JASON KING - R2 NETWORK BOX SET

I recently read some depressing research about the attention-span of the average citizen using the web for their entertainment updates and reviews. Apparently it's not very long. So for those of you who have managed to stay with me this far, but want me to cut to the chase, I'm going to start with a 60 second overview of this magnificent set.
For those who don't know, 'Jason King' is the high-camp spin-off of a previous spy-style ITC series, 'Department S', both created by Dennis Spooner for Lew Grade's ITC.. Featuring the big-haired, mustachioed Peter Wyngarde, camp as a nine-bob note yet portraying an irresistible ladies man, the show tends to delight fans of Austin Powers and seventies psychedelia, yet frequently gets accused by hard-core ITC fans of tipping over the edge with its OTT plots and dialogue. (Damn - just a few seconds left before I lose you...).

This set gathers together the full 26 'one-hour' episodes as well as a reasonable selection of extras, including PDF's of production notes and publicity brochures, a documentary, loads of stills, musical scores and even a 90 minute TV play from the 1960's featuring Peter Wyngarde to give a broader perspective of the actor and his work. (He all but disappeared in the early seventies after a cottaging scandal).



The only down-side of this otherwise splendid set is that the transfers aren't all that. This was the first ITC series to drop 35mm in favour of 16mm and it really shows, with integral grain and less clarity. And just to make things even more depressing, the transfers here looked more washed out than the Australian release, which means that they have been sourced from different masters. They seem to get progressively better as the set goes on, though this may be more a matter of my getting used to them.This lets down an otherwise excellent collection, with animated menus, abundant stills and oodles of extras as is Network's way. Right - for those with me for the duration, here's the overview that this mammoth seven disc set deserves.



As stated in the accompanying documentary, though Jason King seems far larger than life, there were actually many parallels to his character with Wyngarde himself, helping blur the lines between character and the real person. Wyngarde had grown up during the war and was the son of an Army Officer based in Shanghai. He was actually detained in the very same prison as J.G. Ballard who noted the fact in his recent biography, and which was detailed in his novel 'Empire of the Sun'.



As a larger than life, globe-trotting thespian, King was perfect for the part of Jason King, author and adventurer who loves fine tobacco, good wine, flamboyant dress and gorgeous girls. Priding himself on real-life accuracy in his best-selling novels, he is constantly travelling across Europe (the usual ITC trick of stock footage and studio sets) to gather material. Naturally, danger follows his every move, and it's always greeted with the same yawning nonchalance and arrogant self assurance. And every episode features another beautiful woman - Ingrid Pitt, Stephanie Beacham (who I once met on a train journey), Kate O'Mara (coincidentally my next door neighbour's sister), Michele Dotrice ('Betty' in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em),



The series, which made an international star of Wyngarde at the time, remains incredibly influential to this day. Mike Myers vitually adopted King as his prototype for Austin Powers (which he readily confesses to) and the character Jason Bentley, played by Peter Richardson in the 1993 Comic Strip Presents episode Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown goes beyond mere homage. He's also had a heavy influence on the comic-book world. An analogue of Jason King appears in the comic book series The Invisibles written by Grant Morrison as "Mr. Six", the so-called "Last of the International Playboys", and member of "Division X". And you don't need Sherlock Holmes to point out that, in the X-Men comics, the character of Jason Wyngarde (aka Mastermind) was clearly directly influenced by the character. (And talking of Holmes, Wyngarde would have made a superb Holmes had Jeremy Brett been unavailable. Perfect diction and a superior air plus the right feature set. Just a thought!)



The series rolls through a number of improbable adventures, often as surreal as the latter 'Avengers' episodes and always full of country stereotypes. The series quickly dated though, as Kate O'Mara astutely observes in an interview included in the features Wyngarde insisted on wearing the very latest Carnaby Street garb, unlike previous ITC heroes, and as a result the whole series is very much of its time.
In common with other ITC series, production value is generally high, though there are some shameful continuity errors throughout. (Check out the snow hat appearing and disappearing off Jason' head as it cuts from wide shots to close ups in a skiing sequence) You just wouldn't get away with this today.



The set comes with a great array of features including the second part of a documentary feature (the first part appearing on the Network 'Department S' set) which runs for a hefty 40 minutes, featuring some nice interviews with cast, crew and commentators - including the likes of Kate O'Mara, Producer Cyril Frankel, Burt Kwouk and narrated by Peter Bowles.



And guess what? I found my very first Easter Egg (I'm very proud of this - you heard it here first!). As I watched the documentary I started to feel frustrated that Wyngarde wasn't included. After all, we haven't seen much of him since 'Flash Gordon' in the early eighties. Having accessed the PDF documents on my PC, I replayed the documentary briefly and discovered that you can force the documentary beyond its natural time-line (it's programmed to go back to the main menu at the end of the documentary and you can force it past that point) and there he is! A good ten minute interview with the man, obviously shot for the Network 'Prisoner Set' as this is what he talks about, having played one of the many 'Number Two's' in the classic series.



Other extras included are: a 54 page PDF document of a type-written episode synopsis, a 4 page glossy publicity brochure, presumably used by Grade to sell the series across the globe. There are also some press releases that go some way towards inferring that the line between Wyngarde and his fictional character is a very fine one indeed, backed up in part by interviews in the documentary.
Another nice extra is an interview by Russell Harty from 1973, when Wyngarde was about to embark on a tour of 'The King and I'. It's hilarious that Harty pushes the point again and again about why Wyngarde wasn't married. Different times indeed!



There are also copious publicity photos, a music suite and textless opening and closing credits and commercial break bumpers.

Disc 7 of the set is exclusively dedicated to a sixties 'TV Play' (The Crossfire) which features Wyngarde in a similarly louche role. A slightly depressing play set in Algeria, Wyngarde plays a relatively minor role. It's inclsuion here is curious, but I suppose broadens he appreciation of Wyndgarde as a serious actor.





In summary, I would say that this superb set, with its many extras, is only really marred by less than perfect transfers. If you can live with that, then you'll enjoy this long awaited R2 outing.