The Prisoner To Be Remade On U.K. TV 244
An anonymous reader writes "Various UK news sites are reporting that Sky One is to commission a remake of the cult 60s UK TV series, The Prisoner. See u.tv and This is London." From the This Is London story: "The series, which made its debut 1967, is today credited by its fans as being ahead of its time. Featuring McGoohan as a former secret agent trapped in an isolated seaside village, it was shown in more than 60 countries. The new version will not be placed in the original setting, the north Wales village of Portmeirion, or have the arty, 'pop' feel of the original, according to the magazine Broadcast. Damien Timmer, who has been lined up to executive produce the show, told the television and radio industry magazine that the new series 'takes liberties with the original'."
Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Insightful)
I can see maybe another series LIKE the Prisoner, but not a complete remake of the series. The series is a classic. The way it uses music, and of course the mannerisms of No. 6.....
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Insightful)
A petition should be started to prevent this remake from happening.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Interesting)
Agreed! The Prisoner (minus the last two incomprehensible and silly episodes) was an incredible show. I remember it came on one night late on PBS (after Red Dwarf), and I recognized it from the description on The Straight Dope [straightdope.com].
We were all set to make fun of it (hey, look! a campy 1960s era show!), but we quickly became engrossed in the plot (it was one of the better episodes -- The Schizoid Man). I was actually quite surprised how much I enjoyed it.
I ended up buying the A&E boxed set, and I was amazed at McGoohan's understanding of how society tries to mold its citizens. Plus the whole "spy versus spy" part was an intriguing bonus (particularly "Hammer and Anvil").
This is a show that doesn't need to be remade. Today, they'd have to cut it in half, make Number 6 run around shooting people with a machine gun, and have a hooter babe leading woman.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Dunno, I find this one odd.
Although there are things I'd like to see remade... Logan's Run has been mentioned by Brian Singer a few times, that would be nice. The idea was good, but badly executed.
The Prisoner, however, was well done. It doesn't need to be remade.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
I agree. The series has all the markings of meaning and intention, but its so esoteric that no one really has figured it out. People don't even agree what order the series should be played.
For all the political grandstanding people are putting in shows these days, I seriously doubt that a remake would be able to maintain enough aloofness as to preserve an elusive point.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. McGoohan was so zealously independent and iconoclastic that The Prisoner remains accessible to any individual feeling at odds with a totalist environment, whether that environment is liberal, conservative commercial or whatever. The TV makers of today couldn't resist mixing in their dislike of Bush, Christians, etc. That would prevent the new show from enjoying the wide-ranging and long-lasting appeal of the old.
Of course there's also the inevitable addition of sex, sticky sentimentality, bogus ethical dilemmas, and cheap laffs.
Because we ran out of ideas and need the money (Score:4, Informative)
Check into the Danger Man -- First Season (1960-1961) and Secret Agent -- aka Danger Man (1964-1966) series if you like The Prisoner. There is a lot of interesting context. McGoohan was the first choice for James Bond in Dr. No based upon the cancelled, original half-hour series. As the spy-genre took hold, the character was modified and came back in the Secret Agent series (you'll recognize the theme song from the Wal-Mart "Roll-Back Man"). That was cancelled after two seasons and then McGoohan went on to make The Prisoner. Agent John Drake was the antithesis of the Hollywood spy-genre because it relies on plot instead of sex and violence.
The Prisoner was the result of the evolution of a concept that had (arguably) failed twice before. McGoohan just managed to get it better each time.
And now the entertainment industry wants to remake something a real talent took to its logical (??!!) conclusion almost 40 years ago. They don't have the vision to evolve the concept, so they will goose it for a couple bucks.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
For the same reason some genres of music get recycled... a proven successful formula and a fresh new audience. It's a lot cheaper repackaging the past then developing new stuff. I've never seen the original Prisoner so I might catch the new series... although I doubt it, the premise is kind of stale by today's standards.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:3, Informative)
Making a critical (take that as stemming from "critique", not "important", it is obvious you have trouble understanding these things) decision without information is arrogance. Feel free to look up the definition. I also used the word "naive" because TV is not about the premise of the story, but in the telling. Saying that "the premise
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:3, Insightful)
To renew copyright.
You see, if a company owns the rights to a copyrighted script/movie/show/etc then by making another one with essentially the same script/plot/etc they can effectively prevent others from doing the same even though the copyright for the originals ran out. Once you change enough so that the big media conglomerates can't go after you for copyright infringment, you've created an essentially different story.
Of course the originals ca
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2, Funny)
Answer - We don't. (Score:3, Interesting)
There ARE other stories to tell, though, based on the series. What of the agent who faked his death in the first episode? How did he break in the end? Several Number 2s admitted to being prisoners themselves - was there a natural progression going on from prisoner to guard to authoritarian figure? How did The Village start in the first
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
I still don't understand what people see in the remake of Galactica. I see that it has a lot of fans here, but IMHO is the worst show I'd seen in the last years.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Insightful)
The Prisoner, to put it mildly, does not suffer from this problem.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
I don't know about that. The original The Prisoner was, to put it mildly, completely ruined by the utterly retarded ending. This is an opportunity to revisit the concept and redeem it by actually giving some meaning to what was going on, rather than just have it degenerate into psychedelic nonsense.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:5, Insightful)
The series always wavered in between straight-up cold war spy thriller and existential parable of individuality and liberty; I can't fault McGoohan for coming down hard on the latter side for the finale, even if it did skirt the edge of "psychadelic nonsense" as a result. If he'd gone the other way, we'd probably barely remember the show at all. ("Aha, Number Two is... A Soviet agent!" Snore.)
And even at its worst, The Prisoner had neither a Space Disco nor a Cute Robot Dog...
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2, Funny)
True. But not as bad as Space: 1999, quite possibly the most bizarre and humorless sci-fi series ever made. At least no one is talking about remaking it. (I think I should not have said anything. Forget you read this. You have never heard of Space: 1999.)
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:2)
They will "learn" when people stop watching them.
Nobody makes a movie or TV show for the sake of getting Slashdot visitors to talk about how good it is. That might be helpful towards their goal, but it's not the goal. The goal is to make money.
Remakes make money. As long as this is true, they will continue to be churned out.
Re:Why do we need a remake? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sky? Oh God - not them!! (Score:2)
rejoinder: Is that possible?
alternate rejoinder: Oh, you mean Fox News Channel!
The Best Show of All Time (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The Best Show of All Time (Score:2, Interesting)
As a family we stayed in Portmeirion every year, often in different houses, and to be fair, if you take that out of the equation, it ceases to become The Prisoner. The location was perfect: completely ou
Re:The Best Show of All Time (Score:2)
I think it is perfectly valid to remake the series in a current conext though. The beauty
Sixth post (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sixth post (Score:4, Insightful)
You are #827305. I am the new #176043.
Will the new Prisoner have a /. episode, where the prisioner has a plan for escape, but it invovles the use of Windows so he's modded to -1 and no one hears about it?
But seriously--this is an interesting time for this to be discussed. I believe it comes from a desire to challenge the group-mind attitude that has led to our current state of politics, just as the first one did. Hopefully the massive suckage of this remake won't obscure that message, but that'll be pretty hard to do.
Re:Sixth post Homer (Score:2)
and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined.
-/Obligatory Homerism from Stonecutters episode.
Re:Sixth post (Score:2)
We want information...
You won't get it!
By flamebait or by troll, we will!
Prisoner (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Prisoner (Score:2)
Re:Prisoner (Score:2)
Fun times
I'm not a number! (Score:5, Funny)
SID 6.1 (Score:2)
Translation for US audiences: (Score:4, Informative)
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Gah. (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry, I just don't see The Prisoner working without McGoohan or that 60s Bond-esque Secret Agent flavor.
Re:Gah. (Score:3, Insightful)
Because the "creative" people don't actually have any "ideas."
KFG
Re:Gah. (Score:2)
Sky One sure as hell can't be seen as anti-American (unless they're doing some 'Britian is best'-exposé) and their TV shows aren't known for their complex, intelligent plots. (Not to be confused with films funded by the parent company, BSkyB( see http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0228488/ [imdb.com] for a very good movie they funded.)
Unknown "them" better enemies (Score:2)
Today's writers will pick a stereotype "bad guy" (probably the U.S.) and make it very
Re:Gah. (Score:2)
BBC america usually has them in the middle of the night.
Wrong substance (Score:5, Funny)
That wasn't pop, it was lysergic acid diethylamide.
Will this one make sense? (Score:2)
skribe
Re:Will this one make sense? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sweet! Payback.
Re:Will this one make sense? (Score:2)
The danger that a remake will face is that many of the elements that made the original
The message that we should challenge authority, that we have certain inalienable rights? I think it's no accident that there are unpopular wars occurring during the timing of the original and the remake.
Please recreate that sense of disorientation (Score:4, Interesting)
I can understand that they may not be able to reuse the old setting, but I hope that they can recreate some place for the "Prison" that has a similar feel of idyllic ordinariness to contrast with the surreal psychological drama.
Re:Please recreate that sense of disorientation (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Please recreate that sense of disorientation (Score:2)
I hope they could build a new village or sets somewhere permanent, so that it could become a tourist attraction if the new series were to take off. Although, I think it's going to be hard to compete against such a classic series.
Re:Please recreate that sense of disorientation (Score:2)
That's exactly why they have to change the setting. They need some place for the "Prison" that has a surreal psychological feel to contrast with the idyllic ordinariness of remake "drama".
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Possible location (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Possible location (Score:3, Funny)
Isn't that where they are setting the next Survivor?
Re:Possible location (Score:2)
Re:Possible location (Score:2)
Instead of the existential angst ("I'm not a number") expressed so bemusingly in the origional we have the jihadist angst ("I want 72 virgins") portrayed in a fish out of water.
Re:Possible location (Score:2)
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And fix the ending too (Score:3, Interesting)
And I sure hope they won't put together a half-baked end chapter where they blame the CIA or the Nazis or involve an alien conspiracy.
C'mon, guys, grow a spine.
Re:And fix the ending too (Score:3, Informative)
The original ending was put together in a hurry, as the series was cancelled.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_Out_(The_Prison e r) [wikipedia.org]
Re:And fix the ending too (Score:2)
I didn't know it was a Fox TV show ...
Re:And fix the ending too (Score:2)
Re:And fix the ending too (Score:3, Informative)
"takes liberties with the original" (Score:5, Funny)
a) 80% of the production budget will be for explosions
b) 80% of the production will be for cleavage
c) the Lotus Seven that McGoohan drove will be replaced by a Toyota Echo
d) the Rover balloon will have advertizing pasted all over it
e) Adam Sandler in the main role
Re:"takes liberties with the original" (Score:2)
The breakdown is likely closer to:
To a modern TV producer "real depth" means "explosions an
Re:"takes liberties with the original" (Score:3, Funny)
b) 80% of the production will be for cleavage
c) the Lotus Seven that McGoohan drove will be replaced by a Toyota Echo
d) the Rover balloon will have advertizing pasted all over it
e) Adam Sandler in the main role
All of the above, of course.
Except it's obviously not 80% for explosions and 80% for cleavage. That's just silly. It's only 60% of the budget for explosions and 60% of the budget for cleavage.
And before any math nazis jump in bitching that I made s
Re:"takes liberties with the original" (Score:2)
Actually, that's kind of a good idea. I'd have "Sony" and "Microsoft" on them, and if the companies complained, I'd tell them to get bent.
I just hope rover is not replaced by some overdesigned CGI creation. The reason the white ball worked was that you didn't know what the fuck it was. The viewer had no reference point to deal with it. It was a clinical, sinister... something. Intentional or not, it was a brilliant thing.
If they just do a ro
Uh, what happened to the movie? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Uh, what happened to the movie? (Score:2)
If only it could be as good as (Score:2)
Anyway, I vote for number 6 and pretend it makes a difference. I wouldn't want to appear unmutual, now would I?
Another Re-imagining (Score:3, Insightful)
Be seeing y....oh never mind...
Will they ever learn? (Score:2)
"Nowhere Man" was the best "remake" of the show (Score:3, Interesting)
And the theme music Kicked Ass.
Re:"Nowhere Man" was the best "remake" of the show (Score:2)
I Regret to Say... (Score:2, Funny)
I hope they remember which one is the "Original" (Score:2)
I hope they make something interesting out of this, and not just try to ride on Lost's popularity.. (I didn't really care for the x-files or the night stalker, but I like the prisoner and lost).
Get over yourselves. This could be interesting. (Score:2)
Christ, people. At worst, it'll suck. Big deal, so does most of everything on TV. It certainly couldn't be worse than yet more Eastenders, Are You Being Served?, 'Allo 'Allo, or any of the other crap that's been spewed by the BBC over the years.
On the other hand, The Prisoner touched on a lot of interesting themes, first among which was the tension between individual liberties and the
Re:Get over yourselves. This could be interesting. (Score:2)
What bugs me most about this is that the relevance of the Prisoner was in its setting and mood and social commentary. It sounds like this will have a different setting, different mood, and no doubt different social commentary. Why not actually create something (gasp!) original at that point?
Re:Get over yourselves. This could be interesting. (Score:2)
The agony comes from the confusion that inevitably results. When we talk about the Prisoner from here on out, it'll be yet another show we have to carefully specify the *original* to the video store clerk, who likely won't even stock it because it'd compete too much with the straight-to-DVD r
Why? (Score:2, Interesting)
Sorry, just don't see it happening...
Obligatory multiple /.-tradition post (Score:2, Funny)
I for one welcome our new Number One overlor.. oh wait.
In Soviet Russia, TV kidnaps YOU. Damn, that doesn't work either.
All your island are belong to us. Drat I'm oh-for-three.
How about a nice game of human chess? Lame.
Get rich quick:
And finally....
When they broadcast this in HTDV, will Number One personally set evil-broadcast-flag-bit?
:)
MOD +5 JUST_PLAIN_STUPID
Why all the complaints? (Score:2)
Why? Well, why on earch would I want to go and spend a fortune on DVDs of a show, that noone in my circle of friends have ever seen? Why should I trust a bunch of weirdos on Slashdot of all places that this is a must see series? Are you going to reimburse me if I don't like it? I don'
How to make a mockery of the Prisoner (Score:5, Insightful)
It's a Murdoch station, remember (Score:2)
So? (Score:2)
Just as poor. Thinly disguised and overly obvious political messages are never very watchable much less enjoyable no matter what the orientation.
That is because often such messages exist to the exclusion of well-thought plot. And really isn't a good plot what we are all looking for any any fiction?
Re:So? (Score:2)
OT: South Park (Score:3, Insightful)
What a weird thing to say. I find that South Park is often a thinly veiled swipe at conservatives. I think this is why they still enjoy such a large audience. Matt and Trey are equal opportunity 'haters'. I guess the genius is that we all see it through our own colored glasses.
E.g., when a stupid liberal watches this [imdb.com] all they see is a hilarious parody of ham-fisted American colonialism; but when a stupid
Re:It's a Murdoch station, remember (Score:2)
Number 6 is also being in much the same way as, say, Howard Roark was: his purpose is to show you an u
Re:It's a Murdoch station, remember (Score:2)
Cuckle. That would be so fucked-up and twisted it would be worth watching
Episode list:
1) Number 6 wins because Number 2 is too much of a wuss to use torture to get the secret information.
2) Number 6 wins because Number 2 doesn't want to go to war.
3) Number 2 is killing babies... and making Solyent Green out of them. Obviously Number 6 strangles him to death
In a word... (Score:2)
-Y-Y--E-----S---S-!
--Y---EEE----SS---!
--Y---E-------SS--!
--Y---E-----S---S--
--Y---EEEEE--SSS--!
Doctor Who on BBC, Prisoner on Sky One. It's hard for me to think of a better situation that doesn't violate the laws of physics.
Re:In a word... (Score:2)
What does YEC mean? And why would you build it out of the letters 'y' 'e' and 's'?
-
Re:In a word... (Score:2)
I can: Prisoner on Channel 4 or BBC or somewhere else I don't have to pay for endless pap imported from the US and various seizure-inducing Pokémon derivatives, all wrapped up in a 1:3 adverts to programming ratio.
Had an impact on me (Score:2)
Those things were seriously creeping me out, jiggling around in the living room...
I am not a remade TV show...I am a free man! (Score:2)
They can do without me watching, then.
Really without the subtle, brilliant McGoohan, it scarcely matters. His vision made The Prisoner a landmark of subversive entertainment.
And that is what we so desperately need in the age of the Bush-Blair Disaster. Our societies are riven by lies and led by fools, and it's high time t
Howls of righteous indignation... (Score:2)
Meanwhile, there's tons of gold waiting to be mined, in the form of forgotten books. Larr
I'll Wait And See (Score:2)
But I doubt they can do better than McGoohan, who was the main force behind that show.
While the last two episodes were highly allegorical (and I still don't comprehend parts of them), there's no denying the significance of the last scene, as the door to his London apartment closes with the same sound as the door to his house in the Village...We are all in the Village at all times.
And of course, as a Transhuman, the significance of Number Six ripping off the mask of "Number One" and seeing, first an ape's fa
Re:Turkey Number 6 (Score:2)
Very true.
Unless it totally blows people away, they're going to have a turkey on their hands. It would've been better to have taken the original creative inspiration and made something new. You may copy a master, but you never be a master, unless you learn to stand up on your two feet and create something of yourself.
Well said.
Re:High and futile hopes (Score:2, Funny)
Re:High and futile hopes (Score:2)