New "The Prisoner" TV Box Set - 40th Anniv? (1 Viewer)

[Joel Noble]

While searching for "Prisoner Megaset" on www.deepdiscountdvd.com, I found an additional unexpected entry. In addition to the current set, there's a new one listed for relase 7/26/2006 titled "PRISONER MEGASET (40TH AE)". The MSRP is $10 cheaper, and there UPC is 733961758580. No box art yet.

Any word as to what this will be and how it will be different?

Be seeing you.

 

[Craig S]

There's nothing on the A&E site yet, but if I were to hazard a guess - looking at what A&E did with the new Emma Peel "Avengers" set a few months back - this could be a repackaging into thin-paks, with perhaps a bonus disc thrown in.

 

[Howard Glenn]

I can't help but think there must be a connection here to the forthcoming brand new Prisoner mini-series. It may not be included, but it would make perfect sense to release an anniversary set with information about the new series.

 

[Mark_TS]

There ONCE was a PRISONER movie coming out;
Then again the ONCE was a RED DWARF movie coming out;
I hope these are restored. The picture was a little spotty, plus A&E REALLY milked that cow-here it came in what 5 boxes?-in the UK the same materials on 4 boxes....

 

[Sam Favate]

I have long thought the R2 box set of the Prisoner was a lot better-looking that the large, cumbersome R1 release.

 

[Ruz-El]

If this is a repack at a lower cost, like the Python 16 ton set, I'll probably bite.

 

[Malcolm Cleugh]

A restored version of The Prisoner was shown last year here in the UK on the BBC. This looked a lot better than the old Carlton DVD releases.

The DVD rights to The Prisoner in the UK have been sublicensed by Granada to Network along with the rest of the ITC catalogue. Hopefully this means the restored version will appear when they release it on DVD (was rumoured for 2005 but still not announced, although they only tend to do so a couple of months ahead). Their reissued Space 1999 S1 looked superb using the restore prints.

I guess with the proposed remake by Sky TV here, that will give Network the push to release the DVD as a tie in. Although I guess it will be later this year before they air it at the earliest as they have only just announced they are going to produce it, so they still have to film it.

 

[Joel Noble]

So the TV show has been cleaned up / remastered since the Region 1 DVDs were made? Is there any reason to believe that the future set listed on DDD will use the remastered video?

Be seeing you.

 

[Jim*F]

I had a feeling something like this would be released! I would agree that this is most likely an 11-disc thin-pak set -- the 10 original DVDs plus an 11th DVD of new extras (the alternate Arrival, etc.).

It's a shame that A&E won't do what they should do with The Prisoner, which is condense the overall number of discs. If A&E can release Secret Agent/Danger Man and Avengers on dual-layer discs, then surely the Prisoner set could be condensed. I'd be thrilled if they would put all the episodes on 5-6 DVDs, then have 2 DVDs of extras (current extras + hopefully lots of new stuff).

And while I'm wishing for things that will never happen (!), it would be nice if A&E would fix what I consider the one glaring error in the episode order (I'm actually quite shocked the Six of One guy who made the liner notes made such an obvious mistake). The A&E order is wonderful, except that "A,B,&C" and "The General" should be switched. I think it's clear that "The General" comes first (in the intro, #2 responds to "Who are you?" by saying "The new #2" -- in "A,B,&C" he responds "I am #2," indicating he isn't new!). I think it's also pretty clear #2 is much more agitated in "A,B,&C" and puts #6 through the drugging/mind control as a last-ditch attempt to extract information.

Luckily, the slight but obvious episode order problem isn't a big deal on the current set, since the two episodes appear on the same DVD.

 

[Jeff#]

I've never seen a poor-quality film print of The Prisoner. Even when PBS stations were running them here in the U.S. (when I first saw the series in the 1980s) they were in excellent shape -- no need to be remastered!

 

[Mark_TS]

I disagree-there are faded colors, scenes that are too dark, along with dust, scratches and specks Restore this for future generations

 

[Jim*F]

Potentially depressing news about the new set. If you go to the NewVideo.com website and search Prisoner, you'll find a page with the listing for the new "Complete" Prisoner Megaset.

Unfortunately, it appears as though there are NO new video extras on this package. From the pictures and text, here's a summary of the new release:

* Price reduced from $149.95 to $139.95 (wow, 10 whole dollars!)
* Still 10 DVDs, just in slim cases
* Apparently the same content as before on all 10 DVDs (which stinks -- there is a UK DVD with the alternate version of "Arrival" and other stuff that is not on the current US set)
* A new 60-page, limited edition booklet
* A new fold-out map of The Village

Decent, but considering what A&E did with "The Avengers" Megaset, why doesn't "The Prisoner" merit a bonus disc with material that we know exists but isn't on DVD in the US??