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51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very impressive and befitting Blu-ray box set for The Prisoner!, 29 Sep 2009
This review is from: The Prisoner - Complete Series [Blu-ray] [1967] (Blu-ray)
Before its release I had read a variety of views and hopes about how this first ever Blu-ray box set of the complete series of the The Prisoner would work out. Having literally just received it this morning and admittedly only having watched the first episode, I'm happy to report it's very, very impressive indeed (so far)! The picture has been remastered very well. I've seen a lot of good old remasters recently, but in my opinion this one appears to be up there with the Bond remasters, Zulu and The Italian Job (and that's a high standard!). The image is sharp. There is little to no noise in the dark scenes and picture areas. The colours are lovely, really allowing the set and costume design to shine. There's also a good level of fine detail. Of course the picture quality may differ in the rest of the series, but taking the first episode on the first disc as the benchmark, I'm optimistic about the overall result. The sound is available in standard Dolby 5.1 (not HD audio from what I can see) but it's well done. Some of the dialogue is a little muffled, but I think that's due to the use of on location/on set sound as opposed to extensive use of ADR (which we are all, I guess, most used to these days). The music covers the surround sound field very nicely and is crisp and nice quality. There's also the option to listen to the original mono soundtrack, which I briefly tried. The menu and presentation on the disc is also nicely done. It's worth mentioning the cardboard box itself. It's larger than I expected but it provides a very attractive housing for the whole package. It's about the width of 2.5 Blu-ray boxes, and about 2-3 boxes high (I'm not really sure how/where I'm going to store it, to be honest!). Inside there's a long book companion to the series alongside a bespoke Blu-ray case holding the multiple discs (about the same size as the Star Trek Original Series 1 box, for reference, so I suppose you can keep that our your shelf and store the presentation box elsewhere...). I'm now looking forward to enjoying this magnificent series with picture and sound quality befitting of such an unique, unusual and timeless programme. Overall, very highly recommended!
Edit: Still working my way through this, but have noticed that not all of the discs are Blu-rays. Discs 1 to 4 are Blu-rays, with the 13 episodes, plus a new HD version of the first episode (Arrival) on Disc 4. Discs 5 and 6 are DVDs, with all SD extras. So the Blu-ray exclusive extras may just be the commentaries, the extra episode version (Arrival in HD). I'll confirm when I can.
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Prisoner, 23 Feb 2009
I was too young to watch this series when it was first shown back in the late 60's but as there has always been this 'cult viewing' description attached to it I wanted to see it for myself. Well, it certainly lives up to the decription! Whilst there is a story in each episode, it's essential that you see the first one to have any way of understanding those that follow and even then you'll have to open your mind a little.
Seemingly based on the 'you can resign but you'll never leave' belief held by many about government employees especially those from MI5, it teeters between reality and madness but in a truly colourful way.
The digital reproduction is excellent and it's hard to believe this was made in the 60's, the imagery, setting and acting is first class and looks more like something that could have been made last week rather than 40 years ago. Top Draw!!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A series that changed television forever...., 11 May 2007
How to begin? So much has been written or spoken about The Prisoner that it makes yet another review, especially here, seem rather unnecessary, but allow me to shed some new light on this wonderfully crafted and thought-provoking series that has inspired a slew of criticism, documentaries, and a franchise that sponsors fan-inspired annual pilgrimages and symposiums to Portmerion (Wales) where the series was filmed in 1967.
To this day, the series has managed to inspire debate and defy interpretation--are the episodes merely the dreams and nightmares of a British secret agent who has resigned, or is No. 6's fight against the dystopia that is the Village analogous to our own fight for individualism, privacy and personal freedom? And now, perhaps even more relevant today than in 1967 when the series made its initial broadcast run--incidentally as a summer replacement for the "Jackie Gleason Show".
So many of the episodes are as thought-provoking as McGoohans's own inspiration for the series. Despite what McGoohan may insist and what the critics say, I strongly believe that No. 6 is John Drake of "Secret Agent Man." (Co-creator and writer George Markstein always insisted that No. 6 was Drake.) To appreciate this you must view the series back-to-back to see why; the latter episodes of "Secret Agent" show Drake often bucking horns with his superiors at virtually every opportunity and clearly a few episodes of "Secret Agent" would help you to see my point: specifically "Colony Three" and "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove"--two perplexing and puzzling installments in a rather straightforward, weekly prime-time spy drama. Be sure to check them out.
We all know the wonderful English guest stars who appeared as No. 2, so I don't need to go into detail here--Leo McKern ("Chimes of Big Ben," "Once Upon a Time," and "Fall Out") and Colin Gordon ("A, B, & C") are two of my favorites. As to the quality of the DVDs themselves, A&E has done a superb job with this set--super clean transfers and excellent Dolby sound.
Also included are some alternate title sequences, the alternate "Chimes of Big Ben," and an interview/documentary with director David Tomblin--I am not surprised McGoohan did not offer an interview or a commentary--he wants to keep us guessing and that, of course, is half the fun to this enigma which is "The Prisoner."
The additional booklet and map added to this new slimline set is a nice additional touch, but I think Prisoner devotees deserve much more from A&E since much of this type of merchandise is already available from other sources.
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