IMDb user comments for
"Mission: Impossible" (1966)

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39 comments in total

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25 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
The theater of the manipulation, 24 abril 1999
Author: Thomas Rucki (filigrane@hotmail.com) de Paris, France

"Mission : impossible" is the most complex espionage series ever conceived. What makes this show so unique ? It is its storyline, its characters, its visual style and its music : a real trade mark. What I like the most is first the ritual : the tape, the dossier and the apartment briefing, then the fast-paced clips as credits, the character of Martin Landau with his masks and gimmicks, the cinematography (very quick cuts, extreme close ups as inserts, the use of special lenses, pan-and-tilt shots, upside-down camera shots, hand-held camera shots, optical zoom shots as dramatic effects), the skillful montage, and finally, the music and its various themes. The show is an impeccable and Machiavellian play. Every details are planned in advance to fool and get rid of the enemy. Each scheming is tight and shocking. I like the use of the time warp concept in "Operation Rogosh" and the role of Fritz Weaver as the paranoid Soviet Union spy trapped in a fake Russian prison which is in California. I like the tension and the suspense created by silent actions. Anyway, the whole show is about simulacrum. The devious methods of the IMF agents are always delightful and clever. Don't miss the best episodes : "The mind of Stephan Miklos", "Live bait" and "The interrogator". This tape will self-destruct in five seconds, good luck. !

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23 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
The Cleverest TV Show Ever, 1 junio 2002
Author: Big Movie Fan de England

I have got to hand it to the people behind the original Mission Impossible series. Their pilot episode was bound to hook people. Mission Impossible was a winner from the start.

The Impossible Missions Force were a team of agents with no emotional attachments who went on secret missions usually against organized crime or rogue nations. They did not go in and use guns or fists to fight a problem-the name of the game was manipulation, deception, trickery, fraud, you name it. The agents were in fact anti-heroes who stooped to the level of the bad guys themselves. But I still loved them for it.

It would be unfair to reveal any of the intricate details of the plots for the series but let's just say they were clever. Mission Impossible was a show that required a viewer's full attention-you simply couldn't switch onto an episode halfway through and expect to know what's going on. Mission Impossible was clever throughout it's entire run. The IMF always had a plan which had to be strictly adhered to for it to be a success. They used every mean trick in the book to bring the bad guys down and they always slipped away at the end without the bad guys ever finding out who they were. In fact, quite a few episodes involved the bad guys falling out with each other after believing the other one was out to get him when in fact it was the IMF who had set it all up.

A clever show indeed-highly recommended.

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23 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Rarely equalled, never surpassed, 11 enero 2004
Author: hgallon de Derbyshire, UK

One of my fondest memories of TV viewing in the late 60's and 70's, was the weekly hour of tension which Mission Impossible provided. There was the initial bewilderment of trying to work out how on earth the brief flashes of peculiar devices and tension-ridden confrontations could possibly be woven into a coherent plot. Next, there were the wonderfully mundane locations in which Peter Graves would retrieve the briefing materials and the tape which invariably dissolved in a cloud of smoke.

After all the introduction, the remaining fifty minutes was sometimes an anti-climax. More often, it was very satisfying to see the initial vignettes fitted jigsaw-pattern into the plot. Perhaps towards the very end of the series, the plots became a little stilted or physically impossible; but invariably entertaining.

Like most fans of the original series, I found the over-hyped film of the same name to be an facile and shallow work with no redeeming features. I would die happy seeing a film in which Martin Landau, Peter Graves, Greg Morris et al. emerge creaking from retirement to save the day, and as they so often did, drive off leaving thwarted villains to turn on each other.

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18 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
There'll never be another show like that!, 18 octubre 2003
Author: ehutson2001 de United States

I fondly remember back in the late sixties and early seventies anxiously awaiting and then enjoying each episode of "Mission: Impossible", from the opening montage to the final credits. As far as I know, no other show has (before or since) come up with anything as clever as the opening montage, where certain clips from that week's episode were shown as the theme song played, before the showing of the pictures of the stars of the show. It was always fun for me to try to pick out the scenes as the show progressed (they always looked more dramatic in the montage than they did in the actual episode). The shows were always well written and the cast did an excellent job of portraying a crew that were all good at their jobs and that even enjoyed their jobs, dangerous though they were.

And the music! Lalo Schifrin's music was excellent!

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16 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Original , Inspired ,Clever well constructed series., 2 octubre 1999
Author: DB-55 de Auckland, New Zealand

A great series full of original, inspired ideas. Recite "This tape will self-destruct etc..." and instantly everybody will be able to tell you where that line came from. Usually at the end of each episode you got to enjoy the bad guys realization that he has been out-done by the skillful planning of the I.M.F team. Not surprising that this series was so good since it came at a time when Herb Solow at Desilu studios had a big hand in production affairs..his other other responsibility was another legendary series ...Star Trek. The new film version "starring?" Tom Cruise was a huge disappointment. I hear that original series cast member Greg Morris called the new film "blasphemy". Right on Greg !! I wish Greg that it was possible to turn back time and have you and Peter, Martin, Barbara, Leonard and all , here to give us more truly great entertainment.

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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Comment, 9 mayo 2002
Author: raysond de Chapel Hill,North Carolina

To Actor Tom Cruise from Jim Phelps: PLEASE TAKE NOTES!

Out of all the shows that dealt with espionage out of the golden age of the 1960's,only Mission:Impossible was one the best series ever devised. Each week was always something as the MIF Team battle certain villains and even in one three-parter episode dealt with the Mob! But the gadgets they used and how they got away with all that was very ingenius and very keen,and to this day no other show of its kind has got that! I read somewhere that actor Greg Morris walked off the Mission:Impossible movie set calling it "a total disgrace"! And I don't blame him. Cruise used his pretty-boy looks just for box office status,but completely destroyed the origins of WHAT the TV show was! Its amazing that this very good,well written suspense-filled espionage/spy series(the TV show that is)ran for an impressive 7 seasons on CBS(from 1966-1973) was one of the first ever to keep viewers in tune to what is happening next and goes on to the next phase and so forth. Love those gadgets they had on there! Kudos to Peter Graves,Barbara Bain,Martin Landau,Peter Lupus,Greg Morris,Leonard Nimoy(who joined the cast after his other show Star Trek went off the air)and Lesley Anne-Warren for making it happen!

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
The Benchmark for all other series, 10 noviembre 2001
Author: Jean de Lawrenceville, GA

M:I is probably my favorite tv show; at least the only one I will consistantly watch reruns of. I never play the Hill versus Graves game as each actor brought unique characteristics to the show. The same with Martin Landau as Rollin Hand and Leonard Nimoy as Paris. I will say that though Linda Day George and Lesley Anne Warren are good actresses, they never measured up to Barbara Bain for talent and sheer class. I think my favorite episodes are "A Cube of Sugar", "The Seal" (with the cat as an integral part of the plan, "The Heir Apparent" and "The Mind of Stefan Miklos". It's very hard to pick favorites though, because each episode has its' own quirks and charms.

What made M:I stand out is that it depended not on gimmicks and special effects but on the talent and believability of the actors. The props and makeup were also believable. I think that's why the movies don't measure up to the original series. Add in the ridiculous plot line that Jim Phelps could ever be the bad guy and they've completely lost it. The second movie would have been alright if it hadn't been a Mission: Impossible knock-off. The writers and producers forgot that there was an M:I team, not a single player.

All in all, Mission: Impossible set the standard for all other series of this sort, and few have come close to the bar, and none have surpassed it.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Superior to Film Versions, 14 marzo 2002
Author: marquis de cinema de Boston, MA

Classic televison, which was inspired by Jules Dassin's spoof of his own French masterpiece, Rififi, from the mid 1960s. One of its best elements were the famous guest stars that appeared in the show, which added more interest to the already interesting storylines. Unlike the film adaptations, Mission:Impossible(1966) is an excellent crafted tv show that was ahead of its time in some areas of special effects. My favorite actors from the show were Leonard Nimoy, Martin Landau, and Peter Graves.

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Original , Inspired ,Clever well constructed series., 2 octubre 1999
Author: DB-55 de Auckland, New Zealand

A great series full of original, inspired ideas. Recite "This tape will self-destruct etc..." and instantly everybody will be able to tell you where that line came from. Usually at the end of each episode you got to enjoy the bad guys realization that he has been out-done by the skillful planning of the I.M.F team. Not surprising that this series was so good since it came at a time when Herb Solow at Desilu studios had a big hand in production affairs..his other other responsibility was another legendary series ...Star Trek. The new film version "starring?" Tom Cruise was a huge disappointment. I hear that original series cast member Greg Morris called the new film "blasphemy". Right on Greg !! I wish Greg that it was possible to turn back time and have you and Peter, Martin, Barbara, Leonard and all , here to give us more truly great entertainment.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the greatest drama shows, 24 junio 2005
Author: planktonrules de Bradenton, Florida

To all the "younguns" out there, please take note: THIS TV SHOW WAS GREAT AND HAS ALMOST NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STUPID TOM CRUISE FLICKS BY THE SAME NAME!!!!! This was a thinking man's show--complete with intricate plots, action and decent acting. The movies, in contrast, are designed for dumb people--people who don't care that the action and stunts make no sense or don't fit into the general plot. And, people who don't mind that the hero from the TV series is now the villain! Avoid the movies like the plague and seek out the series! They are on video but have not been shown on TV for quite a long time. Perhaps Paramount Studios is keeping them under wraps, as they would show up the recent crap they have packaged as "Mission: Impossible".

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