The Prisoner on Blu-ray & DVD (1967)

The Prisoner

1967

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

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All 17 episodes of the Kafka-esque cult 1960s sci-fi telefantasy. In 'Arrival', a government agent henceforth known as the Prisoner (Patrick McGoohan) is rendered unconscious in his London apartment after handing in his resignation. He awakes in the Village, a self-contained, remote society run by Number Two and the never-seen Number One. Upon being told that he is now Number Six, and that he will remain in the Village until the authorities have ascertained the reasons for his resignation, the Prisoner determines to escape. 'The Chimes of Big Ben' sees Number Six hatching a plan for escape with his new neighbour, Nadia, which seems to go very smoothly. But is all as it seems? In 'A. B. and C.', Number Two (Colin Gordon) uses a wonder drug to try and tap into Number Six's dreams, in an attempt to find out why he resigned from the British government. 'Free for All' sees Number Six persuaded to stand in the election for a new Number Two, but finds himself subjected to 'the Test' after angering the current incumbent (Eric Portman). In 'The Schizoid Man', Number Six awakes to discover that he is now Number Twelve - a new man with a new identity and appearance - and that a doppelganger of his original self has been brought to the Village to try and break him once and for all. 'The General' sees the Village community ordered to attend the 'Speedlearn' classes of the Professor, which can help them attain a University degree in three minutes. In 'Many Happy Returns', Number Six makes his escape after waking up to find the Village deserted. He makes his way back to his London home, only to find it occupied by a Mrs Butterworth who has a surprise planned for Six's birthday... 'Dance of the Dead' sees Number Six attempting to send an SOS out of the Village using a corpse he discovers on the beach. However, Number Two (Mary Morris) has been informed of Six's movements by Dutton, a treacherous former colleague. In 'Checkmate', Number Six is invited to take part in a human game of chess. However, his attempts to elicit information from the Queen are initially unsuccessful. 'Hammer into Anvil' sees Number Six determined to gain revenge on the latest Number Two (Patrick Cargill) after the latter drives an innocent girl to her death. Six sets about driving Two insane by pretending that he is a spy sent to keep Two under surveillance. In 'It's Your Funeral', Number Six finds his reputation smeared in an attempt to prevent him foiling an assassination plot. 'A Change of Mind' sees Six forced to turn to the Village doctor after being declared 'unmutual'; in an attempt to avoid drug and soundwave treatment, Six attempts to turn the tables on the latest Number Two. In 'Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling', the Prisoner awakes in his London home to discover that his mind is now in the body of another man, and heads for Austria to find the only man who can reverse the process. 'Living in Harmony' is a western spoof which sees Number Six trapped in a town called 'Harmony'. The authorities want the Prisoner to become the new sheriff, but he is reluctant to accept the post due to the fact that he would be required to carry a gun. In 'The Girl Who Was Death', the Prisoner seems to be back in his old job as a secret agent, becoming involved with a mad scientist and his daughter, Death, in his attempt to track down the killer of Colonel Hawke-English. 'Once Upon a Time' sees Number Six subjected to 'Degree Absolute' interrogation by a returning Number Two (Leo McKern). In 'Fall Out', the Prisoner wins the right to his individuality after surviving 'Degree Absolute', and finally gets the chance to meet Number One. However, his escape from the Village is not what he expected. Also included are an alternative, American press review edition of 'The Chimes of Big Ben' and the American documentary 'The Prisoner Companion', which attempts to answer the many questions posed by the series.

The Prisoner details

Formats:	PG DVD, Blu-ray
Starring:	Patrick McGoohan
Genres:	Action/Adventure - War, Sci-Fi/Fantasy - Horror, Sci-fi - General, Television - Sci-Fi

Name	Discs
The Prisoner - Vol. 1 - Episodes 1 To 4	PG Disc 1
The Prisoner - Vol. 2 - Episodes 5 To 8	PG Disc 2
The Prisoner - Vol. 3 - Episodes 9 To 12	PG Disc 3
The Prisoner - Vol. 4 - Episodes 13 To 16	PG Disc 4
The Prisoner - Vol. 5 - Episode 17	PG Disc 5

DVD Information

Run time:	16 hours
Rental release:	Not available for rental
Main languages:	English

Name	Discs
The Prisoner	PG Feature

Blu-ray Information

Run time:	14 hours 10 minutes
Rental release:	Not available for rental
Main languages:	English

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Most helpful review The Prisoner

Bizarre and brilliant.

By a customer from Bedfordshire, England. , 06 Aug 2005

[Highly rated reviewer]

The prisoner first shown in 1968 and again in it’s entirety at the end of 1982 by channel 4 in the U.K was one of the most talked about and controversial TV series ever broadcast.

Still most people including myself cannot workout with precision what it was exactly about.

Nevertheless it is very watchable from the word go.

Patrick Mcgoohan is superb in the lead roll and there are many famous faces in the 18 episodes.

One example of the lunacy is a machine gun battle with the Beatles 1967 world famous hit ‘All You Need Is Love’ playing in the background.

This disc and indeed the whole series you will either love or hate, but it must be said that the series is unique, and probably way over the Americans head to whom the series was sold and also broadcast in 1968.

And like a few other British made classics which were produced in the 1966-1968 era, the quality of the actual shooting is magnificent.

For example the colour editions of ‘The Saint’, The Avengers, also ‘Man In A Suitcase’, and ‘Randall & Hopkirk’ and ‘The Prisoner seemed to have been made on very high quality film as if money was no object.

Your more common everyday video tape of that time was certainly not used.

Very weird at times but very enjoyable, a product of a very deranged mind…bizarre but brilliant.

Picture Quality 5/5 Sound Quality 4/5
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The Prisoner - My Review

By DaddyTank (203 reviews) from Ulan Bator , 30 Mar 2010

For me The Prisoner was a mysterious concept that I was introduced to by the mighty Iron Maiden. To my great shame I have never seen it sequentially or completely and thats what I am rectifying. And I am glad I have because so far it has been excellent. Yes there's the odd episode that is plotless and has a woman following Patrick round spouting gibberish, but they are still massively entertaining and then when you get amzing episodes like Schizoid Man it makes you realise just how utterly crap 99% of TV is nowadays.

Be seeing you...
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Classic

By a customer from READING , 22 Jan 2010

Classic from its era. Slick and stylish. Has not lost its charm
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Why I like it ........ I really don't know!

By Logansbearing (22 reviews) from Margate , 13 Oct 2008

Brilliantly written a classic mix of suspense and conspiracy. This made way for many current fav's. Bourne series certainly have taken ideas from this concept.

Perhaps more for older viewers, and if your looking for a gun slinging fist fighting blast of a serious, look elsewhere. If you're looking for something that will play with your mind for months after, then welcome to the village.

Be seeing you.
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Free Number 6

By rpere008 (20 reviews) from Bangor , 05 Aug 2008

After three months of watching 'The Prisoner', I must say it's been a remarkable journey. It started out as a spy thriller and ended as a social commentary. I don't think any institution was spared. I will say no more: watch it and come to your own conclusions. That's part of the experience.
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A dip...

By a customer from Northampton, England , 22 Nov 2006

... I think the Prisoner, as many do, is one of the highlights of British television- if not the world. Bizaare yet somehow believable the earlier series' were nothing short of stunning. By the time we reach this set however- it's starting to go downhill. The highs are still there, but it contains the first episode I ever actually turned off and stopped watching! Still better than most things nowadays though.....
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