This is a lesser episode. Once again the people who run the village are trying to gain even more control. They have developed a system by which through directly sending information to the brain, they can get three years of college information in three minutes. The fact that this is a reality is amazing, perhaps too amazing. Number Six suspects there is something going on beyond the benevolent passing of knowledge. It is fine to teach the Napoleonic wars, but what happens when you have another total agenda (creative history, etc.) designed to create intellect rather than form it? A kindly professor is the figurehead for the process. He is powerless to do anything about it and Number Six has to act. Things are quite far fetched here, even for something as outrageous as the village....then again, it is quite a sophisticated ruse.
5 Reviews
Education
AaronCapenBanner9 June 2015
Number six(Patrick McGoohan) becomes interested then alarmed in a new educational tool called "speedlearn" touted by number two(a returning Colin Gordon) that can instantaneously teach people facts and figures, which in theory would greatly reduce the need for traditional school, but in reality only feeds them knowledge without the ability to think about it, or more importantly, to reason, since this is really a brainwashing device created by a professor and used by a mysterious "general", which "six" is determined to uncover, though whose ultimate identity will come as a surprise... Effective episode is now a bit dated because of the clunky computer, but its themes of educational brainwashing for society/government still resonates today.
"You're never to old to learn, Sir!"
ShadeGrenade11 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A new craze sweeps through The Village. 'Speed Learn' is a subliminal educational process by which students can accomplish three years' worth of studying in three minutes. It is the work of The Professor, a benign academic who delivers lectures via the television screen. In reality, though, he is merely a figurehead for a sinister brainwashing project.
Witnessing The Professor's unsuccessful attempt to escape from The Village, The Prisoner finds a tape recorder warning the listener about 'Speed Learn' ( "it is an abomination!" ), and urging the destruction of 'The General', the real brains behind the project.
Teaming up with Number 12 from Adminstration, The Prisoner penetrates the wall of security surrounding 'Speed Learn', with the intention of replacing The Village's history lessons with a healthy dose of democracy...
I watched this today as a kind of personal tribute to its director, Peter Graham Scott, who has just died. Scott claimed not to have understood Lewis Greifer's script at the time, but what may have seemed incomprehensible in 1966 is frighteningly relevant now. 'The General' is a stark warning of the dangers of over-reliance on television for information. In the U.K., several well-publicised scandals concerning reedited news footage and so-called 'fakeumentaries' have recently occurred. In America, the Fox News Network has been tying itself into knots in an effort to justify the Iraq fiasco and turn it into a raging success for 'General' George and co. While these examples may seem far removed from the futuristic nuts and bolts of 'The General', the principle is the same. The medium used to sell bubble gum can also be used to sell wars.
'The General' also urges caution with regard to the up-and-coming computer age. Now I will be the first to admit that the home computer ( and internet ) boom has been overwhelmingly positive, yet I can easily understand why there was nervousness back in 1966 ( you will also find it in movies like '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Colossus: The Forbin Project' ) Like every great stride in progress, the computer revolution has had a dark side, particularly in enabling idiots to grab publicity by expounding half-baked conspiracy theories and perverts greater access to unacceptable material.
Colin Gordon is a wonderfully charming 'Number 2' ( "Don't underestimate yourself, Number Six...and don't underestimate me!" ), along with Leo McKern he was the only other actor to play the role more than once. John Castle, Peter Howell and Betty McDowall all provide solid support.
'The General' contains many memorable sequences, such as the 'Speed Learn' broadcasts, The Professor's wife explaining art to The Prisoner, and the men in dark glasses and top hats ( amongst them The Prisoner ) gaining access to a restricted area of The Village. Interestingly, the finale has The Prisoner destroying The General simply by asking it a three-letter question. Many is the time my P.C. has crashed just because I have made it do a mind-bogglingly simple task!
Despite much of 'The General' now seeming dated ( particularly the computer itself! ), its message is one we all would do well to heed.
Witnessing The Professor's unsuccessful attempt to escape from The Village, The Prisoner finds a tape recorder warning the listener about 'Speed Learn' ( "it is an abomination!" ), and urging the destruction of 'The General', the real brains behind the project.
Teaming up with Number 12 from Adminstration, The Prisoner penetrates the wall of security surrounding 'Speed Learn', with the intention of replacing The Village's history lessons with a healthy dose of democracy...
I watched this today as a kind of personal tribute to its director, Peter Graham Scott, who has just died. Scott claimed not to have understood Lewis Greifer's script at the time, but what may have seemed incomprehensible in 1966 is frighteningly relevant now. 'The General' is a stark warning of the dangers of over-reliance on television for information. In the U.K., several well-publicised scandals concerning reedited news footage and so-called 'fakeumentaries' have recently occurred. In America, the Fox News Network has been tying itself into knots in an effort to justify the Iraq fiasco and turn it into a raging success for 'General' George and co. While these examples may seem far removed from the futuristic nuts and bolts of 'The General', the principle is the same. The medium used to sell bubble gum can also be used to sell wars.
'The General' also urges caution with regard to the up-and-coming computer age. Now I will be the first to admit that the home computer ( and internet ) boom has been overwhelmingly positive, yet I can easily understand why there was nervousness back in 1966 ( you will also find it in movies like '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Colossus: The Forbin Project' ) Like every great stride in progress, the computer revolution has had a dark side, particularly in enabling idiots to grab publicity by expounding half-baked conspiracy theories and perverts greater access to unacceptable material.
Colin Gordon is a wonderfully charming 'Number 2' ( "Don't underestimate yourself, Number Six...and don't underestimate me!" ), along with Leo McKern he was the only other actor to play the role more than once. John Castle, Peter Howell and Betty McDowall all provide solid support.
'The General' contains many memorable sequences, such as the 'Speed Learn' broadcasts, The Professor's wife explaining art to The Prisoner, and the men in dark glasses and top hats ( amongst them The Prisoner ) gaining access to a restricted area of The Village. Interestingly, the finale has The Prisoner destroying The General simply by asking it a three-letter question. Many is the time my P.C. has crashed just because I have made it do a mind-bogglingly simple task!
Despite much of 'The General' now seeming dated ( particularly the computer itself! ), its message is one we all would do well to heed.
System still has a few bugs to work out
Mr-Fusion9 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Not my favorite episode of the series, and I think it's because of Number 6's somewhat passive involvement. There's plenty of buildup and the identity of the General is a good mystery; but it's almost a game that 6 is playing rather than a struggle for his freedom. In that respect, it's short on drama and tension.
In the end, SPOILERS He simply matches wits with a computer. So yeah, he wins, but then again, it's not Number 2's best plan.
6/10
In the end, SPOILERS He simply matches wits with a computer. So yeah, he wins, but then again, it's not Number 2's best plan.
6/10
Bit of a Cliche of an Ending
Samuel-Shovel2 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In "The General" a new speed learning craze sweeps through the Village but Number Six soon suspects it to be some kind of brainwashing scheme. With help from an inside man, Number Six tries to infiltrate the TV studio from which the brainwashing occurs and expose it to the Village occupants.
I found this episode to be a bit silly. The "does not compute" explosion from the question of "why?" was all very Star Trek: The Original Series. It's interesting in the aspect that this appears to be the first episode not focused on breaking Number Six. The General seems to be using the Village as a test group for some larger scheme. This will never come to fruition however after Number Six's destruction of it. I'm not sure where this fits into the larger idea for the show. They try to fit in Number Six's escape plans into the plot but it doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of things. Not my favorite episode. I would have rated it higher but the final showdown was fairly dumb.
I found this episode to be a bit silly. The "does not compute" explosion from the question of "why?" was all very Star Trek: The Original Series. It's interesting in the aspect that this appears to be the first episode not focused on breaking Number Six. The General seems to be using the Village as a test group for some larger scheme. This will never come to fruition however after Number Six's destruction of it. I'm not sure where this fits into the larger idea for the show. They try to fit in Number Six's escape plans into the plot but it doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of things. Not my favorite episode. I would have rated it higher but the final showdown was fairly dumb.
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