Lee Cushing's Blog - Posts Tagged "simon-templar"
Return Of The Saint - Duel In Venice
This was my introduction to the Saint with a wonderfully evil villain played by Maurice Colbourne.
When the daughter of one of his oldest friends is kidnapped in Venice, the Saint faces a desperate race against time. Linda (Cathryn Harrison) has been abducted by Jed Blackett (Maurice Colbourne). Blackett and Simon have crossed paths before – five years ago in Mozambique.
Ever since, Blackett has been waiting for the opportunity to exact his revenge and Linda finds herself the unfortunate bait in his trap. Simon has just six hours to find the girl, but luckily for him he has assistance from an attractive taxi driver called Claudia (Carole Andre) …
Ian Ogilvy’s favourite episode, it’s clear that the star of Duel in Venice is the city itself. Had it been set in London it would have been a decent runaround but nothing special. The gorgeous sights and sounds of Venice make all the difference.
It’s a pity that the story bears some similarities with the previously transmitted episode The Nightmare Man (an adversary from the Saint’s past is out for revenge) but that’s down to the vagaries of scheduling I guess. And the problem of dubbing raises its head again – everybody (especially Maurice Colbourne) sounds like they’re dubbed for large parts of the episode.
Colbourne has a nice line in hysterical giggling and portrays Blackett as a completely deranged character. It’s by no means a subtle performance, but since his screen time is quite limited (he mainly just pops up every now and again to taunt Simon) it’s not really a problem. Cathryn Harrison has little to do except react to Blackett’s villainy with wide-eyed fear – such as when he fits her with an acoustic necklace (any loud sound would cause it to instantly tighten, killing her instantly).
So the bulk of the story is a two-hander with Simon and Claudia. Carole Andre gives a lovely performance as the headstrong, argumentative Claudia and it’s her local knowledge which helps the Saint to eventually track Blackett down.
We never find out exactly how Simon and Blackett originally met. Since Blackett is a mercenary and he claims that Simon left him for dead, the inference is that they were both fighting on the same side in some war. It seems an uncharacteristic thing for the Saint to have done, but there’s another moment in the story which does hint at a darker side to Simon Templar.
Early on, Simon approaches Guido (Enzo Fiermonte) for assistance. He’s a man of great knowledge and power (presumably a local gangster) but is initially reluctant to help, until Simon (with the aid of a gun) persuades him. When the Saint threatens to put a hole in his head, it’s possible to believe that he’s bluffing – but he might not be.
It’s easy to believe that Leslie Charteris’ Saint would have been prepared to shoot, since the literary Saint was a much more amoral, violent character (when transferred to television, the Saint was greatly watered down). This (and the reference to Mozambique) helps to imply that the relaxed, affable playboy that Simon Templar appears to be may not the whole picture. (Archive Television Musings)
Check out my author profile - Lee Cushing
When the daughter of one of his oldest friends is kidnapped in Venice, the Saint faces a desperate race against time. Linda (Cathryn Harrison) has been abducted by Jed Blackett (Maurice Colbourne). Blackett and Simon have crossed paths before – five years ago in Mozambique.
Ever since, Blackett has been waiting for the opportunity to exact his revenge and Linda finds herself the unfortunate bait in his trap. Simon has just six hours to find the girl, but luckily for him he has assistance from an attractive taxi driver called Claudia (Carole Andre) …
Ian Ogilvy’s favourite episode, it’s clear that the star of Duel in Venice is the city itself. Had it been set in London it would have been a decent runaround but nothing special. The gorgeous sights and sounds of Venice make all the difference.
It’s a pity that the story bears some similarities with the previously transmitted episode The Nightmare Man (an adversary from the Saint’s past is out for revenge) but that’s down to the vagaries of scheduling I guess. And the problem of dubbing raises its head again – everybody (especially Maurice Colbourne) sounds like they’re dubbed for large parts of the episode.
Colbourne has a nice line in hysterical giggling and portrays Blackett as a completely deranged character. It’s by no means a subtle performance, but since his screen time is quite limited (he mainly just pops up every now and again to taunt Simon) it’s not really a problem. Cathryn Harrison has little to do except react to Blackett’s villainy with wide-eyed fear – such as when he fits her with an acoustic necklace (any loud sound would cause it to instantly tighten, killing her instantly).
So the bulk of the story is a two-hander with Simon and Claudia. Carole Andre gives a lovely performance as the headstrong, argumentative Claudia and it’s her local knowledge which helps the Saint to eventually track Blackett down.
We never find out exactly how Simon and Blackett originally met. Since Blackett is a mercenary and he claims that Simon left him for dead, the inference is that they were both fighting on the same side in some war. It seems an uncharacteristic thing for the Saint to have done, but there’s another moment in the story which does hint at a darker side to Simon Templar.
Early on, Simon approaches Guido (Enzo Fiermonte) for assistance. He’s a man of great knowledge and power (presumably a local gangster) but is initially reluctant to help, until Simon (with the aid of a gun) persuades him. When the Saint threatens to put a hole in his head, it’s possible to believe that he’s bluffing – but he might not be.
It’s easy to believe that Leslie Charteris’ Saint would have been prepared to shoot, since the literary Saint was a much more amoral, violent character (when transferred to television, the Saint was greatly watered down). This (and the reference to Mozambique) helps to imply that the relaxed, affable playboy that Simon Templar appears to be may not the whole picture. (Archive Television Musings)
Check out my author profile - Lee Cushing
The Saint In London Review
This is the 13th installment in the Saint series, and like the previous books, this is a compilation of three novellas that originally appeared in magazines. These stories date to the early 1930, which readers need to keep in mind to understand some of the references to the then-current events.
In the first story, Simon once again encounters the arch-villain Rayt Marius, perhaps for the final time. Marius has been told he has only a short time left to live and has decided to take Simon with him. He sends his memoirs to Simon, detailing his exploits and naming names. He has also his former cohorts mentioned in the book that Templar has evidence against them, leaving Simon with the challenge of living long enough to finish the book.
The second story involves Simon infiltrating the enemy's camp in disguise to a damsel in distress, needing to fight not a dragon but panther to the day, and incidentally once infuriating Inspector Teal.
The final story involves Simon suffering from his own fame. A copycat has begun leaving behind Simon's apparently well-known calling card, leading the police to assume that Simon has been quite busy.
Readers need to keep in that these stories are about 80 years old to understand the 'current event' references the technology of the thirties, and the attitudes of that time. When these stories were written, the character of Hoppy, Simon's sidekick, was seen as a harmless stooge meant to provide some needed muscle and comic relief. In today's more politically correct times, readers might see Simon's relationship with Hoppy not as evidence of Simon's good-natured tolerance but as cold-hearted exploitation of a mentally handicapped man with a drinking problem.
If the reader can get past these holdovers from the past and simply enjoy the story for what it is - a great adventure where there is never any real question as to whether or not our hero will not prevail.
In the first story, Simon once again encounters the arch-villain Rayt Marius, perhaps for the final time. Marius has been told he has only a short time left to live and has decided to take Simon with him. He sends his memoirs to Simon, detailing his exploits and naming names. He has also his former cohorts mentioned in the book that Templar has evidence against them, leaving Simon with the challenge of living long enough to finish the book.
The second story involves Simon infiltrating the enemy's camp in disguise to a damsel in distress, needing to fight not a dragon but panther to the day, and incidentally once infuriating Inspector Teal.
The final story involves Simon suffering from his own fame. A copycat has begun leaving behind Simon's apparently well-known calling card, leading the police to assume that Simon has been quite busy.
Readers need to keep in that these stories are about 80 years old to understand the 'current event' references the technology of the thirties, and the attitudes of that time. When these stories were written, the character of Hoppy, Simon's sidekick, was seen as a harmless stooge meant to provide some needed muscle and comic relief. In today's more politically correct times, readers might see Simon's relationship with Hoppy not as evidence of Simon's good-natured tolerance but as cold-hearted exploitation of a mentally handicapped man with a drinking problem.
If the reader can get past these holdovers from the past and simply enjoy the story for what it is - a great adventure where there is never any real question as to whether or not our hero will not prevail.
