get 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 19 people found this review helpful.
Known in the States as Secret Agent Man, Danger Man - with just a few misfire episodes, is for me, the best television in history. Better at what it does than what Seinfeld did for its genre, better even, than the BBC's The Office. 'The Best.' The stonking, pound-for-pound champion of television. Better still, than its successor, The Prisoner.
Despite what has dated, what is stunning about Danger Man is what has not. In a sense, it's sickeningly depressing, because the plot concerns are eerily of the moment. Right wing takeovers, identity theft, internment camps, Geneva and Rome endings for unlucky agents ... and a majority of episodes concerning the Middle East, which- either through huge coincidence or prescience, relate to Iraq, Israel and Lebanon! There is even a slightly anti-Israeli cautionary tale - how likely is that, today or any day? (No turncoat is John Drake; there is a touching episode or three when Drake doesn't cut any slack to those who have sold out their country, whatever their sad stories.)
Despite rumors, Patrick McGoohan was apparently never in British Intelligence. A little boxing, stage acting and chicken farming, yes; spying, no. McGoohan certainly fits the perception of the professional spy: Incredibly handsome, tall, and tough - but separate that image - also, humane, free of racial prejudiced and pro-women. Drake uses brain and brawn- he throws a good right hander, for example, though his pathetically slow running, is thankfully, kept to a minimum. (For a real laugh, dig Sean Connery running in You Only Live Twice. These spy cats ain't sprinters.)
As has been noted countless times, it's rather remarkable, that the program's standard of writing -in an average episode, as high as a good film - was maintained, week in, week out. Rare duff episodes aside, Danger Man is that rare show with consistently great and novel writing. Many episodes demand repeated viewing.
The Danger man formula included fine photography. There are exotic exteriors - McGoohan who incidentally, co-wrote several of the better episodes, let his camera people fly around the world and film whatever they liked. The interiors were filmed - I believe at Shepperton and with a few conspicuous exceptions, (some 'beaches' set in the Caribbean are dire) the interiors are HIGHLY convincing. Thus, the exterior shots of the Alps are followed by cuts to Switzerland- at- Shepperton, if you will; just marvelous; though the lighting of course, never matched.
In most episodes, Drake meets his masters for assignments in a variety of London locales. Brilliant. Are our own security services this smart? The wonderful harpsichord tune, an inevitable shot of a jet plane landing God knows where and we know: 'Here comes Drake, the brainy detective to once again, prevail with his wits - with a little help from dem fists!'
The foresight is creepy. McGoohan, who must be a peacenik, seems, from almost 40 years ago, to warn us across the chasm of time, of the dangers of a society under constant surveillance, plagued by right-wing lunatics, both harassed and sold out. A society with an uncertain future. Using his masterful Shakespearian voice (he was voted tops on the stage in 60') a fairly good range and some specialties - drunks are particularly good; McGoohan and company are very formulaic per 1960's norm - but what a wonderful brew they've concocted.
The guest stars are, almost without exception, excellent and diverse. So good that when a well-known British character actor is doing the world's worst Scottish accent; somehow, the plot flows on. The terrible attempts at a burr are in fact, an unadvertised, campy bonus. Surprises abound from a talented cast of stars - in many cases, easily eclipsing the performances of name actors from the big screen.
In the final analysis, it is Drake, Pat McGoohan and the writers, himself included, which make this the best show in the short history of TV. Patriot and lover of Britain to the end, handy man with gadgets, hater of guns and promiscuous sex, these are part of the appeal. But it is the palpable sense of doubled standards worrying Drake that is the real star shower: 'How bad is the East,' and, 'Does the murder' (yes, murder) 'that our side gets up to ... is it justified in a war on, among other things, terror and is the price sustainable?'
The best episode is a pure fantasy rather than a espionage or political thriller. It is a tale of identity theft involving perfect plastic surgery - impossible in 1964, yet today's news. That episode, 'Slay It With Flowers,' with its dazzling guest stars - foremost, young Rachel Herbert with a stellar turn as the innkeeper's daughter, is probably the best that television will ever be A plot torn from today's headlines ... fine acting, palpable danger, and above all John Drake's creed that people who don't deserve to get hurt, do.
But not if he can help it. And help he does.
Dangerman is here!
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man (Volume 6, 5 episodes + extras)
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Editorial Review:
"Don't Nail Him Yet", "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove", "Have a Glass of Wine", "You're not in Trouble are You?"
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man (Volume 3, 4 Episodes + Extras)
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Editorial Review:
"The Professionals", "A Date with Dorris", "The Mirror's New", "Colony Three"
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