Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS MORE LIKE IT
Review: Having reviewed Volume 1 and given it only 4 stars due to to a couple of average episodes and the next-to-unwatchable alternative version of "Chimes of Big Ben", I can now finally award 5 stars for this collection of 4 complete episodes. As I've said before, Prisoner episodes are rather hit and miss - they are either average or superb. We kick off with Checkmate where Number Six gathers a group of trusted villagers together and decides to find out who are the "real" prisoners and who are the wardens in disguise. The Chimes of Big Ben sees Number Six team up with a Russian in an attempt to escape, A, B and C is a rather disturbing episode where Number Two decides to use a combination of drugs and a machine capable of projecting images into Number Six's brain in an attempt to get answers - even if it means killing him, and The General provides a somewhat confusing and weak ending to the set where Number Six tries to unmask the evil side of The General's "Speedlearn" courses where you can earn a degree in seconds as the information in blasted into your brain using a subliminal learning technique. So, 3 classic episodes followed by one average outing into the absurd. What puzzles me is why Number Six left the partition in the crate in Chimes of Big Ben. If you were going to be locked in a box with a beautiful Russan woman for hours and hours, wouldn't you find some interesting ways to pass the time?
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but a few bugs.
Review: I bought both Set 1 and Set 2 of the Prisoner from a major chain store. Set 1 was great, but Set 2 seemed to have some minor problems with sound on the 2nd episode of each DVD. The opening credits of "The Chimes of Big Ben" and the end of the episode where there is a tape being played of street sounds seems to have a slight flutter. The same is true of "The General", especially when you hear the sounds of the computer near the end of the episode. I don't know if this is flaw in the physical DVD or in the master. I would be interested to know if anyone else has the same experience with them.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for fans only.
Review: I found the packaging and marketing of these Prisoner DVD volumes a bit misleading. I was expecting something more from the special features. There really are no special features to speak of..not really. A and E advertises the special features in vol. 1 including deleted scenes and clips. Actually, these are a couple of short b-roll clips without sound. In other words, they are literally a 30 second shot of a file cabinet and then a silent shot of some other prop. These are just scraps from the editing floor...not even outtakes. It's just an a stupid reason to claim "special features".As for the show itself. It looks great and if you're predisposed to like this kind of stuff...it's great. So if you're a big fan of the prisoner...then by all means spend more money on your obsession. Otherwise..wait for the Robert McQaurry movie or rent the entire VHS series from a good video store.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for the Prisoner Fan.
Review: I have throughly enjoyed the packaging of extra material that goes along with these books. The trivia is extra challenging, and the photos are wonderful as well. The picture is the best as I have ever been able to see with it. My only complaint is that the packaging does not allow us to know ahead of time of the order, what is truly coming in the next editions, or any scheme in the organizing of the DVD's.
Rating:
Summary: If you only get one Prisoner set, get this one
Review: If you plan on purchasing only a single set of The Prisoner DVDs, then this would probably be the one because the episodes here are some of the finest that the series produced. Each one highlights a different method used of breaking down the individual, each with its own degree of success or failure. One of the standouts of this set is Leo McKern's portrayal of one of the villainous Number Twos. His character is a delight to watch -- unpredictable, amusing and dangerous. The other Number Twos on this DVD are certainly passable. Colin Gordon appears twice and his character isn't nearly as strong as McKern's, yet the episodes featuring him reflect this, letting Patrick McGoohan's Prisoner subtlety undermine his authority. The whole series of The Prisoner comes highly recommended, but this particular set would be an excellent choice to show someone unfamiliar with the show. The four episodes contained ("Checkmate", "The Chimes of Big Ben", "A, B and C" and "The General") exemplify the best of 60's style paranoia and individualism-over-conformity that is still important today.
Rating:
Summary: If you only get one Prisoner set, get this one
Review: If you plan on purchasing only a single set of The Prisoner DVDs, then this would probably be the one because the episodes here are some of the finest that the series produced. Each one highlights a different method used of breaking down the individual, each with its own degree of success or failure. One of the standouts of this set is Leo McKern's portrayal of one of the villainous Number Twos. His character is a delight to watch -- unpredictable, amusing and dangerous. The other Number Twos on this DVD are certainly passable. Colin Gordon appears twice and his character isn't nearly as strong as McKern's, yet the episodes featuring him reflect this, letting Patrick McGoohan's Prisoner subtlety undermine his authority. The whole series of The Prisoner comes highly recommended, but this particular set would be an excellent choice to show someone unfamiliar with the show. The four episodes contained ("Checkmate", "The Chimes of Big Ben", "A, B and C" and "The General") exemplify the best of 60's style paranoia and individualism-over-conformity that is still important today.
Rating:
Summary: The original cult Television series is at last Digital!
Review: In 1967, The Jackie Gleason Show (live, from Miami Beach) received a summer replacement like no television program before or since. Patrick McGoohan and The Prisoner have become cult talismen... from the saying "Be seeing you", the Lotus Super Seven (KAR 120C), the Highwheeler logo, The Village typeface on "The Tally Ho" to the village of Portmeirion, Wales, itself. Of the seventeen episodes, though, this second set, including "The Chimes of Big Ben," "The General" et.al., is both brilliant in its scope and indicative of the series in its depth of characters. Second only to McGoohan himself is the greatest No. 2, Leo McKern (more recently famous as John Mortimer's "Rumpole of the Bailey") His falstaffian portrayal as No. 6's nemesis in "The Chimes of Big Ben" brings the series to an early, tangible terror of truly Kafkaeque proportions. That episode alone (usually ranked as first, even in comparison with the initial "The Arrival" and surrealistic conculsion "Fall Out") makes the price, and the wait for DVD, worthwhile. Long relegated to the local editors' butchery in syndication, or the caprices of Public television station managers' pledge drives at two a.m., we can now all enjoy the series that made true television history. The golden age was not just one of kinescope and black and white. The roaring guard (weather balloon) 'Rover' and the sandy stretches of northern Wales call again. Follow the "Secret Agent" into his early retirement, trials, and escape. "Be seeing YOU."
Rating:
Summary: Superb, but soon to be recalled
Review: More episodes of the greatest adventure program ever made for television. There are significant audio problems in set 2. A&E has announced that corrected disks will be issued, probably in mid-December, and trade-ins will be offered for defective copies. Better to wait, then, to get your copies, but a definite must-buy when corrected.
Rating:
Summary: By Hook Or By Crook I Will Have More Episodes!
Review: Movie Summary: Four more exciting episodes find our hero British Secret Agent number 6 playing the part of a pawn in Checkmate, hatching an escape plan in The Chimes of Big Ben, fighting the dream police in A, B, and C, and dealing with speed learning in The General. Number 2 still wants information and by hook and by crook he keeps trying to get it. There is still only one problem; Number 6 isn't talking. My Opinion: I enjoyed this second set even more than the first. Hence the upgrade to 5 stars. It's very intelligent and ahead of its time. They use cordless phones and other technology that is very advanced for the 1960's. The plots are very well developed and involved. Number 6 is a very likeable main character. It's very easy to root for him. The first seven episodes seem to be pretty much independent of order. The stories don't run from one to the other like they do in some of the current one hour dramas. There could still be some subtle story threads that I haven't picked up yet. I am very excited to get the third set and continue watching them. Hopefully they will just keep getting better! Be seeing you at the reviews for the third set. DVD Quality: Full Screen Dolby 2.0 Mono. This is a two disc set containing the next four episodes of the series. Extras include trailers, trivia, stills, and an interactive map. What You Should Do: Rent it if you've never seen it. At this point I still can't recommend buying all five sets, but I am leaning more that way. What I have seen is extremely enjoyable but things could still go wrong although I'm starting to doubt that they will. Related Movies To Check Out: Quantum Leap, Space 1999, The X Files
Rating:
Summary: By Hook Or By Crook I Will Have More Episodes!
Review: Movie Summary: Four more exciting episodes find our hero British Secret Agent number 6 playing the part of a pawn in Checkmate, hatching an escape plan in The Chimes of Big Ben, fighting the dream police in A, B, and C, and dealing with speed learning in The General. Number 2 still wants information and by hook and by crook he keeps trying to get it. There is still only one problem; Number 6 isn't talking. My Opinion: I enjoyed this second set even more than the first. Hence the upgrade to 5 stars. It's very intelligent and ahead of its time. They use cordless phones and other technology that is very advanced for the 1960's. The plots are very well developed and involved. Number 6 is a very likeable main character. It's very easy to root for him. The first seven episodes seem to be pretty much independent of order. The stories don't run from one to the other like they do in some of the current one hour dramas. There could still be some subtle story threads that I haven't picked up yet. I am very excited to get the third set and continue watching them. Hopefully they will just keep getting better! Be seeing you at the reviews for the third set. DVD Quality: Full Screen Dolby 2.0 Mono. This is a two disc set containing the next four episodes of the series. Extras include trailers, trivia, stills, and an interactive map. What You Should Do: Rent it if you've never seen it. At this point I still can't recommend buying all five sets, but I am leaning more that way. What I have seen is extremely enjoyable but things could still go wrong although I'm starting to doubt that they will. Related Movies To Check Out: Quantum Leap, Space 1999, The X Files
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