Customer Reviews

The Prisoner - Set 1: Arrival/ Free For All/ Dance of the Dead

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you have noticed the profound changes society has been undergoing during the past few decades and find them alarming, "The Prisoner" is the TV series for you. Far too complex and ahead of its time when it first aired in 1967, it has become more and more relevant ever since. Typically, the messages of great satires can be applied to an ever-increasing number of aspects of our existence over the time, and indeed, many of the most disturbing features of modern life are being dealt with or at least hinted at in "The Prisoner". This is why this is still highly enjoyable and recommendable TV - it is so much more than just another sixties spy series.

The action takes place in the "Village", a beautiful place; outwardly a luxury seaside resort surrounded by picturesque mountains, it harbours a totalitarian society. Totalitarianism does not necessarily mean "a boot crushing a human face", as George Orwell put it in "1984", another immortal satire. A totalitarian regime may as well present itself as a superficially liberal, affluent society, devoid of the more explicit means of suppression like gulags and concentration camps we normally associate with it. It may just as well crush independent spirits slowly, insidiously with the help of relentless, pussy-footed propaganda and lowering of educational and subversion of moral and cultural standards. The more dumbed-down the citizens become, the more readily they believe every misinformation they are being fed.

The basic outlines of "The Prisoner" are well known. After having been rendered unconscious by sleeping gas, the hero wakes up in "The Village", that colourful luxury prison for people who know too much. A prison it undeniably is, and like the other inmates, the man is first stripped of his name and assigned a number instead - six -, then of his personal clothes and belongings and given one of the Village uniforms, a simple and chilling symbol of being robbed of his individuality. Surveillance is constant, with intrusive cameras observing his every movement, hidden microphones recording every conversation. This sounds familiar, doesn't it? The ubiquitous Village propaganda - TV spots, posters, brought-in-line newspapers, piped messages - is uncannily similar to politically correct language or modern management-speak: verbose, yet at the same time impoverished as regards vocabulary, it conceals its true purposes with veiled, euphemistic expressions.

Already on his first day in the Village, the new Number Six realises that his fellow inmates enjoy every material amenity but not freedom of any kind. He learns that rebellion is nipped in the bud and that only few of the citizens are courageous enough to speak their minds. Sinister things are going on behind the colourful facades of the Village, and the contrast between the utter loveliness of the surroundings and the methods of brainwashing and torture hinted at only heightens the feeling of menace and displacement pervading the whole series. Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass" comes into mind. The Prisoner soon learns what it means to be brought to hospital for "readjustment". "We have many ways and means," announces one particularly ruthless Village administrator in "Free For All", one of the darkest and most pessimistic episodes.

All the Village authorities wish to know is why Number Six resigned from his confidential job. It is so little they want and so tempting to give in and settle down for a quiet life in the beautiful hell. But Number Six will have none of this and accepts the challenge. He refuses to cooperate; moreover, he fights back whenever possible, trying to escape or, especially in the later episodes, to unmask the powers that run the Village. The stage is set for a dramatic struggle.

This first set contains three of the best episodes. "Arrival" has been called the best pilot episode ever made for television; "Free For All", written and directed by Patrick McGoohan himself, is a critical, scathingly intelligent comment on democracy and the election process, depressing and viciously funny at the same time; "Dance Of The Dead" is weird and wonderful, with stunning, beautifully filmed sequences. The "Alternative Chimes" may not display the highest picture and sound quality but it is a nice extra for true fans.

This series is essential viewing for people who enjoy TV that is more than mere entertainment, who are aware that liberal societies are being assulted by not only one evil but several, and for those fond of satires like "1984", " Brave New World" or Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal".

While I endorse THE PRISONER as one of the truly artistic programs on commercial television, I understand why it makes people angry. It promises to be a straightforward if offbeat spy thriller, but turns into a surrealistic allegory. If you feel it would be easier to accept THE PRISONER's rhetorical left turn had it come earlier and/or been better foreshadowed, you might try watching the series in A&E's revised order. While its primary intent is to present events in the proper sequence, the new order also provides the foreshadowing that makes the final outcome acceptable.

Of course, the first episode MUST be "Arrival," which sets up the basic situation. A British secret agent (series creator Patrick McGoohan) abruptly resigns, is mysteriously rendered unconscious, and awakens in The Village, the location of which is known only to those who run it. It looks like a vacation resort, but it's definitely a prison camp. Those who won't volunteer desired information have it extracted from them in the hospital. Those who try to escape get to meet Rover, a belligerent weather balloon capable of locomotion, and seemingly of independent thought. Rover deals with fugitives by plastering itself against their faces, rendering them unconscious or dead, depending on its mood. Citizens of The Village are identified only by numbers, our protagonist being No. 6. The Village is run by No. 2, who reports to an unseen and unidentified No. 1 -- apparently an unforgiving boss, because No. 2 is always being replaced. No. 6 is informed that he's there for life, and that his captors want to know why he resigned. Of course, he doesn't want to tell them, and does want to escape and find out who's in charge. And therein lies the conflict around which the series is built.

The new second and third episodes are "Free for All," originally shown fourth*, and "Dance of the Dead," originally shown eighth*. To me, these are the weirdest (except for "Fall Out"), most disturbing, and most depressing episodes, which I suspect is why they were originally postponed. A&E begins with these episodes because they both call No. 6 a recent arrival This placement makes sense to me because both episodes show No. 6 trying to get his bearings and learning the hard way about the darker side of Village life. In fact, "Dance" seems more concerned with atmosphere than plot. But to me, the major advantage of starting with these episodes is that their twisted, nightmarish logic foreshadows the surrealism of THE PRISONER's conclusion. There's also a piece of dialog in "Free for All" that might even foreshadow the identity of No. 1, but I won't include it here because "that would be telling."

BTW, "Free for All" shows No. 6 getting the nonalcoholic liquor spiel that he gives Nadia in "Chimes of Big Ben," which was originally shown second*. Another thing that struck me about watching "Free" before "Chimes" was that we see No. 6 getting that whirlpool treatment from Rover before we see it happen to Nadia, so that when No. 6 looks at the unconscious Nadia on the beach in "Chimes," we now see it as a knowing look from someone who's been there.

The picture quality of all episodes is far superior to that of MPI's original VHS release. Especially improved is the scene in "Free for All" where we see No. 6 stumble down a corridor bathed in red light. An inherent problem with VHS is that such red scenes tend to appear grainy.

The sound is also superior as far as fidelity goes,, although it's still mono. I realize you can argue that a movie or television program on DVD should have the same mix in which it was originally presented, and from the standpoint of historical accuracy I agree. From an aesthetic standpoint, however, I think it depends on how the movie/TV program's creators would have presented it if the capability had existed. I can't help but wonder whether McGoohan would have used surround sound if he'd had the option. In any case, I think a few surround effects at strategic moments might have spiced the DVD release up a bit.

Even in mono, however, these episodes are enhanced by a good home theater system with a decent subwoofer. I'm thinking specifically of (a) the marching band sequences in "Free for All," with that booming bass drum, (b) Rover's "awakening" and rising from the ocean floor, (c) the automatically opening doors, (d) the slamming prison door that ends each episode.

Regarding the bonus features, I was mildly disappointed by the "foreign file cabinet" footage, used for the opening sequence in non-English versions of the series. It includes only the cutaways of the "RESIGNED" label on the drawer. I was hoping it would include some part of the opening sequence to provide context.

The "Alternate Chimes of Big Ben" is part of any definitive PRISONER collection (despite its poor sound quality, which I wish A&E had tried to enhance). This is a preliminary cut, using different theme music and sound effects, and including a scene in which No. 6 uses a navigational device to try and determine the location of The Village. However, I think it would have made more sense to package it with the official version. Alas, the "Alternate Arrival" isn't included here or on any of the A&E sets.

The "textless intro" provides an unobstructed view of some shots usually covered by opening credits. The "textless outro" didn't do much for me, though, because the cool thing about the closing is the way the credits are fit in with the construction of the bicycle. The interactive map, I just plain didn't get. The trivia showed me I really haven't been paying as much attention to detail as I should have.

*In both the U.S. and U.K.

I was in a college class where we had to watch this. Being used to television of today, the plot moved comparably slower, making it a little difficult to sit through.

When we discussed the "Arrival" episode, most thought that the bubble was a little distubing. Compared with shows of today (Alias, for example), it was just 'unnatural.'

I did like what I saw. I think that a classic television is good, not only for study (as I had to do), but also because modern television seems to move too quickly at times. They have to tell a complete story in a hour, minus the commercials.

One of the best television series from a golden era of British television and cinema, The Prisoner formed out of actor Patrick McGoohan's reluctance to continue with his Dangerman series, which he felt had gone its distance.

The Prisoner is one of the most surreal shows of that period: only The Avengers can match its oddball features, but that one had a lighter touch. The Prisoner takes aim at the conflict between society's and the individual's interests, and the result is continually thought-provoking and crafted to resemble a continuous suite of Magritte paintings.

Back in 1967, an allegorical television show emerged that has yet to be topped by any other English television series. The show: The Prisoner. Starring Patrick McGoohan, he plays the role of No. 6, a former secret service agent who resigned for unknown reasons and then finds himself knocked unconscious and trapped in a seemingly peaceful place called "the Village." Each episode features a new No. 2 (with a few exceptions), who watches his every move and strives to find out why he resigned. The only superior is the unseen No. 1, the supposed ruler of the Village. The only other characters that reoccur are The Supervisor (also called Controller), played by Peter Stanwick, and The Butler, played by Angelo Muscat.

In "Arrival," we first get a glimpse of the Village and of The Prisoner's plight. He tries hard to escape, but the Village has a lethal enforcer called "Rover," which is generally a weather balloon with a mind of its own. There isn't much to analyze in this episode, however there are a few things to analyze that reoccur throughout the show that I will talk about later.

In "Free For All," The Prisoner decides to run for Number 2's position in hopes meeting Number 1. This is one of my favorites as it portrays a supposedly free democratic election as being filled with corruption and deceit. HIGHLY recommend watching this.

In "Dance of the Dead," they attempt mind-manipulation on him to find out why he resigned. In here, they use females (even a female cat) to persuade him to cough up what he knows. Even the Number 2 featured here is female.

The Prisoner's name is never mentioned. Patrick McGoohan probably wanted us to believe that you or me could be he. After all, we're prisoners in the social order, aren't we? Rover could also be compared to government oppression, as we get a glimpse of Rover endangering one of the townspeople out of spite. And why is The Prisoner numbered 6? Why not 5, 55, 100, and so on? McGoohan once said that it's the only number when flipped upside down, it becomes something else... and that's what I believe No. 6 to be. More than just a number. He's a man, and we all strive to become more than just a "unit in society." It is also been conjectured that 6 means the "sign of the beast," but it's also been argued that it means "equilibrium" or "great strength." Whatever the case is, I believe that it's meant to portray that No. 6 is not just any ordinary human being.

The show uses the North Portmeiron Hotel of North Wales as its set and the visuals and the beauty of the place is used to great effect. This is truly a great show. The acting is quite good and the writing is top notch. This isn't just a tv show. It's a milestone.

I particularly like this fan-preferred order that A&E brought us, but I'll get to that in a later article. I highly suggest purchasing and watching this phenomenal series, but get it in the boxed set.

I love this British TV show. It doesn't seem as old as it is. ARRIVAL is a real mind blower.

Anybody who likes James Bond , The Saint or The Avengers , should add this title to their Video / DVD library.
The over all story holds togather but was unfortunatley cut short.It would have been nice if they stretched the show for a year or two longer.The majority of the stories are well done with new actors portraying number 2 in each new episode.
The best part of the show is seeing the new number 2's trying to
find out why number six resigned.

I would have to give this series 5 stars for story and art.
P.S . A movie I belive is in the works and should be in theaters
by 2005 ?

This dvd contains the first "Prisoner" episode that sets up the whole seiries, so of course you got to see it to understand the whole seiries.

Patrick McGoohan is a top secret agent - something has happened to change his mind about his job and he wants out. He resigns, but let's face it, a top secret agent isn't just going to retire to the South of Wales and tend his garden - or will he?

I'd love to have been a close friend of Patrick McGoohan's at the time this seiries was made just to know what was going thru his head - was it a political comment? Did he feel trapped by fame? I wonder that as I type the review, but it doesn't enter your mind when you're watching the show - you're just totally caught up in the moment.

Patrick McGoohan shines as a man whose determination to be his own person is never daunted by the various obstacles put in his way - and formidable obstacles exist. Rover alone is enough to give you nightmares.

Buy this dvd and the other ones and appreciate how truly great television was and might still be one day - and check out Mr McGoohan's car - it's a beauty and he made it from a kit!

"The Prisoner" remains one of the most original television dramas of all time and one of the first cult classics. Created and produced by actor Patrick McGoohan, the show was seen as a (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) sequel to McGoohan's hit series "Secret Agent," where he played a man named Drake. In "The Prisoner," McGoohan plays an unnamed high level, top secret agent who resigns from his job. As he backs his bags a white gas comes through the keyhole of the front door and knocks him out. He awakes in the Village, a Kafkaesque community in which he apparently imprisoned (actually a resort on Cardigan Ban in North Wales favored by famous writers like George Bernard Shaw, Noel Coward and Bertrand Russell). The three episodes presented here include the pilot episode, but the order in which episodes of "The Prisoner" should be viewed has always been open to debate. However, what we have here are the second episode to be filmed and the episode that was supposed to be aired second. "The Chimes of Big Ben," the second episode to air, is found on a different disc. Feeling confused yet?

"Arrival," written by George Markstein and David Tomblin, and first aired on September 29, 1967. Our hero wakes up in the Village and discovers everyone kept there either has certain knowledge or lived a particular lifestyle of interest to the government. Names are not used here, and our hero is told he is now Number 6. The rules are explained to him by both Number Two (Guy Doleman) and the New Number Two (George Baker), but it is clear that our hero is not about to play well with others. In terms of hooking an audience, "Arrival" certainly accomplishes its mission. However, whereas the key to most stories is having the audience wondering what is happening next, with the Prisoner the viewer is never sure if they know what just happened let alone trying to anticipate the future.

Down the road in "Free for All," written by Paddy Fitz and directed by McGoohan, which first aired on October 20, 1967, it is election time in the Village. Number 6 is persuade to stand for the position of the new Number Two (Eric Portman), although by this time it is clear that every episode is going to have a new Number Two. Of course, our hero is not interested in the position, but rather the opportunity to lead a breakout from the prison. He really should know better, because even winning a landslide victory is not going to do him any good. This was actually the second episode filmed, although it aired much later (this is clear to you, right?).

There is more fun to be had in "Dance of the Dead," written by Anthony Skene and aired November 17, 1967, which was intended to be the second episode. It is carnival time in the Village and everybody gets to dress up and have fun. However, Number 6, who only wears a black tuxedo, is more interested in the dead body that has washed up on shore, seeing it as an opportunity to communicate with the outside world. This is one of the more tantalizing episodes because it begins with Number 6 drugged and duped into revealing some secrets and ends with him being tried for "crimes against the community." It seems like we might be close to understanding what is really going on, but, of course, that is but another illusion. Mary Morris plays Number 2 in this episode (Number 2 was in almost all of the episodes, but always played by a different actor. The only other character to appear in all of the episodes was the Butler, played by Angelo Muscat).

You understand, of course, that once you watch these first episodes you will be hooked on the entire series. "The Prisoner" makes "The X-Files" look like a bastion of sanity. These brain candy episodes hold up remarkable well as compared to other television fare from the Sixties.

First of all, I would like to say I'm a huge fan of the Prisoner! I LOVE it, it's my favorite t.v. series next to Twin Peaks! I agree with all the reviews, and if you haven't seen The Prisoner yet, please do so! The entire series is stellar! However, it's only fair someone should mention the sound quality on the alternate version of "The Chimes of Big Ben". It's AWFUL!!! I had the volume turned up ALL THE WAY and still could barely hear it. Am I the only person who experienced this disappointment? It's my only gripe. Quite a shock after viewing the first chapter of the dvd, the sound quality is fine there.