The Prisoner 40th Anniversary Special Edition in October
11-09-2007 11:15 | 12664 views | Eamonn McCusker | Show Backlinks
"Thanks to Network’s fresh and vastly improved edition, 'The Prisoner' can journey happily into the future." Patrick McGoohan, August 2007
Thought-provoking, revelatory and just plain cool - McGoohan’s iconic series is as fresh and dynamic now as it was when first unleashed upon an unsuspecting world in 1967. To celebrate the series’ fortieth anniversary this definitive box set contains all seventeen episodes (newly restored from the original film elements with new Dolby 5.1 soundtracks).
Special features include:
Don’t Knock Yourself Out: This exclusive, feature-length documentary is the definitive look at the production of The Prisoner, told by those involved in its creation. It includes a combination of archive and newly-filmed interviews with nearly 40 people, including Annette Andre, Bernard Williams, David Tomblin, Derren Nesbitt, Peter Wyngarde, Anton Rodgers, Michael Grade, George Baker and Peter Bowles.
Audio Commentaries on Arrival, The Chimes of Big Ben, The Schizoid Man, The General, Dance of the Dead, A Change of Mind and Fall Out.
Original Edits of Arrival and The Chimes of Big Ben: Long thought only to exist in a low-quality format, the original edit of Arrival is presented here as a brand new digital restoration from the original 35mm film elements, along with a music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs’ complete and abandoned score. This version is exclusive to this set. Also included is the previously-available original edit of The Chimes of Big Ben - viewers will note a drop in the technical quality of this episode.
Arrival Original Edit Restoration: A featurette using split-screen to demonstrate the scale of restoration required for this episode.
Trailers: Digitally restored trailers for all seventeen episodes and two generic trailers.
Production Guide: An exclusive book on the making of the series by Andrew Pixley.
Behind-the-Scenes Footage: This unique footage, taken on location at Portmerion, shows a number of aspects of behind-the-scenes production, including the only known footage to exist of the original, abandoned Rover prototype. Also includes recently discovered, previously-unseen footage. From the collection of and (c) Steven Ricks.
Production Paperwork Archive: Original scripts for each episode are included on Discs 1-6 and Disc 7 contains some original production documentation, press releases and other memorabilia. The scripts make fascinating reading and include different versions of some shooting scripts, as well as revisions and some unused storylines. This unique collection is sourced from the personal archives of Tony Sloman, Steven Ricks and Simon Coward and is reproduced with their permission and assistance.
Image Archive: Individual galleries of over 1200 stills are featured throughout this set, with episodic ones appearing on Discs 1-6 and Disc 7 featuring generic/PR photos, coverage of the original Press Conference in 1967 and Jack Shampan’s designs. Also included on Disc 6, courtesy of the Steven Ricks collection is a series of Exposure Strips produced originally by the film labs when prepping rushes. As well as showing a number of clapperboards and other key items of interest they also detail the filming of some scenes that aren’t included in the final episodes.
Dolby 5.1 Audio Mix: Each of the seventeen episodes has the option to be listened to in either original Mono or Dolby 5.1 (where the original mono materials have been used to best effect).
Commercial Break Bumpers
Archive Material: Archive Material which includes textless titles with clean themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon, as well as material from Living in Harmony, Fall Out, Rover, foreign Filing Cabinet title footage and the McGoohan photo montage from Arrival.
Network DVD have made a before-and-after comparison of their restoration available online. Shown below are two comparison shots - original boxset on the left, Network restored version on the right - but please follow this link to see the full selection of screenshots.
The Prisoner is due to be released on Monday 01 October 2007.
Comments
Former Mad Fool
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Regards
John Norris
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I think I'm ready to go now ... the needle please, Nurse
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Apparently the unrestored shots are from the old Carlton R2 set.
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My Film Journal Blog
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Network have restored some of the old Carlton boxsets before. If you look at their release of Space: 1999 series 1, the restoration is somewhere on a par with what they've done here so this will be an entirely new restoration for their release.
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*EDIT - just checked and the 'scuttlebutt' quite clearly says 'Umbrella' - no one to blame but my erratic memory!
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My Film Journal Blog
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Although, yes, I'm definitely getting this set (for review, hopefully!). I've said it about other Network releases but when they do a Special Edition of a TV show, they really do a very fine job on it, which they've proved twice over with The Champions and Space: 1999 and look to have done so again here.
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I think I'm ready to go now ... the needle please, Nurse
Ordinary Member
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Author Andrew Pixley's book that accompanies this set is said to be 135,000 words long giving an insight into the production of the series, much like his work for Network's recent 'Danger Man' set and the notes accompanying the Beeb's 'Adam Adamant' box.
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My Film Journal Blog
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Originally Posted by analogueman:
It'll be interesting to see Network's HD release of this title (planned) at the end of this year.
I went ahead and contacted Network using the online form. They've replied that they haven't decided on if they were going to launch it on Blu-ray and/or HD DVD yet.
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Over forty-seven pages, Pixley described Plater's life, his early work in television and not only the making of the Beiderbecke shows but Get Lost!, the precursor to The Beiderbecke Affair. It sounds like he's done a similarly good job here.
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Originally Posted by animatedude:
why no subtitles?! the old release did!
Network don't do subtitles (at least not yet anyway).
Former Mad Fool
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Originally Posted by The Voivod:
They can restore the picture quality, include audio commentaries, add documentaries, throw in an Andrew Pixley book and yet not even subtitle the episodes for those that need it?
A few people have been complaining about the lack of subtitles on Network releases for ages now.
I believe they're 'exploring the possibility' of including them on certain releases in the future (see their FAQ on the Network website), but for the time being...
Former Mad Fool
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