‘The Prisoner’ 2009 Remake 9-Min Promo
Well, it looks like it’s finally here. After decades of the cult classic TV series The Prisoner inspiring generations of people, it was destinted to happen. At one stage Christopher Nolan was developing a feature film but instead comes this ITV production, starring Jim Caviezel as a man who is trapped in a mysterious village that he can’t seem to escape from. Thwarting him is Number 2 (Ian McKellan) who seems to govern the village. It’s similar in premise to the original series, which offered much insight into theories of freedom within society, not to mention pre-empting ubiquitous CCTV cameras and a growing Big Brother mentality that many governments possess.
This 9-minute promo gives a good look at what the show will be when it’s broadcast in November on AMC (The UK broadcast date is yet to be decided). However, while the idea of updating The Prisoner is an acceptable one, this new version only seems to have made the wrong changes. For one, Jim Caviezel seems wrong for the part, lacking in presence or the kind of intelligent intensity that Patrick McGoohan portrayed as Number 6. McKellan is perfect for the role of Number 2 but the writers decided to give 2 a proper life, including a wife and fiesty teenager. The original series kept 2′s private life out of it, and in every spisode a new 2 arrived, creating the atmosphere of a relentless and identityless force that works to break 6. To humanise 2 is to reduce his sinister qualities.
One interesting and possibly great idea is the hint of apocalypse- 2 says that there is no New York, possibly implying that it’s gone, that only The Village remains (being based in a desert certainly gives it a sense of desolation). It could be mind games, it could be something else, but it’s a good idea that will keep the audiences guessing. Some of the style is also interesting, such as the strange glass door in the middle of the desert.
Either way fans of the original series will be watchign avidly when the show comes out to see if it is in any way a worthy remake, and if it works, it may even intorduce a new generation to the brilliance of the original show.
We are really excited by this trailer, lots to look forward to. Nice to see Rover making a return.
You wrote:”this new version only seems to have made the wrong changes. For one, Jim Caviezel seems wrong for the part, lacking in presence or the kind of intilligent intensity that Patrick McGoohan portrayed as Number 6″….
Im sorry but I tend to disagree with you like many others. That may be your sentiment but I feel that Mr. Caviezel totally has a presence of his own and an intelligent intensity in his own way.
To lable the man as such is truly unfair, and as you are entitled to your opinion, so am I. I think many will be uniquely suprised at how Mr. Caviezel brings his own qualities and intensities to the role. He was not brought into the project as a duplicate but with his own qualities. As far as Ive heard, even Mr. McKellan asked for Mr. Caviezel to play #6….that says something to me…
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Hi Schnellart,
Well, you’re right in that it’s merely my opinion abot Caviezel. Now my comment wasn’t about his acting abilities in general. In fact when I heard about it I thought he would make a good Six. But in the 9-min promo above he just doesn’t seem to stand out as much as I think he should. The actual series may prove me wrong, but there was a somethinga bit muted about his performance. I would have preferred to see David Thewlis in the role, but hey, that’s just me.
This show is different from the original, perhaps that’s why Caviezel doesn’t seem to fit; but his character seems to be younger than the original.
That’s McGoohan at about 46″ in saying “Tell them all that I got out!”
It’s slightly unfair to judge on the basis of the trailer alone, because it could be angled in a certain direction… but I do agree this version seems to be more about Two than about Six. I’m guessing that might be because the world and the creative environment has changed — in the 1960s people (certainly in the UK) had a fixed perception of what ‘The Establishment’ was, so there was no need to develop No2 very deeply. We already knew what we had to know about him. In 2009 our perception of ‘The Establishment’ is vastly different and therefore Two becomes, if you like, potentially a more interesting character than Six. This is all just guessing, as I say, from the trailer — but in many ways I see a complete turnaround of the concept from the original. I look forward to a UK broadcast date!
Please can someone explain to me how Number 6 became American, why not choosing a British actor ? Other than that great article , I just hope I won’t get disappointed, really sceptic on this one ….