Rating: 
Summary: Stick with it, it really is quite good
Review: As a fourteen-year-old who usually doesn't enjoy ANYTHING from the sixties, especially EASY RIDER, I found this series really stupid at first, but after watching the first two episodes, I really started to enjoy it. This series takes a little getting used to, but it is very thought provoking and entertaining. Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to buying the rest soon.
Rating: 
Summary: "I am not number, I am a free man."
Review: Dubbed on the packaging as "television's first masterpiece," it is easy to see how this British television show has influenced so much of modern culture. Patrick Mcgoohan himself acknowledges that he starred in the prophetic show to warn people of a future culture consumed "by gadgetry." The Simpsons just did a parody of "The Prisoner" and rock groups like England's Mansun are frequently siting the show as a huge influence. (Surely Radiohead and Our Lady Peace must love it.)Indeed "The Prisoner's" underlying themes resonate stronger than ever today and this early collection of the first few episodes is a great place to start if you've never seen the show. "The Arrival," the pilot episode introduces the premise that will be explored so thoroughly in the following 16 episodes. A man (Patrcik Mcgoohan) working for a secret British government agency suddenly resigns from his post without any explanation. He is abducted mysteriously and taken to an unusual place known only as "the village." In the village nobody has names, but designation's, Patrick Mcgoohan is number six. It becomes apparent that escape is impossible as the village is surrounded by only sea and mountains. There is also a strange white ball that comes to restore order anytime anyone does something anti-comformist. In this episode the village is established as a place where you must comform to the rules. Nobody has any real identity except for number 2, the interrogator. What do they want from number six? Simply information on why he resigned. Over the coming episodes we learn that Six is an independant, strong minded creature who is capable of resistance. "The Arrival" is an essential episode because it establishes what will follow in later episodes. Nothing of any consequnce really happens except that we begin to learn how the village works. There is also an introduction to many of the villages mannerisms such as the classic "be seeing you" exit. Second episode "Free for All" picks up where episode 1 left off. It is definitley the best episode of the three featured here. In this one number Six runs for number Two's job. He continues his sytematic resistance of the village's ideals and proves himself to be a strong physical man as well as a very clever man. A James Bond for reality, minus the constant sexual innuendos. Episode three, "Dance of the Dead" is actually a bit dissapointing. Ultimately it ends with Six on trial with his life at risk. This episode is also noteworthy for being the first episode with a female number Two. Otherwise a disposable episode. "The Prisoner" proves that it stands the test of time and that it's messages about conformity and technology have just as much meaning now as in the 1960's. Although the the special effects sometimes cannot keep up with the ambitious scope of some of the idea's, the show is still propelled mostly by it's intelligence and clever writing. The second box set is much better than this intoductive one. If you like this one be sure to seek it out. "The stiller the tongue, the happier the life." Words to live by?
Rating:
Summary: Novus Ordo Seclorum
Review: Some will see this and not understand one bit of it, Others will see it and understand more than they should've and wish they hadn't. Born in '73 I don't know much about the sixties other that a few geniuses were at work during it. This is proof. For those who appreciated this series there are two authors I'd highly recommend, however listing them here would give away too much. acacia22@bellsouth.net
Rating:
Summary: Long-Awaited, but Some Disappointments
Review: I was thrilled to see this and the 2nd volume come out. I'd remembered this series fondly from its original broadcast and some re-broadcasts on PBS. I'd never managed to track down much of the VHS output--a horrible medium anyway. Don't think much if anything made it to laser disc. So the DVDs were and instant buy for me. As a "work" it does show its age a little. Some of the abrupt dialog and awkward segues hit me now that I guess I'm a little more experienced (or maybe just crankier). It's not a perfect effort by any means, but it still shows an inventive approach to TV then and now. McGoohan's acting is very good throughout, not something all of the guest "stars" bring to the screen. (Leo McKern is a notable exception!) The "high tech" of the series does show its age, but not too badly. Other than the silly spinning tape drives and the hackneyed "computer that gets fried when it's asked a simple question" story in "The General" episode, it's not too distracting. On to the disappointments: #1 is the sound. The picture is superb (almost) all around, but God, that awful underwater echo that comes and goes it annoying as hell. The second is that I consider the first set to be just a gyp--of the four episodes, one is an "alternate" of an episode in Set 2. This is the kind of thing you leave for the *end* set of the series, not the first, no? Put your best foot forward and all that. As noted by others, this alternate "Big Ben" is by far the worst video of all 8 episodes we have so far, and the sound is so muted as to be inaudible. Who's planning these releases? Don't they want us to buy all of them? Leave this kind of garbage till the end. One other minor gripe: I've come to expect more "meat" from the bonus materials, but perhaps this is all that can be dug up, considering McGoohan's non-cooperation with his legacy. Still, I'm buying the next two set when they come in March. (Anyone have a schedule for the complete series?) I'm still waiting for my favorite episode, "Many Happy Returns." Despite the complaints, this is a great thing to have.
Rating:
Summary: A winner...
Review: Not all good entertainment comes as prepackaged color tv dinners. I bought this on a lark late one night at Tower Video and haven't regretted that impulse buy since. I watch the episodes all the time and with each review, find something new. The stories are multilayered, the humor satirical and it does pay fine homage to Orwell's 1984. I might even think it was inspirational in the creation of Brazil. Well worth the investment and I can't wait for future episode releases.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful material, iffy sound, corrected running order
Review: I can't add anything substantial to the points expressed earlier regarding the excellent material here, and the sound problems that unfortunately plague many of the outdoor scenes. However, the question of the running order should be cleared up. The episodes were originally run in the incorrect order. There has been much debate in the Prisoner fan community regarding the order they belong in. Using various clues from the episodes, a revised running order is widely (though sometimes reluctantly) accepted among the faithful. It is this revised order that the A&E series (rightly, in my opinion) observes. This is explained on the disc packaging so it's difficult to see how the previous reviewers missed this point. So if you're put off by the re-ordering of the episodes, don't be. All is well. Be seeing you!
Rating: 
Summary: Loved the picture. Hated the sound
Review: A&E, what did you do?! Nice remastered picture, but the sound is screwed up! It's especially noticeable in Set 2, but my Set 1 had sound problems too. Very disappointing as I had waited a long time for this release and was looking forward to it.
Rating:
Summary: The best version of an extraordinary television series
Review: I was fascinated by "The Prisoner" series when I first saw it broadcast on American network television during the summer of 1968, and I faithfully watched it every time it was re-broadcast until it was finally available on videotape. What can someone say about this extraordinary show? Original, brilliant, mysterious, surreal, incisive, unlike anything before or since ... And it could be maddeningly obscure, heavy-handed, and occasionally stepping close to the border of being silly. But it surely was never boring and it never dulled with repeated viewings. It probably could only have been made in the Sixties when a few people dared to make films (and even television)which were not cautiously, blandly predictable in the hope of maximizing the viewing audience by showing them something exactly the same as what they had seen before. The quality of these new DVD reproductions is superior to anything available before, with the images and colors crisp and clear. If you are a fan of "The Prisoner", get them! And if you're not a fan, get the first set of DVD's and take a look ...
Rating:
Summary: The Prisoner-Sets 1 and 2
Review: I first saw this series on PBS as a child in the early 70's and it has influenced me to this day. The level of intelligent script writing and depth of imagination is a true benchmark in television history. The tenacity of this one man to keep his individuality against all manner of methods to squeeze his secret from him makes for one heck of a series. Patrick McGoohan was made for this role and the entourage of actors and actresses who meet him on film is exceptional. Not everyone will understand it, but I would wager most couldn't help but appreciate this level of effort. I am thrilled it's finally available on tape. I've only seen the series four times in 30 years-now I own the first few-with more on order! Hooray!
Rating:
Summary: Fire up the Lava Lite and pop up some Jiffy Pop. . .
Review: . . .and I mean the original stovetop foil pan, not that microwave stuff!
Thanks to the DVD release of "The Prisoner", ANYTIME can be a summer Saturday night in 1968. The only thing really missing are the commercials.
Beyond its plot, which has already been covered in copious detail by other reviews, "The Prisoner" is also one of the most eye-poppingly stunning TV series in ages. The setting of the Portmeirion Hotel and Village offers so many gorgeous vantages that the viewer is often swept into the nooks and crannies of the scene, drawn past the action at the center of the shot. Contrasting with the visual charm of The Village is the high-tech world just below the surface, with its stainless steel doors, surveillance machinery and, in nearly every interior scene, a ubiquitous Lava Lite-type lamp (which, in England, were called Astro lamps). "The Prisoner" probably did as much for the sale of Lava Lites as it did for making phrases like "I am not a number! I'm a free man!" and "Be seeing you" part of the cool lexicon of the day. We probably all remember at least ONE kid at high school who found or made a black sport jacket with white piping along the lapel and collar. The DVD release of the series is reason alone to invest in a player since the DVDs are packed with so many goodies not available in the VHS release for just a couple dollars more.
::poppity pop pop pop!::
There! The Jiffy Pop's done. Be seeing you. :)
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