These are a few of my Favourite scenes...

by Isobel Smith 

A couple of years ago in the society magazine, there was a poll to find out members' most favourite scene in 'The Prisoner. It made very interesting reading so I thought I would write about some of my own personal favourites and perhaps they could be some of those of the readers of tpf as well. 

I always feel that the opening sequence is one of the most intriguing in television.  A man who later on becomes Number Six, resigns from his job, goes home, packs a suitcase and is about to leave on his holiday when gas comes through the keyhole and renders him unconscious.  When he comes round he believes himself to be in his own home only to discover to his horror, when lifting the blinds, that he has been kidnapped to a mysterious place that could be anywhere.  We sense the shock and anger he feels as he makes his first steps in what is known as The Village. Also in that opening episode, 'Arrival', is the first appearance of Rover which most people recall when asked about the series.  This amorphous sphere appears from the fountain on the Piazza and is so totally different from any form of enemy ever shown. I recall being very scared at my first sight of Rover and the terror in the faces of the Villagers and the amazement of Number Six.  He soon realises that this is one creature not to mix with. One also gets the first chance to meet the administrator of Village affairs, Number Two, and the 'bank employer syndrome' of lack of continuity when Number Six tries to find out why he has been taken. 

The following episodes centre on Number Six trying to escape and the current Number Two trying to find out why Number Six did resign from his job.  Each Number Two is different in their own way but the major one that made an impression on me the first time was Leo McKern, firstly in 'The Chimes Of Big Ben' then latterly in both 'Once Upon A Time' and 'Fall Out'.  His Number Two seems to get on very well with Number Six although there is always the underlining probing of the question of Number Six's resignation.  One scene in 'The Chimes Of Big Ben' that sticks in my memory is the defiance where Number Six places sugar lumps in his tea after Number Two has read that Number Six does not take sugar. 

The Village always looks after its star prisoner with the greatest of care as Eric Portman's Number Two says in 'Free For All', "We must be careful not to damage the tissue" but The Village goes to many extreme measures to find out Number Six's reasons.  They vary from vicious beatings to forcible drug treatments.  The fight sequence and its following scene in the Green Dome with Number Fifty-Eight, show these extreme measures perfectly.  One can almost feel every blow delivered to Number Six as he is beaten senseless by Village thugs.  This feeling was brought even more home when viewing the scene on the cinema screen.  One can understand why the scene was edited for viewers. 

Most of the programmes end with The Village triumphant but occasionally Number Six seems gradually to be getting the upper hand, such as in 'Hammer Into Anvil'.  When a sadistic man becomes Number Two and causes a young woman to commit suicide, Number Six swears revenge on her behalf.  When he has finally broken Number Two into quivering jelly, he tells him that he will have to report himself rather than one of his aides.  The other sequence when Number Six seems to enjoy having the upper hand is at the end of 'The Girl Who Was Death' when he faces the camera and says "Good night children, everywhere!".  It is almost a "Ya-boo-sucks to you!".  The other episode where Number Six seems to win against The Village,  is in that psychological game of war, 'Once Upon A Time' when the shift of power seems most effective.  The rebel that is within Number Six has been with him since early childhood, up to when he smashes the glass at the end of that episode.  The allegorical themes that seem to echo through the series are seen most strongly in 'Checkmate', 'Dance Of The Dead' and 'Free For All'.  There are many examples of this but as stated in 'Checkmate', "One must distinguish between the blacks and whites". There are also many examples of scenes that stick in the mind forever - the human chess game, the election parade and the trial scene from those episodes in particular. 

When finally the viewer arrives at 'Fall Out', one hopes everything that has gone before will be tied up in a neat little parcel, BUT no, and this is the pleasure of watching this last programme and making up your own theories about it and the rest of the series.  One hopes the solution to appear as if by magic but when it finally arrives, all too briefly, it is almost too difficult to comprehend, but when it finally clicks to mind, it is breathtaking in its completion.  I think that apart from the opening scenes, this final confrontation is the one that sets the seal on The Prisoner' being different from any other programme. 

I hope this article has made you think about your own favourite scenes and it would be interesting to learn other people's favourites so why not write to tpf with your suggestions?

Alan comments

Many thanks to lsobel for yet another thought-provoking article.  I would welcome any other readers' favourite scenes and they would make a nice follow-up article.  To set the ball rolling my favourite scenes include Number Six, still in his dressing gown (though not for that reason) walking out of his front door and looking out on a cold, deserted Village in 'Many Happy Returns'.  After dressing, he explores the empty Village, with not a sign of activity anywhere.  I've had day visits to Portmeirion in October when it's been like that myself!  Another scene I like from the same episode is when, on hearing a police car siren, he jumps out of the lorry in which he has hidden and finds himself amidst the busy London traffic.  That was pretty mind-blowing when first viewed in the swinging sixties.

Another magical scene is 'Mr Tuxedo and Mr Peter Pan' from 'Dance Of The Dead'.  Number Six and Number Two on the beach as the sun sets is beautifully filmed with the music and enigmatic dialogue fitting perfectly...

No.2: "What were you looking at?"

No.6: "A light?"

No.2: "A star"

No.6: "A boat?"

No.2: "An insect"

No.6: "A plane?"

No.2: "A flying fish"

No.6: "Somebody who belongs to my world"

No.2: "This is your world.  I am your world"

The bizarre 'Once Upon A Time' is my next choice, beginning with Number Two (Leo McKern at his most inspired) singing nursery rhymes to a sedated and ever more brain-washed Number Six.  When he half sings, half yells "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water" the viewer knows that this isn't going to be a straightforward episode!  I remember my parents and I staring quizzically at each other on its first showing.

The same episode features two other favourite scenes.  The "All the world's a stage" introduction by Number Two to the trials that lie before them and the "Pop, pop, pop" exchange - unreal!  McKern experienced difficulties when filming this episode, who wouldn't!  Fascinating stuff then and now.