Well after decades of rumour, talk, continuous disappointment, and waiting, at long last a remake of the Prisoner is finally going ahead.
Ian McKellen has been cast as No.2, and Jim Caviezel as No.6, who wakes to find himself in a village with no memory of how he has arrived there. A sinister No.2 is in charge of the village, sadly not Portmeirion, but somewhere in South Africa/Nanibia.
Having read the ITV press release I feel that this 6 part remake of the Prisoner could be very successful in such modern times as we live in. Yet I am fully aware that there are many fans of the Prisoner, world-wide who are totally against any such remake, even to say that no such remake should be made. Well fans who think like that are going to be disappointed, I trust I will not be, with this reinterpretation of the Prisoner.
I know that the Prisoner is an iconic piece of the 1960's TV, and for me it has become my life, but times move on and although the Prisoner is a timeless series it is about time for a remake of the series, and I can appreciate that.
As a writer and author myself, I wrote a Prisoner manuscript an number of years ago, and have been trying to get a publisher interested in it, even as a screenplay. But sadly no takers - yet.
As both a fan and writer I feel excited about this new series of the Prisoner, am I the only one to feel this way I wonder? And already the questions begin to mount up:
* Why did the Prisoner resign?
*Who is the Prisoner?
* Where is the village?
* Who is No.2?
* Why has No.6 been brought to the village?
* Will No.6 escape to his previous life, or will he simply survive?
* Who can No.6 trust?
*What is the Village Guardian?
* Why are no names used in the village?
* How come citizens are known only by their number?
*Will the truth behind the village be finally discovered?
This was a piece which I wrote prior to the 2009 screening of THEPRIS6NER. Like it or loath it, there is much of the original series in this series, although it's not full in the face as the original, it's far more subtle than that.
Be seeing you
Having fallen asleep in the 2nd episode, I can confidently recommend this so called 'remake' to insomniacs.
ReplyDeleteBCNU
);oB
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteI hope everything goes well for you!
I didn't want to, but I finally did start to watch the TV serie, so here are a few reflections.
After the two first episodes and past the surprise, I thought that instead of an allegory of the human responsability I was watching the nightmare of a neurotic guy. So to me it doesn't look like a remake of the Prisoner at all.
An allegory is supposed to communicate a message. The new serie seems to comunicate a inventory of modern life situations; the handsome Jim Caviezel/nr 6 seems to have a real problem of identity that looks almost pathological. For comparison Patrick McGoohan incarnated a very strong and clever character, he didn't show any doubt. But maybe the serie is more accurate regarding that point for after all who is as strong as McGoohan's nr6 in the real life?
Once established the difference between the two series and if one doesn't look for similarities, one can find some interesting things in those interwoven ideas, a criticism of the american society and by extention of us all. The pills, the wrapped food, the search of artificial happiness (the vacation, second episode), the appeal of the easiest way, the fear of the power, the lost of identity, the uniformity (people or houses), the power, etc ...
One reproach (that concerns most of the films of our time in my opinion) is the use of close ups much too close, the uses of slow motion or fast pace that bring nothing to the action or to the meaning of it. Furthermore the flashes back are confusing.
I also am sorry to see such mistakes like - in the first episode - Nr 6 wearing a dark jacket that becomes a light blue shirt while he is carrying nr 93. (And I hate the use of those high numbers or double numbers, are we supposed to be experts in numerology? For the sum of 93 is 12 then is 3, which means the son, by extention the Christ, or am I too speculative? both mean hope the perspective of an other world, or life after death, right? anyway...)
...To be honest I had the feeling that this Prisoner was a free remake of the Planet of the Apes (Pierre Boulle) another great fiction. I can't say I don't like it, but I regard it much more as a critical depiction of our time without the wonderful creativity and cleverness of nr 6/McGoohan who incited us to resist (or fight) by using our own brains (and somehow, I'm sorry to say, not too much heart unfortunately...)
What do you think? I'd be delighted to read your opinion.
Very best wishes,
Caroline
Hello Caroline,
DeleteI enjoyed your comment and read with keen interest, your thoughts on THEPRIS6NER.
That's the point, THEPRIS6NER09 series is not a remake of the original series. It's not supposed to be compared to the original series, although in some ways that is not easy to do, seeing as the 2009 series pays certain homages to McGoohan's series. Yes, the first time I watched THEPRIS6NER I did see the similarities between the two series. But now I can watch the 2009 series in it's own right.
The thing about McGoohan's series is that it was ahead of it's time, THEPRIS6NER is "of" it's time. It reflects society today, with it's constant surveillance. It makes one question one's surroundings, questions reality, what we perceive to be reality. It is not an allegory.
McGoohan's No.6 is full-on, in your face. Caviezel's Six is more subtle. What would be the point of Six being like McGoohan's No.6? Caviezel didn't want to portray Six in the style of McGoohan.
Is the colour of 93' jacket really a mistake? After all in 'the Prisoner' McGoohan wears a black blazer, yet in a certain light it can look brown!
And the flashbacks are not really flashbacks, but showing that Six is actually living a parallel life to Michael, both in New York and in the Village. Because anyone taken to the Village is there merely in their subsconscious, they are not physically in the Village. That is where it can become confusing the first time. And those born of the Village do not exist at all!
I can see you have worked out some numberology. I've never really been into that, because one can manipulate numbers to represent almost anything.
As I say, THEPRIS6NER is not a simple remake, what would be the point in that? It is a reinterpretation of McGoohan's series. You are right, the 2009 series does not have the McGoohan cleverness, demonstrating the urge to resist, to fight back. But that is not the point. The point of the Village in THEPRIS6NER, is to bring broken people to the Village, mentally in their subconscious, to make them better. Yet the people do not know that, unless one is a dreamer, aware of another place of existance.
It was good to hear from you again. Feel free to search my blog for THEPRIS6NER, much of my thoughts on the series are there to be found.
Very best wishes
Be seeing you
David
Thank you David, it's always a pleasure to read you!
DeleteFor the moment I only have watched the two first episodes. It took me time to decide whether or not I was willing to watch them because of the brandish specter of a possible "remake". But once established that it wasn't the case it started to puzzle me.
While watching the 1960s series the idea never occurred to me that it was lacking of something basically impossible to miss, that is the "heart" part - I mean (among some) love, compassion, mercy, empathy, recognition, gratefulness, respect and so on, all those human expressions of the heart that sure will add some subtleties (and even some complications!) but nevertheless also produce most of the best moments of our lifetimes!
To be honest I cannot believe I could miss such an essential point until now but somehow it crossed my mind during the second episode and for that reason the 2009 series deserves at least some recognition for it's far more "human" and "emotional" than the 1960s series.
I'll search you blog then!
Have a nice afternoon et bonjour chez vous ! ;-)
Caroline
Hello Caroline,
DeleteYou are right of course, there is more love, more emotion, and is more human in the 2009 series than there is in McGoohan's original, but then in the original series relationships are frowned upon, and are not encouraged! But even then relationships do develop, such is human nature.
Yet having said that, even in the new Village, love between Six and 4-15 is manufactured!
Please do read my blog entries about THEPRIS6NER, and I'm always happy to discuss the 2009 series anytime.
Kind regards
David
BCNU