Product Details

• Actors: Patrick McGoohan, George Markstein, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick, Fenella Fielding
• Writers: Patrick McGoohan
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Run Time: 208 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004Y7E1
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,793 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Prisoner - Set 2: Checkmate/ The Chimes of Big Ben/ A, B and C/ The General (Bonus)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 10/31/2000 Run time: 208 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The original cult Television series is at last Digital!, August 24, 2000

By 

"raneymatt" (THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prisoner - Set 2: Checkmate/ The Chimes of Big Ben/ A, B and C/ The General (Bonus) (DVD)

In 1967, The Jackie Gleason Show (live, from Miami Beach) received a summer replacement like no television program before or since. Patrick McGoohan and The Prisoner have become cult talismen... from the saying "Be seeing you", the Lotus Super Seven (KAR 120C), the Highwheeler logo, The Village typeface on "The Tally Ho" to the village of Portmeirion, Wales, itself. Of the seventeen episodes, though, this second set, including "The Chimes of Big Ben," "The General" et.al., is both brilliant in its scope and indicative of the series in its depth of characters. Second only to McGoohan himself is the greatest No. 2, Leo McKern (more recently famous as John Mortimer's "Rumpole of the Bailey") His falstaffian portrayal as No. 6's nemesis in "The Chimes of Big Ben" brings the series to an early, tangible terror of truly Kafkaeque proportions. That episode alone (usually ranked as first, even in comparison with the initial "The Arrival" and surrealistic conculsion "Fall Out") makes the price, and the wait for DVD, worthwhile. Long relegated to the local editors' butchery in syndication, or the caprices of Public television station managers' pledge drives at two a.m., we can now all enjoy the series that made true television history. The golden age was not just one of kinescope and black and white. The roaring guard (weather balloon) 'Rover' and the sandy stretches of northern Wales call again. Follow the "Secret Agent" into his early retirement, trials, and escape. "Be seeing YOU."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A, B, and C" is one of the most brilliant episodes of TV, April 24, 2001

By 

Kenneth Stuart (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Prisoner - Set 2: Checkmate/ The Chimes of Big Ben/ A, B and C/ The General (Bonus) (DVD)

"The Prisoner" is one of the handful of all-time great television series (one of the others - "I, Claudius" - is also now on DVD).

After seeing the series originally on a 9-inch B&W TV and then later on a very snowy UHF PBS channel, it's great to see it now in DVD quality.

Unlike one of the other reviewers, I find this particular set to be possibly the best of the lot (although certainly Set One is the best starting point).

The episode "A, B, and C" has many levels, and is an excellent spy story, an outstanding "dream" story, and would be appreciated by fans of Dr. Who, Forbidden Planet or the Twilight Zone, as well. Amongst the other colorful elements is a posh 1960s party for the upper crust of society.

While not wanting to reveal any spoilers, I can say that the scene where Number Two and his accomplice both turn to look at the door is one of the great moments in TV drama.

Enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only get one Prisoner set, get this one, July 11, 2001

By 

Andrew McCaffrey "The Grumpy Young Man" (Satellite of Love, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Prisoner - Set 2: Checkmate/ The Chimes of Big Ben/ A, B and C/ The General (Bonus) (DVD)

If you plan on purchasing only a single set of The Prisoner DVDs, then this would probably be the one because the episodes here are some of the finest that the series produced. Each one highlights a different method used of breaking down the individual, each with its own degree of success or failure.

One of the standouts of this set is Leo McKern's portrayal of one of the villainous Number Twos. His character is a delight to watch -- unpredictable, amusing and dangerous. The other Number Twos on this DVD are certainly passable. Colin Gordon appears twice and his character isn't nearly as strong as McKern's, yet the episodes featuring him reflect this, letting Patrick McGoohan's Prisoner subtlety undermine his authority.

The whole series of The Prisoner comes highly recommended, but this particular set would be an excellent choice to show someone unfamiliar with the show. The four episodes contained ("Checkmate", "The Chimes of Big Ben", "A, B and C" and "The General") exemplify the best of 60's style paranoia and individualism-over-conformity that is still important today.