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Title: Vendetta for the Saint: Part 1 (05 Jan 1969)
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| Episode cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Roger Moore | ... | Simon Templar | |
| Ian Hendry | ... | Alessandro Destamio | |
| Rosemary Dexter | ... | Gina Destamio | |
 |
Aimi MacDonald | ... | Lily |
| George Pastell | ... | Marco Ponti | |
| Marie Burke | ... | Donna Maria | |
| Fulton Mackay | ... | James Euston | |
|
|
Peter Kristof | ... | Giorgio |
| Peter Madden | ... | Lo Zio | |
| Guy Deghy | ... | Maresciallo | |
|
|
Eileen Way | ... | The Maid |
| Edward Evans | ... | The Bank Manager | |
|
|
Malya Nappi | ... | The Bank Clerk |
| Charles Houston | ... | Hotel Reception Clerk | |
| Salmaan Peerzada | ... | Airline Clerk (as Salmaan Peer) | |
Templar is having a drink at a bar in Naples when he witnesses a mêlée between two of the customers. It appears that one of them has mistaken the other for an old colleague. Templar's suspicions are raised the next morning when he reads in the newspapers that one of the men has been murdered. He begins to investigate only to find himself thrown into the world of the Sicilian Mafia, and that few people are willing to help him. Written by Sebastian Tombs <sebastian.tombs@jyanet.com>
Nice to see Simon Templar out of the studio for a change. Most of the 1960s ITC TV series looked pretty glossy for the time, having the budget to be shot on film, and latterly in colour. Even so, they didn't spend much time on location, often faking exteriors in the studio, and only using location establishment shots, many of them looking like library footage. By that measure, Vendetta for the Saint really does look like a proper movie, with great use of the Italian locations, and only a few obvious studio shots. As it was also intended to be shown as a TV double bill, it is possibly a bit over-extended for its material (a fault shared by some of Leslie Charteris's novels). That said, the pace doesn't let up too often. Good solid performances from the main cast, Ian Hendry is interesting as the ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to get to the top of the mafia (despite slipping in and out of his New York mobster accent a bit erratically), but this is Roger Moore's film, and he is rarely off screen, so if you are looking for a masterclass in eyebrow acting, this is the film to watch. A fitting end (more or less) to the series.