Related Links

0

THE COMPLETE PRISONER DVD MEGA-SET

THE PRISONER is one of the must-see television series from the '60s, a short-lived but unforgettable tour de force of TV conceived by and starring Patrick McGoohan, formerly of the spy show SECRET AGENT (aka DANGER MAN). THE PRISONER took the spy genre and turned it on its ear, with its tale of McGoohan's former agent "Number Six," who attempts to resign from the British service but finds himself a prisoner in the strange world of the "Village" as a result. Rather than simply give us the typical secret agent conventions, THE PRISONER, in its 17-episode run, sought to challenge viewers with a barrage of philosophical questions, mixed with exciting setpieces and a stylish look that sealed the show's place in the annals of Great TV.

This DVD "Mega-Set" kicks off with "Arrival," the series premiere which introducers Number Six, and the audience along with him, to the odd and ominous world of the Village. McGoohan's hard yet humorous former secret agent does his best to figure out his predicament, including attempting one of what will become many escape attempts, but Number Six will eventually find that the only way out of the Village is through far less conventional means. This first disc also offers an alternate version of the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben," with sequences and dialogue cut from the final broadcast version (which can be found on disc three).

Disc two offers up "Free for All" and "Dance of the Dead." The former episode was written and directed by McGoohan (though he used the pseudonym "Paddy Fitz" for the writing credit). When the unlikely event of Village elections come about, Number Six runs against the current Number Two for his officeand wins! Of course, that's exactly what was meant to happen. "Dance of the Dead" finds Number Six stumbling upon a body on the beach, but events will soon see our hero on trial in a kangaroo court.

In "Checkmate," Number Six joins in on a game of human-sized chess, but of course the potential for escape is the real reason for his involvement in the game. Escape he does, for a short time anyway, in "The Chimes of Big Ben." When a new "visitor" to the Village arrives, the female Number Eight, she and Number Six join forces and manage to make it back to Londonor do they? That would be telling.

It ain't easy being Number Twowhich explains why we get a new one in practically every episode of the series. The pressures of the job are apparent in "A. B. and C." wherein the current fellow holding the job uses a combination of drugs and dream therapy to discover why Number Six resigned. The episode "The General" introduces a process called "Speed Learn" to the Village"One Hundred Per Cent Entry, One Hundred Per Cent Pass"but Number Six is skeptical of the subliminal process.

Halfway into the collection, disc five offers the episode "The Schizoid Man" where Number Six's overseers attempt to brainwash him into thinking that he is Number Twelve, while a doppelganger of him shows up in the Village as well. Also found on this disc is a brand new behind-the-scenes interview with the show's original production manager, Bernie Williams. It's interesting to hear from someone who actually had a hand in the show's production, but where's McGoohan himself?

Back to the episodes themselves, the next disc starts with "Many Happy Returns," wherein Number Six awakens one morning to find the Village completely deserted. He seizes this opportunity to escape and sails home on a makeshift raftbut he'll be back to the Village in time for his birthday... "It's Your Funeral" sees our hero uncovering an assassination plot against Number Two, and being in the unlikely position of having to keep his enemy safe.

McGoohan directed "A Change of Mind" under another pseudonym. Number Six is deemed "unmutual" by the rest of the inhabitants of the Village, and is forced to undergo an "Instant Social Conversion" procedure. "Hammer into Anvil" sees Number Six turning the tables on his captors for a change when a young woman is forced to suicide by Number Two and our hero seeks revenge. Hints that perhaps Number Six can triumph over the Village and its leaders are emerging now in the series.

Disc eight offers up two off kilter episodeseven by THE PRISONER's standards. "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" presents another actor in the role of Number Six for much of the episode (courtesy of a mind-swapping device). McGoohan was off shooting a film during the segment's production and hence wasn't available. "Living in Harmony" utilizes the now-clichéd TV sci-fi device of transplanting its characters into an Old West settingthough McGoohan and team pull it off splendidly, right down to a revised opening credit sequence.

The series heads towards its finale with the second-to-last disc. "The Girl Who Was Death" is a lightweight outing that parodies spy-style stories, while "Once Upon a Time" is the first of the two-part series finale. In it, Leo McKern's Number Two returns from earlier in the series' run to face off against Number Six for one last battle of wits.

The series concludes on disc 10 with the highly enigmatic "Fall Out," wherein Number Six finally meets Number One... but you'll never guess who it is! Newcomers to the series are bound to find this resolution to THE PRISONER maddeningly frustrating, but that's the whole point, isn't it? Does Number Six make it home? Did he ever leave home? Who really runs the Village? Such questions are not easily answered, and that's what keeps us coming back to the show time and time again.

The tenth disc also features the bonus program, THE PRISONER VIDEO COMPANION, with "ultra-rare" original footage of the 1966 location shooting, accompanied by interviews with Bernie Williams.