The Prisoner (old and new)

Dynamo1

Dynamo1

Head of the Swing Shift
"I am not a number. I am a free man."

With the recent passing of actor Patrick McGoohan, I thought I would ask if anyone saw his series from 1967 to 1968, or looking forward to the new series due out later this year of the AMC cable channel.

The original ran for 17 episodes. The co-creator, McGoohan, only wanted about 9 episodes fpr a mini-series, but studios did not feel it was enough to justify the expense.

It was about a British agent who resigned from the agency he worked for. He was kidnapped and taken to "The Village." He was given the name Number 6, and met with local head of The Village, Number 2. McGoohan played #6, various actors played #2, such as Leo McKern, George Baker, Colin Gordon, Eric Portman, Mary Morris, and others. Angelo Muscat was #2's butler. And then there was Rover, a big white flexible ball that was sort of the guard that prevented people from escaping.

We did not know if The Village was run by #6's agency, trying to find out why he resigned and whether he was going over to the other side, or by his enemies, trying to find out what secrets he knows.

Now, AMC, American Movie Classics, is going to update the series (which wasn't American or a movie, but was acult classic), starring Jim Caviezal (Frequency, The Passion of Christ) as Number 6 and Ian Mckellen (Thr Lord of the Rings, Coronation Street) as Number 2.

For those who haven't seen the original, I recommend you at least rent the pilot episode "Arrival" and see what it was all about.
 
Re: Thr Prisoner (old and new)

Just saw a promo for AMC’s The Prisoner (promo originally shown at Comic Con) at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FqQsaK5KpQ
Runs 9 min 15 sec

Also a video about the making of the ser:ies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyRznd6TS7M&feature=related
Runs 3 min 26 seconds

Also, before a read through of the script:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9aNOhKZvqA&feature=related

Going to try to hold off opinions until I see the pilot.
The Prisoner, starring Jim Caviezel, Ian McKellen, and “Rover”.
Coming to AMC in November.

Be seeing you.
 
Re: Thr Prisoner (old and new)

Thank you for the links Dynamo1 muchly appreciated indeed.

I saw the original and have it on DVD as well. I adore the original Prisoner and I think that no-one, no matter how pretty they might be, could ever fill the shoes of Patrick McGoohan as Number 6. For me, he had a certain mysterious charisma about him which suited the equally mysterious goings on in the village to an absolute tee.

Sadly, after watching the promo for this remake I have to say that I have very strong reservations about it. The lead for me has no such charisma and therefore fails almost immediately. It feels more like an "Escape from New York" type of adventure rather than a sophisticated, thought provoking, imagination stimulator of a programme.

All in all, in my opinion, the original Prisoner was so multi-layered and oh so subtle with it. Most importantly though, it seemed to me that its main aim was to engage the audience in such a way that not only did it fire up your imagination but you could not help but wonder what was really going on. For me, it was like playing chess with your mind where you spent the entire time trying to second guess the meaning behind each episode, all the time working from Number 6's POV.

I'm afraid that, for me, the promo is so blatant and obvious in its telling of the story that it leaves nothing to the imagination whatsoever. It felt like I was in a classroom with a story teller telling me what's going on, instead of the story teller raising a question and then asking the listener what they think.

On that, judging from the quality of this promo, I'm not entirely sure I'm prepared to give this remake a chance.

Shame really...
 
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Re: Thr Prisoner (old and new)

Ohhhhh! I have to disagree with you, Della. And that new Prisoner guy is mesmerizingly cute!!! I mean, WOW. :drool: The only problem is I couldn't hear the sound; I could only see the video. But I kinda like the way the Village is in the middle of what looks like a Sahara type desert. And the little A-frame type houses that are all the same. And Ian McKellen looks very effectively creepy as Number 2. I have the original series on tape, but I've waited a long time for a remake, so I'm excited about it finally happening.
 
HnStetlerfan said:
Ohhhhh! I have to disagree with you, Della. And that new Prisoner guy is mesmerizingly cute!!! I mean, WOW. :drool: The only problem is I couldn't hear the sound; I could only see the video. But I kinda like the way the Village is in the middle of what looks like a Sahara type desert. And the little A-frame type houses that are all the same. And Ian McKellen looks very effectively creepy as Number 2. I have the original series on tape, but I've waited a long time for a remake, so I'm excited about it finally happening.
Click to expand...
It'd be a pretty boring world if we all liked the same thing, HNStetlerfan :D

As for the huts in the promo, the thing is, I have no idea why they've done that because the outside of the houses in the original Prisoner were different in shape and sizes. The only similarities each house shared were how the doors operated and that Number Two had surveillance cameras set up inside each home.

The Promo Village felt more like something from (I think) "The Stepford Wives" where every house was the same including the garden and so on. In other words, it's an unnecessary quirk in regards to the Prisoner. In the original it didn't matter what the houses looked like because all of the mystery was what was going on inside them - and it didn't really matter where the Village was situated because it's location was never an issue. *shrug* Sorry...

I adore Ian McKellan and I really believe he could turn the crappiest of scripts into a blockbuster simply with his delivery, but even he's not tempting enough for me to think about investing time on something that I already have strong reservations about.

I suppose when it all comes down to it, I guess I'm just getting sick and tired of complaining about things, so much so that the next program I invest time in is going to be thoroughly interesting enough for me to want to give it a looksee - chuckle.

Still, if the reviews of this remake start mentioning things which do interest me, then who knows, maybe at a later time I will give it a looksee. I just can't see that happening at this moment in time.

:)
 
One of my closest friends LOVED this show when he was a kid so he's been keeping me apprised of the remake. I think it looks pretty decent actually, but time will tell. I think it's impressive enough that they have Ina Mckellen as Number Two though. If we get it in Canada somehow (probably Space, well after the American premiere) I will definitely be checking it out.
 
OK, well I finally remembered to bring the earbuds to the computer place, so I could rewatch this promo with the sound. :p

At first I was going to say something negative, but I think I'll just say that I hope Jim Caviezel's more laid back acting style works out OK for this type of series. He sure is cute and has nice buns.

(Don't worry, David Lee Smith, he has nothing on you. You are my #1. :adore:)
 
I got a chance to finally watch "Frequency" a few weeks ago. It had been a movie I wanted to see when it first came out at the theater, but somehow I didn't get to see it. So when I saw it listed on the tv guide grid, I thought *Yay*, and then when I read that the new Prisoner actor, Jim Caviezel was in it, too, I really went *YAY*, because I'd never seen him in anything before the Prisoner promo. Anyway, after seeing him in Frequency, I think he will be great in the new Prisoner series because he's a very good actor. His acting was excellent in "Frequency."

I keep watching AMC for a Prisoner promo with no luck. I wonder when they'll start showing a promo for it. They could include it in this one batch of promos they do for a lot of their series, but it's not there. Come on, AMC, start showing it!
 
For those who miss the original, or never have seen it, IFC (Independent Film Channel) will be showing those episodes.

Tonight, Friday, September 25:
8:00 PM The Arrival
9:00 PM The Chimes of Big Ben
10:00 PM A, B & C

Next week, Friday, October 2:
8:00 PM Free for All
9:00 PM The Schizoid Man
10:00 PM The General

All times Eastern. Check your local listings for time and channel in your area.
 
New show starts next Sunday. Here are some upcoming episodes. These will be on the AMC cable/satellite channel. It looks like they are running two one-hour episodes back to back. All times shown are Eastern. Check local listings for times and channel in your area.

A man awakes in an isolated town called The Village; Two attempts to assimilate Six; Six meets his brother and tries to escape; Two confronts his son about his growing sense of rebellion.
Sunday, November 15 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 15 10:00 PM
Monday, November 16 6:00 PM


Six becomes a spy for Two; 313 is fearful of her gift; 11-12's secret is exposed; Six meets a familiar woman; The Village is struck by a natural disaster; 147 endures a family tragedy.
Monday, November 16 8:00 PM
Monday, November 16 10:00 PM
Tuesday, November 17 6:00 PM


An evil version of Six tries to kill Two; 11-12 seeks answers; 313 battles her inner demons; Six is sentenced to death; Two suffers a loss; the truth is revealed.
Tuesday, November 17 8:00 PM
Tuesday, November 17 10:00 PM
Wednesday, November 18 6:00 PM


Notice that they are using words from the titles of original episodes.
 
Anybody watch this? I just watched the first episode last night and really enjoyed it. The Village looks super cool. I'm dying to watch the next part.
 
I saw the first part of this and thought it was pretty decent. It compares fairly well with the original. I've got the other five parts, but have yet to watch them. And that big ball still freaks me out every time.

I didn't realize that the original was only 17 episodes. I figured there were a few seasons worth since I kept seeing it repeated all the time on late-night tv when I was growing up.
 
See, I never saw the original, but a friend of mine raved about it and he was keen to watch this one too. It's his opinion that they're both pretty decent, but I'm sure he still favours the original as well. I will probably check it out at some point as well, but right now I'm enjoying the current version. :) I just watched the second one and am about to make my way on to the third after I watch "V". ;)
 
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