Hannay: The Complete Series [DVD]

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After nearly thirty years in southern Africa, Richard Hannay has achieved recognition as an officer in military intelligence, a mining engineer and a successful prospector. The pre-world war one `British Empire' espionage themes don't seem dated, probably as the British social elite are portrayed in as much a pompous negative light as the dastardly villains and the persistent foreign master-spy (Count Von Schwabing) trying to destabilise Britain's superpower status.

Robert Powell reprises one of his most famous roles, that of Edwardian adventurer Richard Hannay, in this hit drama series spinning out of John Buchan's thrilling tales of derring-do most famously, the classic novel The Thirty-Nine Steps . As told in Mr Standfast, he meets and falls in love with Mary Lamington, an intelligent, beautiful young nurse and fellow spy. Hannay is a thirteen-episode (spread over two seasons) TV series featuring the hero of John Buchan’s classic thrillers, Richard Hannay.Robert Powell followed up his stirring performance as Hannay in the 70s version of '39 Steps' with this 80s TV series featuring the same character. Hannay: The Complete Series All 13 episodes from the television drama series, following the exploits of Major Richard Hannay (Robert Powell) - spy, soldier and adventurer - as he helps save the British Empire in the days before the First World War. When Hannay saves the life of a desperate young lady, he little realises how quickly this act of bravery will bring him face-to-face with his arch-enemy, von Schwabing.

The best episodes are very lightweight and rely to an embarrassing degree on unlikely narrow escapes carried out by methods that are both silly and corny.Even better than Robert Donat in Hitchcock’s 1935 movie (which I rate as one of the ten best movies ever made). However, in 1920 or 1921, Hannay again finds himself in an adventure, this time with his wife's help unravelling a kidnapping mystery in The Three Hostages. If you’re going to put Robert Powell in an adventure series then you expect him to go totally over-the-top. I am a big fan of The 39 Steps (all four films and the Criterion Theatre production) and I have found Hannay to be a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience. Several men have received anonymous threatening letters, all in the form of quotations from Shakespeare.

Richard Hannay is a man of his times: an Edwardian gentleman and adventurer, a mining engineer from South Africa of Scottish origin, who lives by his own standards and wits, upholding a mora.Before this 1988 TV production, Robert Powell played Hannay in a 1978 remake of Alfred Hitchock's classic 1935 version of the book.