| Steed Joins the Hellfire Club |
[Aug. 15th, 2004|08:15 pm] |
A series of "innocent" practical jokes is disrupting foreign
relations. When the jokes turn deadly, our Dynamic Duo discover the
dastardly doings of an exclusive period club that is planning a
political coup.
Absolutely the most overtly erotic episode ever, with the most intense
Emma-watching imaginable. And she wasn't the only character to steam
up the picture tube--Monty Python alumna Carol Cleveland also helped.
This aside, it is well and truly a great episode, with some remarkable
moments, starting right off with the opening scene wherein Cartney
pushes a giant chair backward towards the camera, accompanied by a
wonderfully odd bit of music. And who could forget Steed removing the
pea before the axe fell? Peter Wyngarde utterly steals the show (and
does it again in "Epic"). "Hellfire!"
Trivia
While it was banned altogether in the U.S., the episode still aired in
the U.K.--but not without some difficulty. Demands were made to cut
down the whipping scene at the end, and since that was the version
that was distributed worldwide, it would appear that no one has ever
seen the complete whipping scene until its debut on A&E video. Well,
sort of--it aired on cable in uncut form just a month or so prior to
the video release. Still, if it's whipping women that upset the
broadcasters of the 60s, why was nothing said or done about "Silent
Dust," wherein Emma is subjected to more than a few cracks by Juggins?
Of course, it all looks rather tame by today's standards (as does
Emma's Queen of Sin costume--Baywatch is more risqué), but back in the
60's, when the word "hell" could not be uttered on U.S. airwaves and
navels could not be exposed, sensibilities were a bit different.
Still, one must note that the whip is never seen touching Emma--just a
lot of cracking and darting about and Cartney grimacing.
While feminists object to the excessive sexism, guess who designed
that notorious costume? Why, Diana Rigg herself! (For an eye-popping
view, follow the linked image at right.) But for a more balanced
perspective, a female "boomer" observes: "Does anybody under the age
of 45 today grasp the concept of High Camp? We real Mrs. Peels don't
need pseudo-champions 'defending' us against sexism. We can manage
very nicely on our own, and yes, some of us old dames even have a sexy
sense of humour while we're going about cutting down Insensitive
Diabolical Masterminds to their own teeny-peeny size!"
Diana Rigg recalls the worst part of filming the episode was spending
an entire day holding a snake, and being told by the owner that it
might pee on her at any moment.
From ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) master_darcy |
|
|