Slashdot Mirror
AMC Releasing a New "The Prisoner" In November
DynaSoar writes "The Prisoner is one of the most influential and enduring TV shows to have appeared during the 1960s. This single-season (1967-68), 17-episode series, starring its co-writing, co-directing executive producer Patrick McGoohan, maintains a steady fan base and gains more with each syndication re-release. For over 40 years there have been announced intentions and projects to resurrect this surreal psychodrama combining science fiction, allegory, and spy thriller in a new series or movie (but always without McGoohan, who adamantly refused, saying 'he'd done it'). Finally, since December 2008 a remake has been in the can. In November 2009, AMC will begin airing an original six-part mini-series of The Prisoner starring James Caviezal as the spy who resigns only to find himself abducted and transported to 'The Village,' where he is renamed (or rather renumbered) Number Six, and where the minds behind his incarceration attempt to pry and/or trick secrets from his brain. Chief among those minds is the visible face of the administration, Number Two, played by Ian McKellen. Unlike the original, with a new Number Two in each episode, McKellen appears throughout. To promote the upcoming release, AMC is presenting (along with a ton of 'additional material') the entire original 17 episodes, free for the streaming."
I remember the old Prisoner 2 video game for the Apple II. They gave you a secret number and all you had to do was not give it to them when they asked. Sounds easy. Just don't type the number.
Well, they got me! Applesoft programs would sometimes crash into prompt with an error and line. One would almost instinctually list out the line to see what the error was. So when the video game seemed to crash I listed out the line..... You lose!
I have never enjoyed losing a game so much.
Synergies are basically awesome, and they're even better when you leverage them. -PA
AMCtv.com is using the latest version of Flash to bring you the best quality video. Please update your current flash player by clicking here
Does not update a x64 based linux OS nor can I find one on download sites.
Suggestions?
Arrival
Dance of the Dead
Checkmate
Free for All
The Chimes of Big Ben
Many Happy Returns
The Schizoid Man
The General
A, B and C
It's Your Funeral
Living in Harmony
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
A Change of Mind
Hammer Into Anvil (my favorite ep)
The Girl Who Was Death
Once Upon a Time
Fall Out
In this order, the series consists of three cycles. Cycle one (ending with Many Happy Returns) focuses on #6 trying to escape. Cycle two (ending with Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling) focuses on 'intrigue in The Village' as #6 adjusts to his captivity. The final cycle consists of #6 taking charge and subverting The Village from within. Continuity is also improved in this sequencing.
And yes, #6 does have a name: Carl (his fiancee would know his name, after all).
That ain't liver; that's beef kidney!
Wow, Jesus (James Caviezal) is is not a number but a free man. FYI, Caviezal was struck by lightning during the filming of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". Kind of like getting eaten by that big bouncing ball...
About 8 years ago, I came up with, but never penned (maybe to the benefit of all), the idea of taking the concept of The Prisoner, and the concept of reality TV and bringing them together.
The psychological aspects alone would have been awesome, get a bunch of unsuspecting "reality show" contestants together, seperate them into groups based on political beliefs, make them increasingly paranoid with each episode, force them in some way to work with/against each other, make them believe they were in fact prisoners in some kind of foreign or even an American prison camp, and totally play on that situation.
Like I said, it may be a good thing I never did that. It could have made me millions, or could for someone daring enough to do that (in which case, send me money via paypal), it could have majorly screwed things up, but it was a concept worth thinking about at least.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
Something small and quiet just died...
My first reaction was oh good maybe i'll understand it this time. Then I thought well if I did maybe some of the magic would be gone too. Sort of like how the mysteroulsy tantilizing aspect of the X-files slowly drained out and only sculley kept me watching and eventually that was not enough.
I recall seeing the prisoner on as a kid. Back then it was common for syndicated shows to be shown out of order since it was expected there was no story arc. for example, it did not matter what happened last week in Hawaii 5-0.
So it was a mystery what the hell was going on more than it even was supposed to be.
Later when it came to DVD I watched it end to end. And I still don't really understand it. especially the last three episodes. It was oddly a product of it's era but also way way way ahead of it's time for TV. A surreal secret agent show.
I always liked how #2 changed but no one said anything. The one constant seemed to be the butler.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
What is AMC? I am guessing it's a US TV channel but I've never heard of it. A simple "US TV channel AMC" the first time it's mentioned in TFS would have helped!
>>>it'll be a miracle if it's anywhere near as good as the original series.
That's what people said in 1987, 1988, and 1989 about Star Trek TNG, but it did eventually prove itself to be just as good as the original (and often times better like season 4). TNG eventually scored 12% of the American audience, equal to how many had watched the original in the 60s.
As for "The Prisoner" after years of hype by fans I finally watched it last year, and I was unimpressed. Yes it is an intelligently-written series, but there were a lot of moments where I wanted to reach for the fast-forward button because many of the middle episodes were excruciatingly dull.
Okay you can now mod -1 for me, since you disagree. ;-)
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Sometimes he resigned, sometimes Number 2 was "reassigned." (Remember the uber-sexy 60's phone?) The Number 2's in the original Prisoner were tasked to get information from No. 6. Through varying methods, No. 6 was subjected to all sorts of tricks and outright violence (remember the ladies from the Committee?), and it was No. 6 who foiled their plans by not revealing squat. They even gave No. 6 a chance to become No. 2 in an "election" (one of my favorite, because of its scathing commentary on current "choices" in politics). The reasons for No. 2's departure(s) throughout the series was each of their failures to extract the "information" required of No. 6 by whoever ran The Village. What that information was, or who was running the Village, is never stated. No. 6 alternates from foiling the plans of No. 2 to orchestrating escapes and/or convoluted acts to throw off No. 2.
:)
One of the biggest "aha!" moments actually occurred at the end of the final episode. When No. 6 returns to his apartment in London (after a wild ride altogether), the door opens automatically... JUST like in the Village. How's that for a mind-blowing twist?
It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
The story line for The Prisoner (1967 - 1968) is eerily similar to the 1965 movie called "Thirty Six Hours", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36_Hours. In it, James Garner wakes up in a hospital supposedly five years after attending the final briefing for the D-Day invasion. He is disoriented; there's a newspaper dated five years later. He goes to the window and looks out in a scene reminiscent of the opening sequence of The Prisoner. Instead of the village, he sees the hospital grounds. The deception is an attempt to discover the plans for the D-Day invasion, "by hook or by crook". It's uncanny how similar The Prisoner is to this movie. It's been a long time since I've seen the movie, but I believe that the Garner character is referred to as Number Two (instead of number six in The Prisoner), as well as other similarities.
I guarantee you that the new series will generate interest in the old series.
My kids would have never watched the old Star Trek series had they never been exposed to the "Enterprise" series.
Similarly, they gained an appreciation for The Who because they watched the Limp Bizkit version of "Behind Blue Eyes" on YouTube and then followed some Who links.
Remakes can have a positive impact on culture, even when the remakes are poor imitations of the originals... although I DO like Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes"...