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(More customer reviews)The Prisoner is one of the most, if not the most, revolutionary science fiction show ever. Produced in the milestone year of 1968, this brief English series (17 episodes) discussed with unique boldness themes like information control, torture and brainwash procedures in authoritarian governments. Esthetically, the show mingles influences so diverse as Franz Kafka's The Trial, Orwell's 1984, Ingmar Bergman's Hour of the Wolf, and the James Bond movies.
The show was sold to ITC as a non-official sequel to the most popular "Secret Agent/Danger Man" series, starred by Patrick McGoohan. This time, McGoohan acted too as creator and producer, and used his freedom to talk about the role of the individual in a increasing oppressing society. He is an anonymous secret agent who resign his position. But he knows too much; doped by a mysterious figure, he awakens in what seemingly is a luxurious resort in a paradise island. But this place is no spa: is a prison in the open, where no one knows what are the others prisoners names, and in whom can trust. They even don't know who really are their captors: are they from "their" side or from the "other" side? They don't know and the viewer don't knows too. The agent himself receives a code, Number Six. "I am no number! I am a free man!", claims he repeatedly. But he will not be a free man till he succeeds in escape from the island. In the meantime, he have other important task in hand: maintains his sanity and individuality in a ambient where all of his movements are monitored, and where he frequently suffers torture and brainwash.
The DVD release is great news. The three episodes are an excelent introduction to the series. "Arrival" is the very first one, where Number Six arrives to the island and meets for the first time the Number Two (the chief warder, a role assumed by a different actor/actress in each episode). "Free for All" is a parody to the election process. "Dance o the Dead" is the first of the "enigmatic" episodes in the show, with a plot that defies understanding. The Prisoner is rich in colors and sounds, that will be more appreciated digitally. The extras are very welcome, too. This series don't have the popularity that deserves, and, consequently, the material about it is very rare.
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The Prisoner - Set 1: Arrival/ Free For All/ Dance of the Dead (1968)"The Prisoner," one of the most remarkable and challenging science fiction series of all time, follows "No. 6," a former government operative sent into a seemingly idyllic but twisted prison known as "The Village," where he struggles to retain his identity in the face of sophisticated and relentless attempts by the powers-that-be (known as "No. 2") to extract his secrets. "The Arrival" (pilot episode)--A first look at the Village, and The Prisoner, Number Six, its newest resident. "Free for All"--Elections are about to be held in the Village, including the position of Number Two. Will Number Six run, and can he win the election, and his freedom? "Dance of the Dead"--Sadistic, secretive experiments are performed on Number Six as the Village prepares for its annual carnival.
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