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Thursday 7 January 2016

A Favourite Scene In The Prisoner


    Those people standing about watching the helicopter taking off, it makes me think they’ve all come to see Curtis leave The Village. Perhaps they are hoping that one day that will be them. Well it might be if they manage to get into one of the helicopters taking off during the evacuation of The Village in ‘Fall Out.’ But for now they are going nowhere, and it’s not Curtis who is leaving The Village, but Number 6 who thinks he’s escaping The Village in the guise of Curtis. But Number 2 is playing a cruel game, making Number 6 wear that blindfold for reasons of security. It was just so Number 6 couldn’t see that the helicopter pilot was making a circuit of The Village before landing again.
   It’s a nice little scene, it’s just a pity its spoilt by a huge continuity error! The Alouette helicopter takes off, but then it changes to the regular Alouette helicopter used for filming at Portmeirion. I remember writing to someone years ago, we were discussing this very thing in ‘The Schizoid Man’ he said that when the helicopter took off it had skids, then once in the air the helicopter had the addition of a pair of floats. But then when the helicopter was landing the floats had gone! I remember writing back and pointing out that he had missed a vital point in that scene, it’s not just the skids, it’s the fact that they are two entirely different helicopters. A fact that was totally lost on my correspondent!


Be seeing you

3 comments:

  1. Hi David,
    I also noticed that there is a cross on the building behind the helicopter, so there IS a church in Portmeirion. If I'm not mistaken, that is also the building used in A, B and C for "D's" office. Engadine made the comment that "he likes impressive offices" to 6 as he exited the car.
    I really liked the effect that when 6 pushed the door open, there was a DARK STREET scene on the other side of the door...opposite of the light street he was leaving...and the sound of a train as the doors opened.
    BCNU
    Karen

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    Replies
    1. Dear Karen,
      Portmeirion doesn’t have a church, and neither does The Village. This is the Recreation Hall, it was situated on a back lot at MGM film studios at Elstree. Yes the building does look like a church, and has appeared in feature films made at MGM.
      Perhaps as a church in The Village there were not sufficient church goers, and so the building was put to another use. Where the Arts and Crafts exhibition was held. Where Folk music, and an Exhibition of entertainment and mime were held.

      David
      Be seeing you

      Delete
  2. Hi David . .
    Yes , I remember reading that there was not a church in the village .
    I've always wondered if Patrick McGoohan had a reason for leaving a church out...since he has always said that he WANTED debates and arguments...and GOD is always a subject that causes lots of debate !
    I've often wondered what he is views of GOD and religion were...as I have seen articles saying that his mother wanted him to be a priest and that he was supposed to have been studying to do that . ..but at about the age of 16 he decided that he wasn't cut out for the life of a priest .
    He also was supposed to have said that religion made everything a sin.
    Whether any or all of this is true or not...I don't know .

    BCNU
    Karen

    ReplyDelete