Mark Braxton at the British
publication Radio Times offers a piece on one of my favorite TV series from my
teenage years, Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner.
In the autumn of 1967, Patrick McGoohan
unleashed his magnum opus on an unsuspecting world. Over 17 episodes, The
Prisoner teased, enchanted, challenged and even angered its audience, leading
to a switchboard meltdown after its controversial conclusion.
It told the story of Number
Six (McGoohan), held captive in an Italianate setting known only as The
Village, and the attempts by unnamed interrogators to “break” Six by making him
explain why he’d resigned from his covert job.
Though The Village may look idyllic
there can be no escape: anyone who attempts it is squashed by giant, white,
balloon-like “Rovers”.
But who is in charge of the
operation? Who, in other words, is Number One? (For those who’ve yet to see the
show, it’s worth preserving that particular surprise – and it’s a good one.)
… With elements of spy
fiction and action adventure, the heavily allegorical series touched on
science, politics, psychology and even the Wild West, and also made a star of
its colourful and eccentric location: Portmeirion in north Wales.
For 50 years the series has
been celebrated, discussed and pored over, and answers have been continually
sought to some of its more perplexing puzzles set by the American-born
Anglo-Irish McGoohan. And now, In My Mind, a compelling documentary containing
interviews with its famously guarded star and showrunner, aims to do just that.
You can read the rest of the
piece via the below link:
You can also read an earlier post on Patrick McGoohan's other classic TV series Danger Man (Secret Agent in the US) via the below link:
And you can read Patrick McGoohan's obituary in the Los Angeles Times via the below link:
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