The Prisoner has long been an important benchmark in not only British television, but also sci-fi television. A cult classic like no other, Patrick McGoohan’s project – the actor starred in, directed and co-created the show – only ran for 17 episodes, but has had a much more lasting impact.
Airing in 1967, the original series found its way across the pound in the summer of 1968. With psychedelic aesthetics, unique locales and stories that bordered on totally confusing, The Prisoner certainly captured the imagination of some. Mind-bending being the best way to describe it, this was also the show that broke a lot of the rules. Writing was top-notch and challenging, especially for the time. Acting and storylines – a true serialized program – benefited from the commitment of the crew. Add in a stellar title sequence and this show is truly special.
Now, in time for the show’s new reminaging on AMC, The Prisoner has been released on Blu-ray Disc. Looking better than ever, the show is thankfully given its due. Not only is there a wealth of special features in this set, but there is also something that true fans of the show would be thankful of – the episodes being presented in the “fan preserved” order.
THE SHOW:
The story of this memorable series is typically hard to nail down. Thankfully, the basic premise behind it all is a little more accessible. Patrick McGoohan stars as “Number Six,” a former British secret agent who has resigned from his position for unknown reasons. Preparing for a life free of obligation, “Number Six” is packed and ready to live his life. Unfortunately, as he is leaving, he is knocked out. Awakening, “Number Six” finds himself on an idyllic island known as “The Village.” Monitored and confined, “Six” discovers that escape is nearly possible. One of many known only by numbers, “Six” chooses to defy and takes the name of “The Prisoner.”
His actions, as well as the reason for why he resigned, has made “Six” a target of an ever changing “Number Two.” At the same time, “Six” has his own goals – escaping “The Village” and finding out exactly who is behind his imprisonment – the mysterious “Number One.”
The entire series is included in this five disc set. The episodes presented in this set are in the fan preferred order of : “Arrival,” “Free for All,” “Dance of the Dead,” “Checkmate,” “The Chimes of Big Ben,” “A,B and C,” “The General,” “The Schizoid Man,” “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling,” “Living in Harmony,” “The Girl Who Was Death,” “Once Upon a Time,” and the finale “Fall Out.”
HD SOUND + VISION: A & E has done a fine job with this transfer. The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 full frame ratio and done with a beautiful 1080p encoded transfer. The original standard definition release of the show from the earlier days of DVD was quite disappointing – this Blu-ray, not so much. The details are crisp, clear and much more well defined that one would typically expect from any show or movie created in 1967. The colors, so critical to the show’s look, are also much more bold than prior. At the same time, these colors manage to be naturally balanced – helping to make the viewing experience quite enjoyable. While there are some times that the image looks a bit rougher than one would hope – it is primarily on the stock footage – and it doesn’t impede too much on what is quite a strong transfer.
While the visual transfer is quite impressive, the audio for this release is marginally positive. The options included are English 5.1 Dolby Digital and a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. While the original source track was a nice addition, the English 5.1 track fits in best with the quality of this visual transfer. The sound is spread well throughout the different speakers, and has also been amped up just enough to provide some additional juice to the soundscape of the series. English subtitles are also included.
PACKAGING AND LAYOUT:
This release arrives in a variation on the typical Blu-ray extra-wide case with flipping trays house most of the discs. The artwork nicely incorporates previous keyart from DVD releases with an off-kilter blue and yellow used as accents.
The interior of the sleeve features episode details and disc content breakdowns as well. It should be noted that the fifth disc in the set – the one filled primarily with the bonus features – is a standard definition DVD. An odd choice that does provide one benefit – a bevy of additional DVD-Rom features. Kind of makes you hopefully for the days of BD-Rom….no?
All in all, a solid package and layout that nicely reflects the series and balances it with the included content for a well thought out release.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
While I do not own the original release of The Prisoner on DVD, I’ve seen it enough times to know that not all of the special features are reproduced on Blu-ray for this release. With that said, what is included is certainly enough to satisfy both diehard junkies as well as more casual The Prisoner fans like myself.
Commentary - There are seven commentaries in all. The different perspective these creative individuals bring provides a nice mix of behind the scene and on-set anecdotes. Add in some thoughts on the series direction and these are some strong tracks. The commentaries included are on “The Arrival,” “The Chimes of Big Ben,” “The Schizod Man,” “The General,” “Dance of the Dead,” “Change of Mind” and “Fall Out.”
Episode Trailers - Also included on each disc are trailers for each episode. Nothing special here.
Image Galleries - Each episode also gets its own image gallery with musical accompaniment. Decent promotional special features.
Original Edit of “The Arrival” and “Chimes of Big Ben” - The original cut of the first episode is presented in a remastered, albeit not as superb, visual format from restored 35mm film elements. This unique version of the episode, noticeable mostly to diehard fans, also includes a music-isolated track that features Wilfred Joseph’s original score for the episode. Also included in this release is the original edit of “Chimes of Big Ben.” This is featured on the fifth disc so it is presented in standard definition. Also included is a look at the restoration process of this original edit. A split-scren transfer demonstrates just how much – it’s a bit – it took to restore this earlier footage.
Textless Title Sequences - The best way to enjoy this fantastical openings.
Don’t Knock Yourself Out (95 mins.) - This feature-lengthy documentary delves into the production of The Prisoner through interviews, archived footage and more. Directed by Thomas Cook and Tim Beddows, this is a must watch complement to the entire series. The interviews in this film not only include discussions about the typical production issues a series faces, but also about the foibles of McGoohan. Thankfully, “Don’t Knock Yourself Out,” also makes the most of its time by delving into the show’s themes and cult-like status – something this casual fan greatly appreciated.
The Pink Prisoner (9 mins) - A mix between a sketch and an interview, Peter Wyngarde answers some questions and acts like quite a character in this segment.
Make Sure it Fits (9 mins) - The Prisoner’s music editor discusses the show’s unique approach to music and the effort made on the part of the producers to spotlight it as part of individual episodes. Defintely worth a viewing.
Preview of AMC’s The Prisoner Miniseries - A brief, EPK look at the upcoming television series. Looks good!
Exposure Strips Gallery - A slideshow of different set-ups and camera tests – all presented without audio.
Commercial Break Bumpers - The original “to commercial” sequences. A nice addition.
Archived Material - This is an interesting section that spotlights different sequences and footage – mostly shown without audio. Included in this is “Filing Cabinet” Footage which is an alternate version of the opening shot of the series. “Rover” footage of the white balloon bouncing by “The Village.” “McGoohan Montage from Arrival” which is a collection of black and white images of “Number Six” that provides a bit more on exactly how he was being monitored by those in “The Village.”
Image Archive - Over 1,200 images. Quite a collection.
DVD-Rom Feature - Nicely rounding out this set is the DVD-Rom feature that includes production documentation, press releases and original scripts for all the episodes. A nice addition.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The Prisoner on Blu-ray is a packed set that includes a nice selection of special features, a very strong transfer and a solid overall presentation. While diehard fans of the show will drool over some of the special features and impressive visual transfers of this set, casual fans will be satisfied by enough introductory material and, best of all, one ground-breaking television series.
A must have in time for the upcoming AMC reimagining, The Prisoner on Blu-ray is one impressive TV-in-HD release.
SHOW GRADE: A
HD SOUND GRADE: B+
HD VISION GRADE: A-
PACKAGING AND LAYOUT GRADE: B+
SPECIAL FEATURES GRADE: B+ OVERALL BLU-RAY DISC GRADE: B+ blog comments powered by Disqus
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