The Prisoner: The Complete Series

 

 

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There are no greater television shows than "The Prisoner". Not ever. Perhaps shows such as "MASH" or "Twin Peaks" rise high enough to catch a glimpse of Patrick McGoohan's Big Idea racing off into the distance but they will never catch up. "The Prisoner" is one of the few works of art in the twentieth century that actually deserve to be called revolutionary. But, Patrick McGoohan, the show's creator and star, has no time whatsoever to rebel against things that lesser figures and would-be rebels wish to rebel against -stoking up the fires of their tiny egos. McGoohan means business and his series, "The Prisoner" rushes up to all of the Big Questions and grabs them by the neck. "The Prisoner" is a declared war against tyranny in all of its forms: sexual attraction, the lure of comfort, the facade of democratic politics, science, fundamentalist anti-science, conservatism, cheap liberal progressivism, group-think in any form at all including "individualism" (which is just another form of group-think),the ultimate prison which is one's self, and more. Number Six, played by Patrick McGoohan himself, is absolutely relentless on his assault upon the Village which would keep him there against his will. And he desires to leave no matter what wholesome blandishments are offered to him. In that way, Number Six is a greater human being than most of us. He is more than a common human individual living out his life. He is an archetype. He can never quite escape but the octopoidal snares of the Village can never quite hold him. In that way, his story resembles the myth of Sisyphus. And yet Number Six is more than Sisyphus. I will not give the end of the series away but I will say that at the end Number Six comes to a true understanding of himself. The only good true understanding of one's self is if that understanding destroys the cycles. The strangest idea at the base of "The Prisoner" is the idea that morality itself, at its most secret heart, is the ultimate form of rebellion. Number Six has a devotion to pure justice, profound freedom, actual compassion ( as opposed to its sentimental counterfeits), and rigorous truth telling that is so extreme - more extreme even than the great Jewish prophets in the Bible - that he actually is an archetype, and not merely a single human being. Number One is the secret Archon that rules the Village. The Village is, of course, demon possessed, though the demons mostly reveal themselves as Angels of Light. Under Number One is paraded a grand series of Number Two's. They come and they go. Each one of them is yet one more attempt to seduce or brutalize Number Six into giving up his freedom. One of the strangest things about this series is that Patrick McGoohan's idea of freedom rejects both the dionysian and the apollonian as categories of human thought and endeavour. McGoohan believes there is a third way that carves its own path, disdainful of the sharp and controlled, fascist geometries of the apollonian and compassionately rejectfull of the oblivion and disintegration offered by the dionysian. No better show exists. I don't think the fifth grade schoolboy bullies who dominate Hollywood or the television studios could allow such a great work to be made or shown on television today. But that is both their fault and their impotence. The Number Two's come and go but the Archetype prevails.

i want to say first off that i'm a huge prisoner fan. i loved the series from beginning to end for all that it is. this review will be only of the dvd box set.
ok, the audio and video quality are fantastic. but here's my gripe: 10 discs for a 17 episode series? talk about being greedy! they could have easily had 4 episodes to a disc. even if it were 3 episodes per disc leaving the final disc chock full of extras that would nearly cut this set's size in half. speaking of which the extras in this set are nothing special. theres not even an interview with patrick mcgoohan!
i'm lucky i got mine at a bargain or else i never would have bothered.

Without question this has to be the most thought provoking and socially relevant series ever made. The only drawback is the price which is over the top.

I became a fan of this show when it first came out in the 60s for an entirely different set of reasons than I have now for considering it a masterpiece (or very close to). The concept of being held under constant surveillance by the powers that be was something unheard of for the television media back then and, other than Orwell's great work, something the media has generally never shown no particular interest in. That's not entirely surprising considering the chief purveyors of political and corporate disINFORMATION are so closely tied to today's media. A series of this sort will never see the light of day again (sans the manipulative twisted social agenda of the western media) and there is very good reason for that. No old boys club is going to point the finger of blame at itself for creating a perverted and obscene society.

There are those who absolutely hate this series and in some ways that's understandable as well. The main character is not a thoroughly likeable one and has a tendency to come across as smugly self-assured. That can be irritating and, as today's viewing public is convinced their heroes should portray a perfect balance of society's most cherished misconceptions, it's not surprising some will be unable to appreciate number six's unique character traits. They are however essential for carrying the series' winding plot to it's inevitable if somewhat bizarrely choreographed conclusion. Not everyone deserving of autonomy has Mel Gibson's unassuming manner and the Village authority (much the same as the power elite today) has absolutely no tolerance for number 6's unique and dangerous blend of:

1) youthful rebellion against any accepted norm
2) the audacity of an established/successful member of the establishment biting the hand that feeds it.

With regard to social relevance this show was far ahead of it's own or even today's mass mindset. If you are looking for a high tech action thriller that spells out the plot and subplots this isn't something you will enjoy. If you appreciate a unique brainteaser artfully and entertainingly mixed with action, drama and social commentary this one is essential viewing.

Mission Impossible it ain't and we can all be very thankful for that!

SM

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Show
Great Show!
Still a fun watch after all of these years...
I like the new packaging of this as it takes up about half of the space and do to it being on sale cost about a... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Shmeger

4.0 out of 5 stars The final prisoner experience.
I have not yet purchased this set but have seen clips on High Definition Youtube. Type in
The Prisoner HD
and you should get two or three clips popping up to view... Read more

Published 19 months ago by Sandro

5.0 out of 5 stars I am not a number
smart,fun,and just all round good.I first watched it on old videos from TVO.Ontario's public telivision.

Published 23 months ago by A. Larson

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible picture quality upgrade for blu-ray version
As a long-time fan of the series, I was pleased to hear that a blu-ray version coming out. I had expected only minor tweaks and improvements to the quality of the signal - boy... Read more

Published on Jan 11 2010 by Fan of Fiction

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
A brilliant, medium defining series gets a transfer that makes it look better than it's ever looked in its entire forty year history.

Published on Nov 28 2009 by Brendan W. Brown

3.0 out of 5 stars A&E «the prisonner» box set
Great to have all the Prisoner episodes under one roof. I'm really a Prisoner fan.

I basically gave it a 3 stars because I'm really dissapointed by the video quality... Read more

Published on Sep 16 2009 by Erik Le Beau

5.0 out of 5 stars The Prisoner series
Great old British TV show my husband loves. The quality is great and the delivery was super fast!

Published on Sep 12 2009 by Vicki Hart Wearmouth

4.0 out of 5 stars A Look Back
I use to watch this show as a kid and I was entertained. Now that I am older I understand the show alot better. Read more

Published on May 9 2009 by Allan J. Morrison

4.0 out of 5 stars As a fan of the series
I was happy to find a complete collection for The Prisoner and enjoy it along with the bonus features. Read more

Published on April 18 2009 by John

5.0 out of 5 stars Great nostalgia
Anyone who fondly recalls this ahead-of-its-time miniseries from Britain will enjoy seeing it in pristine condition and with informative and sometimes playful added features... Read more

Published on Feb 10 2009 by T. Shaw

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