DVD Corner

The Prisoner Blu-Ray

Patrick McGoohan’s fantastic series, “The Prisoner” looks absolutely beautiful on Blu-Ray.

The restoration process should be applauded for this older television series.  McGoohan stars as a nameless secret agent (this is the series he did after Danger Man) who resigns and is knocked out by gas while packing to go out of the country.  When he awakes, he is in “The Village”, a place where people who know secrets are kept for the rest of there lives.  Everyone has a number not a name and our star is Number 6.  The place is run by a series of Number 2’s in different episodes, most notably Leo McKern (Rumpole Of The Bailey, Help!).  Number 6’s resistance to tell his captors any information regarding his resignation makes him the prime target in a series of tests to break him, mostly through psychological games that are original and unique to the series.  The entire appeal of the series is to find out what thaey plan on trying on him week after week.

Throw in a bit of science fiction-a large balloon with intelligence that patrols the grounds and tracks down escapees by temporari;y smothering them, ledads to a fascinating, one of a kind television series that has never been duplicated or imitated.  There will be a mini-series on AMC  soon entitled “The Prisoner” that stars Ian McKellum.  AMC will also be airing the original series on its cable channel.

Fans of the series will no doubt want this for their library; the restoration is as good as it gets, and the extras will keep you occupied well past viewing all 17 episodes of this maverick series.

November 15, 2009 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | blu-ray, classic television series, Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner