Discuss, review and rate The Joker, production completed Tuesday 11th April 1967.
Teleplay by Brian Clemens
Directed by Sidney Hayers
5.15 - The Joker
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denis rigg
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Re: The Joker
Today I present a Russian Olga Svecharnik's review from fan club Steedumbrella, the chief editor of the website. Written in the spring of 2011. I have translated it into English - but not good enough, I spent about an hour on it. Hopefully, the translation of relatively adequate. A detailed analysis of The Joker!
Olga Svecharnik
Episode of "The Joker " in many ways atypical for "The Avengers". There are almost no action, the characters did not show their super quality, because they are unable to do this, and notes of humor only sounds in two scenes - first, when Steed in thick fog stumbles upon a banner reading "It has a beautiful view of the entire four counties", and in the second, when he turns to Emma and said, "Honey, I'm not too scared him?". This Steed's joke sums up the whole point of the episode.
Prendergast skillfully creates an atmosphere of fear around Emma, and this is truly Hitchcockian atmosphere is the main component of the "Joker". Ola and "Baron" plays the performance, going subtly and artfully scare the heroine. Not an easy task, because Emma - exceptionally brave woman. In an episode "The Fear Merchants" villains did not manage to find her weak spot. She used to rely on logic and common sense. In the episode "The House that Jack Built", we watched as she commanded himself "tnink logically" and from that moment Emma was hard to beat - it brought the situation under control and successfully solved the problem without the help of Steed. It is appropriate to recall that the name of Emma Peel comes from the abbreviation "M. Appeal" and it is devoid of the usual sensitivity to women and their emotions carefully suppressed, trying not to listen to them (the critic Jaeger James suggested that a physical fight for Emma - a means to throw out repressed emotions). Paradoxically, but this trait of her character almost turns her into a superwoman (in the episode "Man-eater of Surrey Green" she says proudly: "This plant will not touch me, because it only eats people!"), is at the same time its weakness. She does not trust the feelings and intuition, sometimes because of it falling into the traps that are more sensitive woman would have avoided. "The Fear Merchants" could frighten her, because she's not afraid of anything that can be realized. But the things that she can not understand and control, are able to take it out of balance. That shows "perverse humor", Prendergast - to deprive its main weapon - composure, make her lose face. She believes that "any fact there is a reasonable explanation" (The Superlative Seven) - Prendergast surrounds her inexplicable facts.
I think of the episode "The Joker" there are so many symbols and allegories. The authors refer directly to our emotions, the subconscious mind, bypassing the mind: a swinging pendulum clocks, cut photo, knives, Ola talk about teeth ("to show the teeth" - a symbol of aggression, especially in combination with the expression "terror that hurts") and a cover of the book, showing the terrible human hand with twisted fingers and bloody inscription. Of course, present here an abundance of foreign words: Ola recites some phrases in Italian, the song "My Love, My Rose" sounds in German, and "Baron" in the name prefix "background". Language - means of human communication, and foreign language not understood - the most striking symbol of the incomprehensible.
The song "My Love, My Rose" written specifically for the episode, giving it unusual for the Avengers romantic note. The timbre of the singer's voice penetration, his tone - tone is the seducer. The song represents the world of unbridled passions and passionate confessions. This world is completely alien to Emma, who more than anything else is afraid of losing control of the situation (including - of his emotions ) and be at the mercy of uncontrollable forces. We have seen how she seduced the enemies in the interests of business ("What the butler saw" and "Honey for the Prince") , but the pleasure she's clearly not delivered - judging by the expression on his face, Emma would most like to hit the enemy than - something heavy and move to fresh air. The fact that Max Prendergast calls "love", she said weakness (and if she can not afford to be weak?). Flirting - not her element. She politely but firmly rejects all attempts on the part of courtship Steed, preferring to play with him in the children's play (play with the telescope, to beat each other's by toys, etc.). In "The Joker" is indicative scene: Emma does not respond when the "Baron" threatened her with a knife, but his offer to accompany her to the bedroom leads into a rage the heroine - she sling Baron on the street, almost breaking his arm...
There is no doubt ... that Emma was bored with Ola and the "Baron". Everything they said and did was to serve as a climate of fear, but Emma has demonstrated just wonders immunity: it is not guarded behavior Ola locked wine cellar, frank lies about calling Sir Cavalier - the heroine herself suggested Ola his car and was trapped. Telephone wires were cut, in an empty house clearly someone is hiding, the flowers are cut off the head, the book is not in place, and it continues to believe that it fooled completely harmless idiots and do not worry about it , about to lie down , to pass the time reading! Only after Emma finds out the cut in the photo , she realizes that she is in danger. But too late - the door is locked, the gun discharged, the trap was sprung, and unflappable an intellectual with the highest "IQ" caught in it.
Deprived of the ability of discernment , because everything that happens is not amenable to logical analysis, it soon turns out to be really on the verge of insanity. She is torn by the old house where refined interiors flash alarming combination of blue and red ... Theme of song, reminiscent of "theme of madness" from the Hitchcock film "Spellbound", emphasizes its status. At one point she loses all sense of reality so that the hand touches the rose , as if checking to see if she does not dream of going on. How fortunate that the correct Steed arrived in time in time. The enemy is defeated, and our favorite characters together again - the knights in the fight against evil. Perhaps, instead of analyzing their problems and complexes, is to see them as a virtue, opposed to chaos and meaninglessness. In fact , because it is so...
Olga Svecharnik
Episode of "The Joker " in many ways atypical for "The Avengers". There are almost no action, the characters did not show their super quality, because they are unable to do this, and notes of humor only sounds in two scenes - first, when Steed in thick fog stumbles upon a banner reading "It has a beautiful view of the entire four counties", and in the second, when he turns to Emma and said, "Honey, I'm not too scared him?". This Steed's joke sums up the whole point of the episode.
Prendergast skillfully creates an atmosphere of fear around Emma, and this is truly Hitchcockian atmosphere is the main component of the "Joker". Ola and "Baron" plays the performance, going subtly and artfully scare the heroine. Not an easy task, because Emma - exceptionally brave woman. In an episode "The Fear Merchants" villains did not manage to find her weak spot. She used to rely on logic and common sense. In the episode "The House that Jack Built", we watched as she commanded himself "tnink logically" and from that moment Emma was hard to beat - it brought the situation under control and successfully solved the problem without the help of Steed. It is appropriate to recall that the name of Emma Peel comes from the abbreviation "M. Appeal" and it is devoid of the usual sensitivity to women and their emotions carefully suppressed, trying not to listen to them (the critic Jaeger James suggested that a physical fight for Emma - a means to throw out repressed emotions). Paradoxically, but this trait of her character almost turns her into a superwoman (in the episode "Man-eater of Surrey Green" she says proudly: "This plant will not touch me, because it only eats people!"), is at the same time its weakness. She does not trust the feelings and intuition, sometimes because of it falling into the traps that are more sensitive woman would have avoided. "The Fear Merchants" could frighten her, because she's not afraid of anything that can be realized. But the things that she can not understand and control, are able to take it out of balance. That shows "perverse humor", Prendergast - to deprive its main weapon - composure, make her lose face. She believes that "any fact there is a reasonable explanation" (The Superlative Seven) - Prendergast surrounds her inexplicable facts.
I think of the episode "The Joker" there are so many symbols and allegories. The authors refer directly to our emotions, the subconscious mind, bypassing the mind: a swinging pendulum clocks, cut photo, knives, Ola talk about teeth ("to show the teeth" - a symbol of aggression, especially in combination with the expression "terror that hurts") and a cover of the book, showing the terrible human hand with twisted fingers and bloody inscription. Of course, present here an abundance of foreign words: Ola recites some phrases in Italian, the song "My Love, My Rose" sounds in German, and "Baron" in the name prefix "background". Language - means of human communication, and foreign language not understood - the most striking symbol of the incomprehensible.
The song "My Love, My Rose" written specifically for the episode, giving it unusual for the Avengers romantic note. The timbre of the singer's voice penetration, his tone - tone is the seducer. The song represents the world of unbridled passions and passionate confessions. This world is completely alien to Emma, who more than anything else is afraid of losing control of the situation (including - of his emotions ) and be at the mercy of uncontrollable forces. We have seen how she seduced the enemies in the interests of business ("What the butler saw" and "Honey for the Prince") , but the pleasure she's clearly not delivered - judging by the expression on his face, Emma would most like to hit the enemy than - something heavy and move to fresh air. The fact that Max Prendergast calls "love", she said weakness (and if she can not afford to be weak?). Flirting - not her element. She politely but firmly rejects all attempts on the part of courtship Steed, preferring to play with him in the children's play (play with the telescope, to beat each other's by toys, etc.). In "The Joker" is indicative scene: Emma does not respond when the "Baron" threatened her with a knife, but his offer to accompany her to the bedroom leads into a rage the heroine - she sling Baron on the street, almost breaking his arm...
There is no doubt ... that Emma was bored with Ola and the "Baron". Everything they said and did was to serve as a climate of fear, but Emma has demonstrated just wonders immunity: it is not guarded behavior Ola locked wine cellar, frank lies about calling Sir Cavalier - the heroine herself suggested Ola his car and was trapped. Telephone wires were cut, in an empty house clearly someone is hiding, the flowers are cut off the head, the book is not in place, and it continues to believe that it fooled completely harmless idiots and do not worry about it , about to lie down , to pass the time reading! Only after Emma finds out the cut in the photo , she realizes that she is in danger. But too late - the door is locked, the gun discharged, the trap was sprung, and unflappable an intellectual with the highest "IQ" caught in it.
Deprived of the ability of discernment , because everything that happens is not amenable to logical analysis, it soon turns out to be really on the verge of insanity. She is torn by the old house where refined interiors flash alarming combination of blue and red ... Theme of song, reminiscent of "theme of madness" from the Hitchcock film "Spellbound", emphasizes its status. At one point she loses all sense of reality so that the hand touches the rose , as if checking to see if she does not dream of going on. How fortunate that the correct Steed arrived in time in time. The enemy is defeated, and our favorite characters together again - the knights in the fight against evil. Perhaps, instead of analyzing their problems and complexes, is to see them as a virtue, opposed to chaos and meaninglessness. In fact , because it is so...
Denis
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cyberrich
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As much as I love Don't look behind you, my fave Cathy episode, The Joker is even better. Beautifully staged and filmed. Much more than just a TV episode, this plays out almost like a theatrical drama. A very polished production that equally matches any British cinema release from that year, and outshines a good many of them 
Terrific set. One of the best. Great plot. Very suspenseful, and almost feels like a Hitchcock movie. In my top 3 from season 5, this could well be the best colour Mrs Peel. 10/10.
Terrific set. One of the best. Great plot. Very suspenseful, and almost feels like a Hitchcock movie. In my top 3 from season 5, this could well be the best colour Mrs Peel. 10/10.-
cyberrich
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Watched this two nights ago and I've just noticed I only gave it 10/10 in my last post Should be 11 
This is simply 50 minutes of TV heaven, and quite possibly the best season 5 episode. It contains all the best elements of theatre, and you even feel as if you're watching a stage play with this one. It is also a beautifully filmed episode with a terrific set. High on atmosphere with a sense of claustrophobia and impending doom creeping into the house along with the fog. SUPERB! 11/10. Rich.
Should be 11 This is simply 50 minutes of TV heaven, and quite possibly the best season 5 episode. It contains all the best elements of theatre, and you even feel as if you're watching a stage play with this one. It is also a beautifully filmed episode with a terrific set. High on atmosphere with a sense of claustrophobia and impending doom creeping into the house along with the fog. SUPERB! 11/10. Rich.
Last edited by cyberrich on Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Frankymole
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It was "House of Cards", with Derek Francis as "The Bishop", Purdey's stepfather. (I think her blood father was shot as a spy before the events of the series.) Derek Francis is a famous comic actor and can be enjoyed in, amongst other things, Doctor Who playing Emperor Nero!!
Last watched: "Mandrake"