The Prisoner

[Anthony Williams]

I got the DVD boxset of this television classic for Christmas. I will soon begin watching it for the first time, and plan on commenting on it online!

Will anyone join me?

Ant x

[Pip Madeley]

Yeah, go on

I did watch up to episode 8 but stopped there, this time I'll see it through

[Dave Tudor]

Well I got the box set recently, but wasn't planning on watching it just yet. However, I'll try to post a few thoughts as you go on. It's a fantastic series, hope you enjoy it!

[Ralph]

Yeah, go on

I did watch up to episode 8 but stopped there, this time I'll see it through

I'm sure I recall you mentioning the last ep...

[Pip Madeley]

Oh, I caught that when it was on BBC4 - I've not done a complete watch of the series in order yet though.

[Andrew Curnow]

What order will you be watching them in Ant? Which begs a second question, where's Nathan?!

[Stephen Morgan]

I remember watching the original run in 1967 with my dad.

In common with anything from the late sixties this is as surrealistic as they come, take everything you see with a pinch of salt, I think it's all LSD induced Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

[Anthony Williams]

What order will you be watching them in Ant? Which begs a second question, where's Nathan?!

erm... the order on the DVD?

Ant x

[Stephen Morgan]

What Andrew means Ant, is that there is a recommended viewing order, I think what appears on the DVD set is the production order, viewed in a certain order the episodes make a little more sense, if any sense can be made of it to begin with.

I used to have a link to the "correct" order, instead here's a link to the official Prisoner site.

"Be seeing you"



http://www.sixofone.org.uk/general.htm

[stuartdg]

The Prisoner has arguably the longest title sequence ever

[Pip Madeley]

If we're going to do this, I think it'd be more fun to watch in the alternative viewing order...

Arrival
Dance of the Dead
Free For All
Checkmate
The Chimes of Big Ben
Many Happy Returns
Hammer Into Anvil
The Schizoid Man
The General
A. B. and C.
It's Your Funeral
A Change of Mind
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
Living In Harmony
The Girl Who Was Death
Once Upon A Time
Fall Out

The Anorak's Guide to the show says:

Famously, the order in which the episodes were screened were based upon the order they were completed. The Anorak's Guide to the episodes is presented in a carefully-worked out, logical "order" to improve viewing enjoyment...

So let's do that I suggest we watch two a week, what do you think?

[Carol Baynes]

I think I first saw "The Prisoner" in it's entirety in 1992. Actually, now I stop to think about it, I haven't seen it since!

Fabulous series though, and occasionally as nutty as a barmcake.

[Rob McCow]

There are a few minor links with the themes of the show that make it worth watching in a suggested order, but really if it's the first time any old order will do. Except for the first one and the last two!

I love the way it's all explained in the end.

[Pip Madeley]

Well, I guess Ant's shelved the Prisoner-a-thon, but there's news of the new box set...

"Thanks to Network’s fresh and vastly improved edition, 'The Prisoner' can journey happily into the future." Patrick McGoohan, August 2007

Thought-provoking, revelatory and just plain cool - McGoohan’s iconic series is as fresh and dynamic now as it was when first unleashed upon an unsuspecting world in 1967. To celebrate the series’ fortieth anniversary this definitive box set contains all seventeen episodes (newly restored from the original film elements with new Dolby 5.1 soundtracks).



Special features include:

Don’t Knock Yourself Out: This exclusive, feature-length documentary is the definitive look at the production of The Prisoner, told by those involved in its creation. It includes a combination of archive and newly-filmed interviews with nearly 40 people, including Annette Andre, Bernard Williams, David Tomblin, Derren Nesbitt, Peter Wyngarde, Anton Rodgers, Michael Grade, George Baker and Peter Bowles.

Audio Commentaries on Arrival, The Chimes of Big Ben, The Schizoid Man, The General, Dance of the Dead, A Change of Mind and Fall Out.

Original Edits of Arrival and The Chimes of Big Ben: Long thought only to exist in a low-quality format, the original edit of Arrival is presented here as a brand new digital restoration from the original 35mm film elements, along with a music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs’ complete and abandoned score. This version is exclusive to this set. Also included is the previously-available original edit of The Chimes of Big Ben - viewers will note a drop in the technical quality of this episode.

Arrival Original Edit Restoration: A featurette using split-screen to demonstrate the scale of restoration required for this episode.

Trailers: Digitally restored trailers for all seventeen episodes and two generic trailers.

Production Guide: An exclusive book on the making of the series by Andrew Pixley.

Behind-the-Scenes Footage: This unique footage, taken on location at Portmerion, shows a number of aspects of behind-the-scenes production, including the only known footage to exist of the original, abandoned Rover prototype. Also includes recently discovered, previously-unseen footage. From the collection of and (c) Steven Ricks.

Production Paperwork Archive: Original scripts for each episode are included on Discs 1-6 and Disc 7 contains some original production documentation, press releases and other memorabilia. The scripts make fascinating reading and include different versions of some shooting scripts, as well as revisions and some unused storylines. This unique collection is sourced from the personal archives of Tony Sloman, Steven Ricks and Simon Coward and is reproduced with their permission and assistance.

Image Archive: Individual galleries of over 1200 stills are featured throughout this set, with episodic ones appearing on Discs 1-6 and Disc 7 featuring generic/PR photos, coverage of the original Press Conference in 1967 and Jack Shampan’s designs. Also included on Disc 6, courtesy of the Steven Ricks collection is a series of Exposure Strips produced originally by the film labs when prepping rushes. As well as showing a number of clapperboards and other key items of interest they also detail the filming of some scenes that aren’t included in the final episodes.

Dolby 5.1 Audio Mix: Each of the seventeen episodes has the option to be listened to in either original Mono or Dolby 5.1 (where the original mono materials have been used to best effect).

Commercial Break Bumpers

Archive Material: Archive Material which includes textless titles with clean themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon, as well as material from Living in Harmony, Fall Out, Rover, foreign Filing Cabinet title footage and the McGoohan photo montage from Arrival.

The Prisoner is due to be released on Monday 01 October 2007.

Network DVD have made a before-and-after comparison of their restoration available online. Shown below are two comparison shots - original boxset on the left, Network restored version on the right.

[Stephen Morgan]

Cheapest online price for this this very week is £36.99 @ HMV. If you use their promotional code which has been sent out in email this week, you can get a fiver off it, if the code works that is, I ordered this along with the new Dallas set and the code doesn't work. After phoning HMV they said to email them, which I did but haven't heard anything back yet. Here's hoping that when this Prisoner set comes out the £5 will be deducted.

[Pip Madeley]

I believe it's gone up to £44.99 now.

[Stephen Morgan]

Ithas indeed gone up in price, I'm certainly glad I pre-ordered this the other day when it was listed at £36.99, hope I get the further deduction when it's released

[Pip Madeley]

I'm sure you will.

[Jonno]

It certainly sounds an impressive package, but I'll wait until it comes down to a more reasonable price, as I'm not that big into it and there's still plenty of stuff up and coming in the next couple of months...

[Dave Tudor]

It certainly looks a temptinmg package, but I only bought the last box set fairly recently, and I'm quite happy with that for now. I'd possibly buy this new set in a few years - which would then be the fourth time I would have bought the series!!!

By which time they probably would have re-issued it again!!!

Incidentally, I did actually watch the whole series again a couple of months ago, in the alternative viewing order mentioned earlier, and it does actually make a little more sense.

[stuartdg]

For me this is the Definitive Prisoner release,its just a pity theres no real contribution from Patrick McGoohan on the extras

[stuartdg]

My copy has just been shipped from Sendit

[Pip Madeley]

Currently £35 at Virgin online.

[Stephen Morgan]

My copy has been despatched from The Hut. I was quite surprised it's being sent out so early. Hopefully I'll get it by the weekend.

[stuartdg]

Mine has just arrived

Not too keen on the 2 x digipack packaging but the content and picture quality should make up for this.Andrew Pixleys guide(its more of a book at 288 pages long) is a thing of joy and wonder