Secret Agent AKA Danger Man Megaset (1965) Review

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(More customer reviews)What was golden about "Secret Agent" in 1965 remains golden: it tackles the familiar spy-story themes---duty, honor, country; loyalty, brotherhood, betrayal---with a theatrical style, with romanticism, wit, and grace, often with deep human feeling. In 1965, when the moral norms in television and movies were starting to go to hell in a handbasket and the spy genre was characterized by the comic-book vulgarity of the James Bond films and the moral pessimism of John Le Carre, the strong moral tone and absence of promiscuity in "Secret Agent" were remarkable. That turned out to be a deliberate device, at the personal insistence of the star. Certain of the writers and directors seemed to recognize the possibilities and seize on them, deftly exploiting their star's unique characteristics to create some fascinating, unforgettable television.
With this reissue of the complete '65-'66 series on DVD---and now that things in the culture have gotten a lot darker---my own thanks go to Patrick McGoohan for that particular moment in his career: for the glowing, graceful Cold Warrior he made of John Drake; for his insistence on a principled approach to the character; for the enduring mystery of personality he brought to a small-screen hero.
Can't go to the theater? Watch McGoohan, with his strange quality of aggressive shyness, in a repertory of amusing impersonations: the tipsy playboy, the wheeler-dealer businessman, the shy schoolteacher, the crisp colonial officer, the langorous beachcomber, the insolent artist, the veddy English butler, the flirtatious German encyclopedia salesman, the supercilious physician ("It's Bailey-Carpenter---ehm---there's a hyphen"). The darkness of "The Prisoner" and 35 years of villain roles haven't dimmed the glow of this princely performance, or the image of the decent, thoughtful man behind it, who seemed to care so genuinely about his influence on the television audience.
Faulkner said, "The artist's duty is to lift up men's hearts and help them endure." The people who worked on this series did their duty.
So spend your money. This is great stuff.
M.E.M.

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He always fights fair. He rarely carries a gun. He never falls into bed with the girl. He is John Drake, a spy like no other.Before he made TV history with The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan rocketed to stardom with his unforgettable portrayal of the principled Drake, a top operative for the British M9 Intelligence Agency. Stylish, suspenseful, and smart, SECRET AGENT's missions took Drake to the corners of the globe on the trail of international criminals, corrupt politicians and stolen secrets.This definitive DVD collection includes all 47 episodes of SECRET AGENT. From the opening strains of Johnny Rivers's classic theme song to the two rarely-seen color shows that brought the series to a close, every moment is here, digitally remastered and presented in the original CBS broadcast order.

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