The Prisoner (1967–1968)

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.

Stars:

Patrick McGoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Patrick McGoohan	...	Number Six (16 episodes, 1967-1968)
Angelo Muscat	...	The Butler (14 episodes, 1967-1968)
Peter Swanwick	...	Supervisor (8 episodes, 1967-1968)

Storyline

"The Prisoner" is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series. Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind 'The Village' (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors.

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Plot Keywords:

information | prison | number | secret | british | 

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Taglines:

No Man Is Just A Number.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

The Prisoner Appreciation Society: Six of One

Country:

UK

Language:

English Russian German Romany Spanish French Polish

Release Date:

1 June 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le prisonnier

Filming Locations:

Abingdon Street, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Everyman Films, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (17 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (DVD Release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to script editor and co-creator George Markstein, Number Six resigned from his position after discovering files indicating the existence of the Village. The Village was an idea Number Six had submitted to his superiors many years before but had since decided was monstrously inhuman.

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Goofs

During the intro sequence, when No 6 is getting out of his car, a trapped hair can be seen in the bottom left of the shot.

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Quotes

Number 6: Be seeing you.

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Crazy Credits

The episode "Living in Harmony" does not have opening credits and the series title "The Prisoner" never appears on screen. The episode "Fall Out" also does not have an opening credits sequence, replacing it with a recap of the episode "Once Upon a Time." The series title does appear on-screen, however.

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Connections

Featured in Forty Years of Science-Fiction Television (1990)

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Soundtracks

"Main Title Theme"
Written by Ron Grainer
Performed by Ron Grainer Orchestra

User Reviews

An all-time great

Geez I just did another Imdb review listing some of the top ten tv shows of all time (in my opinion) and I plum forgot this one. It qualifies. 18 hourly episodes about attempts to pry information from taciturn retired spy McGoohan, kidnapped and held in an isolated village peopled by, well, we're not sure who else. There's maybe one bad episode in the whole lot; many shows have you wondering who are the captors and who are the captives among the village's inhabitants. Not sure it's explicitly stated but McGoohan's character could be a carryover from his Secret Agent Man, an earlier series also starring him. McGoohan is exquisitely perfect in the role, a bit eccentric, sometimes almost precious, athletic when necessary, crisply precise and (understandably) paranoid. Occasionally things go over the top, particularly in the final two episodes, but you certainly can't accuse them of playing it safe. Unique, inspired, insightful, distinctive, unparalleled.