The Prisoner - The Complete Series - DVD

Content: With Number 6, Patrick McGoohan created a TV series in 1967 that would leave a lasting mark on television. McGoohan, who also starred in the 17-episode mystery series, here told the story of an unnamed agent who, after being terminated from the British Secret Service, is taken to a secret location and held there as Number 6. While Number 2 tries to learn from Number 6 the real reason for his termination, the latter in turn tries to decipher Number 1's identity while finding a way to escape the mysterious place. Filled with many themes that perfectly hit the zeitgeist of the late 60s, Number 6 (OT: The Prisoner) initially created a small, loyal fan base, but it wasn't enough to keep the series running longer. The final episode also angered some fans, as it failed to provide a clear resolution, allowed for many interpretations, and in many ways defied the common viewing habits of TV audiences.

Meanwhile, however, Number 6 is one of the very great milestones in television history that is quoted or copied again and again. Allusions or borrowings can be found not only in TV series like The Simpsons, but also in music, advertising and film. Since many of the themes McGoohan dealt with in the series are still relevant today, whether surveillance, social conformity constraints, torture or free will, while other elements seem rather outdated, a remake of the material itself was not a bad idea.

And so The Prisoner was brought back to life by director Nick Hurran in 2009, commissioned by UK broadcaster ITV and US broadcaster AMC. It was filmed not in Wales, as the original was, but in South Africa. But these are not the only differences. The initial situation is the same: After hanging up his job at a security company, the former high-ranking employee (Jim Caviezel) is kidnapped and taken to a mysterious city. Here he awakens as Number 6, able to remember only fragments of his previous life. The other inhabitants of the Village are also only named after numbers and actually seem to feel comfortable in the deceptive idyll. Not so Number 6, who, under the constant watch of Number 2 (Ian McKellen), does everything he can to remember his old life again and find a way to escape from the Village. But that seems to be impossible.

The filming locations in South Africa give the mini-series quite a mysterious atmosphere, and are therefore a welcome difference from the original. Otherwise, however, the new ground The Prisoner has to tread in its remake is not necessarily beneficial. Because in terms of content, the multi-part seems to be oriented more towards mystery series like Lost than Number 6, whereby the construction of a complex mythology here can't take place over several seasons, but has to be dealt with in just six episodes. As a result, the story feels badly rushed and overloaded, which can't be pulled out even by the fact that the viewer is provided with an explanatory ending this time.

One positive aspect are the actors. Besides the as always great Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men) and a quite convincing Jim Caviezel, also the supporting roles with Hayley Atwell (Captain America), Ruth Wilson (Luther) or Jamie Campbell Bower (New Moon - Bis(s) zur Mittagsstunde) are very well cast. Add to that some very effectively staged moments of suspense and some charming nods to the original series ensure that the production isn't completely swallowed up by any of the numerous logic holes in the plot framework. The 2009 version of The Prisoner works best when not compared to the original series. While the 6-parter still has some noticeable flaws even then, it certainly provides entertaining mystery entertainment. And that's enough to recommend genre fans take a look at this 3-disc DVD set.

Image + Sound: The technical realization of the 6-part series is on a good level. The picture is very clean, with good sharpness allowing for very clear presentation of smaller details. The sound remains relatively restrained even in the DTS mix, but here and there provide well-tuned surround effects for a little dynamism in the tonal events. Overall, though, the dialogue and music dominate the soundscape. For a TV production, it's all really more than satisfactory!

Extras: The 3 DVD set has some worth seeing extras to offer. So there are to each episode cut scenes (altogether approx. 41 min.), in each case a short Making of (altogether approx. 34 min.) and a view into the world of The Prisoner (altogether approx. 30 min.). Especially the short documentaries offer a good insight into the making of the series and the meaning of the story. On the third disc there is also an excerpt from the panel discussion at the ComicCon in San Diego (approx. 11 min.), an interview with Ian McKellen (approx. 8 min.), as well as a brief look at a script review (approx. 3 min.). But all in all, interested viewers are offered a really good look behind the scenes. And for that there is a deserved: Very good!

Conclusion: The new version of the cult series The Prisoner (number 6) can't really convince as a remake. Taken on its own, however, the mystery miniseries does have its charms. From the actors to the atmospheric locations to the numerous references to the original series, the 2009 version of The Prisoner has some good to very good aspects to offer. So if you can get away from the comparisons with the original and overlook some of the content weaknesses like deep logic holes, you'll be rewarded with a well-acted, quite suspenseful mystery series that also comes with some extras worth watching on DVD

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp