Prisoner, The (TV Series): The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (Blu-ray)

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"The Prisoner" has achieved such an iconic status that it´s familiar even to people who´ve never seen it. From the opening title sequence that tells a complete story all by itself, to the omnipresent Rover (y´know, that balloon thing) the show has seeped into American pop culture as much as any British television program aside from "Monty Python´s Flying Circus." It was even parodied on an episode of "The Simpsons," which is surely the ultimate sign of pop legitimacy. And, of course, it was the primary source of inspiration for "Lost." All of this despite the fact that the series only ran for a year and 17 episodes.

A secret agent quits his job and is shanghaied to a mysterious Village where is identified only as Number Six (Patrick McGoohan.) The Village caretakers want information from Number Six but it´s not entirely certain just what they´re looking seeing as they already know everything. The series chronicles Six´s repeated attempts to escape even though, like Gilligan and the other Minnow passengers, we know he´s doomed to fail each time.

Though the writing was brilliant, the series´ enduring power stems from its psychedelic style, relying on disjunctive editing, Kubrickian zooms, and a snazzy pop art style that helped it tap into youth culture while also appealing to an older audience. High production values and one of the most convincing and complex settings ever created (the Village) were also essential.

The series was co-created by star Patrick McGoohan and writer George Markstein. McGoohan had already become a star in the BBC series "Danger Man" (AKA "Secret Agent Man" in the U.S.) and used his TV spy credentials to launch the new series. McGoohan also wrote and directed six of the episodes, the rest involving a rotating creative team much like McGoohan´s main nemesis Number Two was played by a series of actors (including Leo McKern.)

"The Prisoner" has been released in several forms both individually and as a set. The best release to date was Network DVD´s expansive set released in SD in 2007 and in Blu-Ray in 2008, both in Region 2. This new release from A&E represents the first time "The Prisoner" has been available on Blu-Ray in Region 1, and it´s not going to disappoint fans. More details about the set are discussed in the Extras section below.

There are 5 discs in the set. The first four include all 17 episodes and a few bonus features. The fifth disc has the rest of the bonus features and is an SD disc (OK, so maybe a few fans will be disappointed in that.)

The episode guide follows:

DISC ONE:

"Arrival"
"The Chimes of Big Ben"
"A, B and C"
"Free for All"
"The Schizoid Man"

DISC TWO:

"The General"
"Many Happy Returns"
"Dance of the Dead"
"Checkmate"
"Hammer into Anvil"

DISC THREE:

"It´s Your Funeral"
"A Change of Mind"
"Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling"
"Living in Harmony"
"The Girl Who Was Death"

DISC FOUR:

"Once Upon a Time"
"Fall Out"

VIDEO

Who would have thought that a 40 year old TV series could look so great in Blu-Ray but, wow, what a world of difference from the old SD releases from A&E. Clean, razor sharp resolution and contrast, popping colors. There´s no way original viewers saw anything near this quality. Each episode is presented in its original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio.

Disc Five, the Bonus Features Disc, is only in SD and several of the features are interlaced transfer with decidedly lower quality.

AUDIO

It´s not lossless, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 is still excellent though one always has to question the point of a stereo mix for something like this. You can also choose the original Mono soundtrack. Optional English subtitles are included.

EXTRAS

All five discs are stored in fold-out leaves in a single keep case.

The first four discs include the 17 episodes as well as commentary tracks on seven episodes: "The Arrival," "The Chimes of Big Ben," "The Schizoid Man," "The General," "Dance of the Dead," "Change of Mind," and "Fallout."