Six Things The New ‘Prisoner’ Changed For The Worse

ralph — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:41:35 +0000

I managed to catch the first two hours of the Prisoner remake on AMC and am hoping the next four (it’s a six-hour mini-series) really picks up and does something remarkable. Curious to know what all you fans of the original series think (which can be viewed on AMC’s site here).

No spoilers here, but Number 6 is now played by Jim Caviezel (photo right) of The Passion of the Christ fame and Number 2 by actor extraordinaire, Ian McKellen. (Please note, some spoilers are below):

Charlie Jane Anders writes on io9.com:

The Prisoner used its premise of a spy trapped in an idyllic, but oppressive, village to ask questions about individuality in a conformist, overly processed society. Here are six ways last night’s remake throws away that rich premise. Spoilers below…

So now that the first two hours of AMC’s remake of The Prisoner have already aired, you’ve had a chance to form your own impressions of the sandy, angsty reimagining of the 1967 classic. (The remaining four hours air tonight and tomorrow night.)

Maybe it’s unfair to compare this show to the original — but if the producers didn’t want that, they should have called it something different. And honestly, even if you pretend that the original show never existed, this snorefest still wouldn’t be winning me over, with its vacuous mysteries and uninvolving plot twists. After reading the comments on my preview post yesterday, I’m aware that some people are really enjoying this remake so far, and I’d love to hear more about what you liked about it. Maybe you’ll even change my mind — but for now, I’m still on the side of the haters.

So here are the six main changes from the original that really didn’t work for me at all.

In ‘Prisoner,’ Twisted Whimsy Flirts With New Fears

majestic — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:52:03 +0000

From NPR:

At the height of the Cold War, British actor Patrick McGoohan conceived a television series that was so subversive and enigmatic, it lasted just 17 episodes.

The program was called The Prisoner.

For decades, filmmakers and actors including Mel Gibson have wanted to remake the series. AMC has finally done it, but if you’re expecting a faithful re-creation of the British series, actor Jim Caviezel says you’ll be disappointed.

In the original series, McGoohan played a British intelligence officer who mysteriously resigned on principle — we never find out why. The opening credits take a full two minutes and set up the series’ premise. They start with McGoohan racing through the streets of London before stalking angrily into the office of the head (presumably) of MI6, Britain’s external intelligence agency.

Shortly after, McGoohan is exposed to vapors that send him into a deep sleep. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a pastel-colored compound of cheery houses and landscaped gardens.

He has arrived in the “Village,” a place where maverick intelligence operatives from all sides of the Iron Curtain are held. McGoohan is handed a new identity, “Number Six.” His main captor is an ever-changing character known as the “New Number Two.”

Over the original 17 episodes, we never find out why Number Six was sent away or much about any of the other captives in the Village. But as the series unfolds, it becomes clear that The Prisoner is an allegorical tale. It’s about individualism versus collectivism, freedom versus controlled democracy, and principle versus cynicism…

[continues in a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120367805">NPR]

Disinformation » The Prisoner

Six Things The New ‘Prisoner’ Changed For The Worse

In ‘Prisoner,’ Twisted Whimsy Flirts With New Fears