The Prisoner details

The Prisoner
Format: U DVD
Starring: Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness
Director: Peter Glenville
Genre: Drama - Television
Studio: SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Name Discs
The Prisoner
U Feature

DVD Information

Run time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rental release: 21 Mar 2005
Main languages: English
Dubbed: German, Spanish, Italian
Subtitles: Dutch, English, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Hearing impaired subtitles: English
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Most helpful review The Prisoner

  • Excellent Acting, Poor Visuals

    Rated - 5.0 stars  
    By ashsowerby (1 review) from Doncaster , 23 Aug 2009

    [Highly rated reviewer]

    As the description for this DVD says this film is 'based off a stage play' and really this is simply the stage play on film, the acting from the two main characters (portrayed by Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins) is absolutely top notch but the film unfortunately offers no pleasure to the eye in visual terms as (true to it's stage play counterpart) most of the action is indoors with very little emphasis on the outside world, one could argue that this helps us to identify with the 'Prisoner' (Alec Guinness) in the fact that he never sees the outside world either, if this was the case then in my opinion it was a very bad decision as it is incredibly hard to sympathise with any of the characters within the film as they all paint very unpleasant pictures, even the love story which is present in this film makes for unpleasant viewing, if psychological drama is a favourite genre of yours then this film should be very endearing to you as it is simply an interrogation on film, I've rated this film '5 Stars' for it's acting but for the visual side it gets around 2 out of 5.
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All reviews

(6)
  • Excellent, unusual and Psychological

    Rated - 3.0 stars  
    By a customer , 02 Nov 2011
    Tense psychological film that requires patience to watch. Alec guiness is superb in the role of a Cardinal, imprisoned by Jack Hawkins and the regime.

    The film is not overly long and the story line is easy to follow and has a real satisfying twist at the end. All in all worth watching for the excellent acting and story.
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  • Excellent Acting, Poor Visuals

    Rated - 5.0 stars  
    By ashsowerby (1 review) from Doncaster , 23 Aug 2009
    As the description for this DVD says this film is 'based off a stage play' and really this is simply the stage play on film, the acting from the two main characters (portrayed by Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins) is absolutely top notch but the film unfortunately offers no pleasure to the eye in visual terms as (true to it's stage play counterpart) most of the action is indoors with very little emphasis on the outside world, one could argue that this helps us to identify with the 'Prisoner' (Alec Guinness) in the fact that he never sees the outside world either, if this was the case then in my opinion it was a very bad decision as it is incredibly hard to sympathise with any of the characters within the film as they all paint very unpleasant pictures, even the love story which is present in this film makes for unpleasant viewing, if psychological drama is a favourite genre of yours then this film should be very endearing to you as it is simply an interrogation on film, I've rated this film '5 Stars' for it's acting but for the visual side it gets around 2 out of 5.
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  • A little odd

    Rated - 3.0 stars  
    By HDX (124 reviews) from Barry, Wales , 03 Sep 2008
    Alec Guinness was, of course, always quite comfortable in a cassock. Dear old Jack Hawkins looks less at ease in his cordouroy slacks. Guinness plays a priest accused of betrayal in a police state and Hawkins his interrogator in this Kafka-esque tale which starts off engagingly but gets a bit bogged down. Interesting, a little odd, but worth a watch.
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  • A stiff sentence

    Rated - 2.0 stars  
    By RJNeb2 (922 reviews) from London , 04 Feb 2007
    In an undisclosed totalitarian state, the authorities finally catch up with the former Resistance leader who is now the country's leading cardinal. This is essentially a two-hander between two very fine actors, but Guinness is prone to severe over-saintliness in his performance, and frankly, the material itself is very dull.
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  • Thought Provoking Excellence

    Rated - 5.0 stars  
    By Brian Faulkner from Bridgwater, England , 15 Dec 2005
    As a fan of Alec Guinness it was a great treat to re-visit this film. Jack Hawkins as the inquisitor is outstanding and Wilfred Lawson as the jailor is superb. If you are a fan of the Patrick McGoohan series of the same name, look out for Jack Hawkins assistant. You should recognise him from the McGoohan court scenes.
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