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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

The Prisoner - Is it worth it?

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11:10 / 02.08.01

I've never seen the prisoner. It sounds like something I would enjoy. Now since that I've got a bit of cash at the moment (provided I don't blow it all on holiday) is it worth paying £53 for a complete run of the Prisoner on DVD?

11:23 / 02.08.01

In a word, yes.

12:59 / 02.08.01

Quick answer: Fuck yeah

Considered answer: rent a couple episodes first and see how they move you.

13:12 / 02.08.01

Fuck FUCK YEAH!

Higher than the sun :)

16:56 / 02.08.01

Mmmmmm maybe.
Some of it was excelent. But I were you I'd just watch the first and last episodes.
Plot synopis for the middle 15 episoes. No 6 tries to escape the village in a variety of ways, only to be undone at the last moment. The Rovers are Weather Ballons, Everyone is paranoind to the 'nth degree, his house in unfeasably small, Sometimes thay play chess on a giant board, sometimes they don't, And there are surveilance cameras everywhere. Just like Big Brother.

19:26 / 02.08.01

I completely disagree. Don't just watch the first and last episodes. The final episode is confusing enough as it is, comes totally out of the blue and ignores everything that's gone before.

The rest of the series is some of the greatest telly ever. Each episode is unique, each contains a ludicrous amount of weird, imaginative set-pieces. And it's not just about No 6 trying to escape - mainly it's about how those in charge of The Village try to break his resolve and how he resists them - the power one person can hold over the system.

To answer your question - buy it. This is one of those rare things that really is as good as everyone says.

[ 02-08-2001: Message edited by: E Randy Dub It ]

19:29 / 02.08.01

If you can afford it, YES

You need to watch the lot to grasp the Prisoner, not understand because no one really understands it all.
Its brill in a word.

Ellis

19:34 / 02.08.01

I like the Prisoner and if you are like me you will too!

Although I thought the last episode teetered between "Surreal genius!" and "Meaningless bollocks!" but it has a great use of music in it.

Jamieon

20:04 / 02.08.01

£53.00 for the entire run on DVD?

Yes.

You must buy this.

08:43 / 03.08.01

Well theres definately an overwhelming response in favor. Unfortunately the price is up to £59 because I forgot to check the postage cost but its still within range. I'll have to see how much money I have left after my holiday. The more I read here the better it seems! Cheers for the feedback people!

10:44 / 03.08.01

Yup. Get it - it's a great show. I've only seen it packaged in three/four eps per tape before, so the entire run for £53 is a shit-hot deal.

14:39 / 03.08.01

Heres the DVD and heres the VHS Its a hell of a lot more expensive on Video.

10:08 / 05.08.01

The deleted VHS box set includes an alternate, US version of The Chimes Of Big Ben. Different music for the beginning and end credits, plus a slightly different end credit sequence (where we normally see a Rover appearing from the depths, instead the small wheel on the bicycle turns into a globe of the Earth and the large wheel a globe of the galaxy. The Earth globe expands to fill the screen, then disappears, replaced by the word POP in large white letters on a red background).

Depending on your point of view, this is either intensely fascinating or pointlessly anal.

[ 05-08-2001: Message edited by: E Randy Degenerate ]

Higher than the sun :)

13:37 / 05.08.01

I'm sorry I sat through It on Late night Channel 4 about 10 years ago, and just recently on Sci Fi. It has its moments. In fact it has its moments of sheer surreal brilliance, But Let's not forget "The girl who was death."
E Randy should know that Patrick Mcgooan had to flesh out the series and it does suffer for it. And is is a litte dated now, All the cold war paranoia.
Good in places, excellent in others But tediosly slow and dull in more still.
W

06:27 / 06.08.01

I'm waiting for my tax refund so I can get the 16 DVD Emma Peel Avengers set I saw listed on Amazon.

I have the first 3 sets of Prisoner DVDs (6 discs) and they're fucking cool. Buy them.

Now if I could just upgrade my VHS copies of Twin Peaks to DVD...

17:09 / 08.08.01

And seeing as you live in Bristol, once you've watched it, pop over to Portmeirion. It's on the Lleyn Peninsula, where I've just been on holiday, and I spent a great day there just wandering around. There is a prisoner shop, but it's not too intrusive.

(This message has been sponsored by the Wales Tourist Board.)

Higher than the sun :)

17:17 / 08.08.01

Aye. Portmerion itself is full of pottery and twee gift shops. In fact you pray for a "Rover" to come and take away all the fat american tourists.

17:22 / 08.08.01

You can get the DVD boxset for 50pounds include P&P here.. It's probably just as cheap here but I can't see to access their page at the mo.

I s'psed to be goin to Portmeirion at the start of Sep for a weekend of debauchery with my Welsh babe friend. maybe i will be some Prisoner related merchandised whilst i am there.

Professor Silly

17:43 / 11.08.02

I've been watching the series in order with my wife and brother...and we're down to the final two episodes. The series has totally exceeded my expectations and I would HIGHly recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet sat down to watch it.

By the way, the libraries here (which is where my wife works) has the entire series on VHS--so if you're curious just check your local library...you might be surprised. What's better than watching it for free, I ask!

08:52 / 12.08.02

Still haven't bought it! I can't believe I started this thread a year ago! I was meaning to buy it again this summmer but bought a new computer and therefore couldn't justify the cost to myself right now. I really should get off my arse and order it. Its now cheaper to buy the individual DVD's than it is the boxed set if you get it from www.play.com .

I've been looking at Portmeirion on the internet and so want to go and visit. Would rather see the show first though.

I will get this one day!

20:14 / 13.08.02

Portmeirion is a great place to visit and there's a whole shop of Prisoner stuff to check out.

One word of warning tho: Stay away from the hotel (unless you're staying there). I sat down on a bench overlooking the beach and got a right bollocking from one of their employees. To make it worse, when I said I'd leave via the stairs to the beach they said no as that was for "residents only" as well.

I stood up and said "I will not be pushed, filed, indexed, stamped, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own!".

Actually I didn't say that, but I did think of saying it as I meekly sloped off....

19:52 / 15.08.02

Yes. If only to give an alternative concept to your current view of life.

05:34 / 16.08.02

Yo, anyone got any URL's for annotations of the episodes? The SciFi.com website is less than stellar, but these links look more promising: http://estraven.silverday.net/tiekie/sfandf.html (links are at bottom left).

13:43 / 16.08.02

Chubby, you'll be incredibly bored by this. You should buy it and send it to me.

21:55 / 16.08.02

From the opening credits:

"Who is Number 1?"
"You are Number 6."

But add one little comma:

"You are, Number 6"

Hmmmmm.

Zoom.

05:30 / 17.08.02

GodDAMNIT, if that was a spoiler Captain Zoom, I am sending the damn Rover after you next! I'm about halfway thru the series, renting it a few at a time. It's great mindfucking fun, I'd have to say, but not for everyone. I showed it to a friend who was pretty unimpressed. As someone said earlier, rent a few first and try it out.

Seriously, I can't bring it up without someone spoiling something, Cap. I should have known better than to read this thread! Zoom on!

12:19 / 17.08.02

Innit funny that people continually bring up the opening credits of the Prisoner in an effort to prove that there is some kind of key to the series that is provided by the revealing of Number 1's identity? As if they're saying something clever that illustrates something in and of itself. It doesn't.

Don't worry, Yagg: there is no key to this series. Zoom's "spoiler" is just one fucked up detail of an episode that... well, I'll leave it to when you see it to truly appreciate what a colossally messed up work of genius it is. The Prisoner is a huge enigma that resists any attempts at spoilage in a conventional way.

For example, here's another spoiler: there's another episode that deals with a bomb placed in a cricket ball at a home counties cricket match. Number 6 is not Number 6 for this eipsode, and it is not set in the Village. He is a secret agent who for some reason must dress up as Sherlock Holmes, even when he is in a steam room. At one point he drinks the bar dry.

The Prisoner is the series that renders all spoilers redundant. In order for spoilers to work you kinda have to have narrative and characters that aren't brainfucked-into-another-dimension-pay-close-attention.

16:27 / 17.08.02

Good fucking Lord is Sherlock Six awesome!!

What, you want something useful? Fuck you! Number Forty Eight! 'Nuff said!

Blah blah fishcakes. There's nothing to add to any of this. Except ignore all that crap about "affording it"- see that mother over there? The one who gave birth to you, raised you, fed you from a breast the size of yr head and gave up her dreams of becoming an international olympic swimmer so she could afford the ULTRAMEGAUBERTRON Transformers toy which you chewed the hinges off of and swallowed the three yellow plastic missles, their shoulder-mounted launcher and the shoulder it was mounted to, all within three hours? Thought there was nothing else she could do for you? WRONG! She has a liver that people will pay good monies for! Go sell said liver for said good monies and buy the box set of this! Then buy another for me!

Fuck affordablilty! This shit's tha shit! And fuck spelling too! I'm gushing praise! I have no need to spell! I'm quite sure my enthuisiasm is coming across all the same!

10:07 / 21.01.03

Woohoo! 1 year and 5 months after starting this thread I finally get The Prisoner box set for a bargain price of £48! Its sat on my desk now, taunting me! Also my girlfriends parents are supposed to be taking us to Portmeirion this summer when we go to visit them one weekend. Excellent!

I'll be back in a few weeks after watching the series with some crys of pleasure or crys of dismay (As if I'd be disapointed by something that partly inspired The Invisibles and inspired Iron Maiden to write a song about it!)

6 hours to home time Goddamnit! Maybe I should take a sicky...

yawn - thing's buddy

11:42 / 21.01.03

Be Seeing you.

Mister Six, whom all the girls

12:26 / 21.01.03

www.bensonsworld.co.uk/ has it on sale for 30 pounds.

13:50 / 21.01.03

I shall pretend I didn't see the above post.

uncle retrospective

14:26 / 21.01.03

I can't.
Has anyone used this site?
Is it safe?

Mister Six, whom all the girls

15:37 / 22.01.03

Crap, Chubby... sorry bout that. I got mine for 80 bucks if it makes you feel any better.

Mister Six, whom all the girls

15:39 / 22.01.03

Uncle, I use it all the time in the States. They're very very good, and terribly low shipping oversease (50p per disk!).

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