No.6...... Doing As The Caveman Did!
I have found it quite curious how easily No.6 is able to fell a fully grown tree out in the woods during The Chimes of Big Ben, with a stone axe of all things! And more, because once the tree has been felled the trunk has to be cleared of all branches, and then to set about carving out the hull of the boat out of the trunk with a stone chisel!! No.6 might have said to No.2 "I'm doing as the caveman did, I've made my own tools." That's as maybe, but the caveman used tools crafted out of flint, not stone. No one is actually going to chop a tree down using a stone axe, realistically it would take forever, if you didn't break your back first that is. And look at No.6's hands, not a sigh of any calluses on his hands, and there should have been. And any such broken skin should have been wrapped up in cloth or bandage.
As for actually taking to sea aboard that rickety, un-seaworthy craft, was just as much a leap of faith as it was when No.6 put out to sea aboard his raft during Many Happy Returns, because No.6 had no idea where the village was, well he knew it wasn't on the Baltic, but he could have been setting sail for anywhere. But then perhaps anywhere was more preferable to that of the village.
Curiosity Killed The Cat!
During the episode Many Happy Returns No.6 constructs a raft and sets out to sea upon it to escape the village. As the village appears to be completely deserted the only creature on hand to see No.6 off is the village cat. A singular and quite curious moment indeed in this episode, as the question arises as to how a cat is able to break both the cup and saucer set upon the table next to the cat as watches No.6 who is about to launch his raft. Trouble is there was not a soul about at the time, save for the cat and No.6, and we know No.6 didn't smash the cup and saucer, although he's upset one or two in his time. Soon that evidence it really does only leave the cat!
What is even more curious, it that as No.6 floats down to the beach below, having been ejected from the Gloster Meteor jet aircraft, that very same black village cat seems to be waiting the arrival of No.6. Its even sat on that table amid the broken pieces of crockery!
Really, I cannot believe that the village cat has been sat upon that table all the time No.6 has been away from the village, sat there simply awaiting his return. Other than that it can only question how it was that the creature knew that No.6 was on his return. But that would be impossible wouldn't it. So someone would have had to physically place the cat upon the table, and the broken crockery too.....I wonder!!!
And whose cat was it? Mrs Butterworth’s, or No.2 of ‘Dance of the Dead,’ who said it was her cat.
Be seeing you
I don't think the Village would let No.6 roam the Village without watching him and we don't actually see the cat breaking the plate, it may be a sound effect played through a loudspeaker to bring No.6's attention to the cat, maybe to wish good luck to No.6 on his long voyage. (Some people believe a black cat to be good luck, others think they're bad luck.... personally I think it's bad luck to be superstitious !).
ReplyDeleteAs for how the cat got into position for No.6s departure and return.... well, perhaps Rover got involved! We never see the cat on the screen at the same time as Rover, this probably would have been very difficult to film if you think about it ( POP ! )
be seeing you
ZM72
Hello ZM72,
DeleteI don't think that Number 6 could have done any damage by being left at large in the Village of 'Many Happy Returns,' after all there was nowhere for him to go, except his own cottage, everywhere was locked and secured against him, except for the Green Dome {the power having been switched off} and the General Store which he could have broken into I suppose.
That's a very well behaved cat, to be in the exact same position after all that time. Oh I know it didn't stay there all that time, sat on the table, as while the Prisoner was away the Village would have returned back to it's everyday life, until put to sleep in time for the Prisoners unceremonious return.
A sound effect of the breaking of the crockery, I had not considered that before. I'd always imagined someone hiding behind the balustrade, who broke the cup and saucer.....oh no, the cup and saucer again, first in the opening sequence, and now again in 'Many Happy returns,' is there some deep allegorical meaning in the cup and saucer?
Regards
David
Be seeing you
Here's some more information about the cat from "The Prisoner Original Scripts Vol.1" :
ReplyDeleteThe cat apparently belonged to assistant wardrobe mistress and local woman Catherine Williams. Named Tammy, it had been used on the shoot for 'Dance of the Dead' after a cat brought from London didn't co-operate for the cameras.
ZM72
Hello ZM72,
ReplyDeleteAh I've not read 'the Prisoner' script books, have I missed out on something by not having done so?
Thank you for your comment, very interesting, and informative.
Regards
David
BCNU
Yes, the original script books are very interesting. The 17 "Prisoner" episodes are very well annotated too. Also, we get the scripts for the unfilmed episodes "Don't Get Yourself Killed" and "The Outsider". Plus we get 1 script for another Outsider - an episode called "Noises Off" which was to be the first episode of a series called "The Outsider". This was to be a series made by Everyman Films in 1968 but eventually didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteAlso I remember Six Of One did a fair job in the 90s of comparing original scripts to what we see on the screen, they picked out the differences and documented them quite well in their "Number Six" magazine
ZM72
Hello ZM 72,
DeleteI didn't realise the books had so much information within their pages. I'll Have to see if I can attain a copy of each.
Yes, Six of One did do a good job in comparing the original scripts. I still retain those Number Six magazines, they make for excellent reference.
Regards
David
BCNU