Speaking of The Return Movie...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

People seem to either love it or hate it.  Well, maybe not love, but some of us accept the premise of it and have gone on to write and expand on it.
Personally, I think Illya as a designer works, in part because he played the part or faked the part a few times in the series.  The idea that he didn't know how to dress has always been a puzzle to me because his suits are as nice as Napoleon's, and the all black merely reflects the time and culture (turtlenecks especially). Otherwise, he can be seen in some very nice clothing throughout the series.
So, now I get to the heart of the matter: Illya's wardrobe.
I stand by my observation that he is a well dressed individual who charms us whether he's in a well tailored suit, a burgunday mohair jack (quite the thing in the 60's), or the iconic black turtleneck.  Heck, even a white shirt with that leather holster is enough to make some of us sigh.  Of course this doesn't include the frequent appearances in his boxers, but that's another post entirely.  We'll have to review Napoleon's wardrobe another time.  Next week it's MFU in a tuxedo.
Here is my Sunday Pictorial...
Obvious, right? White shirt, holster... exposed neck... THUD!
First episode Beige... Nice
Burgundy jacket... widely hated, but still a nice piece of clothing.
The blue suit, like his eyes
The grey suit... sigh...
Black on black...loving it
Again, with a turtleneck
S4 black suit is a sure thing
All photos are from Lisa's Framecape Library

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

oh that grey suit, tailored and fitted very nicely. Better than his other suits. Hubba hubby!

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

It was definitely a winner, and a lot of good moments when he was wearing it.

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

*Whispers" I still haven't seen the return movie yet.

I love Illya's style. The black turtleneck is a triumph, the grey suit is gorgeous, but you really can't beat the white shirt and leather shoulder holster combo. I'm a girl of simple tastes :-D

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I've had a cold this weekend so I think I will pull out the dvd and watch it today, sort of warm me up :D It's ok for an 80's era TV movie. David McCallum looks great, very much the Kuryakin we remembered. What the story lacked was more of the two leads together.

[hypatia-66.livejournal.com]

David McCallum looks lovely in anything, or in nothing.

But the Return movie is not good. I can't imagine why they agreed to do it. D still looks great, and he was given the chance to do a couple of rather good character parts on the side - the Polish telephone repair man, and the pilot with the North London accent. Not quite convincing as a couturier, though, because the part was rubbish, no character development for Illya at all - and the garments! Awful. The lack of banter between him and Napoleon was a wasted opportunity; there's a ludicrous plot (no change there, of course); and several endless action sequences that are very boring and should have been cut. The young agent that Napoleon was lumbered with should have been suffocated at birth. And who builds a nuclear reactor over a large cave system?

Nevertheless, I do occasionally watch bits of it. There is some good acting despite the script - so, much like the original show really...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

You're right on all counts, but we have to trust that the actors accepted it as part of the MFU collection when they joined up. For me it's not so much that Iike the movie, it's the potential story lines within it that we don't see on the screen.
I've written several stories set within this framework and am pleased with how it resonates for me, personally. Illya Kuryakin is, throughout the series, a creative person whose talents and interests seem wide enough to embrace the ability, if not the passion, for design. As for what we saw on screen... it's the 80's, and I doubt there were any designers on set to advise ;)
Perhaps we need a challenge to explore everyone's ideas about the premise of the movie.

[hypatia-66.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely. I've done one too, and quite enjoyed finding a place for it in the life of the two agents. I'm sure it offers lots of scope for other interpretations.

Whether actors really care much about a role, I'm not sure - well, you probably know better than I do - but in interviews these two (DMcC, especially) seemed to be more concerned to get any role, which I take to be the normal insecurity of anyone in that line of work. On the other hand, he also seemed keen not to be seen only as Illya, so I'm still a bit surprised.