Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47604 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-08-14
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 960 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Part action series, part psychedelic fantasy, part allegory, Patrick McGoohan's masterpiece, The Prisoner, was initially touted as a sequel to his earlier spy series, Danger Man. But when it was first broadcast in 1967 TV audiences were puzzled; when the show was cancelled 17 episodes later due to declining viewing figures, no one was any the wiser. Shot in the picturesque surroundings of Portmeirion in North Wales, whose architectural fantasies provided an ideal backdrop for the show's surrealism, The Prisoner has subsequently been recognised as one of the most innovative and thought-provoking series ever to be broadcast. Despite the primary-coloured flower-power look, the show's bold ideas haven't dated at all, proving that The Prisoner was simply years ahead of its time.

McGoohan is Number 6, a man whose resignation from the secret service (seen every week in a montage title sequence--itself an impressionistic TV landmark) triggers his abduction and imprisonment in "The Village", a sort of open prison for spies where everyone has a number not a name. It's a pretty comfortable place and the other inhabitants all seem passively to accept the situation, allowing the Village authorities to control and limit their actions without protest (escape attempts are thwarted by mysterious bubble-shaped guards called "Rovers"). Number 6, however, is an indomitable freedom fighter whose refusal to accept the status quo is a metaphor for the individual ego struggling against the forces of social conformity: "I am not a number I am a free man" is the series' most resonant catchphrase.

The Village's allegorical microcosm of society is presided over by Number 2, played by a different actor every week, with whom Number 6 clashes repeatedly in a battle of wills as he continually questions the authority that has imprisoned him ("Who is Number 1?"). In turn the Kafkaesque authorities try to discover the reason why he resigned. His trenchant refusal to provide any reason at all is itself a powerful assertion of individual freedom. The series culminates in perhaps the most bizarre and psychedelic TV episode ever made, "Fallout", in which Number 6's revelatory discovery of the real power that keeps him imprisoned raises more questions than it answers. --Mark Walker

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
THE PRISONER, the influential science-fiction television series, chronicles the adventures of a former government operative--known only as "Number 6" (Patrick McGoohan)--after he is imprisoned in an idyllic settlement filled with cameras following his every move. Number 6 is faced with the challenge of fighting to retain his identity along with his physical and mental strength while trying to find out where he is, who he can trust, and if there is a way to escape. Meanwhile the elusive and powerful Number 2 wishes to break the prisoner down, and his pursuit is relentless. This collection contains all 17 episodes of the TV series, plus an alternate U.S. preview release episode and a documentary.

Customer Reviews

Still the best show ever produced for TV
Any one of the available reviews will tell you the plot so let's get to the meat of the matter:

It is either a damning or praising thing to say that this show is the best thing that ever happened to British television.

Praise indeed for the show but damning also since it was made in the 1960s and there has been little to rival it ever since.

Truly thought provoking and insightful this show simply refuses to lie down and go away. It's Orwellian view of a world watched by cameras and a population subjugated by petty belief systems predicts our life today. And therein lies some of it's appeal. We like this stuff. There's an element of the rebel in almost every one of us. We will not be told to shut up and toe the line. And this series still pulls at those strings. The Prisoner has not dated and with often intriguing stories, excellent scripts and a sterling lead role performance by Patrick McGoohan it continues to provoke active discussion and entertains a large and loyal fanbase.

Having this boxed set is a must. For this show is unlike many others in that it has a beginning, a middle and a conclusion. So therefore seeing it all is a prerequisite. And despite the reports stating that the 'answer' is never made clear, any intelligent viewer will understand what it's all about.

The quality of the DVDs is very good. The remastering has brought out the full glory of the show. In fact I'd hazard to say that few of those people who saw the series on it's original run would have seen it look so wonderful.

It's little wonder that this show has been slyly referred to within the plots of other shows, (The Avengers, Columbo and The Simpsons to name but three).

Mysterious and at times demanding this wonderful series rewards the inquisitive viewer with insight and above all great entertainment.

Brilliant fun and worth the money.

Review of "The Prisoner"
The greatest TV series ever produced on one DVD set. Don't miss it! The series covers the incarceration of "Number 6" in The Village, a mysterious place which is a fusion of Mediterraenean architecture and quaint upper class British themes. McGoohan is quirky, unpredictable but ultimately defiant as the ex-spy who refuses to reveal to his captors the reasons for his resignation. At first confused, and often out-thought and out-manouvered by his captors, the tone changes subtly through each episode as The Prisoner becomes more than a match for each new "Number 2" who takes control of the Village. The plots also become more fantastic as the series progresses, mixing elements of mystery thriller, action-adventure, and SF, with The Prisoner battling Zombie-like Villagers, Super Computers, Mind-Swap devices, altered realities and the ever-present "Rovers" - strange bubble-like creatures which relentlessly track, pursue and engulf would-be escapees.

....and THAT final episode...!

Watch this to see what can be accomplished in the medium with a big budget, an ingenious plot and a who's who of guest stars that would be impossible in today's TV.

Where am I? In the Village.
Just to add to phil1_atr and his excellent review, the prisoner was made 20 years before its time and we have only just cought up with it.

Made in 1966 and put on air in 1967, it is a basic story line (with many different theory versions depending on your point of view) of trying to break someones determination to be individual and on the other hand someones rebellion of the establishment.
Each episode is about trying to get No 6 to tell them why he resigned his position and our hero trying to escape his Idyllic prison. It covers topics like drugs and personality drug alterations, deception, manipulation, disillusionment and dishonesty, to name a few, in differant settings and experiences. You can't even have a full nights sleep with out some one seeing your dreams and trying to alter your perception.

17 excellent storylines and brilliant acting with the odd slow part with a twist at the end to keep you baffled. The music is either brilliant or boring but also moving and hypnotic. Most people who watch the Prisoner love it and watch it over and over again.

Excellent DVD and worth buying, you may even join 6 of 1.