Discuss, review and rate The Correct Way to Kill, production completed early February 1967.
Teleplay by Brian Clemens
Directed by Charles Crichton
5.09 - The Correct Way to Kill
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Frankymole
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My review:
http://www.theavengers.tv/forever/peel2-9vr.htm
"How do you subtle your way past that?"
A five-bowler joy from start to finish. this could be the quintessential Avengers episode. What do we have? An immensely elegant Steed, Emma as gorgeous as ever she was, a cast of stellar talent (the steely Peter Barkworth — later the magical Merlin in "The Morning After" — saturnine Philip Madoc, and unnervingly-affable Terence Alexander in the same episode? Heaven.)
Charles Crichton's direction is a cut above. The wet-weather shop's waders first appearing to be a hanged man, the umbrella-impalings, Steed's swordstick, that glorious unguarded-blade fencing in the final combat (with a synchronised kill from Emma and Olga) matched to perfect music, the nods to Chaplin's The Great Dictator (Nutski bouncing an inflatable globe whilst expounding his plans for domination) and "The Cybernauts" (Emma wheels herself around in a wheelchair in two scenes with Michael Gough — surely an in-joke). We even get a regiment of "gentlemen" doing Hitler-salutes with their swordstick umbrellas chanting "Hail! Hail!" (hailing a taxicab!). Television doesn't get much cleverer, or more fun, than this.
The sets are atmospheric, Steed and Emma's costumes are elegant (for once the Emmapeelers aren't OTT) and Diana Rigg's acting is superb (her bemusement at the chiropractor, her reactions in Nutski's shop, her interplay with Steed in the tag scene — see below).
The dialogue is chock-full of gems: on tying up Olga with "the old school ties" ("the bonds of the old school tie are almost impossible to break"), "we're not prodding a balloon, we're killing the enemy," and Emma sparkles: "I can assure you my cheek will be nowhere near his jowl!", and the double-entendre laden tag scene... Emma: "And what did you give her?" Steed: "A reassessment of the decadent English male. Coffee? ... I've been embraced to the bosom of the glorious Motherland. Figuratively speaking." Emma: "36-24-36, or a more sort of... cultural exchange?" Steed: "The evening was heavily instructive. But lacking..." Emma (knowingly): "A certain bourgeois, capitalist, decadent touch?"
Five bowlers, indubitably. My admiration of Brian Clemens, if ever in doubt, soared on seeing this. A wonderful affirmation of the heights of Avengerdom, and one I'll watch again, many times. 11/10.
http://www.theavengers.tv/forever/peel2-9vr.htm
"How do you subtle your way past that?"
A five-bowler joy from start to finish. this could be the quintessential Avengers episode. What do we have? An immensely elegant Steed, Emma as gorgeous as ever she was, a cast of stellar talent (the steely Peter Barkworth — later the magical Merlin in "The Morning After" — saturnine Philip Madoc, and unnervingly-affable Terence Alexander in the same episode? Heaven.)
Charles Crichton's direction is a cut above. The wet-weather shop's waders first appearing to be a hanged man, the umbrella-impalings, Steed's swordstick, that glorious unguarded-blade fencing in the final combat (with a synchronised kill from Emma and Olga) matched to perfect music, the nods to Chaplin's The Great Dictator (Nutski bouncing an inflatable globe whilst expounding his plans for domination) and "The Cybernauts" (Emma wheels herself around in a wheelchair in two scenes with Michael Gough — surely an in-joke). We even get a regiment of "gentlemen" doing Hitler-salutes with their swordstick umbrellas chanting "Hail! Hail!" (hailing a taxicab!). Television doesn't get much cleverer, or more fun, than this.
The sets are atmospheric, Steed and Emma's costumes are elegant (for once the Emmapeelers aren't OTT) and Diana Rigg's acting is superb (her bemusement at the chiropractor, her reactions in Nutski's shop, her interplay with Steed in the tag scene — see below).
The dialogue is chock-full of gems: on tying up Olga with "the old school ties" ("the bonds of the old school tie are almost impossible to break"), "we're not prodding a balloon, we're killing the enemy," and Emma sparkles: "I can assure you my cheek will be nowhere near his jowl!", and the double-entendre laden tag scene... Emma: "And what did you give her?" Steed: "A reassessment of the decadent English male. Coffee? ... I've been embraced to the bosom of the glorious Motherland. Figuratively speaking." Emma: "36-24-36, or a more sort of... cultural exchange?" Steed: "The evening was heavily instructive. But lacking..." Emma (knowingly): "A certain bourgeois, capitalist, decadent touch?"
Five bowlers, indubitably. My admiration of Brian Clemens, if ever in doubt, soared on seeing this. A wonderful affirmation of the heights of Avengerdom, and one I'll watch again, many times. 11/10.
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darren
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I watched this yesterday evening. It's never been an episode that really grabbed me (nor does the original really).
What I like:
The guest cast (Madoc, Quayle, Gough, Alexander, Barkworth).
The What The Butler Saw music that is a perfect fit for the episode.
Just Olga from the Bolga. Anna Quayle just seemed to be in everything from that era.
There are some good lines even if they're mostly repeated ones. The guy falling down the lift shaft line works as does the Dardanelles line as shooting on film allows them to keep straight faces (unlike the laughing in the original).
It breaks away from the formula of the earlier season 5 episodes. It's sort of really glib in it's delivery of dead bodies, getting them out of the way.
Somehow it just doesn't quite work for me. Charles Crichton was a great director but I don't think he's on form with this one. I think I feel the same about this as The Charmers, neither is better than the other, they both have pluses and minuses.
7/10
What I like:
The guest cast (Madoc, Quayle, Gough, Alexander, Barkworth).
The What The Butler Saw music that is a perfect fit for the episode.
Just Olga from the Bolga. Anna Quayle just seemed to be in everything from that era.
There are some good lines even if they're mostly repeated ones. The guy falling down the lift shaft line works as does the Dardanelles line as shooting on film allows them to keep straight faces (unlike the laughing in the original).
It breaks away from the formula of the earlier season 5 episodes. It's sort of really glib in it's delivery of dead bodies, getting them out of the way.
Somehow it just doesn't quite work for me. Charles Crichton was a great director but I don't think he's on form with this one. I think I feel the same about this as The Charmers, neither is better than the other, they both have pluses and minuses.
7/10
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anti-clockwise
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I agree with Franky. 20/10. This is probably my favorite of Avengers.
What was the acronym SNOB? Love it. And the first meeting with SNOB is teaching the SNOB members how a proper Englishman catches a cab?
And nice touches like Emma seeing a pic of Steed with the warning instruction Dangerous. Handle with care." And Emmas pic warning, "Dangerous. Don't handle at all."
What was the acronym SNOB? Love it. And the first meeting with SNOB is teaching the SNOB members how a proper Englishman catches a cab?
And nice touches like Emma seeing a pic of Steed with the warning instruction Dangerous. Handle with care." And Emmas pic warning, "Dangerous. Don't handle at all."
"He likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise."
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cyberrich
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Although this is clearly a wonderful episode, it's not one of the standout season 5 episodes IMHO. I do prefer The Charmers, mainly due to the presence of Fennella Fielding, my very favourite guest star. This episode has a great cast though, and Anna Quayle does a splendid job as Olga. I'd give it 8/10. Almost top marks, but not quite, as I do feel this episode has a sense of deja vu (not just because it's a remake), and it doesn't have a unique enough feel to set it apart from other episodes. Rich.
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Frankymole
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paulpdjh
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Interesting that most people seem to like this one. It's another season five episode that I'm really not keen on as it has none of the drama that made The Charmers such compulsive viewing. On a more positive note, watching the two episodes consecutively makes me realise just how much I like Cathy Gale - she might even start challenging Tara as my favourite female Avenger!
Paul
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Lhbizness
I like this one, but it is very different from The Charmers - despite sharing a lot of dialogue and plot. I enjoy the addition of Olga rather than the somewhat annoying actress in The Charmers (although she has her moments too). Michael Gough is great fun, and the final fight scene comes off great. Like The Joker/Don't Look Behind You, The Correct Way to Kill/The Charmers are different enough that I think they can both stand on their own merits.
