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."
So this The Prisoner... ... is the new number two?
Check out my sci-fi book "Lacuna" at http://goo.gl/MVxX8
Something small and quiet just died...
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
This was announced at Comic-Con more than a month ago.
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
Was putting the link to the actual place you can stream the videos too much work ?
http://www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner-1960s-series/
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
From the comic pdf, it looks like they've completely missed the original point.
He had resigned because ... that is never stated ... and then he is kidnapped but he doesn't know which side kidnapped him.
The guards didn't use guns. Aside from Rover, it was purely psychological. Even the times he escaped, he was betrayed by people he thought he could trust who turned out to be working for The Village.
Psychological. That's the key.
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?
Why ruin a god thing?
Oh come on now, just because Jesus is starring in it doesn't mean we need to bring God into it too.
[b.belong('us') for b in bases if b.owner() == 'you']
I can't imagine what it must be like to work on a production like this. The actors, the writers, the directors... everybody. Imagine knowing, every day you go in to work, that you're working on inane, pointless crap that's nothing more than the result of an endless negotiation between lawyers for the sake of earning a few bucks. Imagine knowing that out there, somewhere, is a truly classic work of art that you had absolutely nothing to do with. Knowing that somewhere inside you there might be a person who's just as intelligent and creative as Patrick McGoohan, but instead you're stuck making some senseless drivel that borrows the name of his vision. What a horrible, sad, soulless existence that must be. Truly, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Breakfast served all day!
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.
Be seeing it.
...one might think the lightning strike was a divine verdict on the whole tawdry spectacle of The Passion Of The Christ.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Yet another regurg of something that was once original and worthwhile. Am i really supposed to believe they're doing this for some other reason than to milk some of their 'property' until it's dry ? Give me back my culture already.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
... "Knock-off Nigel" buying knock-off DVDs, they're busily pumping out knock-offs and "remakes" and "sequels" of stuff from the 1960s?
Dear film producers,
I will start buying DVDs again when you start producing original content. No, adding an Audi R8 and some explosions doesn't count as original.
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!
Why am I reminded of Teletubbies? And why does that scare the @#$% out of me?
I visited Portmeirion a couple of years back while on holiday in Wales. IMHO it was the perfect location for The Prisoner - a quirky, custom made village built into the hillside/cliffs leading down to a stretch of beach. The original show used this location to great effect and as I walked around the village I felt sure I was about to be chased by a seemingly sentient, menacing, white bubble - either that or knocked down by a jaunty Mini Moke!
Did they replicate the concrete boat in Swakopmund (Namibia)? I somehow doubt it and hope they didn't just fall back on cheesy CGI.
Where have all the original story tellers gone?
Moore's law is not a law. Theory, yes; Predictable trend, certainly; Law, no.
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.