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great summer series ...way ahead of it's time. Patrick Mcgoohan was a great actor(also Secret Agent Man)...He will be missed.
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The Prisoner hit tv in the US when I was in my late teens and kept me and my friends enthralled every week that summer and the following one when it was rebroadcast.
It's wonderful to have it to view again, this time at my own pace, watching scenes over and over if I choose. All the episodes plus a lot of extras which can add a lot to the understanding of the whole project.
I was very saddened to learn of Patrick McGoohan's death recently and decided it was time to re-live this excellent series about modern society.
The video quality is excellent and the message (unfortunately) remains as true today as it was 40 years ago. Society hasn't changed much in the intervening 40 years and it's good to be reminded of the idealism of my youth.
I am not a number, I am a human being!
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OK, there are things I would have done different had I released it. Namely arranging the episodes in the order of the original release. However, since primary creative impetus to the series Patrick McGoohan has approved different arrangement on public television, and was honorary president of the Six of One society that puzzled out the chronology that A&E used for this box set and the original series concept was a 7 episode series that had a whole different arrangement. I don't begrudge A&E for this arrangement. After all, being on DVD, with only two episodes per DVD it is easy enough to drop a different DVD in per episode if you want to use the public television, ITV or 7 episode McGoohan chronology.
The transfers are perfect digital replications of the original masters. With all the technicolor joys that late 1960s television has to offer. The one exception to this is the alternative version of 'The Chimes of Big Ben' which has video artifacts of the accidentally acquired early version of the episode, however as it is more of a bonus than a poorly reproduced piece of the original series, this is acceptable. After all, nobody complains that the gag reel from Star Trek isn't pristinely re-edited and digitally remastered.
Speaking of Star Trek. Kudos to A&E for keeping the price tag on this piece of television heritage at a reasonable price. $80.00 per season is ridiculous. 50-odd dollars for an AD-FREE DVD box set is just right.
Well designed, includes a pocket companion to the series with recaps, trivia, and episode goofs, as well as a separate map of The Village similar to the one seen in the episode 'Arrival'. Slim-line cases, single-sided DVDs, clean and simple design. This is the second megaset I've purchased from A&E, The Monty Python's Flying Circus megaset is equally well designed and has even more extras.
Speaking of extras, original trailers, trivia games, foreign language versions of the intro, and an interview with the production designers make for a well rounded package. The only notable extra that isn't on the discs is a running commentary for the episodes, I for one though prefer my films and television shows commentary-free.
The Prisoner broke the boundaries of television in a way that no series except for 'The Twilight Zone' had done before. It also advanced the story-arc concept from the more episodic 'The Fugitive'. Fans of Lost, Firefly, Hill Street Blues, The X-Files, Miami Vice, The Shield, and most anime series would do well to pick up this box set and see what made it all possible.
Be Seeing You.
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I am sorely disappointed in this product. I have been a fan of the Prisoner since the beginning but this product did not endear me to its creator.
The video is marginal and the sound simply horrible. I spent the entire tiem fo the first 2 episodes with the volume control in hand trying to hear.
The video is obviously drawn from the original 30 year old film with out correction or adjustment.
It is simply a poor product.
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"The Prisoner" was a magnificent series. Unusually creative, it set the stage for trippin' series like the new Battlestar Galactica and LOST, or even M. Nigh Shmyalan's "The Village." Patrick McGoohan broke from the mold, making a spy series entirely original. It was 17 episodes filled with suspense, mystery... and philosophy.
"The Prisoner" opens with McGoohan,a former secret agent,resigning (ironically,his role in Danger Man was a prototype for 007,and Ian Fleming wrote the scripts) He finds himself in a strange,ritualistic Village under constant surveillance. He finds himself with a new name... Number Six. There's the constant search for Number Two, and the enigmatic,absent Number One. There's spying, trickery,the white killer balloon Rover. It's difficult to sum up,and I won't give away the ending. It's TOP SECRET!
"The Prisoner" is a true TV classic.
Patrick McGoohan was a great actor and gentleman. He was a man, not a number! (1929-2009)
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