Archive for May, 2012

The Prisoner – Complete Series [Blu-ray] [1967]

Thursday, May 31st, 2012 at 3:39 pm

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Since it is CBS debut in the summer of 1968, the masterful British TV series THE PRISONER has captivated American audiences. Now A&E presents a definitive aficionado s edition of the cult classic which is considered one of the most progressed TV series ever filmed, for the firstborn time in breathtaking Blu-Ray. Fully restored from the initial film parts with newly remixed 5.1 surround sound and featuring hours of bonus material never freed in North America, this Blu-Ray edition is a fitting tribute to the originative resourcefulness of the late Executive Producer and Star Patrick McGoohan.

After resigning from a top-secret position, a man (McGoohan) is abducted and spirited from his London home to a mysterious place known only as The Village. Village Residents, known only by numbers, are kept captive because each possesses worthful knowledge. The Prisoner, now known as Number Six, battles to protect his mind and his humanity while engaged in a struggle to discover the identity of Number One and escape captivity.

DISC ONE: Arrival / The Chimes of Big Ben / A, B And C / Free for All / The Schizoid Man

DISC TWO: The General / Many Happy Returns / Dance of the Dead / Checkmate / Hammer Into Anvil

DISC THREE: It s Your Funeral / A Change of Mind / Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling / Living in Harmony / The Girl Who Was Death

DISC FOUR: Once Upon a Time / Fall Out / Bonus Features

DISC FIVE (DVD): Bonus Features

HOURS OF EXCITING NEW BONUS FEATURES:

Newly remixed 5.1 surround sound for all 17 sequences (in addition to the primary mono tracks).
Don t Knock Yourself Out Feature-length documentary chronicling the production of THE PRISONER, told by those involved in it is creation.
Two Brand-New Featurettes – The Pink Prisoner and You Make Sure it Fits!
Promo for AMC s THE PRISONER Miniseries
Newly restored primary edit of Arrival with an optional music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs finish and abandoned score.
Original edit of The Chimes of Big Ben.
Production crew audio commentaries on seven episodes.
Trailers for all episodes.
Archive textless material, including the title sequence with clean themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon.
Commercial break bumpers.
Image Archive with over 1200 stills.
Production Paperwork Archive, featuring scripts, call sheets and press releases (DVD-ROM Feature)

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #20744 in DVD
Brand: A&E
Released on: 2009-10-27
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 5
Formats: Color, Subtitled, Full Screen
Original language: English
Subtitled in: English
Dimensions: .45 pounds
Running time: 884 minutes

Features

The Television Masterpiece Finally Comes to Blu-ray.What makes the blu-ray of The Prisoner so special? Presented in stunning 1080p high definition blu-ray, and newly-remixed 5.1 surround sound. , Over 3 hours of bonus features never before releases in the U.S. , Exclusive on-air cooperative relationship with The Prisoner remake on AMC, featuring TV spots and online ads. , Voted the #4 “Top cult show of all

Reviews

117 of 120 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing quality, a must buy for any fan of The Prisoner.
By Brother Bish
I bought The Prisoner on Blu-ray yesterday. Contrary to the one star reviews that were written before the Blu-ray release by people that had not seen the Blu-ray set yet, I can definitively say the picture and sound quality is top notch and is 100x better than the previous US dvd releases. (which I also own and compared it too.)

There really is no comparison here. The previous dvd’s were muddy and the picture quality was severely lacking. The image on the Blu-ray release is crisp, clear and looks absolutely amazing. It looks like it could have been filmed yesterday.

I think if I had one complaint it would be that the fifth disc that contains many of the extras is a regular DVD and not in HD. However knowing that I would still have bought this set and been completely happy with my purchase.

The Prisoner has never looked or sounded better.

307 of 325 people found the following review helpful.
I AM NOT A NUMBER, I AM A BOX SET OF DVDs
By Eric Pregosin
Well not exactly Patrick McGoohan’s opening from The Prisoner, but it did catch your attention . Seriously here they are, all 17 episodes plus the Prisoner Video Companion originally offered on MCI Home Video now on DVD compliments of our good friends at A&E. What’s nicer is the episodes are arranged in what the fans believe to be the chronological order of the episodes in terms of Number 6′s time in the Village rather than order of original airdate (although some of them are in airdate order). As a hint at this look carefully at “The General” and “A, B and C”. Both star Colin Gordon as Number 2, but in the opening for “A, B and C” he says “I am number 2″ rather than “The new number 2″. Also this set contains something released on video previously but only in England, a special edition of the 5th episode of the series, “The Chimes of Big Ben”. Definitely the best of McGoohan’s 3 British Secret Agent types series, but also the quintessential scifi series as well. By the way, a special debt of gratitude to A&E Homevideo. When this series first came out on VHS on MPI Homevideo in 1990, they made a muff in the episode “Checkmate”. In the “Where am I” segment of the opening sequence it started with McGoohan doing it with the fore mentioned Colin Gordon even though Peter Wyngarde played Number 2 in this episode. By the third line “That would be telling” the tape was ok. I can’t speak for the new A&E VHS copy, but on these DVDs the muff has NOT recurred. Which means either A&E acquired a better copy of the episode to restore on DVD or someone told them about the flub from 11 years ago. So kudos to A&E Video for to repairing this decade old “blooper”. This 10 pack is much better buy than the 5 sets of 2 DVDs individually. Get it now, return to the Village and escape at your own pace.

216 of 231 people found the following review helpful.
A must for Prisoner fans
By Alexander E. Paulsen
I myself did not think the transfer was all that bad. In fact I think it looks good on my 61″ Sony and Sony DVD.
I started watching the Prisoner when it first released in the US as summer replacement. I have been hooked ever since.
Yes it is about a spy or “Secret Agent” who resigns in obvious disgust and is kidnapped, taken to a very mysterious, secret and very secure place known as “The Village”. It is also about his attempts at escape and other intrigues. Leading edge spy stuff for its time.
To appreciate The Prisoner you must go beneath the surface at what The Prisoner really means. The series is full of symbolism and social commentary while The Vilage is referred to as “The model for a new world order” by one of the constantly changing #2′s.
The series blew everyones mind in the late 60′s when it aired. I knew many people who could not get it and never watched more than one or two episodes. The die-hard fans hung in there and got our own minds blown in “Fall Out” the final episode.
After years and careful noticeof the world and politics and social upheavals The Prisoner now makes sense immediately to people who are just now seeing it for the first time – like my 22 year old daughter. she had it figured out (correctly) by the 3rd DVD.
Anyway, this is an important series and TV’s first true masterpiece. It is a work or art, it is a social commentary and it is very prophetic and more relevant than ever.
I love this set. I enjoyed the bonus tracks. To those who think the bonus tracks are lacking, remember this is a TV show produced in 1967. This is a veritable gold mine of bonus material.
After seeing all 17 episodes again in order, sharing them with my daughter had brought me to even new revelations about the series and the genius behind them.
My daughter thinks the special effects and action sequences are not realistic – BUT be reminded again, this is a TV series from 1967.
Could The Prisoner be remade and updated? Perhaps, but I would have a fear of losing the message. This series was created in an era of relative innocence when most people trusted the government. This is one of the things thsat made the series so remarkable.
Here we are 37 years after production and we are STILL discussing it;s significance. While I might agree with my daughter that modern production values and updated special effects woulc be a good spice to the series I would fear destroying the essence and the uniqueness.
Mc Goohan had a degree of freedom when producing the series. Any newer production would most likely be polluted by attempts to make it more mass-market acceptable.
The Prisoner is a sensitive work and a work of genius. Buy the DVD set and enjoy.