The Avengers (1998)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1998
Running Times: 89 mins
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: DTS     Dolby Digital     SDDS

SELECTED CREDITS

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Warner Bros. presents a Jerry Weintraub Production
Executive Producer: Susan Ekins
Producer: Jerry Weintraub

SCRIPT
Script: Don MacPherson
Television Series: Sydney Newman

DIRECTION
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
2nd Unit Directors: Vic Armstrong, Arthur Wooster, Harvey Harrison

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Roger Pratt
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Harvey Harrison

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Mick Audsley

MUSIC
Music: Joel McNeely
Theme: Laurie Johnson

SOUND
Production Sound Mixer: Clive Winter
Boom Operator: Matthew Desorgher

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Key Make Up: Daniel Parker
Make Up: Jeremy Woodhead
Key Hair: Paolo Mantini
Make Up/Hair For Uma Thurman: Peter King
Hair: Kay Georgiou
Costume Designer: Anthony Powell

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Mike Dawson, Brian Morrison, John Brown, John Holmes, Jonathan Angell, Kevin Draycott, Rob Malos, Rodney Fuller, Roger Nichols

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects: Cinesite, Computer Film Company, Mill Film Limited (London)
Visual Effects Supervisor: Nick Davis
Visual Effects Coordinator: Alexandra Day

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Stuart Craig
Supervising Art Director: Neil Lamont
Art Directors: Michael Lamont, Andrew Ackland-Snow, Mark Harris

LOCATIONS
Locations: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK; Gloucestershire, England, UK; Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, England, UK; Kingsway Tram Tunnel, Holborn, London, England, UK; Richard Rogers House, Chelsea, London, England, UK; Royal Naval College, Greenwich, England, UK; Stowe Castle, England, UK; Syon House & Garden, Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK
Studio: Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, UK

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Marc Boyle
2nd Unit Stunt Coordinator: Eddie Stacey

CASTING
Casting: Susie Figgis

CAST
Ralph Fiennes (John Steed)
Uma Thurman (Emma Peel)
Sean Connery (Sir August de Wynter)
Patrick Macnee (voice of Invisible Jones)
Jim Broadbent (Mother)
Fiona Shaw (Father)
Eddie Izzard (Bailey)
Eileen Atkins (Alice)
John Wood (Trubshaw)
Carmen Ejogo (Brenda)
Keeley Hawes (Tamara)
Shaun Ryder (Donavan)
Nicholas Woodeson (Dr Darling)
Michael Godley (butler)
Richard Lumsden (Boodle's porter)
Daniel Crowder (messenger)
Nadim Sawalha, Christopher Godwin, David Webber (World Council of Ministers)

When a weather control system, the Prospero Shield, fails and the climate begins to get colder, British secret agent John Steed is called in to investigate. The prime suspect seems to be scientist Emma Peel who developed Prospero but has been filmed apparently sabotaging the system. But his investigations lead Steed to Sir August de Wynter who is planning to to rule the world using his own weather control machine.

A poorly conceived mess, The Avengers is almost entirely lacking in any of the qualities that made the original TV series so good. There's no chemistry whatsoever between the two miscast leads, the quirky humour that was a trademark of the original is missing and the inventiveness of the original scripts is replaced by a collection of by-the-numbers action movie clichés. Not even Sean Connery can save this one.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Video Distributor: Argentina Video Home

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros. GmbH
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (15873)

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Sogefilms S.A.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Bros.
Laserdisc Distributor: Warner Home Video (15873)
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (15873)

Argentina
Rating: 13

Australia
Rating: PG

Finland
Rating: K-12

France
Rating: U

Germany
Rating: 12

Netherlands
Rating: 12

Portugal
Rating: M/12

Spain
Rating: T

Sweden
Rating: 11

Switzerland
Rating: 12

UK
Rating: 12

USA
Rating: PG-13 (for brief strong language)

1999
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing: Foreign Feature - nominated

Razzie Awards, USA
Worst Picture (Jerry Weintraub) - nominated
Worst Remake or Sequel - winner (tied with Godzilla (1998) and Psycho (1998))
Worst Director (Jeremiah Chechik) - nominated
Worst Actor (Ralph Fiennes) - nominated
Worst Supporting Actor (Sean Connery) - nominated
Worst Actress (Uma Thurman) - nominated
Worst Original Song (Marius De Vries, Bruce Woolley, Andy Caine, Betsy Cook, Chris Elliott) - nominated (for the song Storm)
Worst Screen Couple (Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman) - nominated
Worst Screenplay (Don MacPherson) - nominated

1998
August
13: Israel - theatrical release
14: Canada, Malaysia, Sweden, UK, USA - theatrical release
19: France - theatrical release
20: Singapore - theatrical release
26: Belgium - theatrical release
27: Germany - theatrical release
28: Austria, Brazil, Switzerland (German speaking region) - theatrical release

September
3: Netherlands - theatrical release
4: Finland, Portugal - theatrical release
9: Philippines - theatrical release
11: Thailand - theatrical release
17: Slovenia - theatrical release
18: Denmark - theatrical release
24: Hungary, New Zealand - theatrical release
25: Mexico, Spain - theatrical release
30: Kuwait - theatrical release

October
2: Turkey - theatrical release
3: Japan, South Korea - theatrical release
8: Slovakia - theatrical release
9: Poland - theatrical release
30: Italy - theatrical release

November
5: Australia - theatrical release
6: Estonia - theatrical release
13: Iceland - theatrical release
28: Indonesia - theatrical release

December
29: USA - laserdisc release (Warner Home Video (15873)); DVD release (Warner Home Video (15873))

1999
January
20: Argentina - video release

April
7: Germany - DVD release (Warner Home Video (15873))

August
11: UK - television broadcast (on Sky Box Office)

2000
February
26: UK - television broadcast (on Sky Movies)

2001
July
3: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 5)

Mrs Peel, we're needed.

Extraordinary crimes against the people and the state must be avenged

Two amazing secret agents. One diabolical madman. Conditions are dark. The forecast is deadly. Tea, anyone?

Saving the World in Style

The Avengers - Hævnere i kjole og hvidt - Danish title
Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone - German title
Los vengadores - Spanish title
Me vakoojat - Finnish title
Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir - French title
The Avengers - Agenti speciali - Italian title
Os Vingadores - Brazilian title
Hämnarna - Swedish title

SEE ALSO
The Avengers (1961 - 1969)
The New Avengers (1976 - 1977)

MAGAZINES

American Cinematographer vol.79 no.10 (October 1998) pp.109-110 (USA)
illustrated article

Cinemanía September 1998 pp.38-39 (Mexico)
article (La venganza es un plato que se come frio by J. Bekhor)

L'Ecran Fantastique no.183 (March 1999) p.81 (France)
illustrated article (Musiques de films by Nicholas Michel)

Empire no.112 October 1998 p.36 (UK)
illustrated review (by Kim Newman)

Film Review October 1998 p.20 (UK)
review (by James Cameron-Wilson)

Film Score Monthly vol.4 no.2 (1999) p.39 (USA)
illustrated soundtrack review (by Andy Dursin)

Film tutti i film della stagione vol.5 no.37 (January/February 1999) pp.62-64 (Italy)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Film tutti i film della stagione vol.6 no.37 (1999) pp.62-64 (Italy)
illustrated credits, review (by Simone Emiliani)

Music From the Movies no.22 (Winter 1999) pp.23-24 (UK)
illustrated article

Sight and Sound vol.8 no.10 (October 1998) pp.38-39 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Soundtrack!: The Collector’s Quarterly no.18 (Spring 1999) p.55 (USA)
illustrated soundtrack review (by Janet Shprintz and Martin Peers)

Starburst no.242 (October 1998) pp.52-55 (UK)
illustrated article

Total Film September 1998 p.91 (UK)
review (by Dean Evans)

Video Watchdog no.51 (1999) pp.42-43 (USA)
illustrated review (by Tim Lucas)

NEWSPAPERS

A Capital, Guia TV 26 March 1999 (Portugal)
review (by Rui Brazuna)

Correio da Manhã 4 September 1998 (Portugal)
review (by Vitoriano Rosa)

Diário de Notícias 4 September 1998 (Portugal)
review (by Eurico De Barros)

Diário de Notícias, DNmais 5 September 1998 (Portugal)
review (by José De Matos-Cruz)

Svenska Dagbladet 16 August 1998 (Sweden)
review (Connery har för lite att göra i Hämnarna by Elisabeth Sörenson)

KEYWORDS

tv series into film, secret agents, weather control, scientists, megalomania, teddy bears, umbrellas, gadgets, clones, human duplication, weather, spies, terrorists, robots, insects, bees, balloons, traitors, invisibility

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008