It remains, for some of us here at Outsider, the greatest TV series ever made, Patrick McGoohan's cult masterpiece The Prisoner is in the process of being remade and frankly you can keep the new version, however it turns out. No-one, and I do mean no-one, has a ghost of a chance of coming close to McGoohan's unique and glorious vision. If you haven't tired of the superlatives, then check out Camus's detailed appreciation of the series and review of the Carlton DVD box set here.
Now, glory be, The Prisoner is to be re-released, but this time on Blu-ray, the first Blu-ray release from UK distributor Network and the first high definition release of the series anywhere in the world. The six-disc limited edition is the only home entertainment edition of the series to be officially endorsed by McGoohan himself, and will retain the 1.33:1 framing of the original broadcasts, have 5.1 sound mixes on all episodes, and the following special features:
- Don't Knock Yourself Out a feature-length documentary which is the most comprehensive look at the production of The Prisoner, told by those involved in its creation;
- Restored original edit of 'Arrival' with an optional music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs' complete and abandoned score;
- Production Crew audio commentaries on seven episodes;
- Trailers for all episodes;
- Archive textless material, including the title sequence with clean themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon;
- Commercial Break Bumpers;
- Behind-the-Scenes footage including much previously unseen;
- Script and Production Documentation PDFs;
- Image Galleries with Music Suites;
- Exclusive book on the making of the series by TV historian Andrew Pixley.
Plus, we are assured, much more.
The Prisoner – The Complete Series will be released on Blu-ray by Network on 28th September 2009 at the RRP of £59.99. |