No doubt Ian McKellan's performance will be masterful. Sadly, that we could be attached to #2 only proves how little they understood the themes and concepts of The Prisoner.
Robbing #6 of his memories is a fine plot, for a single episode. It's something that one of many #2's might do. It is not a fitting "reinterpretation" of the main theme of the whole series.
The creepiness of the original The Prisoner would seem to me to be undone by robbing the entire village of their memories. Most of the surreal trauma of the original show has to do with the levels of complicity. If most of the prisoners don't know they're in a prison, they are not responsible for their own capitulation.
In the original, #6 is repeatedly given the opportunity to leave if he'll just answer that one all-important question - if #6 doesn't even know the answer, the meaning and symbolism has been drained out of his character.
Much the same can be said of #2 - it looks like they made him a generic villain devoid of greater symbolic meaning.
Your 1 in 6 odds are about right. While I'll "be seeing you", I'm no longer excited about seeing it.
Throughout the extended preview I kept waiting to see someone do the circle/eye/salute with the 'Be seeing you.' They don't. That was also integral to the story and not just a camped up trick.
And the setting isn't paradisaical. This also changes the story.
Simpsons did it better. Though I'll watch an episode just to be certain.
3 comments:
No doubt Ian McKellan's performance will be masterful. Sadly, that we could be attached to #2 only proves how little they understood the themes and concepts of The Prisoner.
Robbing #6 of his memories is a fine plot, for a single episode. It's something that one of many #2's might do. It is not a fitting "reinterpretation" of the main theme of the whole series.
The creepiness of the original The Prisoner would seem to me to be undone by robbing the entire village of their memories. Most of the surreal trauma of the original show has to do with the levels of complicity. If most of the prisoners don't know they're in a prison, they are not responsible for their own capitulation.
In the original, #6 is repeatedly given the opportunity to leave if he'll just answer that one all-important question - if #6 doesn't even know the answer, the meaning and symbolism has been drained out of his character.
Much the same can be said of #2 - it looks like they made him a generic villain devoid of greater symbolic meaning.
Your 1 in 6 odds are about right. While I'll "be seeing you", I'm no longer excited about seeing it.
One more observation:
It's not The Prisoner, it's more like some family-friendly watered-down version of Dark City.
Now, I enjoyed Dark City, but not as much as I enjoyed The Prisoner.
And I don't think getting rid of Riff-Raff, his bald buddies, and the Film Noir themes would make Dark City a better movie.
I'm with you on all points.
And as far as 'be seeing you'...
Throughout the extended preview I kept waiting to see someone do the circle/eye/salute with the 'Be seeing you.' They don't. That was also integral to the story and not just a camped up trick.
And the setting isn't paradisaical. This also changes the story.
Simpsons did it better. Though I'll watch an episode just to be certain.
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