I am not a number; I'm a free man! [The Prisoner]

Dalboz

This Sunday, November 15, AMC will premiere the new miniseries for the remake of The Prisoner. It stars Jim Caviezel as Number 6 and Ian McKellen as Number 2. It is a six episode miniseries that will run two episodes per night through Tuesday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8VZs7aLJCo

For those not in the know, The Prisoner was a 17-episode UK series broadcast in 1967 and 1968 which was implied to be a sequel to Danger Man/Secret Agent. It starred Patrick McGoohan as an unnamed secret agent who quits his job out of nowhere for unknown reasons, and is subsequently kidnapped by an unknown party and taken to a secluded location called The Village, where he is given the number 6. In each episode, Number 2 (who is a different person in each episode) hatches a plan to get Number 6 to give them what they want: Information. More specifically, why did he quit his job as a secret agent? In turn, Number 6 tries not only to escape from the Village, but also tries to discover the identity of Number 1.

The series was very noted for being a very surrealist television, the kind of television that probably wouldn't even be given a second look by network executives today. It has something of cult following and iconic status, and has been parodied numerous times, from the time when Homer Simpson was kidnapped and taken to the Island, to the final episode of Pinky & the Brain which a significant segment of it was directly based on The Prisoner. The Number 6 Cylon in the new Battlestar Galactica was named in homage of Patrick McGoohan's character on The Prisoner.

I'm a huge fan of the original series, and I'm hoping that the new series does justice to its legacy. While it stars Ian McKellen, which is obviously a huge plus, I'm also concerned over how, as I said, a show like the original would never have been greenlit today, so I'm worried over what they're going to change. At least in the trailer, they have kept Rover, and it looks like they haven't changed Rover and are doing it old school. Crossing my fingers...

EDIT: Thanks to Raiden333 for pointing out that the entire original series available on the web for free. http://www.amctv.com/videos/the-prisoner-1960s-video/

Cokomon

Wow, Jesus and Gandalf. I might have to watch this.

Antimatter

The remake was just reviewed in Entertainment Weekly
It was not given a favorable review, which is a damn shame
I'm still watching the original series, and I'm loving it

Reznik

Haha, they used the Uncharted El Dorado Megamix in the second part of the trailer.

Al_wat

If they don't have the Iron Maiden song in there somewhere I boycott it.

Malkor

I am really looking forward to seeing this.

Lanz

Antimatter wrote: »

The remake was just reviewed in Entertainment Weekly
It was not given a favorable review, which is a damn shame
I'm still watching the original series, and I'm loving it

what were their complaints?

moniker

Malkor wrote: »

I am really looking forward to seeing this.

Raiden333

From what I've read, I'm just going to rewatch the original and pretend it's the new series.

Possibly my favorite TV series of all time.

Edit: OP should have a link to The old series on the net for free.

Dehumanized

Additionally, if you have comcast on demand AMC has also put all of the original series up on there.

Crimson King

I didn't know they were doing this but what with the modern fetish for remaking anything that was ever remotely popular it really did feel inevitable. I'm not going to watch it mostly because I'd like some new ideas now please.

Malkor

Raiden333 wrote: »

From what I've read, I'm just going to rewatch the original and pretend it's the new series.

Possibly my favorite TV series of all time.

Edit: OP should have a link to The old series on the net for free.

Gentleman/scholar, etc.

TonyTheLeper

moniker wrote: »

Malkor wrote: »

I am really looking forward to seeing this.

There really ISNT enough lime in this world

Chanus

I'm super excited, but I'm also 97% certain I will forget to watch it because I suck at watching TV.

ElJeffe

So is the original surreal in a good way, or in a Twin Peaks way where nothing makes any sense and you're just supposed to wank off to the quirkiness of it all?

Chanus

It's not David Lynch surreal. It's more just late 60s British surreal.

Dalboz

ElJeffe wrote: »

So is the original surreal in a good way, or in a Twin Peaks way where nothing makes any sense and you're just supposed to wank off to the quirkiness of it all?

It's mostly in a way that makes sense and ties together a very delicately spun web of mystery, intrigue, and surrealism. The final episode does get extremely weird and surreal, to the point where a lot of people didn't really understand it, and what actually happened at the end is still being debated 40 years later. Most agree, though, that it was still very artfully done.

Ketar

I was really looking forward to this, but every single review I've seen thus far has been negative. They've pretty much unanimously declared it AMC's first real miss with original dramatic programming, and a majority seemed to recommend not watching it at all.

Rust

ElJeffe wrote: »

So is the original surreal in a good way, or in a Twin Peaks way where nothing makes any sense and you're just supposed to wank off to the quirkiness of it all?

the director repeatedly said he calculated the plot to piss off as many people as possible

so take that however you like!

Raiden333

Also, I really liked the originally intended ending. Sure made a lot more sense:

In George Markstein's mind, a young Number Six had once submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who posed a security risk. Six's idea was to create a comfortable retirement centre where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unintrusive surveillance.

Years later, Six discovered that his idea had been put into practice, and not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and a prison camp. Outraged, Six staged his own resignation, knowing he would be brought to the Village. He hoped to learn everything he could of how his idea had been implemented, and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in the Village, Six realised he was not sure whose Village he was in – the one brought about by his own people, or by the other side. Six's conception of the Village would have been the foundation of declaring him to be 'Number One.'

Jandaru

ElJeffe wrote: »

So is the original surreal in a good way, or in a Twin Peaks way where nothing makes any sense and you're just supposed to wank off to the quirkiness of it all?

The Prisoner is about a guy trapped in a place that is deliberately too confusing to escape. Also they want to trick him into revealing some information?

I may be simplifying this too much.

Dalboz

Raiden333 wrote: »

Also, I really liked the originally intended ending. Sure made a lot more sense:

In George Markstein's mind, a young Number Six had once submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who posed a security risk. Six's idea was to create a comfortable retirement centre where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unintrusive surveillance.

Years later, Six discovered that his idea had been put into practice, and not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and a prison camp. Outraged, Six staged his own resignation, knowing he would be brought to the Village. He hoped to learn everything he could of how his idea had been implemented, and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in the Village, Six realised he was not sure whose Village he was in – the one brought about by his own people, or by the other side. Six's conception of the Village would have been the foundation of declaring him to be 'Number One.'

I also like how they originally came up with the premise for the show. Apparently, they were at the wrap party for Danger Man/Secret Agent, and some higher ups from British Intelligence were there, since they were fans of the show (or they may have been advisers or something; can't quite remember). Since they had just ended the show, Patrick McGoohan asked them what actually happens to agents when they retired. They responded with, "Oh, we take care of them." They later clarified that they meant that they basically make sure they have a home and some money to keep them comfortable to make sure they wouldn't feel the need to go sell secrets to foreign agencies. But that one statement stuck with McGoohan, and he used it as the basis to begin working on The Prisoner.

BobCesca

Very much looking forward to watching the remake, but I know it's won't be as good as the original.

Mike Danger

Dalboz wrote: »

Raiden333 wrote: »

Also, I really liked the originally intended ending. Sure made a lot more sense:

In George Markstein's mind, a young Number Six had once submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who posed a security risk. Six's idea was to create a comfortable retirement centre where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unintrusive surveillance.

Years later, Six discovered that his idea had been put into practice, and not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and a prison camp. Outraged, Six staged his own resignation, knowing he would be brought to the Village. He hoped to learn everything he could of how his idea had been implemented, and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in the Village, Six realised he was not sure whose Village he was in – the one brought about by his own people, or by the other side. Six's conception of the Village would have been the foundation of declaring him to be 'Number One.'

I also like how they originally came up with the premise for the show. Apparently, they were at the wrap party for Danger Man/Secret Agent, and some higher ups from British Intelligence were there, since they were fans of the show (or they may have been advisers or something; can't quite remember). Since they had just ended the show, Patrick McGoohan asked them what actually happens to agents when they retired. They responded with, "Oh, we take care of them." They later clarified that they meant that they basically make sure they have a home and some money to keep them comfortable to make sure they wouldn't feel the need to go sell secrets to foreign agencies. But that one statement stuck with McGoohan, and he used it as the basis to begin working on The Prisoner.

This is a really cool idea. I'm going to be DVRing this tonight, but the reviews I've been seeing have been getting me down.

Antimatter

Lanz wrote: »

Antimatter wrote: »

The remake was just reviewed in Entertainment Weekly
It was not given a favorable review, which is a damn shame
I'm still watching the original series, and I'm loving it

what were their complaints?

It wasn't as surreal, and it was going after our current culture's obsession of self rather than a look at an oppressive society with bizarre gadgetry

moniker

Mike Danger wrote: »

Dalboz wrote: »

Raiden333 wrote: »

Also, I really liked the originally intended ending. Sure made a lot more sense:

In George Markstein's mind, a young Number Six had once submitted a proposal for how to deal with retired secret agents who posed a security risk. Six's idea was to create a comfortable retirement centre where former agents could live out their final years, enduring firm but unintrusive surveillance.

Years later, Six discovered that his idea had been put into practice, and not as a benign means of retirement, but as an interrogation centre and a prison camp. Outraged, Six staged his own resignation, knowing he would be brought to the Village. He hoped to learn everything he could of how his idea had been implemented, and find a way to destroy it. However, due to the range of nationalities and agents present in the Village, Six realised he was not sure whose Village he was in – the one brought about by his own people, or by the other side. Six's conception of the Village would have been the foundation of declaring him to be 'Number One.'

I also like how they originally came up with the premise for the show. Apparently, they were at the wrap party for Danger Man/Secret Agent, and some higher ups from British Intelligence were there, since they were fans of the show (or they may have been advisers or something; can't quite remember). Since they had just ended the show, Patrick McGoohan asked them what actually happens to agents when they retired. They responded with, "Oh, we take care of them." They later clarified that they meant that they basically make sure they have a home and some money to keep them comfortable to make sure they wouldn't feel the need to go sell secrets to foreign agencies. But that one statement stuck with McGoohan, and he used it as the basis to begin working on The Prisoner.

This is a really cool idea. I'm going to be DVRing this tonight, but the reviews I've been seeing have been getting me down.

With a few exceptions, I've always found that doing the exact opposite of what a critic tells you leads to the best results.

LavaKnight

It depends on the critics, I guess, but if it's nigh universal?

The previews I'm seeing during the Matrix make it seem pretty decent, especially with McKellen and Caviezel leading the way.

Talleyrand

ElJeffe wrote: »

So is the original surreal in a good way, or in a Twin Peaks way where nothing makes any sense and you're just supposed to wank off to the quirkiness of it all?

It kinda seems like it's going to do one of those drawn-out rabbit hole series where everything is either a simulation or a dream. I'm thinking like Jacob's Ladder, Vanilla Sky or Brazil. That one shot of a building blowing up and below everything appears to a normal street in the normal world makes me think that they just gave away a large part of the plot. I dunno, never saw the original so that's just my first impression. I like the imagery though. Kinda reminds me of the guy who did The Cell and The Fall.

moniker

LavaKnight wrote: »

It depends on the critics, I guess, but if it's nigh universal?

The previews I'm seeing during the Matrix make it seem pretty decent, especially with McKellen and Caviezel leading the way.

Especially when it's universal.

see317

So long as Rover is still a great big bubble, I'm in.

Chanus

So the first episode was alright. It definitely wasn't terrible.

Huge bubble exists!

LavaKnight

I like it too. Didn't ever watch the original, but this version seems to be pretty compelling.

Especially the bubble.

Uncle_Balsamic

I haven't seen the proper episode yet, but judging by the trailer it doesn't look as good as the original. I'm no fun like that though.

Lanz

I missed the bubble

Chanus

Lanz wrote: »

I missed the bubble

It was at the very end of the first episode.

(I dunno if I should spoiler stuff, but I will)

Chanus

Uncle_Balsamic wrote: »

I haven't seen the proper episode yet, but judging by the trailer it doesn't look as good as the original. I'm no fun like that though.

So far, it's kinda just the same premise as the original. It's not really much like it at all.

It does kinda feel like the Truman Show at times... but I'm still liking it.

Lanz

Oh hey there it is again

Chanus

Oooh. The second episode was much better!

Lanz

Re: The original The Prisoner:

does anyone have any idea which of these two sets is the better one?

http://www.amazon.com/Prisoner-Complete-Megaset-Collectors/dp/B002NB421C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258340235&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Prisoner-Complete-Megaset-40th-Anniversary/dp/B000FOQ03C/ref=pd_cp_d_2

Lanz

hmm watching the start of the first half of episode 1 again,

Is 93's jacket just a nod to the original series, or is there perhaps this isn't a remake as much as a continuation?

HadjiQuest

Lanz wrote: »

Re: The original The Prisoner:

does anyone have any idea which of these two sets is the better one?

http://www.amazon.com/Prisoner-Complete-Megaset-Collectors/dp/B002NB421C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1258340235&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Prisoner-Complete-Megaset-40th-Anniversary/dp/B000FOQ03C/ref=pd_cp_d_2

They're exactly the same, but the newer one is cheaper and comes with better packaging. The older set is out of print now, so they must just have some leftover stock.

---

Ok, just watched the remake. The trailers made it look awful, and I had really low expectations. I thought the first episode was interesting if imperfect, but the second episode literally had me anchored (no pun intended).

I don't get how critics can trash this and yet give V a pass. V has almost every problem a TV show can have, and yet critics passed it off because the core concept is really neat. Meanwhile, the critics are trashing this simply because it's so different from the original, and because Caviezel isn't McGoohan (which I thought would be a problem, but his 6 is so different and yet so similar at the same time).

I've read that they were trying to give McGoohan a cameo, and I'm betting he would've been 93, but that was probably obvious to the rest of you as well.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to catch the next two nights of this, so I hope it goes up either on hulu or AMC's website.