Tried to...love Jim Caviezel, but even he couldn't save it, IMO. I gave it more than an hour but just couldn't get into it.

Part of it might have been my "grief" over the recent demise of MM.....ha?

Seems like forever until next fall....sigh.

We must be strong!

yeah, right.....

I watched it and I really liked it! LOTS of whiners and complainers over at The Prisoner talk forum - mostly those who remember the 1960s version which I hear it wasn't exactly like, so they're pouting. I thought Jim Cavaziel was excellent! It did get confusing and so I was able to clarify things by asking questions and reading the Comments on the 'The Prisoner' talk forum.

It is was kind of hard to follow at times, but plan on watching again to pick up what I missed. Very fast paced and you have to know and try to understand where the character is at different times of the show.

I hope that makes sense.

I watched it, even though I wasn't really enjoying it, just to see how it ended. I did find it confusing. And I don't think it is the same as the 1950's one with Alec Guinness. I checked in my huge movie guide and it described the movie as different than this one.

I posted this on their board:

I have only watched part one so far, but here is what I get from it...

This is a 'revelation of the method' film (as Michael Hoffman, Jr. would say) where TPTB (the cryptocracy) are testing the level of our hypnosis.

Jim Caviezel plays a man called "Six" who wakes up in a strange place called "The Village" unaware of how he came to be there. Everyone has only a "number" and not a name (because we are all just chattel and fuel in their machine, of course). He has flashes of memory to his "real" life from before he arrived at The Village. He is being subjected to trauma-based mind-control (torture with trigger words, alters, drugs) via his handler "Two", played by Ian McKellan who is the ruler of the Village, that everyone fears. But Six is very resistant to the programming.

The movie is a thinly-veiled metaphor about the events of 9-11. If you could just find out the "truth" about "The Twin Towers" (shown in mirage with the left one ablaze and the right starting to explode via the glinting desert sun) then you could follow it to find your way "out" of the Village.

A man named "93" is a whistleblower who managed to escape the Village to "reality."

Jim Caviezel's "Six" was apparently some kind of agent ( e.g. FBI) who discovered the 'truth' and became a whistleblower, hence the reason why he was brought to the Village for reprogramming.

"Two" tells him, "There is no New York," as in, the old world as we knew it prior to 9-11 no longer exists - it was all a delusion. Now, the present day with its security checks, constant surveillance, and neighbors spying is the 'real' reality.

There is even an allusion to the fact that perhaps the prisoners (or the 'inhabitants') of the Village are in fact the passengers of the 9-11 flights.

There are also scenes of gang-stalking/street theater, a la Evelyn Waugh's "Gilbert Pinfold" cruise and the Barnum and Bailey CIA "Send In The Clowns" article from the Washington Post Magazine a year or so ago.

I have only seen the first installment, but that's what I get so far. I would imagine there will be far more learned people than I who will write much deeper analysis along these lines about the film. I would not be surprised at all if Hoffman or Heimbichner does an essay on it as well.

Also, the "Hopenhagen" propaganda ad for the Copenhagen Climate Treaty to cede US sovereignty in December that was shown during the episode was almost MORE creepy than the entire show.

Thoughts?
Update: After watching Part two, I am willing to bet the way "out" of the Village is to go down the (LITERAL) "memory hole" in the backyard. Haven't seen part three yet.

Crappy show. Embarassingly bad.

About forty years ago, there was a series, "The Prisoner," starring Patrick McGoohan which is what I think this is based on. I always thought this is where his character from "Secret Agent" went after the end of that series. I watched most of the shows. Perhaps it was my age but it was... confusing.

"Secret Agent" had the theme song of "Secret Agent Man" sung by Johnny Rivers with the refrain, "They've given you a number/And taken away your name."

I agree, Ritt.

I watched "The Prisoner" as a teen because I had a raging crush on Patrick McGoohan at the time, didn't understand the show at all, didn't care....watched it for him only. Oh, those giant beach balls were cool...that are also in the new version. I wanted to like this new version so badly, because I do like Jim Caviezel a lot, but no luck. I may try watching it again when I'm not so fresh in my sadness that Mad Men is over for so many many months.

I also remember Patrick McGoohan in "Secret Agent" with that super cool theme song you mentioned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGZ0ntpSx2y

YouTube....dontcha love it?

One more try:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4

It's Johnny Rivers singing the song with some jive-y teens in the background....maybe American Bandstand??

I don't like nightmarish shows.

I don't like nightmarish shows.