8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Though it ran for a mere 17 episodes, the sci-fi spy drama THE PRISONER is one of television's biggest cult hits. The brainchild of star Patrick McGoohan, the series followed the adventures of No. 6 (McGoohan), a former secret agent who is being held captive in a highly secured village, the location of which remains a mystery throughout the series. This groundbreaking and innovative show reached an unfortunate end as TV bosses got cold feet following low ratings and increasingly strange story lines. But McGoohan himself took control and steered the show to an ending that continues to cause great debate among THE PRISONER's faithful fans. This release includes the entire series of the show, digitally restored.
Starring: Patrick McGoohan, George Markstein, Peter Swanwick, Fenella Fielding, Christopher BenjaminDrama | 100% |
Surreal | 61% |
Mystery | 41% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital Mono (Original)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (4 BDs, 1 DVD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It’s with tongue only slightly in cheek I suggest that the Dick Cheney household may be awaiting with bated breath the new Blu-ray release of The Prisoner. Why, you may ask? Well, here’s a little scenario to mull over: extradition with extreme prejudice by a government with every high tech gizmo imaginable with which to keep track of every jot, tittle and miniscule movement of its captives. And just for good measure, let’s throw in a little enhanced interrogation up the yin-yang with captives having absolutely no idea who their captives are or what exactly is going on. Sound familiar? Well this isn’t a critique of the Bush-Cheney anti-terrorism policies. Instead, it’s a brief précis of the groundbreaking short run late 1960s ITC series (which aired over the summer of 1968 stateside on CBS), The Prisoner, a series whose prescience has grown more impressive in the four odd decades since it first baffled and intrigued viewers unused to a show so blatantly anti-establishment and, frankly, subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) anarchistic.
Patrick McGoohan is Number Six.
The Prisoner arrives on Blu-ray in its original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 with an AVC encode. Generally this is an excellent looking presentation, especially for a British filmed television production over 40 years old. Colors are bold and beautifully saturated (and very, very, "mod"), and detail is brilliant. Some of the stock footage, principally used in establishing shots of The Village (actually the resort village of Portmeirion in North Wales) exhibits some specks and other debris, but it's not too distracting. There are some episodes where flesh tones seem somewhat blanched when compared to the bulk of the series, something no doubt inherent in the source elements. When the show goes into its "trippy" mode (as in the screenshot here of the patients in the ultraviolet room), the Blu-ray offers a vivid palette and wonderful detail. I did a spot check with the relatively recently released 40th anniversary DVD edition and found the picture quality definitely a noticeable upgrade, especially with regard to color saturation, but that said, it's not so incredible that those of you with the SD-DVD edition will automatically want to splurge for this new version.
Audiophiles will no doubt be complaining that we have no lossless audio options on this Blu-ray. However, the repurposed Dolby 5.1 mix is really quite excellent, especially when compared with the original mono tracks also offered here. Fidelity throughout is generally very, very good. The mono tracks suffer from pretty noticeable compression and an overall boxy sound; you'll hear the difference between the two offerings right off the bat if you toggle back and forth between them while the theme music is playing. Dialogue is crisp and at times excellently directional (though there is a tendency to place dialogue front and center). Some ambient effects, like McGoohan traipsing through a gravel path, have some fun use of surround channels. There's no damage, overarching hiss or dropouts to report. Overall an excellent if not mind blowing use of traditional Dolby 5.1, one that should satisfy all but the most persnickety audio lover.
This Blu-ray comes jam packed with some great supplements, though sadly at least one or two from the 40th anniversary DVD edition have gone missing. We're offered some excellent commentaries by production personnel on the episodes The Arrival, The Chimes of Big Ben, The Shizoid Man, The General, Dance of the Dead, Change of Mind and Fallout. Trailers and underscored image galleries for all 17 episodes are also included, spread over the four Blu-ray discs. The fourth BD offers the original edit of The Arrival, from a 35mm original film element, long thought to be lost. This version features a discarded score by Wilfred Josephs. An accompanying featurette documents the restoration of this original edit. Rounding out the fourth BD's extras are generic trailers (i.e., not geared toward specific episodes) and textless title sequences.
But, wait, you also get--a fifth disc, albeit on SD-DVD, has some very worthwhile extras as well. Chief among these are the hour and a half documentary Don't Knock Yourself Out, a great retrospective from a lot of the original production crew (the press release states over 400 were involved in the piece, but I didn't count that many) going into the show's genesis and filming, as well as its subsequent impact. There's all sorts of fascinating archival footage in this piece, including some fun shots of the original conception of the "protector balloon," which was originally conceived of as more of a mechanical contraption (it didn't work, hence the balloon "solution"). The Pink Prisoner offers Peter Wyngarde offering a spoof interview. The more interesting You Make Sure it Fits! presents memories of music editor Eric Mival. In a noticeably diminished picture quality the original edit of The Chimes of Big Ben is presented. For music buffs, three versions of the opening theme are offered, the Ron Grainger opus which ultimately made it to air, as well as the discarded attempts by Wilfrid Josephs and the redoubtable Robert Farnon. It's fascinating to hear what three different composers did with what must have been challenging source material. Interestingly, Farnon's sounds almost like Western music, Elmer Bernstein Magnificent Seven-esque, but strangely quite fitting. Rounding out these SD-DVD extras are a puff piece promo for AMC's new version of The Prisoner, an image gallery, an exposure strips gallery, commercial break bumpers and, via DVD-ROM, a wealth of Prisoner related paperwork archives.
One of the many satirical signs seen in The Village states "Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself." McGoohan and his crew probably took that made up adage to heart, as The Prisoner raises more questions than it ever answers, leaving viewers to fend for themselves. Intriguing and infuriating in pretty much equal measure, The Prisoner shows McGoohan breaking free from the strictures of series television, big time. You've never experienced anything quite like it, and it remains one of the most memorable series of all time for good reason. This Blu-ray offers a subtle, if noticeable, picture upgrade, but no lossless audio. The real selling points here are the excellent extras.
The George Lucas Director's Cut
1971
1962
1959
1965
Re-Release
2006
2011
2012
Limited Edition to 3000
1966
1966
2006
1963
Limited Edition
2015
1966
1995
4K Restoration
1975
Special Edition
1975
2016
Experiment Killing Room
2009
Special Edition
2008
2010