The prisoner

Hi,
I went to speack about the english television series that we have to choose.
I'm going to comment on the english series that I will present in class on the 21th November.
I choose to present "The prisoner", an 1967 British TV series, co-created by Patrick McGoohan...I know, some of you will think that : "oh my God, it's an old old serie...but an absolutely fantastic serie.

Enjoy the video !

It's good and very 60's.

Hi,
In this first episode, the main character wake up, he is in a kind of "cottage". He doesn't understand : he doesn't know where he is. He is in a mysterious "village" with a Bell Tower.
He goes out to explore the village and look for a police station. In this "village", there is just a "local service taxi", the map of the village shows only the village, the sea, the woods and the mountains but not beyond the limit of the village. We can't left the village, he is a "prisoner".
A person, "Number 2", wants to breakfast with him, it's not a convivial dinner but an interrogation. Number 2 wants to know why he resigned ; (en fact before his kidnaping, the prisoner resigned secret services)
The prisoner wants to know who brought him in the village. He has no answer : he has only a credit card, identity card, health and welfare card and card of employment. The only information he has it's : "You are Number 6". The prisoner tells 'I am not a Number I am a person!

Hi,
In this second episode, Number 6 meets Number 8. Number 8 is just arrived in The Village. She is lost, she does not know the town. She is afraid of Number 2 who invited her for lunch. She becomes Number's 6 friend. Like Number 6, she wants to leave "The Village". They try to escape from the Village, they arrive to hide in a wood box into a container. A boat goes to England...
When number 6 hears Big Ben sound, he thinks he is home ! He thinks he is a free man !
BUT... He opens the door...and he is just where he comes from...in the Village...

Wow, the last video is really good. Funny, beautifull action from the main character, i like to Watch this kind of 60's hot pursuit movies.

Hi Wissam,
I really advise you to watch this TV serie because it is a very good serie !

Hi
In this third episode, a doctor has developed a new drug, that didn't use or test on animals and humans. The number 6 is the guinea pig. The doctor want to read his lived and know why he resigned. In the number 6 dream's, when we are going to have an index, but the drug become to hard for Number 6...all is stopped...and we saw Number 6 in Paris (Arc de triomphe in background)...he walks on the street...and he meets a man without a face ; he wears a black hood and a red mantle...but... I am not going to tell you the end... it's so unexpected !

Hi,
I am going to speak about the episode "Free for all" (n°4).
Number 2 has changed... and today is the begining of the election campaign. Number 6 chooses to run election against this current Number 2.
Number 6 has to confront 'The Test' in order to establish that his intention are ethical and if he is a honest citizen. This test is in fact a brainwashing ; Number 6 gaines in popularity and is elected new number 2. Number thinks is the new number 2 ; he has his home, his office, his number...he profites to scream in speakers to the rest of the village " You are free to go ! " ... but in fact his not the number 2 ... the real number 2 says him : "You are never learn, this his only the begining, we have many ways [...], are you ready to talk ?"

Hi,
In this episode (n°5), Number 6 was brainwashed when he is sleeping. Number 2 has a new project to get informations.
When Number 6 wakes up, he is in an other room and house and his beard is longer. He becomes Number 12 ! Everybody in the Village call him Number 12.
He is called by Number 2 -as number 12- and he is assigned to pass himself off as Number 6!
Number 6 sees that it's a trap. He knows he is number 6 ; so he is pretending to be number 12 to number 2 and that he is just number 6 to this mission.
A game beetween two Number 6 begins ; we don't know who is who...going mad !
An able game beetween manipulation, cunning and deviousness guide all the film...so captivating !

Hi,
In this episode (n°6), Number 6 finds a recorder tape on the beach ; he expects night to recover it because it might be contain useful informations...
Number 2 is looking for the this recorder tape, he comes in number's 6 home to make a deal : this recorder tape is his passport. If number 6 recovers him the recorder tape, Number 2 makes him freedom. In this tape, a voice said to number 6 that he has to meet "The General" and he will know how to escape himself...But who is the General ??
One only index : The General is not human...

Hi,
In this episode (n°7), "Happy many returns", Number 6 is alone on the village : no water in his home, nobody in the garden and in the public places, nobody in the beach, no radio, no tone phone, no number 2...
Number 6 decides to build himself a boat to leave the Village ; a raft with logs wood...Number 6 is a very ingenious man : he takes pictures before he leaves (to have evidence) he mades himself a compass (to keep the cape)... 18 days pass
He arrives on London !!...but he have not a house anymore...somebody lives in his home...and drives his car...

Hi,
"Dance of dead" is the title of this episode (n°. Today, it's The Carnival in the Village ! dancing, happiness, music... NUmber 6 has to find a dance partner...
In this episode, number 2 is an old lady.
A black cat follows number 6 everywhere...it's the number 2's cat.
Number 6 takes avantage of the Carnival to search informations and find a way to escape himself...but the festival is transformed in lawsuit...Number 6 is accused of disloyalty against the community...

Hi,
In this episode (n°9) "Checkmate", Number 6 plays a big chess games. Number 6 and other villagers are pawns !
Number 6 try to escape himself again with villagers.... Can he trust them ?...
But, I don't want to explain all this episode .... Next course I will explain you somes anecdotes but I really advise you to see this serie !

Hi,
Today, I am not going to explain an episode.... I am going to explain my vision about this serie :

What I like in this serie, it is the pradoxical fact ; we don’t know the main character alias number 6, we don’t know if it’s a bad man or a dangerous person but when you look the serie, you hope for his freedom. You want he arrives to go out or escape himself of the Village ! Even if his intention are ethical or not, or if he is a honest citizen. But freedom is so important and in our conscience, it’s not fair, he has no lawsuit. He has the right of freedom...

Nobody knows why he resigned of secret services, the public, we suppose he has a reason, if he doesn’t whant to say why, it’s not bad. This serie also shows us all averages or manipulations that humans can apply to optain what they want. Humans develop new drugs, brainwashing machine ; it’s the only living being who practice torture. All this serie is a game of psychological manipulation, and it’s frightening ! We can imagine this kind of violence...

I think it’s a political message ; number 6 or a person like me or you become prisoner just because he doesn’t give an personal explanation. I love the sentence« I am not a number, I am a free man ! ».
But in France this political aspect was not understood when this serie was diffused. It was diffused on saturday or sunday afternoon like a kind of « filler ». The aspect about privation of freedom, about injustice and spirit manupulation was understood after his diffusion !

To conclude, the prisoner has a very contemporary vision, it’s a defence speech against freedom inspection or placing on file of the people. His creator Patrick Mc Gohaan was obsessed by the prison space in our contemporary and liberalism society : « my life belong to me, and I refuse to be on a checklist » he said. For him, The prisoner is like a « allegorical enigma ».

The prisoner is (for me) a « questioning », an issue, it calls into question in what kind society we want to live, what we want to know about his organisation and what we don’t what to see. What is our role in this society, what place I fill ? What is the meaning of my life or job ?

I want to conclude about the logotype ; I was chose by P McGoohan. The logotype represents « Grand bi », a bicycle created in 1870 and very famous in Engand.
According to him, it is a volontary contracdiction with the futurist and surrealist atmosphere of the serie. In fact, the « Grand bi » refers to real fact and takes a look about past (like a testimony).
The big wheel represente the universe and the small wheel the earth. But, between univers and earth where is humans ? What is his place ?...I find, the logotype illustrates very well the Patrick Mc Goohan vision...and the serie issue...

Logotype !

Mcgoohan, not only created, wrote and directed it but is the star in it too.

Admin wrote:Mcgoohan, not only created, wrote and directed it but is the star in it too.

Ya, moreover Patrick McGoohan wrote and directed totally alone the two last episode ! Indeed, at the 13th episode, Patrick McGoohan have an argument with Robert Baker or George Markstein -I don't rebember- about the end of the serie. McGoohan wanted a unexpected end and wanted to bring anger/displeasure in the public about this end. In his mind, he wanted to create a "work shock".

Before the prisoner, Patrick McGoohan was very famous because of the serie "Danger man" or "Destination danger" in french. But he wanted to stop the serie because he didn't want to be "prisoner" in this serie. The producer -who have understood the "advantage" of Patrick McGoohan actor- decides to give him "carte blanche" for an other serie, so Patrick McGohaan co-created the prisoner !

The public was so anger -about the end and the discovery of the Number 1 face- that Patrick McGoohan had to leave England to hide himself in Swiss during two weeks ! But Patrick McGoohan was delighted of that because he wanted to be famous for something else that Danger Man.
McGoohan gave very few interview, and according to him, The prisoner was a "closed work", he didn't want to speak again about its.

By the way, producers proposed to McGohaan to be "James Bond", but Patrick McGoohan was a very catholic man and he can't be a "ladies man" because of his religion. He didn't become number 007 but he still stay number 06 !

Mister Admin, do you love Portmeirion ? I am very intrigued by this "Village", I watched photograph on google but I would love to visit it. It seems to be like a "model city". I heard that Portmeirion was built by a very wealthy (rich) architect !

It's a wierd and wonderful village and yes it was built by a very rich man but is now owned by a charitable trust. You can go and stay there as a tourist.