2009 saw the 40th anniversary of the initial German TV screening of THE PRISONER.

We asked: What was it that got you hooked to the series? When and why did you become a PRISONER fan? Why do you hold on to a show that its creator Patrick McGoohan always hoped it would stay a contemporary work of art? And what is it that made it possible for more recent TV shows or theatrical films to be called "prisoneresque"? Contributions sent in try to answer these questions - each in its own right. Big thanks to all the authors who took part! German language knowledge recommended.

DePauw University, Indiana, USA
studenten und studentinnen am Department of Religious Studies

< VORIGER BEITRAG · NÄCHSTER BEITRAG >

Die nachstehenden texte stammen von teilnehmerinnen und teilnehmern des von Prof. Valarie Ziegler und Jason Fuller im frühjahr 2009 betreuten seminars "Religion and Film: Understanding The Prisoner". Ms. Ziegler hat im rahmen ihrer veranstaltung mit ihren studierenden bereits zweimal die PRISONER-Convention in Wales besucht.

"YOUR ARE AFRAID OF YOURSELF" - BY VALARIE ZIEGLER - more...
NUMMER 6 M.A. more... (German language)
40 YEARS OF NUMMER 6 - GERMAN TV PREMIERE 1969
ENGLISH ENTRY PAGE OF THIS WEBSITE

I'd like to express my gratitude to all who submitted their impressions and experience. You certainly helped keeping THE PRISONER spirit alive, in Germany too.
Very big thanks also to Ms. Ziegler who, upon my request, passed on my query "What's special about THE PRISONER?" and encouraged you to participate! Submitted texts are published here in no particular order! - Arno Baumgärtel

By Julie Kallas THE PRISONER is special because it is groundbreaking. Never before had a show taken so many chances with their audience, and had it pay off to such a spectacular degree.

By all means, THE PRISONER should not have been successful in the formulaic world of 1960s television; the fact that audiences even stuck with it says a lot for its worth. After all, the show had only two recurring characters; its main character was never named; and the final episode turned the entire series on its head. In an age when audience didn't have the option to watch television as we do today - through DVR, DVDs, and the Internet, in addition to plain old television - it is astounding that a 17-episode series could garner such a following in just one year, and maintain that following until the present day. Without THE PRISONER, we wouldn't have Trekkies or Comic-Con; the term "fanatic" can be defined by Patrick McGoohan's loyal followers. Everyone who came after owes their fandom to the originals.

PROF. VALARIE ZIEGLER WITH PRISONER AUTHOR IAN L. RAKOFF

By Alex Thompson Perhaps it’s the concept of escaping with escapism, the concept of a case study being entertaining, watching something so self-aware and self-reflective…aren’t we all a little bit like that? It is that child-like egoism where the world exists to reflect upon us that drives McGoohan, that drives the Prisoner. It’s irreverent, important and perennial.

Maybe it’s watching someone so perfectly unlike us – someone perfect, without doubts and without defeat. Though No. 6 is constantly manipulated to forget himself, he is the key, the code to be cracked. The Village relies on him one hundredfold more than he relies on them. He is the master of his own fate, and others’ as well.
To see someone so unflinchingly earnest, so laughably smug and angry and vindictive and subversive is refreshing in a post-election year where televisions are populated by grinning, two-faced politicians who are deathly serious about the wrong things and don’t think about those things that might separate them from the faceless majority. Obama is more than willing to spend time and money distancing himself from a wild Reverend but he doesn’t spend a moment or a cent to discuss his own identity which, as a curiously blended Black-American, is probably extraordinarily interesting.

No. 6 is unabashed and bitter – he has reason to be. Within the context of the Village his demeanor rarely changes – but when he leaves in "Fall Out" we suddenly see a man subtly change, dancing and singing.
It’s an acting/directing/producing/writing decision that marks THE PRISONER as both a shove-it-down-your-throat allegory and a subtle, subtle character stuffy.

By Christine Walker To me, the thing that makes THE PRISONER special is what its end goal is. Most television programs, both in the late 1960s and still today want to give the viewers a nice, tidy, well-rounded conclusion in which any questions that have been presented are fully-answered. What makes THE PRISONER both special, and at times frustrating, is the lack of answers at the end of each episode and at the end of the entire series.

There are some questions that are specific to the series that we never have answered; Why the Penny-farthing? Where is the Village really? Who picks the Number Twos? The more disturbing questions however extend far outside of the series itself. What does it mean to be free? How do we know we are free? Is the system we all live in a Village in its own right? What makes Prisoner viewers squirm in their seats is that these questions are left to the viewer themselves to answer because, as we can see through the very last episode, "Fall Out", THE PRISONER does not plan on answering them for us. All we are left with is that we may all have been duped as it seems so many of the citizens of The Village have been with our only hope being that there is a Number Six out there somewhere fighting for us to be free.

By Kyle Kerrigan "What makes THE PRISONER special?": The Dichotomy of the Protagonist

THE PRISONER television series at once attracts audiences to the plight of someone wrongfully imprisoned while simultaneously preventing viewers from relating to the protagonist, Number Six. Viewers cannot help but sympathize with the Prisoner because his situation embodies one of the greatest fears in society: the imprisonment of an innocent man. Occasionally, viewers are compelled to cheer for a criminal protagonist in roles similar to the Prisoner's. In this instance, however, THE PRISONER series remains even more appealing because the central character is wrongfully captured and restrained.

Fans are attracted to this injustice in THE PRISONER and immediately anticipate his escape from his prison, the Village. Yet, after the viewer is drawn into the Prisoner's dilemma, one becomes disheartened in certain respects.
Unlike James Bond and conventional conceptions of spy characters, Number Six does not want to be associated his country’s intelligence agency and places himself before "mother England." More importantly, the Prisoner does not pursue relationships with females and actually dismisses female efforts to become intimate with him. These deviations from the traditional spy mold prevent the viewer from identifying with the Prisoner: men cannot understand why Number Six rejects the glamorous spy profession and refuses to sleep with women; and women cannot envision themselves in intimate relationships with Number Six because he declines all female advances.

We are intended to sympathize with Number Six and rebuffed when we do. Thus, THE PRISONER series is special because viewers are fascinated by the injustice of imprisoning an innocent man, but are simultaneously discouraged by their detachment from the protagonist, a unique dichotomy in film.

By Shie Kantor For me, THE PRISONER is special because of the many different facets that it can be viewed through. If possible, I'd like to describe the series as an onion of sorts. There are so many different layers, and as you peel away each layer, there is more and more that the viewer can analyze and enjoy. For example, it is possible to view THE PRISONER as a one dimensional television series, created for pure enjoyment, but it is also possible, as shown by our class, to view it as a commentary on many different things from politics to religion to the human psyche. The commentary on society through religion and politics seems to also have many layers.

The idea that each layer of the television series has its own layers is also incredibly special.

Of course there are other series that are commentaries, but I have yet to find one that is as intricate and well thought out as THE PRISONER. Every episode has its own idea that it explores while still focusing on the bigger ideas that are threaded throughout the entirety of the series. Ideas such as the rise of communism, the idea of an everyman, and the idea of a "big brother".
The facts that THE PRISONER has sustained such a large fan following for so long, has inspired academia, and has themes that can relate to society over forty years after its production prove how special this television series is.

By Daniel Lopez I believe that the depth of the show's issues during a time of extreme liberalism is what makes the show special.

By Brittney Belcher To understand why THE PRISONER is so special, one must look to the source, Patrick McGoohan. As the famous 1960’s British actor not only starred in the series, directed and wrote a couple of episodes, he was also the master mind behind its creation. Aside from my personal bias of McGoohan’s dreamy and handsome physical features, his role as Number Six possessed a certain charisma and familiarity that viewers could relate to. How many people in their everyday lives have wanted to rebel against something, someone, or somewhere? Number Six was an outlet for many fans to go against the establishment, which transformed into something different for everyone. During this time period, the establishment could have been the home many housewives were bound to, it could have been the norms of society that oppressed homosexuals and minorities, or simply the fear civilians held during the Cold War.

THE PRISONER confirmed many beliefs for those that suspected governments of constant surveillance. It questioned meanings of being free and freedom; what do they mean, does anyone really have it, can we make our own choices, live they way we choose, or is it all served to us and we take it for face value and become mindless drones to society? In particular, I appreciated THE PRISONER because of the individuality Number Six possessed and maintained throughout the series. He highlighted the importance of "knowing thy self" and staying to true to what he believed, and I admire that.

By Lucy First When I first sat down to watch THE PRISONER, I had mixed feelings. It was unlike anything I had ever watched. I did not like the unfamiliar storyline or the strangeness of the Village. Overall, I did not like the show. But when I started talking about it with my professors and with my classmates, I realized that I was only looking at the surface of the show. Everyone had a different opinion of the show. Everyone noticed different aspects of the Village. Everyone learned a different message.

What makes THE PRISONER so special is all the various meanings. No one watches the show and gets the same feeling or meaning as another person. The show allows everyone to feel unique and special because they have a different interpretation. All of these variations bring people together and create dialogue between people who may never have spoken. In these two ways, THE PRISONER accomplishes what most television shows and most people only dream of accomplishing.
We should all take notes from THE PRISONER and maybe then we would be on our way to a happier world.

By Michael Reed THE PRISONER's greatness lies in its mystery. Just as No. 6 struggles to find out exactly what the Village is, Prisoner fans are open to endless interpretations of the show’s meaning. The varying interpretations all point to one conclusion however; the Prisoner itself still applies to our life.

In short, we would not be talking about the show still if it did not apply in some way to our life.
Whether it is as an attempt to understand the cultural mayhem and liberal forces of the 60s or as a metaphor for Gnosticism, Prisoner fans are still finding applications for the bizarre world of the Village. Not only does THE PRISONER offer interpretations for our own individuality, but also offers comments on society as a whole that can be both uplifting and depressing. THE PRISONER, despite just being 17 episodes, therefore gives more to its audience that perhaps any other show, yet somehow gives so much by revealing so little.
While Patrick McGoohan has recently passed away, the travails of No. 6 (or is it No. 1?) will forever live on in ways that are debatable and frustrating. Just as McGoohan demanded to know "What’s it all about?"
Prisoner fans are still asking the same question.

By Grace Kestler THE PRISONER is special for many reasons. It is obviously a show different from any other I have seen. It deals a lot with scenes that are somewhat dreamlike and not logical. The fiction story leads the viewer through No. 6’s stay at the village. No other show consists of a giant ball with hidden knowledge. There is one person in charge and everyone seems to be working towards keeping No. 6 in the village. The series also leaves the viewer confused at many points, searching for the right conclusion. I think that because we do not fully understand what is happening at all times we become even more engaged. In this sense, THE PRISONER has a lot of hidden messages that someone is always trying to figure out.

The show is also special because it is pretty far-fetched. None of the events are normal occurrences. Therefore, the viewer has to stretch their mind in order to attempt to understand the point of the series. It is clearly for entertainment, while also provoking thought on human life. The fan-culture around the show is extreme for being such a short show. It obviously attracts a wide group of people and engages them through its quirky plot and characters. I think it seems so special because No. 6 is always trying to find a new way to escape. The viewer gets involved with him and tracks his escape routes.
We become involved with him and the excitement that he provokes.

"YOUR ARE AFRAID OF YOURSELF" - BY VALARIE ZIEGLER - more...
40 YEARS OF NUMMER 6 - GERMAN TV PREMIERE 1969 (German language)