|
|
Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 14, 2009 17:33:22 GMT
Sadly Patrick McGoohan has passed away/Sadly he was one of the many famous people discussed by the Scots contingent at New Year we thought might leave us in 2009. Sometimes it's just not good to be right. Andy
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jan 14, 2009 17:38:35 GMT
Ah, shit. Fuck.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 14, 2009 18:34:36 GMT
Oh dear.
I understand most things I see on TV. I even get what the last episode of Twin Peaks is about. But to this day I have no idea what the last episode of the Prisoner is about. The bit when they come up out the caves machine gunning people while All You Need Is Love plays in the background is mental !
|
|
Dave
Empty
Posts: 1,811
|
Post by Dave on Jan 14, 2009 19:42:51 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by legios on Jan 14, 2009 20:38:17 GMT
T'is a great shame. He was an actor I had a lot of time for. He will be greatly missed.
Karl
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jan 14, 2009 22:39:51 GMT
He will indeed. Remarkable performance style.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by chrismcfeely on Jan 14, 2009 23:18:57 GMT
Jesus, that's gives me a cold shiver - I've never really seen him in anything, but I've JUST started to watch the Prisoner for the very first time this past fortnight. And now this. Brrr.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jan 18, 2009 16:39:50 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by chrismcfeely on Jan 18, 2009 19:23:32 GMT
It is perturbing to me that McGoohan is the LEAST unsettling individual in that room.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 20, 2009 10:04:42 GMT
I've just got the Blu Rays of the Prisoner (at nearly half price thanks to Amazon) Oooh they look good, some great restoration done.
I can't believe anyone would want to remake it ....
|
|
Dave
Empty
Posts: 1,811
|
Post by Dave on Nov 20, 2009 15:06:19 GMT
I've put off getting the DVD's purely because I think it'll be my first Blu Ray purchase - and I must be due to get round to buying a player soon. For the moment I have tapped off TV editions but it's a much watched show (in a variety of orders).
Not seen the remake yet but...why bother?
They're even talking about remaking Barberella. IS NOTHING SACRED!
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Nov 24, 2009 22:24:42 GMT
Must get the DVD box set at some point. Brilliant show.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by legios on Nov 24, 2009 23:03:02 GMT
The original Prisoner is a fantastic show. Very different to anything else of its age, and I think a lot of it holds up very well. I do need to track down DVD's of it at some point as it is one of those shows I do feel I should have in my library.
By contrast what little I have seen of the remake can only create a sensation of crushing boredom in me.
Karl
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jul 5, 2010 19:03:02 GMT
DVD set was £22 in HMV so I pounced. Comes with a 286 page book by Andrew Pixley which looks like good reading and the DVD's come in an indestructable box. There's a 90 minute docu on disc 7 which I shall watch with dinner this evening. There's some commentaries too, which I did not expect.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jul 5, 2010 20:59:30 GMT
That was a very engaging documentary. Loved every moment Derren Nesbitt was on. "I had no idea what was going on! I wouldn't have went back in a million years!" Some interesting stories about the madness of McGoohan too.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 12, 2010 15:40:22 GMT
Watched the first 12 episodes, which I recall being the cream of the crop with the series losing it's way in the final stretch and descending into surrealism without any point to it. But so far, the series holds up better than I remembered. Even weaker episodes have sparkles of brilliance throughout and McGhoohan remains utterly magnetic to watch. Had it stopped there it would be one of the best TV shows ever made, rather than an excellent one.
Ok, now to re-evaluate the final third of the series.
EDIT: Handily the three episodes both terrible and easily skipped are all on disc 5, which need never be watched again!
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 18, 2010 16:35:34 GMT
Just the last two episodes to get to. I remember them being pretty incoherant and was sad how the quality had leaked out of what was a phenomenal show.
Started reading the Andrew Pixley book. It is superb and could have been sold on its own. My knowledge of the production of the show is quite limited so it's fascinating reading. I saw the Blue-Ray Prisoner set in HMV today and it does not have the book which comes with the DVD! That boggles my mind.
-Ralph
|
|
Dave
Empty
Posts: 1,811
|
Post by Dave on Aug 18, 2010 16:40:09 GMT
The book was only included for a limited time. I grabbed the blu-ray set (with book) the other day. Unfortunately my Blu-Ray player hasn't arrived yet so I can't watch the thing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 18, 2010 17:25:55 GMT
My Blu Ray did. I flicked through it when it first arrived but it's been sitting on my shelves waiting for an oppotunity ever since.
Network are doing a similar set for the Space 1999 s1 BDs in a few weeks time.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 18, 2010 19:02:59 GMT
I see. Buyers beware then! Seems odd that some copies have the book and some don't.
Now I have re-watched all the series my thoughts are that the 12 eps on Discs 1-4 are solid gold. Mesmeric TV with very high production values for telly of that era and I can watch that over and over again (and did when I had the 1st DVD release). Then, alas, the last 5 episodes on discs 5-6 are utter gibberish and the last 2 in particular suffer from being cheap and Number 6 hardly being in it. I doubt he has more than dozen lines in the last episode.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 18, 2010 19:21:49 GMT
The book version was a limited initial edition and seems to have sold through unlike the dvd which is sitting due to people having had it on DVD before.
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 18, 2010 19:22:18 GMT
The penultimate episode was filmed much, much earlier iirc.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 18, 2010 19:51:56 GMT
So I have now learned from the book! It's still bobbins though. What should have been a tense battle of wills between Number 6 and Number 2 doesn't work as he spends most of the episode in an infant state while some pretentious crap about the 7 ages of man is worked out on a cheap looking stage set. Though it scores over the finale for at least having Number 6 properly in a scene.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 18, 2010 20:27:10 GMT
I love the finale, It's just sooooo mental. I understood the last episode of Twin Peaks but to this day haven't a clue what the last episode of the Prisoner is about. It's the bit where 6, the former 2, 48 and the Buttler come up out of the caves machine gunning everyone while "All you need is love" plays in the background.
|
|
|
|
Post by blueshift on Aug 18, 2010 20:45:14 GMT
I'm in Phil's camp. That is my favourite moment too.
In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the last episode of The Prisoner is one of the most amazing episodes of any tv show ever.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 18, 2010 21:21:10 GMT
It doesn't work for me as it comes across as surreal for surreal's sakes whereas most of the rest of the series had a dramatic underpinning to the strange events. The finale is just doing 'mad' without any actual drama. Plus, Number 6 hardly says or does anything and acts completely out of character at the end machine gunning people down when one of the points of his character is that he does not use guns! It's just shit.
Love most of the series though!
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Aug 20, 2010 12:23:48 GMT
But enough of my rantings about the finale. It's very marmite.
Most of the series I love dearly or I wouldn't have bought it!
Loving the book. Best DVD extra ever.
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Sept 7, 2010 13:09:43 GMT
Jonathan's insistance on watching ITV4 have just uncovered a repeat run of The Prisoner. I'm sure exposure to "Prisoner grade wacky sh!+" will do his young brain no harm.....
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Sept 7, 2010 18:04:11 GMT
All children should see it!
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by legios on Sept 7, 2010 20:45:04 GMT
I've just started on a rewatch of The Prisoner - courtesy of getting it for my Birthday. Only seen the first couple of episodes but I can say that the boxed set appears to be a really fantastic piece of work - the masters of the episodes are of fantastic quality, and the overall presentation is superb.
Not listened to any of the commentaries yet, trying to decide whether to see the whole series through first and then go back for the extra gubbins, or whether to rebel against expectation and just listen to the commentaries at random.....
Karl
|
|
