Plot Summary

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Tagline: No Man Is Just A Number.
Plot Outline A resigned secret agent is abducted to a bizarre prison where the warders are almost as determined to break him as he is in trying to escape.
Plot Synopsis: “The Prisoner” is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series. Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind ‘The Village’ (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video
If a top-level spy decided he didn’t want to be a spy anymore, could he just walk into HQ and hand in his resignation? With all that classified knowledge in his head, would he be allowed to become a civilian again, free to go about his life? The answer, according to the stylish, brilliantly conceived 1960s British TV series The Prisoner, is a resounding no. In fact, instead of receiving a gold watch for his years of faithful service, our hero (played by Patrick McGoohan) is followed home to his London flat and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a picturesque village where everyone is known by a number. Where is it? Why was he brought here? And, most important, how does he leave?
As we learn in Episode 1, Number 6 can’t leave. The Village’s “citizens” might dress colorfully and stroll around its manicured gardens while a band plays bouncy Strauss marches, but the place is actually a prison. Surveillance is near total, and if all else fails, there’s always the large, mysterious white ball that subdues potential escapees by temporarily smothering them. Who runs the Village? An ever-changing Number 2, who wants to know why Number 6 resigned. If he’d only cooperate, he’s told, life can be made very pleasant. “I’ve resigned,” he fumes. “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own.” So sets the stage for the ultimate battle of wills: Number 6′s struggle to retain his privacy, sanity, and individuality against the array of psychological and physical methods the Village uses to break him.

So does he ever escape? And does he ever find out who Number 1 is? “Questions are a burden to others,” the Village saying goes. “Answers, a prison for oneself.” Within this complete 17-episode set (which contains the entire series), all is revealed. Or is it? –Steve Landau

Product Description

The Prisoner, one of the most remarkable and challenging science fiction series of all time, follows “No. 6,” a former government operative sent into a seemingly idyllic but twisted prison known as “The Village,” where he struggles to retain his identity in the face of sophisticated and relentless attempts by the powers-that-be (known as “No. 2″) to extract his secrets. Patrick McGoohan’s complete classic 17-episode TV series is presented in the fan-preferred viewing order, which follows events and dialogue within each story to provide a consistent and enjoyable viewing experience.

Product Details

Actors: Patrick McGoohan, Fenella Fielding, George Markstein, See more
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 10
Rating
Studio: A&E Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 25, 2001
Run Time: 884 minutes
Average Customer Review: based on 56 reviews. (Write a review.)
DVD Features:
Available Subtitles: English
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
10 Disc Set
Behind-The-Scenes Interviews With Original Series Production Manager Bernie Williams
Ultra-rare original footage of the 1966 location shooting, accompanied by commentary with Bernie Williams
Bonus Program: The Prisoner Video Companion
Rare, Alternate Version of the Episode The Chimes of Big Ben
Rarely Seen “Foreign File Cabinet” Footage
Rarely Seen “Textless” Intro & Outro Original Broadcast Trailers
Original Series Promotional Trailer
Gallery of Original Production and Promotional Materials
Production Stills Gallery
Interactive Map of the Village
Prisoner Trivia
Note on DVD sets: During shipping, discs in multidisc sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we’ll refund or replace your purchase.
From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia
ASIN: B00005NKCQ
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,509 in DVD (See Top Sellers in DVD)
Yesterday: #3,669 in DVD
For more information about “The Complete Prisoner Megaset” visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)