Title: New THE PRISONER reissue
Description: Anyone know if this has been remastered?
Jim Donahue - August 28, 2006 02:51 PM (GMT)
I didn't buy all of the original releases on A&E, but I did get a couple, and they didn't look great--rather hard on the eyes, actually.
Anyone know if the new version--due tomorrow, I think--has been remastered?
Oh, and it's still overpriced.
Terry Barhorst, Jr. - August 28, 2006 03:13 PM (GMT)
Here's the product description:
| QUOTE |
Patrick McGoohan's classic 17-episode British TV series, THE PRISONER, has been mesmerizing American viewers since its CBS debut in the summer of 1968. Now, just in time for its 40th anniversary A&E presents this definitive collector's edition of the cult classic series. Fully restored and digitally remastered, THE PRISONER is presented in the fan-preferred episode order, offering a chronological interpretation of perhaps the most unusual and challenging television series ever filmed.
After resigning from a top-secret position, a man is abducted from his London home and taken to a mysterious place known only as The Village. Residents of The Village, known only by numbers, are held captive on account of their valuable knowledge. The Prisoner--Number Six--must protect his mind in order to preserve his humanity while he struggles to discover the identity of Number One and achieve freedom by escaping from the repressive grasp of his captors.
This DVD Box Set includes all 17 complete color episodes: Arrival / Free For All / Dance of the Dead / Checkmate / The Chimes of Big Ben / A, B, and C / The General / The Schizoid Man / Many Happy Returns / It's Your Funeral / A Change of Mind / Hammer Into Anvil / Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling / Living In Harmony / The Girl Who Was Death / Once Upon a Time / Fall Out.
DVD Features include:
* 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 Galleries
* Interactive Map of the Village
* Prisoner Trivia
* Interactive Menus
* Scene Selection
NEW LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S BOOKLET includes:
* 60 Fully Illustrated Pages
* Hidden Mysteries Surrounding THE PRISONER
* Complete Series Guide of All 17 Episodes
* Detailed Color Fold-out Map of The Village
|
So, yes, it has been remastered. I'd still wait for some reviews of the video quality though, just to be safe. If you don't own the first set, this is definitely worth picking up (assuming there aren't any gotchas). Upgrading might be tempting for the right price, if you do own the first box set. Waiting for the next Deepdiscount sale might be prudent.
Andrew King - August 29, 2006 04:00 AM (GMT)
Apparently the discs
are the same A&E video transfer content.
If in the UK there is a sale at Virgin Megastores with the Carlton released Prisoner Box Set at a nice £19.99. The quality is pretty good in PAL on these discs, and looked better than some DigiBetas that were used for recent UK BBC Four transmission.
Julian Knott - August 29, 2006 07:38 PM (GMT)
THE PRISONER is well overdue for a proper ground-up re-mastering, which would require new transfers from the best available film elements. I believe the existing UK transfers date back to the mid 90s, which is a couple of generations ago in terms of telecine improvements.
The existing UK discs are pretty shabby, with heavy digital noise reduction disguising a multitude of flaws. The discs have an unpleasant "processed" look, with a lot of MPEG compression artefacts.
There's potential for them to look far, far better.
In the UK a specialist cult TV label, Network, has the series on it's "to do" list, and there's a good chance that they might re-master them to the standard set by their recent SPACE: 1999 set. The series has been released numerous times in the UK in the last decade or so, so if Network want to generate significant sales, they'll have to offer fans something special. Now would also be a good time to kill two birds with one stone, and make new HD transfers.
Raymond Tucker - August 29, 2006 07:44 PM (GMT)
Did they ever track down the original print of the alternate version of ARRIVAL? I know that the PRISONER COMPANION contained a version taken from an off-air Beta recording in the UK.