Anyone watch "The Prisoner" Remake?

[octagon]

I think it is better than the original.There was an interesting review in The Telegraph(link) Part 2 is on at 7PM.Can't wait!

remake trailer

original opening

[paologregorio]

Oh man, I wanted to see that; it completely slipped my mind. I'll have to catch it "On Demand" and get back to you.

[8mileshigher]

I am a big fan of the original Prisoner series .... I've watched the videos dozens of time, have a book on the subject...

Not sure about the concept of having one "Number 2" for this remake, as a big part of the mystique of the original was the revolving door of Number 2's as their evil plans get thwarted by the cunning Number 6...

[octagon]

Well,now I know why 6 is afraid of 7.

[doctorwho]

Grumble, grumble, grumble ... AMC, like NatGeo, has decided that it can dictate when I can watch television by preventing the recording of their programs ... time to get the Beta deck out!

[octagon]

Grumble, grumble, grumble ... AMC, like NatGeo, has decided that it can dictate when I can watch television by preventing the recording of their programs ... time to get the Beta deck out!

Wow,I didn't know they would do that.Guess I'm glad I still don't have digital cable.

[ricardo_vicente]

Wow! Rover has gone XXXL!

[admin]

I cannot wait to see this one.

[8mileshigher]

Well, AMC had a semi-marathon of episodes of this new series last night, including its finale.
If you thought the original 1967 series was perplexing and thought provoking.... this latest version has a really challenging, complex story-line to follow. It also surprised me with the level of serious violence, (murders and suicides) compared to the violence portrayed in the original series but I guess the program is not for children ?

The new Village, is not quite Village-y enough for me. I remember the old series had greater emphasis on the atmosphere of the Village and the dictatorial powers of Number 2. They had Village activities, such as Arts and Crafts fairs and other participant events (Speed-Learn, etc) which were often excuses for Number 2 worship and mind control (e.g. all the Art exhibits being a likeness of Number 2, etc.) and using peer pressure for "conformity".

This new village out in the desert seems to lack that community spirit and cohesiveness -- which in turn makes the dictatorial story line a little less plausible. The old 1967 series story line was the "bunch of rotting cabbages", the pawns on the chessboard, who were all mind-controlled by Number 2 and his hierarchy; while Number 6 crusaded on, every episode, for his individuality, and trying to find who were the wardens and who were the prisoners... trying to turn the battle of wills and minds against the revolving door of different Number 2s appearing each episode.

In the new series, I don't get quite the same feel for the confines and forced assimilation of the new Village.... and also the great symbolism from the 1967 series is missing ---- i.e. the penny farthing bicycle as the symbol of Village authority, the omnipresent midget-butler, the constant breakfasts with Number 2, the phone call from Number 1 frightening each Number 2, the colorful umbrellas and hats and striped jerseys worn by Villagers....

But it is an interesting mini-series to resurrect the concept.... and I enjoyed the several references to the old series they incorporated, such as "Be Seeing You", the XXXL Rover mentioned previously, etc.

Of course Beatle fans who were also Prisoner fans, always enjoy that two actors from the film Help! were also cast as Number 2's in the 1967 series. And that McGoohan included All You Need is Love in the 1967 series finale- which had only been just released concurrent with the filming going on at the time.

Curious if any Forum members were ever participants in the Prisoner Appreciation Society "Six of One" that existed for twenty years or so... and has annual reunions on location, at Hotel Port Meirion, Wales...

[octagon]

Thanks for the great post.I only have vague memories of the original series.I have to find it on DVD.



I really liked the the new one. My girlfriend made wraps for lunch!

[8mileshigher]

If you get the boxed set, it has to be remembered that the original broadcast order throws the viewer off a bit.

Having seen commentators and "Prisoner Rap Sessions" in conjunction with PBS stations rebroadcasting the series in the 70s and 80s, my recollection is that affiendos have come up with a "correct" order for the series, basically divided into three themes. This revised order seems to be more logical than the original CBS broadcast order because of the thematic inconsistencies.

The revised order themes are that in the first third of the series, Number 6 is originally brought to the Village, seeks several times to escape; he finds out that most fellow-escapees are either under-covers for the Village or can be manipulated and that he can't trust anything but his own instincts. Going from memory here, episodes like Arrival, Checkmate, Dancing with the Dead and Chimes of Big Ben are part of this segment.

In the middle phase of episodes, it turns into a battle of wills, with various mind-altering drugs, and social-situations within the Village being used against Number 6 in an attempt to break him. His cunning and wit thwart these schemes. Episodes like A,B or C, The Schizoid Man, The General, Living in Harmony, Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling etc. fall into this category. In this middle segment Number 6 comes to the realization that every little victory he scores -- begins to unravel the shallow structure of the Village hierarchy. By showing no fear -- he takes away the Village's only weapon against the Prisoners...

The final third phase of episodes has the tables turning .... no longer is Number 6 just trying to escape, but he has more of a mind set to destroy the Village and overpower it through beating them at their own game. As the Number 2s raise the stakes in trying to break Number 6, he becomes more cunning and powerful against them. He saves a bureaucratic Number 2 from an assassination plot in It's Your Funeral, exposing the treachery of dictatorship (saving on their pension costs); he runs for "election" to become the new Number 2 in Free for All; In episode Hammer into Anvil, Number 6 tricks a paranoid Number 2 into thinking there is a subversive plot against his rule - and Six ends up "breaking" the distraught Number 2 into resignation himself; leading up to the double episode finale of Once Upon a Time and Fallout where the enigmatic actor Leo McKern makes his 2nd and 3rd appearances as the last Number 2.

A PBS station in San Jose (KTEH) had the definitive commentator on their Prisonor re-broadcasts in the 1970s. Scott Appel was his name and he established a theory for the correct sequential order for consistency in themes. http://songweaver.com/tv/prisoner/prisonereps.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCa_AeC-zh4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6azcHJMQ ... re=channel
The original series has one of the largest cult followings over the decades, because of the questions it raised about man and society and government vrs. the individual, etc.

[cjj]

I've actually got the complete boxed set of the original series. Started watching it again, but my wife just doesn't like it. Anyway, I doubt we'll ever watch anything past the first disk, so if someone wants it, make me an offer...

[octagon]

I've actually got the complete boxed set of the original series. Started watching it again, but my wife just doesn't like it. Anyway, I doubt we'll ever watch anything past the first disk, so if someone wants it, make me an offer...

Message sent.

[cjj]

Sorry folks, the Prisoner box set I had has been sold...

[octagon]

Sorry folks, the Prisoner box set I had has been sold...