Money on the Screen - THE PERSUADERS!

Most people probably haven’t heard of The Persuaders, but the classic television series that ran only one season has gained a fair amount of traction since its 50^th anniversary and subsequent Blu-ray release in the UK. However, it sadly slipped into a physical media void when the label responsible for its HD treatment unexpectedly went under in 2023. Thankfully, Imprint Television, the small screen branch of Imprint Films, recognised the vibes and potential of The Persuaders with an edition so staked that it will overwhelm the most diehard fans.

Tony Curtis and Roger Moore star as two privileged white dudes whose worlds collide. Curtis is a self-made American millionaire, Danny Wilde, and Moore is the aristocratic English Lord Brett Sinclair. Together they right wrongs, chase ladies, and protect the innocent from nefarious plots and schemes, who are roped into doing so by a judge to try to curb their playboy lifestyle.

There was no expense spared when making The Persuaders, at least for the initial nine episodes that were filmed across several of the most lavish locations in Europe, until Pinewoods Studios became the principal stand-in. As they say, the money is on the screen, which I’ve come to measure by the amount of champagne and fancy lamps that appear in almost every interior scene.

Chemistry between our stars is evident from the very moment they both occupy the 4:3 screen, as they give each other rather seductive side-eyed glances while in their respective luxury automobile. Curtis himself in an audio commentary for the pilot episode even calls it out as the moment “they fall in love”. Interestingly their ‘bromance’ if you like, extends beyond the characters as both leads appear to have a genuine fondness for one another.

As far as entertainment is concerned, The Persuaders is not lacking in variety, there’s even a couple of light horror-themed episodes for the spooky season but speaking broadly plots tend to revolve around scandals involving money and murder, with a female guest star thrown in for out lads to flirt over.

I watched The Persuaders last year with my partner and not only was it a lot of fun 1970s enthusiasts, but the pairing of Curtin and Moore lent itself to a shameful amount of mentally written fan fiction or head cannon to use a more contemporary term. Watching again via this new edition has elevated the status of TV comfort food.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Original ‘as broadcast’ Mono (LPCM), Music & Effects audio tracks (series only)
1080p high-definition presentation of all 24 episodes, restored from the original 35mm elements
1080p high-definition presentation of all 8 film versions: The Persuaders!, Mission: Monte Carlo, London Conspiracy, Sporting Chance, The Switch, The Last Appointment, Death Becomes Me and The Masqueraders, plus newly presented high-definition trailers for each film

Having watched The Persuaders on an old DVD release just last year, the leap to 1080p was even more impressive. Obviously, television programs shot on film have amazing longevity, compared to those shot on the more convenient video formats, and with the use of the 35mm film elements, the cinematic quality is beautifully upheld.

The picture isn’t the sharpest that Blu-ray can offer, but the 1.33:1 image displays the stunning European colour pallet of the early 70s, which naturally includes a lot of oranges, while the original Mono LPCM soundtrack offers loud dialogue and has a decent amount of base, which can be felt mostly during the opening theme.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Collectable Hardbox packaging strictly limited to 1500 copies
NEW! 120-page booklet featuring an essay by television writer / historian Andrew Pixley, and Press / Story Information from the original studio files
“The Morning After: Remembering The Persuaders!” – documentary on the making of the series including interviews with key cast and production personnel (2006)
Audio Commentary on Overture by Roger Moore, Tony Curtis (2006)
2nd Audio Commentary on Overture by Roger Moore, producer Robert S. Baker, production executive Johnny Goodman (2003)
3rd Audio Commentary on Overture by Robert S. Baker, Johnny Goodman (2006)
Audio Commentary on A Death In The Family by Roger Moore, producer Robert S. Baker, production executive Johnny Goodman, production assistant Malcolm Christopher, first assistant director Ken Baker (2006)
NEW! Audio Commentary on The Time And The Place by Roger Moore, producer Robert S. Baker and production executive Johnny Goodman (2003) – previously unreleased
NEW! Audio Commentary on Powerswitch by guest actress Annette Andre and series restorer Jonathan Wood (2024)
NEW! Audio Commentaries on The Gold Napoleon, Greensleeves and The Long Goodbye by ITC historian Jaz Wiseman (2024)
NEW! Audio Commentary on Five Miles To Midnight by Roger Moore’s biographer / talent agent Gareth Owen and television historian Henry Holland (2024)
NEW! Audio Commentary on The Old, The New And The Deadly by filmmakers Samuel Clemens and George Clemens, sons of episode writer Brian Clemens (2024)
NEW! “Cinematic Persuasion: Remaking the Feature Films” – 30-minute featurette with restorer Jonathan Wood, looking at how the feature-film versions were reborn in high-definition
NEW! Interview with The Old, The New And The Deadly guest star Derren Nesbitt
NEW! Roger Moore reunited with BS 1, the Aston Martin he drove in the series
“The Saint: The Ex-King of Diamonds” – full episode in high definition, produced as a try out story for The Persuaders! series concept
Two Audio Commentaries on The Saint: The Ex-King of Diamonds featuring Roger Moore, Robert S. Baker, Johnny Goodman and director Alvin Rakoff
“The Persuaders! 40th Anniversary Event” – on stage interview with Roger Moore (2011)
“Tony Curtis: The Persuader!” – interview with Tony Curtis (2006)
“Avroskoop” – Dutch television program showing behind-the-scenes production on the episode The Man In The Middle
Roger Moore French Television archival interview recorded on location
Roger Moore: Design Consultant – archival interview
Roger Moore: His Brief Music Career
Tony Curtis Meets His French Voice Artist – archival footage
Tony Curtis Ordering a Lagonda – archival footage
“Russell Harty Plus!” – interview with Tony Curtis (1974)

Series Archival Vault Material

NEW! “The Friendly Persuaders!” – never-before-seen early test footage for the series titles
ABC U.S. Television Trailer
Overture episode Trailer
Italian Trailers for the films London Conspiracy and Sporting Chance
Commercial Break Bumpers and U.S. Station Ident / Sponsorship tags
European and UK promotional spots with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis (some mute)
Raw Production Footage: Texted, Textless, Process and Post (including some newly found segments previously unreleased) (mute)
French end credits sequences for select episodes (mute)
Extensive Photo Galleries
Memorabilia and Film Poster Galleries
BONUS DISC featuring the original cuts of the four feature-films: Mission: Monte Carlo, London Conspiracy, Sporting Chance and The Switch (in Standard Definition)

Imprint describes the special feature selection for this release on their website as “gold star”, and if anything, that’s an understatement. For almost 20 years The Persuaders delighted in several re-issues under the now-defunct Network media distribution company in the UK, always with an increasingly additional number of supplements. Commentaries, archival footage, and galleries galore! Whether you’re a long-time fan who stopped keeping up with the multiple new editions of The Persuaders or a new viewer, you’ll be delighted to know that all of Network’s previous featurettes are all in one place, many of which, are remastered and in complete form.

Of course, Imprint supplies their own new content in the form of commentaries that feature all different kinds of subjects from surviving guest stars to Roger Moore’s agent. In addition to a glorious, colourful 120-page booklet that offers a rundown on each episode, new featurette content includes a new interview with one of the series’ guest stars. The 30-minute interview with Jonathan Wood is certainly a treat, especially after viewing all other supplementary material as he goes through the history of the series’ releases through Network, and the evolution of its featurettes. Wood also details how Network re-edited the expanded movie versions by obtaining unused footage of the series. – by Hannah Lynch

The Persuaders is yet to sell out, which I’m frankly a little surprised about, but also somewhat relieved as I’m able to hopefully help sell the set with this review. I think those more accustomed to British television will find more appeal, but the star power of Tony Curtis brings a very transatlantic quality that enables to the series to reach a wider audience.

THE PERSUADERS
(TV 1971-71, Creator: Robert S. Baker)