Mrs. Peel, We're Needed book
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Frankymole
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anti-clockwise
- Mission... Highly Improbable!
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dissolute
- The Ministry
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Lovely shot of Catherine Woodville there, Franky.anti-clockwise wrote:Who are you today Franky via avatar?Frankymole wrote:Emma's everything!
Mrs Peel, you're needed!
http://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avengers-tv-series/
Every episode from 1961 to 1977 plus more trivia than you can shake a brolly at.
http://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avengers-tv-series/
Every episode from 1961 to 1977 plus more trivia than you can shake a brolly at.
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Frankymole
- You Have Just Been Posting (a lot)
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anti-clockwise
- Mission... Highly Improbable!
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Frankymole
- You Have Just Been Posting (a lot)
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Rodders
- The Bird Who Wrote Too Much
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Well, I finally have a copy of Mrs. Peel, We’re Needed in my hand, which is a great relief after months of editing and proof-reading. I remain convinced that reading a text on screen – how many times you do it – is not the same as having paper perched in your hands. Maybe that’s my age!
What strikes me is that if these Avengers on film books ‘work’ – in terms of quality rather than quantity (of pages, sales etc.) – it is because of the sheer range, not only of writing styles but of the different backgrounds and life-skills which each writer brings to the collective ‘table’. A book solely written by a group of academics would lack the variety.
Read Richard’s chapter on Venus – no, I’m not suggesting space travel! – and you are struck by how he brings his acting experience to play. He’s interested in the theatrical qualities of The Avengers and Diana Rigg’s unique ability to deliver a ‘simple’ line so brilliantly. As the son of a script writer, my interest tends to centre on the ways in which the written text is transformed into the visual one; the crucial, complex relationship between script and director. Piers likes to centre on the visual details: direction, camera work, sets, etc. His afterword with its Australian context is fascinating. This led me to use him as an epitaph:
“The Avengers in pop culture is The Avengers with Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee, in colour. Even though that represents only one sixth of the whole, it is this season that defines the show. Look anywhere – shallow musing on online blogs, television history websites, pub trivia nights, internationally broadcast quiz shows, probably even Stephen Fry. They all imagine Mrs. Emma Peel in a blue and purple catsuit when they think of The Avengers. I do too, even though I know better...” (Piers Johnson)
Wonderful stuff! JZ Ferguson is fascinated by the characters themselves and their complex relationships with each other. Her approach is both full of brilliant observations but also waves of warm humanity. Sam, as a professional writer, loves to unravel the layers in the stories, bringing his wonderful punning in to play, matching the playful nature of the stories themselves. I used a quote from him in the front of the book as well, one which fits well with Lauren’s:
“There is colour, there is variety, and there is a mixture of textures and flavours…The new season presents plots which are rather more flimsy than those of the monochrome episodes, and characters which rarely possess the same depth. But we are still being offered a collection of stylish and sophisticated extravagances, with often hard and dark centres. And a choice selection of nuts.” (Sam Denham)
For James it is (almost) all about Emma Peel and the erotically charged aspects of Avengerland. James’s approach involves inventing unseen scenes and “erotic embellishments” and he also draws on his background of research to look for historical connections. Bernard is fascinated by science fiction and his interest lies in how the stories are an integral part of the cultural context: space exploration, comic books, science fiction novels etc. Margo’s background as a psychiatrist enables her to look at the ways in which the minds of the characters – particularly scientific minds – function and malfunction. As an American, Frank is able to look in with a detached style at the British approach to a Cold War episode, with its use of stereotype, satire, caricature etc. Both Sunday and Lauren draw on their academic backgrounds, focusing on complex issues such as the gender dynamics, while managing to avoid producing esoteric musings. They both write beautifully, which is not always the case in ivory towers!
I have to say that I am struck by how brilliant Lauren’s foreword is, both in terms of her beautiful use of language and her depiction of a new “candy-coloured Avengerland”. It is not easy to introduce the new season in just five pages, yet she does it with wonderful style. I used a quote from her foreword as one of the book’s epitaphs:
“Edges of darkness still permeate the landscape, and danger often threatens our dynamic duo, but it is a comic book danger, raised to heights of satire by the wryness of the actors themselves.” (Lauren Humphries-Brooks)
Dan’s chapter on the returning cybernauts is – for me – one of the highlights of this second book. He puts forward and successfully argues a quite brilliant idea: that it is Emma Peel, not Diana Rigg, who is looking to leave Avengerland. His analysis of each of the scientists is also both spot-on and highly amusing.
I hope that people enjoy this second volume and I am already excited to have people like Jaz - who provided another great cover - Darren and Franky back for the next volume. They say that variety is the spice of life and The Avengers on film – a critical, analytical homage to The Avengers, rather than academic study – hopefully adds important elements to the Avengers bookshelf. There are histories, basic episode guides, overtly academic studies. The Avengers on film is meant to be analytical, thought-provoking, intelligent, but, above all, enjoyable fun. The variety of writing styles and approaches hopefully mirrors the range offered by the writers, actors and directors who made the show.
My thanks to every contributor in this volume and the others. My thanks, in advance, to every reader as well.
What strikes me is that if these Avengers on film books ‘work’ – in terms of quality rather than quantity (of pages, sales etc.) – it is because of the sheer range, not only of writing styles but of the different backgrounds and life-skills which each writer brings to the collective ‘table’. A book solely written by a group of academics would lack the variety.
Read Richard’s chapter on Venus – no, I’m not suggesting space travel! – and you are struck by how he brings his acting experience to play. He’s interested in the theatrical qualities of The Avengers and Diana Rigg’s unique ability to deliver a ‘simple’ line so brilliantly. As the son of a script writer, my interest tends to centre on the ways in which the written text is transformed into the visual one; the crucial, complex relationship between script and director. Piers likes to centre on the visual details: direction, camera work, sets, etc. His afterword with its Australian context is fascinating. This led me to use him as an epitaph:
“The Avengers in pop culture is The Avengers with Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee, in colour. Even though that represents only one sixth of the whole, it is this season that defines the show. Look anywhere – shallow musing on online blogs, television history websites, pub trivia nights, internationally broadcast quiz shows, probably even Stephen Fry. They all imagine Mrs. Emma Peel in a blue and purple catsuit when they think of The Avengers. I do too, even though I know better...” (Piers Johnson)
Wonderful stuff! JZ Ferguson is fascinated by the characters themselves and their complex relationships with each other. Her approach is both full of brilliant observations but also waves of warm humanity. Sam, as a professional writer, loves to unravel the layers in the stories, bringing his wonderful punning in to play, matching the playful nature of the stories themselves. I used a quote from him in the front of the book as well, one which fits well with Lauren’s:
“There is colour, there is variety, and there is a mixture of textures and flavours…The new season presents plots which are rather more flimsy than those of the monochrome episodes, and characters which rarely possess the same depth. But we are still being offered a collection of stylish and sophisticated extravagances, with often hard and dark centres. And a choice selection of nuts.” (Sam Denham)
For James it is (almost) all about Emma Peel and the erotically charged aspects of Avengerland. James’s approach involves inventing unseen scenes and “erotic embellishments” and he also draws on his background of research to look for historical connections. Bernard is fascinated by science fiction and his interest lies in how the stories are an integral part of the cultural context: space exploration, comic books, science fiction novels etc. Margo’s background as a psychiatrist enables her to look at the ways in which the minds of the characters – particularly scientific minds – function and malfunction. As an American, Frank is able to look in with a detached style at the British approach to a Cold War episode, with its use of stereotype, satire, caricature etc. Both Sunday and Lauren draw on their academic backgrounds, focusing on complex issues such as the gender dynamics, while managing to avoid producing esoteric musings. They both write beautifully, which is not always the case in ivory towers!
I have to say that I am struck by how brilliant Lauren’s foreword is, both in terms of her beautiful use of language and her depiction of a new “candy-coloured Avengerland”. It is not easy to introduce the new season in just five pages, yet she does it with wonderful style. I used a quote from her foreword as one of the book’s epitaphs:
“Edges of darkness still permeate the landscape, and danger often threatens our dynamic duo, but it is a comic book danger, raised to heights of satire by the wryness of the actors themselves.” (Lauren Humphries-Brooks)
Dan’s chapter on the returning cybernauts is – for me – one of the highlights of this second book. He puts forward and successfully argues a quite brilliant idea: that it is Emma Peel, not Diana Rigg, who is looking to leave Avengerland. His analysis of each of the scientists is also both spot-on and highly amusing.
I hope that people enjoy this second volume and I am already excited to have people like Jaz - who provided another great cover - Darren and Franky back for the next volume. They say that variety is the spice of life and The Avengers on film – a critical, analytical homage to The Avengers, rather than academic study – hopefully adds important elements to the Avengers bookshelf. There are histories, basic episode guides, overtly academic studies. The Avengers on film is meant to be analytical, thought-provoking, intelligent, but, above all, enjoyable fun. The variety of writing styles and approaches hopefully mirrors the range offered by the writers, actors and directors who made the show.
My thanks to every contributor in this volume and the others. My thanks, in advance, to every reader as well.
The Avengers: a product of the sixties and a timeless piece of sublime art
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Rodders
- The Bird Who Wrote Too Much
- Posts: 1326
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- Location: Avengerland
Anticlockwise threatens to be the most provocative of the four volumes. The Tara King era splits opinion so much. While writers like Lauren and Sunday see it as devoid of the revolutionary aspects which made the show countercultural or innovative, others such as Jaz prefer it to the Peel colour season. One of the problems, for me, is that there tends to be a ‘black or white’ approach to Season 6. I hope Anticlockwise will reach beyond this and see the King era for what it is, wildly unpredictable and uneven, yet with some highly innovative writing and direction.
The Avengers: a product of the sixties and a timeless piece of sublime art
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MikeR
- The Big Thinker
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It was good to see the forum busy again over the bank holiday weekend, after a couple of months where things have been somewhat quiet at times. However, the arrival of Mrs Peel, We’re Needed and Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots has hopefully revitalised things around here and are assisting in pushing The Avengers forward, not just as something with nostalgic appeal, but something that is just as entertaining today as the series was in the swinging sixties. Rodney’s books that utilise the talents of various posters on the forum have really brought things into focus here and provide a positive and diverse aspect for The Avengers Fan Forum as a whole.
Last edited by MikeR on Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.