Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Caught On Camera!

    Enthusiasts can theorise about ‘the Prisoner,’ come up with fresh ideas and interpretations as we all do on occasion. However there is another way of looking at the series, and visually I am always astonished by what can still be found by simply looking at the series, and from time to time putting “the Prisoner’ under the microscope” to coin a phrase from a friend of mine recently. Because visually ‘the Prisoner’ still has secrets to reveal, even after the past forty-eight years.
   It was while I was studying ‘The Schizoid Man,’ looking for a certain image, that I observed something which made me stop and look closer. I don’t know if anyone has spotted this before, but Number 6 seems to have found a new use for a then obsolete object from the previous episode of ‘Free for All.’

   Pictured here are the two ballot boxes used in the Polling Station in the Town Hall used by citizens to cast their votes. The next picture, was taken during the fight scene between Number 6 and Number 12 in ‘The Schizoid Man.’ As Number 12 is thrown over the breakfast counter, forced back against a kitchen cabinet in the grip of Number 6, a black box can be seen on the floor in the bottom right-hand corner, apparently marked “ballot box!”


    It would seem that Number 6 has laid his hands on the box and is now using it as a kitchen waste bin!
   Incidentally, the table upon which ballot boxes are set was once used by a landowner. The table has a number of drawers set in it in which the land leases of his tenant farmers would be kept. The drawers would be indexed with the letters of the alphabet, except for ‘X’ and ‘Z.’ Upon each quarter day, the tenant farmers would go to pay their rents. The landowner would take each land lease from the correct drawer and mark down that the quarterly rent hand been paid by each tenant farmer. 

Be seeing you
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5 comments:

  1. Enik113822 April 2015 at 01:08

    You're finding a lot of the same things I've recently found in a close watching of the episodes. My episode studies are at http://prisoner.popapostle.com/ for anyone who wants to take a look. I figure the ballot box wastebasket was Number 6's way of commenting on the value of the ballot box in the Village, especially after his experience in "Free for All"! I've placed a few links to your in-depth Prisonerologist blog there as well. More episode studies to come.

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    1. David Stimpson22 April 2015 at 08:09

      Hello Enik1138,
      Thank you for the link, I've been meaning to read your studies into 'the Prisoner, as yet haven't found the spare time to do so. However I've just had a look at 'The Schizoid Man,' its very good, and very well detailed. I congratulate you upon your observations. I can see you have the better of me in that regard. I do have another 'Caught On camera' in mind, I don't know whether or not you have this one noted. Its on the same grounds of the gymnasium, the secret laboratory in the woods of 'A B and C.' The laboratory has been set out on the set of Number 2's office, the purple colour of the chamber wall is the same, as well as the double steel doors. At least for the Council Chamber they changed the colour of the chamber wall!
      Regarding the ballot box used as a kitchen waste bin, I think you have the right of it. After all the election was rigged in 6's favour, such would be his political commentary {in finding a new use for the ballot box} that there is no democracy in The Village, a fact confirmed by Number 2 in 'Dance of the Dead.'
      Thank you for placing a few links to my Prisoner blog, most kind of you. If by any chance I come across further visualisations in 'the Prisoner' which I've not seen before, and you yourself may not have seen, please feel free to take them to add to your studies should you wish to do so.

      Very best regards
      David
      BCNU

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    2. nr6de22 April 2015 at 11:08

      I'd like to thank you for all the observations you have on your website although, admittedly, I have read barely a fraction of it! However, mention is made as for "The Prisoner US Homepage" which I find is a bit misleading. It isn't the official website which is this: http://www.sixofone.com/ But no episode descriptions there. - BCNU!

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  2. nr6de22 April 2015 at 08:15

    Isn''t it "one man, one vote"? In this case with the Double roaming around perhaps Curtis was lead into thinking, well, we're two of one kind why not cast a double vote, thereby keeping of of the boxes as a safey measure...? Worth a guess. - BCNU!

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    1. David Stimpson22 April 2015 at 08:31

      Hello Arno,
      Oh that's very good, and nicely thought out, I like the idea.

      As it happens here in Britain we are in the build up to a General Election, so soon I shall be facing the ballot Box to cast my vote. The other day I received a telephone call from a representative of the Labour Party asking me if I had made my mind up about how I was going to vote. The woman sounded astonished when I told her that I had. "You have!" she said, then asked me which party I was going to vote for. I said "I'm not going to tell you as that is between myself and the ballot box." "Its a secret" she said," I said it was." And that's how it should be, no member of any political party should have the right to know which way a voter is going to vote!
      That's nothing to do with 'the Prisoner' but I wrote it becasue of the ballot box that's all.

      An interesting email from you yesterday, to which I shall be replying with an equally interesting email today.
      Very best regards
      David
      BCNU

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