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Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
After a decade or so of vague promises of a remake (including a theatrical film), AMC is scheduled to air the new version of The Prisoner this November 15.

As a fan of the original, I really, really want to like this.

On the one hand, this Prisoner, as you can see from the preview video, is going to be quite a bit different. For one thing, "The Village" is in the middle of the desert. (The six-hour series was filmed in South Africa.) Jim Caviezel doesn't seem to have nearly the same forceful personality as Patrick McGoohan.

On the other hand, Ian McKellen as Number 2 is inspired casting. Rover is still there. The Village, a rigidly laid out collection of cookie-cutter small houses, is different but interesting. Some recreated scenes will sound very familiar. (Check out the one where Number 6 asks a shopkeeper for a map.) Number 6's "Arrival" seems to draw as much from Nowhere Man as it does the original Prisoner. And -- this is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it -- the new series is going for an updating of the original show, rather than a strict remake.

Personally, I hope it is reminiscent of the original without trying to remake it. McGoohan's Prisoner was quite an accomplishment. Trying to remake it closely would be a mistake. Everyone would be directly comparing the two. This seems like it's going to be a different show, one that will stand or fall on its own merits.

At least, I hope that's the case. We'll all find out, won't we?

Be seeing you.
 

rdowns

macrumors Penryn
Jul 11, 2003
27,397
12,520
I loved the original. I own it on DVD. I'm looking forward to this but don't really expect it to be anywhere near as good as the original.

Be seeing you.
 

Ambrose Chapel

macrumors 65816
Jul 24, 2002
1,141
3
Massachusetts
i am a huge fan of the original, and i hope this new version comes out well...
but i don't know. the original series is so singular... i definitely agree that a strict remake would probably not work at all. so if they can keep the spirit of the original but make it their own maybe it'll be ok!
 

rhinosrcool

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2009
1,748
683
MN
Yes, I am too, looking forward to this new show. The original was great, and I'm glad the new one's not just copying it. We'll see.....
 

Surely

Guest
Oct 27, 2007
15,042
11
Los Angeles, CA
I used to love that show- although I'm not old enough to have watched it when it originally aired.

That actually looks pretty good.... I stopped watching the trailer part way through so I don't ruin it for myself.

I definitely agree that a strict remake would have been a bad idea.

Thanks for the heads up.....
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
Just a reminder that this is airing beginning Sunday. It continues Monday and Tuesday.

amc-the-prisoner-comic-con.jpg

They've added some interesting stuff to the site, including episodes of the original series. But I do wish they'd give us something more in the Downloads department than a bit of a graphic novel and some posters. How about at least a few desktop pictures?

At any rate, I'll be hunkered down tomorrow in front of my TV at 8 pm ET. And then we can discuss.

BTW, I know we have a large international membership here. Will you folks in the UK be able to get the series? (And if not, wouldn't that be ironic? :( )

Be seeing you.
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
My wife's grandfather lives right next door. Beautiful estuary. We go walking past the village at low tide.
You know, you guys are making me so jealous. :mad: ;)

In all seriousness, I actually took a look at the place on Google Earth the other day. Doesn't look like it's changed much.

A little odd to see parking lots with cars, though. :D
 

Surely

Guest
Oct 27, 2007
15,042
11
Los Angeles, CA
Here's weird timing:

Last night, we finished dinner at a restaurant, and got into the car. I looked up, and saw a giant The Prisoner billboard. I pointed it out to my wife, and told her that we were going to be watching it, when my iPhone started beeping. I looked at it, and it was an iCal reminder to remind me to record The Prisoner on Sunday. I set it back on October 11th, when I first saw this thread.

Just thought it was a funny weird coincidence, especially considering the show!
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
Here's weird timing:

Last night, we finished dinner at a restaurant, and got into the car. I looked up, and saw a giant The Prisoner billboard. I pointed it out to my wife, and told her that we were going to be watching it, when my iPhone started beeping. I looked at it, and it was an iCal reminder to remind me to record The Prisoner on Sunday. I set it back on October 11th, when I first saw this thread.

Just thought it was a funny weird coincidence, especially considering the show!
That might not have been a coincidence. Tell me...did you happen to notice if you were you being followed by a hearse?

My wife's grandfather lives right next door. Beautiful estuary. We go walking past the village at low tide.
Wait a minute...I think I know the guy. Straw hat -- sits on the lawn near the stone boat -- plays chess all day -- ?
 

zagato27

macrumors 68000
Aug 10, 2003
1,536
3,628
The Hill
What a series! Loved it! Kind of afraid to go back and watch the original series as I'm afraid that it might not have aged well. Have gotten some of the original "Avengers" episodes (very early black and white) and they did not age well. Guess I'll fast forward to some of the color episodes and see how they are. Ahhhh, Emma and her Lotus Elan. Anyway, I'll be glued to the tube tomorrow and crossing my fingers that it's good. Cheers........errrr welll, I'll be seeing you;)
 

Blue Velvet

Moderator emeritus
Jul 4, 2004
21,929
265
Some reviews coming in and they don't sound promising. Avoid these links if you don't want spoilers.

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/story/1331837.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120383344

But TVSquad likes it.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/14/t..._campaign=Feed:+weblogsinc/tvsquad+(TV+Squad)


Last time I watched the original series from beginning to end on DVD, I was recovering from major surgery, doped out on strong painkillers and cooped up, unable to go out. Kinda appropriate.
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
I'll take your advice and avoid the two spoiler links until later. But the TV Squad review pretty much captures how I felt about the new series just from what I saw in the nine-minute trailer. Who knows, I may feel different after watching the actual show.

One thing TV Squad mentioned was the "look" of the original. I've only recently come to realize how unique that look was. For 1960s TV, The Prisoner is shot and edited in an odd-angled, quick-cut style that still looks remarkably modern. Compare The Prisoner to American 1960s shows like The Wild Wild West and Lost in Space, where the camerawork was more conventional, the editing more languid. The only American '60s show that I think can compare for camerawork and editing would be The Outer Limits. Set design was appropriately wild, too. I loved the interiors of the Green Dome, the village tunnels, etc. I hope we see something like that in the new show. The trailer kind of hints at that.

The new series' greatest hurdle, I think, will be its conclusion. Patrick McGoohan designed a final episode that was purposely vague and left it to you to decide what it all meant. American TV is not exactly famous for being that brave. I really hope the final hour doesn't wrap everything up into a neat little package. That would be disappointing.

And I do have to admit I have misgivings about the apparent focus on Number 2's family. Please don't let them go for the cliché of No. 2's son falling away from his father and being the one who helps Number 6 escape. :rolleyes:
 

sysiphus

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2006
816
1
Eh, I'll stick with the original :)

To echo the comment about The Avengers: Emma Peel and her Lotus are enough to make this guy smile. One of my favorite actresses and favorite cars, all in one fun show!
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
Okay, first impressions: it's even more of a reinvention than I thought it would be. No, Jim Caviezel doesn't quite have McGoohan's intensity, but there are still some nice tributes to the original show, as when Six leans over and bangs his fist on Two's desk. A few things were odd. Six is attacked by Rover and later doesn't think to ask anyone what the hell that thing is? I did think the tiny little map that unfolded into this enormous sheet was funny....

I'll have to see where this is all going before I form a more comprehensive opinion of the show.

Hey, how's this for irony? When I first read about this on the AMC website a month or so ago, I tried to download the 9-minute trailer using CosmoPod. But while CosmoPod works for damn near everything else, it couldn't get the trailer.

So last night, after waiting years for a Prisoner remake and a month for it to actually air, I sit down with my DVD recorder, put a disk in, and when the annointed moment comes, I press record and...

...get an error message: "This program cannot be recorded in +VR mode."

Man, I was pissed. Different disks didn't help. Rebooting the DVD recorder didn't help. I tried tons of swear words, but of course those never help. I finally noticed that if I turned to other channels, I could record programs...I just can't record anything on AMC.

All of this is going on, of course, while I'm watching a program about a corporation that is controlling somebody's life.

The irony was hardly lost on me. :mad:
 

Lyle

macrumors 68000
Jun 11, 2003
1,874
1
Madison, Alabama
And I do have to admit I have misgivings about the apparent focus on Number 2's family. Please don't let them go for the cliché of No. 2's son falling away from his father and being the one who helps Number 6 escape. :rolleyes:
Yeah... I DVR'd it last night and haven't watched yet, but I did watch it (live) briefly and saw a scene with Number 2 and his wife and son. I'm not crazy about that change, but as you said, this is more of a "reinvention" than a remake, so I'll try to keep an open mind.

Since I'm not going to have a chance to watch the first two hours before tonight's episodes, I think I'll probably just record all of it and then block out some time to watch it straight through. So I guess I need to unsubscribe from this thread and avoid spoilers for the next couple of days. :D
 

Thomas Veil

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Feb 14, 2004
2,636
8,862
Much greener pastures
Well, I would hope that anybody wanting to discuss specifics (and I need to take this advice myself) would hide their comments by making the text color white.

(Click and drag to read.)
 

leekohler

macrumors G5
Dec 22, 2004
14,164
26
Chicago, Illinois
I just watched it this week on ATV. It was good, but I was a bit confused by the ending. I still didn't quite get it. I understood that they were trying to help people with their mental difficulties, but it still was a bit confusing.
 
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