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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
The last of the great Templars..., 10 September 2004
Author: xyzcosmonaut from Germany

"Return of the Saint" was the last great filmed version of Leslie Charteris' classic after Roger Moore's supreme version of the character in the long running 60's TV show "The Saint".

Ian Ogilvy was excellent and unforgettable as Simon Templar aka "The Saint" in this late 70's/early 80's series. The show itself was always worth watching even if some episodes were a bit too typical of the TV action genre of the time. Of course, nowadays, this show can be regarded as a great addition in a long line of bygone kitsch/cult/classic action shows along the lines of "The Sweeney", "The Professionals", "The Saint", "The Prisoner", "Starsky & Hutch", "Six Million Dollar Man", "Danger Man", etc, etc...

The best thing about "Return of the Saint" is/was the intro: Every episode would start with a pre-titles clip which would set up the episode's story. The clip would usually (but not always) end with Ogilvy mentioning his name - a typical example would be of a sexy woman (usually just saved by Templar from being shot by criminals) thanking him and asking him his name. Something like this...

Beautiful woman: "Thanks. You saved my life! How can I ever repay you, Mister..??" Simon Templar: "The name is Templar... Simon Templar!"

After his name is mentioned, a halo appears above Simon Templar's head to the sound of the now-classic "Saint halo jingle" and then cue the crazy title sequence to the sound of the brilliant and very memorable "Return of the Saint" theme tune: The famous "stickman" logo of the Saint is cleverly animated and mixed into live-action footage/clips with some man chasing the stickman logo(!) across land and sea until the stickman escapes him and ends up with some babe in a bedroom which he just met on a beach..! I still think this title sequence looks great and pretty clever even 20 years or so later after the fact... (If only the Val Kilmer movie had an intro/title sequence like that but it didn't, sadly. Although I was all looking forward to seeing some similar CGI animated stickman intro to the Kilmer movie. Why didn't they do that?!)

Anyway, "Return of the Saint" was a great show and is a great piece of nostalgia for someone like me who loves old cult TV shows.

The Saint didn't return to (British) TV screens until 1990 with Simon Dutton taking over the role in a short series of feature length adventures co-produced and filmed in various European countries. The series wasn't very good at all, very boring, not much action and, worst of all, it featured some very bad actors - nothing like the Roger Moore or Ian Ogilvy shows. The only thing it had going for it was a rather catchy theme tune and a cheeky quick snatch of the "Return of the Saint" halo jingle.

The character of Simon Templar wouldn't return again until 1997's big screen thing with Val Kilmer. It wasn't a bad movie at all (in my opinion!) but the problem was it wasn't really anything like "The Saint" as we've known him throughout time and it flopped pretty badly. (Maybe another, better attempt at a Saint movie in the near future? I live in hope!...)

Anyway, it's seriously about time Ian Ogilvy got a bit of popularity again(!) and here's hoping that a complete DVD box-set of "Return of the Saint" isn't that far away...

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Terrific followup to the original series, 20 January 2004
Author: Albert Ohayon from Montreal, Quebec, Canada

I can't understand why this series is so hard to find(it does not appear to be available on video or DVD at this time). Ian Ogilvy is very good as the Saint. His 70s hairstyle is a bit dated(on viewing it today) but other than that he is suave and sophisticated.And who can forget his white Jaguar XJS!

I remember seeing this series when it was first broadcast on CBC(Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) in 1978-79 and enjoying it tremendously. One episode that comes to mind is The Armageddon Alternative which has a madman threatening to blow up London using a nuclear bomb! The story was tense and the manhunt very realistic. The great thing about this series is the fact that they shot it all over Europe. Several very good actors appeared in the series including Britt Eckland, Ian Hendry, Linda Thorson and Catherine Schell

Fans of the Saint should check it out if it ever comes back(Mystery network in Canada showed it last year but they seem to have stopped).

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Come in ITC, your time is up!, 28 January 2006
Author: anthonywalshaw_2 from Middlesbrough, England

The Return of the Saint sits uneasily alongside both the previous ITC series and contemporary programmes of 1978, being a hybrid of the two. The location shooting and updated theme music compare with the most recent programmes, but the clichéd plots and much of the scripts/acting belong in the glory days of ITC a decade or so previously, when they were more believable to the audiences.

Staged set-pieces with buffoonish villains were now dated and improbable rather than stylish and entertaining. The same character actors involved could often be seen in such as The Sweeney and The Professionals doing fight scenes far more realistically.

There are likely several reasons why the programme did not extend beyond one series. Ian Ogilvy perhaps seemed a bit youthful compared to Roger Moore but his performances were fine and the programme was certainly popular at the time. The Grade Organisation (incorporating ATV/ITC) had not really moved on by the late-1970's, with its output still consisting of 1960's style caper/adventure movies/TV shows when almost everything else had moved towards a grittier realism. It was probably very expensive to make and worldwide sales might not have been good overall.

It is difficult to imagine ATV/ITC making shows with gratuitous violence and foul language and we should be thankful that they didn't. Their output, like the Hammer & Carry On films in the same period, had a brand quality and style particular to its maker and era. But by the late 1970's that era had gone and their empire was about to disintegrate.

That said, The Return of the Saint was not a bad way to depart being entertaining in the best tradition of ITC, with good guest actors complimenting the competent Ogilvy. Remember also that the seemingly more realistic Professionals had many ridiculous plot situations and equally has a mixed though generally favourable reaction when being assessed by critics.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Return Of The Saint, 15 March 2006
Author: ruth-155 from United Kingdom

I have fond memories of watching it as a child I'm currently enjoying re-runs. The information about the Jaguar is really interesting. I'm very fond of it especially the tan coloured interior. I'm looking forward to getting the DVDs.Ian Ogilvy's interpretation of The Saint is very interesting. I like his sense of humour and I like the way he dresses. Collision Course is my favourite story especially part two. I'm very interested in getting the books to read as I have never been able to get the books. I first began watching the original Saint series as re-runs when I was 4 and still feel he has retained his special mystery. May the sign of The Saint be ever present.

Ruth

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Return of the Saint, 25 January 2007
Author: vgingerjar1 from United States

I watched this series when it played in the U.S. on The Friday Late Night Movie on CBS in 1978 and enjoyed it so much. I just recently purchased the 25th Anniversity Special Edition DVD set (all region) and its still great. Ian Ogilvy is simply dashing in the lead and the locations(England, France and Italy) are so beautiful. What a pity the series only lasted a year but if you own the DVD set, you will not only enjoy the episodes again but also interviews with Ian Ogilvy and executive producer John S. Baker reminisce about their favorite episodes with other behind the scenes information and stories about that fabulous white XJS. Its a must for any Saint or Ian Ogilvy fan!

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
The Saint's Jaguar, 27 January 2005
Author: sgpfan from New Zealand

This one should really be in the trivia section for this show listing.

Jaguar were originally approached to provide the car for the Roger Moore series, but turned down the request stating that they were having trouble keeping up with demand for their then new E Type (XKE in the USA).

Volvo's P1800 got the role and shot to instant fame, with Jaguar kicking themselves over the missed opportunity. They bent over backwards to provide the car for Ian Ogilvy's rendition of Simon Templar, and more than one car was used - spot the difference in interior trim: episodes shot in Italy have an XJS with a black cabin, others a tan cabin! In the recently released DVD set, Ian Ogilvy commented that the XJS was magnificent to drive - when it worked! Apparently, the quality and reliability of the car(s) left much to be desired with a multitude of faults encountered throughout the shoot, despite a full-time Jaguar technician being present. The most embarrassing incident was when Mr Ogilvy volunteered to drive the car back from Italy to the UK with his family and take a vacation en route, but the car broke down on them just several miles out of Rome! Mr Ogilvy does admit that Jaguar has improved much over the years and are considered good cars today, though.

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Fair, but not really The Saint, 9 January 2009
4/10
Author: thud-5 from San Jose, California

Sorry if this offends some, but I have major problems with this series. Starting with Ian Oglivy as Simon Teplar. Now, his character name may be the same as the character played by Sir Roger Moore in the original series, but he isn't really The Saint. He is vaguely Saint-like, but is far too much a puppet of the organization for which he works.

Instead of suave and cunning, Oglivy's Templar is brash. Rather than a twinkle in his eye, this new "Saint" seems to vacillate between looking slightly embarrassed and looking just bit too smug.

True, I am one of those, "James Bond WAS Sean Connery" and "Simon Templar WAS Roger Moore" types. Perhaps that colors my perspective, but watching some of these episodes in 2008-09 hasn't done anything to change my opinion of the show back in 1978-79 when I first saw it. I have also gone back to watch several of the Roger Moore series recently. They hold up. Rather nicely, too.

The plots are paper thin and the supporting acting is sometimes painful. I would give examples, but they would end up being spoilers.

For completists out there, go for the DVD. For Ian Ogilvy fans, go for it. But, if you have warm, fuzzy memories of the original The Saint shows, don't say that one crabby old fart didn't warn you.

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0 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Simon In The '70's, 28 July 2006
8/10
Author: ProfessorStahlman from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I can remember seeing Ian Ogilvy in 'Upstairs Downstairs' in 1972 ( he played impotent poet 'Lawrence Kirbridge' ) and thinking how like Roger Moore he looked. If someone had told me then he would one day go on to inherit Moore's most famous role I would not have been the least bit surprised.

The original 'Saint' ended in 1969 but was still being repeated by I.T.V. when Moore was doing the Bond films, mostly in daytime slots. Robert S. Baker, the producer, felt there was more mileage in the character and so in 1978 'Return Of The Saint' hit British television screens. I.T.V. networked it in a high-profile Sunday night slot.

I was disappointed by the first few episodes. The character of Simon Templar seemed anachronistic at a time when 'The Sweeney' and 'Starsky & Hutch' ruled the roost. Ogilvy's trendy suits and the hideous saxophone/synthesiser theme music only made matters worse. The show's excellent title sequence had Templar's matchstick man trademark doing various 'Saintly' things such as jumping off a bridge, fighting a thug, and even kissing a girl!

Baker hired Peter Allan Fields as 'Executive Story Consultant', but after a handful of episodes, he left, and Baker brought in as a replacement Anthony Spinner, who had worked on 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and 'The Invaders' amongst other shows. Spinner wished to be credited as 'producer' and was, even though Baker was still in charge. He had the good sense to retain many of the original production team, such as writers John Kruse and Terence Feely, directors Leslie Norman and Jeremy Summers.

The expensive location filming gave the series a glossy sheen, but lost it the charm of the Elstree-bound Moore shows. Ogilvy could have made an excellent 'Saint' had he been encouraged to develop his own personality and not simply impersonate Moore. He was also much too young for the role. 'T.V. Times' readers disagreed, they voted him 'Most Compulsive Male Personality' of 1979. He was also the recipient of a 'This Is Your Life' book that year, and walked into the Thames studio to great gales of applause.

Loads of crumpet for Simon to work his charm on, including Kate O'Mara, Prunella Gee, Judy Geeson, Mary Tamm, Catherine Schell, Tessa Wyatt, Carolyn Seymour, Lynn Dalby and Gayle Hunnicutt.

Amongst the best episodes were 'The Armaggeddon Alternative', a prophetic tale of a mad bomber at large in London, 'Murder Cartel', the two-parter 'Collision Course' ( later reedited into a T.V. movie entitled 'The Saint & The Brave Goose' ), and 'The Arrangement' ( a rip-off of Patricia Highsmith's 'Strangers On A Train', and boasting a fabulous guest shot from Carolyn Seymour as psychotic 'Lady Greer Stevens' ).

'Return' was the last of its kind - the glossy, globe-trotting I.T.C. adventure series, a line that can be traced back to 1959 and the half-hour version of 'Danger Man'. Lew Grade switched to feature film production ( with middling results ) and no more 'Saints' were made.

Its stock has increased over the years, mainly because the Simon Dutton and Val Kilmer versions were so appallingly bad!

Parodied by L.W.T.'s 'End Of Part One' as 'Return Of The Doughnut'.

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