 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At last... at long last, I received my DVD set of "Mission: Impossible". What a relief! All these years of waitings.
The set includes a brand new audio mix in 5.1 Surround!
The soundtrack is highlit by this enhancement: I like the Salsa music in the Hotel Nacionale.
I finished watching the pilot featuring a triple role by Rollin (Martin Landau):
Old invalid Mr. Lanier
General Rio Dominguez
Dan Briggs-as-Swiss Erich Bareg
The editing is better than the English VHS tape that I used to own. The picture quality is extraordinary.
There're no chapters menu, by the way.
"Santa Costa wishes you a pleasant stay!"
PS: while writing, I am drinking a glass of red wine, offered by my company.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aside from purloining TOPKAPI for the pilot, they also used the plot from "36 Hours"(1965) for the next episode, "Operation Rogash." I love when Pauslen figures out he's been fooled, pegs Brigg as the boss, and Briggs' response is both logical and visceral...but since Paulsen confesses when they threaten to kill him, why didn't they just do that from the start?
Wish they explained the backstory about Briggs: "Glad to have you back - it's BEEN awhile."
Anyone read the Philip K. Dick book of miscellania which includes his plot outline for a very cool Mission Impossible episode? Would have been a great marriage of creativity. Similar to the first movie - they go over their plan, then everything goes wrong and they all get killed...but of course they faked their deaths - that part of the plan wasn't shared with the audience.
The writers of the majority of episodes (Balter and Woodfield) also penned "Satan's Triangle" with Doug McClure giving Kim Novak logical explanations in flashback for all the weird happenings, but with a twist ending.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I should have taken my Christmas vacation in either "San Cristobal" or "Nueva Tierra." However, the political climate is just too unstable these days (1969-70).
And in the same episode, my dear comrad Nikor Janos, there's a third country: UPR--United People's Republic!
Adios,
El Lider
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aside from purloining TOPKAPI for the pilot, they also used the plot from "36 Hours"(1965) for the next episode, "Operation Rogash."
"Old Man Out" also makes reference to Jules Dassin's "Topkapi".
"The Frame" makes reference to Jules Dassin's "Du Rififi chez les hommes": see the silent robbery in the wine cellar, executed by Dan and Barney.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I watched "Memory": the very flower of sadism.
To eliminate a Eastern Europe leader named Janos Karq aka "the Butcher of the Balkans" and to know a list of enemy agents, the IMF let one of their own, Joseph Baresh (an agent with a photographic memory) be imprisoned and tortured.
The vicious Balkan Head of Intelligence/warden Dimitri Soska is played by Leonard Stone and IMF guest alcoolic Memory Expert Joseph Baresh posing as the late agent Sparrow by Albert Paulsen who tricks the video camera of his cell with a projector--Paulsen's only positive role for the show, by the way; Dan teaches Baresh how to resist to torture by giving him slaps and then reverse the roles; we learn, from the mouth of Dan, the philosophy of the Impossible Mission Force: "As usual, assassination is out, as a matter of policy." Rollin makes a tiny cameo disguised as Baresh in order to shoot a phony film. Leader Janos Karq (William Keene) is gunned down by the prison's firing squad. Barney uses infra green binoculars and electrocutes two sentinelles. Dan has a triple role: a running nu-named liaison agent, a fashion photographer and a fireman. Willy has also a triple role: Dan's assistant photographer, a fireman and a prison guard. To distract the firemen, Cinnamon plays her real self: a glamorous fashion model with fur. During the dossier scene, we see again the file of Bruce Geller and three unidentified agents (two women and one man).
Find a very slavonic score by Lalo S.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I watched "Memory": the very flower of sadism.
To eliminate a Eastern Europe leader named Janos Karq aka "the Butcher of the Balkans" and to know a list of enemy agents, the IMF let one of their own, Joseph Baresh (an agent with a photographic memory) be imprisoned and tortured.
The vicious Balkan Head of Intelligence/warden Dimitri Soska is played by Leonard Stone and IMF guest alcoolic Memory Expert Joseph Baresh posing as the late agent Sparrow by Albert Paulsen who tricks the video camera of his cell with a projector--Paulsen's only positive role for the show, by the way; Dan teaches Baresh how to resist to torture by giving him slaps and then reverse the roles; we learn, from the mouth of Dan, the philosophy of the Impossible Mission Force: "As usual, assassination is out, as a matter of policy." Rollin makes a tiny cameo disguised as Baresh in order to shoot a phony film. Leader Janos Karq (William Keene) is gunned down by the prison's firing squad. Barney uses infra green binoculars and electrocutes two sentinelles. Dan has a triple role: a running nu-named liaison agent, a fashion photographer and a fireman. Willy has also a triple role: Dan's assistant photographer, a fireman and a prison guard. To distract the firemen, Cinnamon plays her real self: a glamorous fashion model with fur. During the dossier scene, we see again the file of Bruce Geller and three unidentified agents (two women and one man).
Find a very slavonic score by Lalo S.
I watched about 10 of these over the Holidays including this one. Also, I watched "The Legacy" and it was even better than I remembered. Excellent climax at the cemetary at Eva Braun's tomb.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I watched about 10 of these over the Holidays including this one. Also, I watched "The Legacy" and it was even better than I remembered. Excellent climax at the cemetary at Eva Braun's tomb.
I finished watching the following ones: "Operation Rogosh" and "Old Man Out". ROGOSH is a masterpiece. Period!
#3: OPERATION ROGOSH
Summary:
Est bloc agent Imry Rogosh's assignement is to contaminate Los Angeles with a deadly germ. The IMF kidnaps him and make him believe he's a mole and a traitor to his homeland and that he's returned to the People's Republic three years later (1969) as a convict of the Stefan Castle State prison to be judged. They force him to reveal the locations of his four bacteriologic time bombs.
Cast and details:
Imry Rogosh aka "the monster", Head of Special Intelligence Colonel Klimi and assassin Lazloff are played by Fritz Weaver, James Lanphier and Charles Maxwell--Weaver at his peak who plays a proud East top agent with artificial grey hair. Featuring IMFer Dr. Ira Green (Allan Joseph) posing as Soviet Dr. Zoltan, Dare-Devil driver stuntman Sonny Allison who runs down Rogosh and The Horizon Repertory Players posing a Soviet jury. Rollin disguises as Colonel Klimi during the death sentence con. Both Rollin and Dan pose as Soviet lawyers--Rollin is the People's prosecutor and Dan is Rogosh's pathetic lawyer, Mr. John Lopek - Ugyved. Cinnamon poses as Magda Brujetski, the phony Soviet secretary of Rogosh--Bain's slavic acting is very "From Russia with Love". Barney is the voice of the fake radio news and poses as a former UCLA student and Caribbean Red agitator convict John Makavaoo and Willy is a Soviet prison guard who hits Barney hard--notice Dan's sadistic torturer advice (also see "Memory"): "No fake on the beating, Willy!"; Willy is bribed by Rogosh to talk to Cinnamon-as-the secretary. Notice the elements of the con: time traveling and a false journey in a Soviet prison, amnesia, execution by hanging, trial a la Kafka, a crying prisoner (thanks to a tape), false witnesses (Cinnamon, Barney) and a jury. After the nuclear threat for the pilot, now it's the germ warfare fear! During the tape scene, a date is displayed: October, 1966. Once again, Dan watches the file of an un-identified female agent in bikini (see "Memory") and the file of Bruce Geller to conclude the dossier scene. It contains no apartment scene.
Review:
The single best episode of the season that paves the way for the entire show: the perfect simulacrum scheme ever (derived from the WWII film "36 Hours"), featuring Fritz Weaver's colourful performance, very powerful editing pace for Rogosh's confession and a top-notch Danube score by Lalo Schifrin.
Spoilers: (don't read!)
After Rogosh recovers consciousness, a mouce falls into his shoulder that he flattens it out with his foot. From his coat, Rogosh finds a pack of cigarettes and a wallet containing local bank notes, four coins, a card of John Lopek - Ugyved and a small picture of smiling Cinnamon; Rogosh scratches the floor with a coin to discover the name of the State prison: Stefan. From the fake radio news presented by Barney, Rogosh learn that the new Prime Minister Emil Hatvany has made arrested Colonel Klimi. By accident, Rogosh drops his accused's chair and witness the yellow label of the manufacturer: Southland Furniture Rental - Los Angeles, Calif.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#4: OLD MAN OUT, PART I
(First produced after the pilot)
Summary:
Cardinal Vossek is the 80 years old leader of a freedom's movement from a Communist country that is kept prisoner in the top prison, Seravno. The IMF poses as a circus company to make Vossek flee. Pickpocket Rollin is arrested and sends to a cell.
Cast and details:
Cardinal Anton Vossek, the suspicious Colonel Johann Scutari, Prison head Colonel Kavrick and the sentimental Captain, Sentry Private Tosk are played by Cyril Delevanti, Joseph Ruskin, Oscar Beregi, William Wintersole, Monte Markham. Guest female IMFer trapezist Crystal Walker (Mary Ann Mobley) also plays in "The Moonglow Affair" (see "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.") as agent April Dancer. Very low tech, typical of earlier episodes. Main villain is the unbreakable prison itself. "Control" voice advises Dan to "dispose" of tape, but it disintegrates anyway. The IMF poses as El Tropak Alberti circus: Dan poses as the circus director, barrel organ player, mind reader the Great Alberti from Sesna, Cinnamon poses as his assistant from Anterine. Willy poses as Rotrai the man of steel. Barney poses as the clown host. Rollin poses as a local rigger pickpocket; Rollin displays his thief's knack. Rollin talks to Cinnamon over the phone in the convict room and uses coded languages that is taped by the prison. The episode's title can be confused with the 1947 IRA-related movie: "Odd Man Out".
Review:
A dark prison episode combined with the world of the circus--an allegory for the IMF itself--that introduces an Eastern Europe communist country that really fits the nature of the show. It's colourful and better than "Memory". Listen to Walter Scharf's strings-laden martial score a la "The Project Strigas Affair" (see "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.").
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#8: THE RANSOM
Summary:
Dan Briggs is playing pool when mobster Frank Egan strolls in and tells him Sandy Forrester (his friend's daughter) is being held hostage and will die unless Briggs snatches a mob informant named Augie Gorman from a hotel surrounded by the police. The IMF gets witness Gorman from the authorities after poisoning the water pipe and sends him to the Memorial Hospital. After a first failed exchange, Dan Briggs plans a second attempt in which Rollin replaces Egan to falsely gun down Gorman in front of his henchmen.
Cast details:
Snarling Gangster Frank Egan and his two men are played by William Smithers, Vic Tayback and Jack Donner. Witness Augie Gorman and his detective are played by Joe Mantell and Walter Mathews. Principal George Forrester and his abducted daughter Sandy are played by Lin McCarty and Cheryl Callaway. Featuring guest IMFers Dr. Ira Green, which returns from "Operation Rogosh", posing as a medic from Memorial Hospital and Steve (Eddie Paskey) replacing Gorman at the Memorial Hospital. Dan poses as a drunk singing tenant to wake Gorman up; before that, Dan cuts the wires of the ventilation system of the hotel; first episode where the leading protagonist looses his cool in front of an enemy: the pool scene with Egan and in the apartment with Gorman: he threatens him with his gun in cold blood. Cinnamon poses as a nurse specialized in X-Rays photos and Rollin as a medic then disguised as Frank Egan and show us the famous ritual of the "peel-off". Willy poses as a motorcycle cop to give Egan a fine. Willy and Barney do the silent jobs: Willy turns off the cold water pipe in the basement while Barney puts a hole in the pipe with a drill and presses the button that releases the pink drug. First episode in which the IMF uses a dummy and, here, one of Gorman hidden in a phone booth that is gunned down by Egan's hitman; also notice the use of a van.
Review:
An underworld and sad/sentimental episode that looks and sounds late 1950's and that also tackle the doppelganger via unmasked Rollin. Walter Scharf composes a urban score that integrates Big Band and Be Bop style and reminds Elmer Bernstein's "Staccato".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
