"The Prisoner" (1967) TV series 1967-1968

User Rating:

9.2/10   

Creators:

George Markstein
Patrick McGoohan

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 June 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

No Man Is Just A Number.

Plot:

After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape.

Plot Keywords:

Information | Secret | Number | Prison | Secret Agent

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six / ... (17 episodes, 1967-1968)
George Markstein	...	Man behind desk in title sequence (15 episodes, 1967-1968)
Angelo Muscat	...	The Butler (14 episodes, 1967-1968)
Peter Swanwick	...	Supervisor (8 episodes, 1967-1968)

Runtime:

50 min (17 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Buckingham Place, Palace Street, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

Everyman Films

Trivia:

The Prisoner was filmed in the North Wales resort village of Portmeirion over the course of a year. Patrick McGoohan was inspired to film his series there after filming a couple of "Danger Man" (1960) episodes in the village.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the opening sequence, the letter X is typed across the prisoner's photograph, but the typewriter typebar for the letter H is moving. The typebar for the letter X is at the far right of the frame.

Quotes:

[over the opening of each episode - Number 2 played by various actors]
Number 6: Where am I?
Number 2: In the Village.
Number 6: What do you want?
Number 2: We want information.
Number 6: Whose side are you on?
Number 2: That would be telling. We want information... information... information.
Number 6: You won't get it.
Number 2: By hook or by crook, we will.
Number 6: Who are you?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Babylon 5: Mind War (#1.6)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Party Dress

"We're all pawns, you know!"

The Prisoner is one of the greatest sci-fi and philosophical television series ever. Although it has genre trappings; it transcends the genre and becomes something else, altogether.

Spoliers:

What at first appeared to be a sequel to McGoohan's previous series, Danger Man, turned out to be the most unique idea, ever. A former government agent resigns his job, for whatever reason, and soon finds himself a prisoner in a surreal village. This village is a collage of architecture and holiday trappings, which hide a sinister purpose: to extract information from those who have it. Every resident finds his/her identity reduced to a number. Our hero, Number 6, refuses to give in to this situation. He rebels at every turn, seeking to gain his freedom, or at least throw a monkey wrench into the designs of the village chief, Number 2. Sometimes, he succeeds; at other times, he fails to escape, but he maintains his secrets. Eventually, he appears to escape the village, only to start the cycle anew.

The series was filled with bizarre icons, surreal images, intriguing characters, and witty dialogue. McGoohan had his fingers on every aspect of production, including the theme music! The acting is first rate and the stories equal or surpass the best of television. The series is part Le Carre and Deighton, part Kafka, part Twilight Zone, part Lewis Carroll, and wholely mindboggling.

This was a series that asked more questions than it answered. Why did Number 6 resign, who runs the village, does he escape in the end, what is rover, who is Number 1, is Number 6 actually spying on the village, what does the pennyfarthing bicycle represent, where is the village, are Number 6's former masters looking for him, is Number 6 John Drake? Few of these questions have ever been answered to anyone's satisfaction. McGoohan has stated that the show is an allegory of the struggle between the individual and society. He said the bicycle is an ironic symbol of progress. We know the village scenes were shot at Portmeirion; but, in the series, it is never clear if it is on an island or connected to land. In the final episode, Number 6 and friends escape via a truck. Did they really drive back to London, or were they really on another part of the island? The great thing about this series is you can draw your own conclusions and examine these and other questions to your heart's content.

My personal favorites among the 17 episodes are: Arrival; Chimes of Big Ben; A, B, and C; Schizoid Man; Many Happy Returns; Checkmate; Living in Harmony; Hammer into Anvil; Once Upon a Time; and Fallout. In fact, the first episode I ever saw was Fallout; so you can imagine how confused I was! Thankfully, I found the entire series at a local video store and was able to watch it in its entirety.

Leo McKern, Guy Doleman, Colin Gordon, Georgina Cookson, and Patrick Cargill were standouts as Number 2. Cookson's Mrs. Butterworth is particularly memorable. Alexis Kanner was another notable guest star.

There has long been a film version in development hell; but, I have mixed feelings about it. I seriously doubt Hollywood can do the series justice,even with McGoohan onboard. Still, you never know; the Matrix picked up some of the elements of the Prisoner. Maybe the Warchovsky brothers could lend a hand?

Now, how about a game of chess?