The Saint, Set 7 (1969)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Original character concept by Leslie Charteris
Produced by Robert S. Baker
Starring Roger Moore and Ivor Dean

Features:

• Original broadcast trailers
  
• Moore biography/filmography
  
• History of The Saint
  
• Production stills
  

Released by: A&E
Region: 1
Rating: NR, suitable for most audiences
Anamorphic: N/A; episodes appear in their original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Own it.

Simon Templar (Moore) is a man driven to help those in need. This drive lands him in hot water on such a frighteningly regular basis, it's a wonder he's still alive. As if the trials and tribulations of rescuing kidnapped daughters of European millionaires, solving murder mysteries, and recovering stolen property weren't enough, Templar's also got more than his fair share of enemies from all this globe-trotting do-gooding, so he's also regularly got to deal with straightforward attempts on his life. But Templar can handle it, because he's just that damned smooth. In this last set of the series, we get the final seven adventures of Templar's career from the popular television series, presented in their original broadcast order.

Moore's portrayal of the legendary adventurer has long been regarded as the definitive one, and with these episodes, it's easy to see why. It's also easy to see why the creators of the James Bond films approached him from the very beginning to play Her Majesty's smoothest secret agent (a role he only accepted after the last episodes of The Saint finished filming). Among these episodes, the cream of the crop is undoubtedly the two-part "Vendetta for the Saint," the only installments in this set drawn directly from Charteris' writings. Simon decides, after a friend is killed, to tackle the mafia head-on in an attempt to get a little revenge and put a stop to their machinations. It's a tense, action-packed story, and Moore plays the vengeance-seeker very well.

The other episodes here are all decent enough, though it serves as confirmation of the vagaries of television that the series ended on such a soft note with "The World Beater," with Templar in a road rally. In a perfect world where dramatic endings got dramatic treatment, the show would have ended with "Vendetta," easily the strongest episodes out of these seven. Broadcast order quibbling aside, the set is great. The episodes look and sound wonderful for their age, and there's only occasional visual scratches or audio pops associated with original stock this old.

Extra features are decent, if not as exhaustive as could be managed. We get early broadcast trailers, a Moore bio, a brief text history of the character, and some stills. The history of the character could really be given a little more of a boost, honestly. Charteris first penned Templar in the late 20s, and there's a body of work unequaled in adventure fiction revolving around the character. If you really wanted something cool, go find some radio episodes and put 'em in as a nice juicy bonus. I'd love to hear Vincent Price's take on the character from his radio serial days.

The Saint is proof that television can be quality entertainment, with sharp writing and exciting stories. In today's vast wasteland of goobers on desert islands and desperate, lonely people trying to get TV America to pair them off with a soulmate, we need Simon Templar more than ever. Pick up a set at your earliest convenience.