December 30, 2008.

The Prisoner.

Rating: 5
Possibly one of the best TV shows of all time. Requires thought from the viewer and a certain open mindedness. It helps to have or be familiar Secret Agent Man.

December 28, 2008.

A PRISON OF HIS OWN MAKING! WHAT IT REALLY MEANT.

Rating: 4
The Prisoner was a 1968 stylistic, science-fiction fable based on the imaginations of two individuals: Patrick McGoohan and George Markstein.
The core of the series is 7 episodes. One can literally watch these without the others and view The Prisoner in its entirety--as originally conceived:
"Arrival", "Chimes of Big Ben", "A,B,C", "Free For All", "Schizoid Man", "Once Upon A Time", and "Fallout".
The rest were added to make it more palatable for the American market.
Most of the individual episodes are self-evident in their meaning. Anyone who cannot understand what "Free For All" was all about, really shouldn't strain to watch the other shows.
A few questions always debated:

Was The Prisoner in reality John Drake from the Secret Agent Man series. The answer, despite McGoohan's statements, is a simple "yes".

Why did The Prisoner resign: Too many people knew too much. Intrusiveness was becoming the norm in modern society. Also, you have to do some back reading to understand that, as originally conceived, the main reason No. 6/John Drake resigned was because The Village was his idea. A random thought that deep levels within the governments of the west put into reality. When he found out--he resigned. Sort of makes you wonder if those photos in the opening shots of the show (the ones he was stuffing into the briefcase) were actually shots of a vacation paradise he was running away to; or were they shots of the island where The Village was located? Hmmm? :) I do not think vacation photos would be important enough to shove in your attache case before skipping out on the world!

The ultimate and sad truth about The Prisoner lies in the last episode: "Fall Out".
This is where the whole series boils down to a rather bleak fact. To wit: The whole series utterly becomes a meaningless, incoherent mess!

This is why the show has confounded so many people for so many years. Markstein provided the anchor to reality that McGoohan needed to keep the series from becoming a surrealistic, unknowable quagmire.
Together, they produced a very intriguing and well written, well designed show. When Markstein left around "Many Happy Returns", the show began its downward spiral. When the final moment came to make sense of the whole thing, only McGoohan was left to write an ending. And thus! a series with building potential became nothing more than a non-sensical, pathetic deluge of "I'll do this because I feel like it . . ."
And there is the explanation for "Fallout", which is supposed to sum up this deeply "symbolic statement" on modern society. McGoohan turned something that began as a work of innovative intrigue, into nothing more than a piece of emotional tripe.
There is no answer to the major question that plagues the Prisoner series. Markstein even commented that the last show was a sad display of incoherence. Or words to that effect.
And the surprising thing that establishes all I've just stated is: Patrick McGoohan would later confirm it!
Check out the 4 part interview on youtube he did a few years after the show. It's bizarre; it's frustrating; and it is pitiable as you watch McGoohan give surface explanations about the last show, and then completely say well maybe it meant this instead. Or maybe it meant that . . . et cetera. As I said: Bizarre.
Now I could give you a coherent explanation, wrapping the entire series up in a nice tight bundle of imagery and imagination. I could even explain "Fallout" for you; and tie it in with the rest of the show. But finally we either have to believe that McGoohan is a liar (and I or you can explain the meaning of the series, with last show included); or it is as he stated: Because he felt like it.
Utter rubbish!
Too bad Markstein didn't hang around for the ending. Perhaps he could have slugged out a real meaning for the show. The show worked best that way when Markstein and McGoohan kept fighting.

IN CHRIST JESUS: THE LORD GOD INCARNATE!!!

Mr Braithwaite

December 24, 2008.

This Was On Television?!?!.

Rating: 4
Hard to believe something as thought provoking as "The Prisoner" was on TV given all the choices, almost all of them moronic and bad, we have on TV today. The last two episodes in this set are kind of hard to follow--they have that disjointed late 60s style that seems dated now, but viewed as a complete series, "The Prisoner" is fascinating stuff. Can't say it was ahead of its time (again, look at the crap we contend with now, like "Dancing With The Stars"), but it WAS timeless. You can judge it just about any way you like; to this viewer it's a damnation of socialism in all its forms, and the inescapable fact people just want to have their destiny left up to no one but themselves. Be seeing you....

December 24, 2008.

The Prisoner.

Rating: 5
I am very happy with this item and I do enjoy it. Good quality also.

December 17, 2008.

Brilliant.

Rating: 5
TP is a great work of art. Unfortunately, tv is no different from any other arts medium in that rarely is greatness recognized off the bat. People always whine about tv's Wasteland, yet have tuned in regularly for such dull crap as Friends or the Cosby Show. People say they want boldness- even poetry, especially in these contemporary postmodern times. Yet, when confronted with 1 of the boldest works of art ever put forth, people whine that they may actually have to think & not be passive. They reject it. 1 might call this the Stanley Kubrick Syndrome. It's no surprise that the other great piece of visual art that reigned in 1968 (along with TP & Planet Of The Apes) was Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. TP is also a great work of philosophy. Fundamentally it deals with the nature of reality, yet politically it also deals with the idea of rights (civil & human), which (if we are honest) we all know are a human law of invention, not a natural law of immanence. Now think: why is it that philosophy is 1 of the few endeavors more scorned than poetry? Because it's all ideas- it is inert. Art is ideas in motion, & the visual arts are the most accessible forms of art. & TP is a masterpiece of the visual arts in its philosophy. This DVD set (The Complete Prisoner) should ensconce itself on your shelves filled with Plato, Nietzsche, Holderlin, & the boys. Also, as to what it's all about, again- the point is open, & please put not too much stock in PM's explanation as artists are wont to missing the results they put out for they concentrate too much on the intent- plus, all artists of any worth are accomplished prevaricators- often willfully so. PM's art is served well by disinforming his public. So confused were critics & the viewing public that in all the years since I can think of only 2 tv shows that have some commonalities with TP- meaning its influence was limited.
The 1st was American PBS's 1979 telefilm The Lathe Of Heaven, wherein the main character suffers a horrific trauma & literally lives within a dream- or does he? The other was the UPN network's 1995 1 season show Nowhere Man- starring Bruce Greenwood. In it a photojournalist takes a photo of a supposed Latin American execution & finds out his whole life may have been a charade. While not `imprisoned' like 6, the character- Tom Veil- seeks to regain his life by hitting the road to prove he is sane. TP & The Fugitive are the 2 dominant influences on this show- & it often paid subtle & overt homages to both. Unlike TP, however, this show was to be a regular series, but was canceled before its 1st season was over. This prompted the producers to wrap up the show hastily at 25 episodes. The result was an ending which aped TP's, but with none of the emotional impact, nor surrealism. What a shame, because the show was far superior to the Star Trek: Voyager show it aired after. & though dreams are a province film has often plumbed, about the only successful film of recent vintage that I would say is comparable is Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 Martian sci fi opus Total Recall. In that film Schwarzenegger's character is truly his own worst enemy! Another noteworthy point re: TP is that it may very well have been the 1st real `miniseries' to air in the US. While the 1970s saw Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots, The Holocaust, etc. make miniseries a staple, TP should truly be seen in their genre- after all, it was planned to be only 17 episodes long- about 14 hours of tv- shorter than Roots. Seen in that light it has still more significance. PM had the smarts to lace ambiguities throughout the show. 1 almost feels he was conducting an experiment & must've loved the control he/the show had over his/its fans. As I've stated, I think the best interpretation is that the whole show takes place in a moment of 6's mind (whether JD or not) as he is either heading to resign, contemplating the `fall out' of such a deed, or merely off on another adventure as Danger Man. It's not that unusual a trope- it's even classic, & since the penultimate episode is the last to start with 6 `waking up' the series can be seen circularly with 6 forever dreaming (dead?)- thanks go out for that possibility, too.
Another little mentioned aspect of TP, as art, is that it is a nearly perfect piece of metacriticism on conspiracy theories in general- whether they're plausible theories as in JFK's assassination, or wacky theories involving aliens, Jewish bankers, & that lot. In fact, part of the show's `cult status' feeds off of that frenzy. Refer back to all the queries I have addressed, & the many others I have not (see assorted books & websites for what I mean). But if that does not convince you that this brilliant work of art also doubles as a brilliant piece of metacriticism, maybe this will: re-read my exposition of 6 as John Drake, get the DVD for yourself, & confirm what I say, & you will see I am correct. Wanna bet that my exposé is ridiculed by the TP cultists? In fact, the show inspires factions of fans who refuse logic & definitive proofs in whatever defense of their beliefs- no matter how wrong they are. Ain't art wonderful?
Let me end this essay by possibly pulling a McGoohan (I shan't wrap things too tightly lest suffocate them- or am I feinting now?) & returning to the 4 points: apparent contradiction, particulars from the general, the general from particulars, & lastly TPD. As we've seen TP is chock with contradictions real & apparent. We've also seen these contradictions are often served by allowing the viewer to make deductive & inductive conclusions which not only are at odds given certain different information, but often from the same information. & before using TPD in a metaphoric way re: TP, consider this: the title, as we've seen is not necessarily specific to 6. Therefore let us consider 6 & 2 (or any other Villagers) to be eternally pondering the other's moves. 6 as the non-fink & the 2s as the finks who consistently win round after round- until the end. The 2s have all the perks, yet they all seem to have a not-so-secret envy of 6. What changes to allow the still seemingly non-finking 6 to win? (Or does he?) That may be the actual key question of the series, also never pondered before without the idea of TPD. Also, consider that TPD operates (theoretically) under unchanging rules- TP may or may not; & may or may not be self-consistent with its own consistency (or inconsistency).
In the end it may well be that the ambiguity which damned TP's initial critical & public reception is the very thing which has proven to be its salvation. After decades of intermittent appearances the whole show can be owned for the price of a decent VCR or boombox. Trust me in that it is a much more sound investment you will mine over & again through the years. On reflection, perhaps there is no dilemma after all. Then, again, I told you I was gonna pull a McGoohan- or was that a McGuffin?