|
Rating:  -
I am a great fan of Patrick McGoohan and particularly of this seiries. This seiries is not for the faint of heart - what happens when a top secret agent decides to retire? Does he just move to the English equivalent of Florida and grow roses? Would his employer even allow him to do such a thing? And of course, WHY did he resign?
These issues are explored in this seiries and it's a paranoid surrealistic view of the answers. The shows are well written and self contained and Patrick McGoohan shines as the man who yells "I am not a number! I am a free man!"
I recommend this dvd highly, as well as the other dvds in this seiries.
Rating:  -
This set contains Episodes 7, 8, and 9 (although there is some debate about the "true" order of the episdoes). The first two episodes are excellent but frustrating: in both, Number 6 has an opportunity to escape but (of course) is defeated in the end. In the third episode of this series, however, Number 6 scores a small victory against his captors, but despite this, I found the episode to be more slow-moving and not enjoyable as the others. Overall, however, this is a good addition to The Prisoner collection.
Rating: -
...Set 3, containing "Schizoid Man," "Many Happy Returns," and "It's Your Funeral" is perhaps the darkest (and best) of the lot.
"Schizoid Man" takes Number 6 into a confrontation with his own identity, now seemingly usurped by an exact duplicate. An elaborate mind game ensues, and both the Village wardens and the Prisoner come close to losing at key moments of the episode...
"Many Happy Returns" is my personal favorite. Number 6 awakens one morning to find the entire Village deserted. He escapes by hand-made raft, making it back to an England shrouded by dark clouds and hinting at an oppressive environment. His return home would be victory enough, but...well, watch the episode. What I love about this episode is its' camerawork, as during the first half of the episode there's little or no dialogue, and we have to rely on the Prisoner's facial reactions and body language to guess what he's thinking.
"It's Your Funeral" is perhaps the most confusing of episodes in that an elaborate assassination attempt is being planned, and Number 6 is dragged into its web. The confusing aspect is that the "wardens" are planning to assassinate one of their own, and yet will also act out retribution against the unwitting Villagers under the excuse of "deterring" future assassinations(which is why Number 6 tries to foil the plot). Just recognize the episode for what it is, a thinly veiled conspiracy-themed recreation of JFK some 20 years before Oliver Stone got his hooks into it (keep an eye out for a grassy knoll!...).
As middle-of-the-pack episodes go, these are some of the best. The only qualms I have with this set cover essentially the whole DVD series in that there aren't a lot of extras added (a commentary track from McGoohan would have ruled!, plus any deleted scenes, bloopers, et al.). Video quality and sound quality on the discs I got were excellent. If you have to select certain sets before any others, go for Sets 1,3 and 5.
Be seeing you!
Rating: -
Aside from the new interview with production manager Bernie Williams who reveals lots of tidbits about the show and some neat video footage, there are a couple of great episodes in this set.
"The Schizoid Man" is an extremely clever and delightful episode centering around a double that has been brought in to confuse #6 and ultimately us, the viewers. No matter. It's fun to sometimes be confused by this one and to see how #6 will once again outsmart his enemies. "Many Happy Returns" is another crafty episode with absolutely no dialogue coming for several minutes into the show. With a deserted village is this now #6's chance to escape? Finally, "It's Your Funeral" has #6 ironically on the side of #2 after he learns of a conspiracy to assassinate his top nemesis in the village. But is it legit or is #6 the one being outsmarted? As usual, it's fun to watch every little detail unfold. On video, it just wouldn't be the same. Enjoy.
Rating: -
Alas, if you are looking at this to buy, you must be familiar with the show, The Prisoner. If not you are in for a real treat, but you should be starting with volume one. This incredible show still holds up so well after 30 years. The writing is excellent, and can not be missed. This one contains my favorite episodes The Schizoid Man and Many Happy Returns. Its a shame writing for most shows in TV isn't this good. This DVD copy it very good with no color fading. The extra material is a bit limited, but it will provide you with some very challenging triva.
|
