MovieChat Forums > The Avengers (1966) Discussion > avengers in color

avengers in color

posted 10 years ago by hifijohn
5 replies | jump to latest

have been watching the avengers in color on hulu,and BTW thank you hulu for the endless commercials,but some of the episodes are unwatchable, I know the show was always over the top but at least in B/W it classy and toned down, but in color its a little too much,some of it bordering on bad slapstick.I was wondering were they told to 'ham it up' for the american audience??also shows like the monkess and laugh-in were very popular at the time and they were very silly.also in some of the episodes peel and steed didnt seem to take the show very seriously.

[–] TheHatefulFred 10 years ago

The black and white (monochrome) Emma Peel episodes are easily the high water mark for the show. I would love to own the color episodes on bluray if they ever correct the apparent audio glitches. But yeah, many of them are pretty silly. Don't get me wrong, I own every available episode of the series from 1961-1969. It is one of my favorite tv shows of all time along with The Prisoner and Secret Agent. I wasn't even born when this stuff aired and I love it to death. But 1965-66 was just a brilliant season.

[–] PrometheusTree64 10 years ago

Yes, of the two Diana Rigg seasons (counted as three in some places) the one black-and-white year is special -- first of all, it has that early-'60s Cold War chill which defines it (much of that year was apparently filmed in 1964, although it wasn't broadcast in America until 65/66) and the tone and the score is more haunting.

The color season(s) with Rigg is more late-'60s BATMANesque. I enjoy it, and it's okay, but can't really compare to the B&W year.

--

The most profound of sin is tragedy unremembered.

[–] greenbudgie 10 years ago

I've just seen that B&W series (No 4) for the first time. Very quirky. And with lots of Cold War worry about it as you say. Just seen my first episode of Season 5 with Emma Peel in color. And I must say I like what I see. The episode shown was actually no 3 in the series. If this is an example of Season 5, it promises to have been even more quirkier than the B&W Emma Peels. Goes into 'Prisoner' mode quite a bit. 'The Prisoner' came out the same year. So it's difficult to tell who borrowed from who.

[–] clivey6 10 years ago

The House That Jack Built is a horror classic, brilliantly directed. Actually, some of these later episodes seemed to me to have flashier direction, as if they had someone new on board, it mirrors The Ipcress File. Talking of which, one of the episodes from 1965 has a very similar plot to Ipcress, with scientists going missing and getting brainwashed.

[–] greenbudgie 10 years ago

I'll look forward to seeing 'The Ipcress File.' I enjoyed 'The House That Jack Built' episode. Definitely plenty of 'mind games' going on in that one.