The Therapy Zone

    An iconic visualisation in ‘the Prisoner’ is the white membranic Guardian. It’s brilliant in its simplicity, meteorological weather balloon controlled by fishing line, and to add to the effect, when you see the Guardian moving forward on the television screen, it’s actually moving away. Because the film of the Guardian is screened in reverse! You can tell that in a scene in ‘Arrival,’ when the Guardian is approaching the helicopter, the smoke from the chimneys of the Old People’s home is going back down the chimneys.
    And the white weather balloon as the Guardian is memorable, perhaps arguably the most memorable thing about ‘the Prisoner.’ Who would remember a Go-Kart with a dome and blue flashing light on it? Not that the television viewer would have known that there was a Go-Kart under the dome. If I remember rightly, originally the Mk 1 Rover was to have been able to absorb people when it emitted a blue light. It’s a pity that idea was not retained with the use of Rover Mk2. There was the idea that Rover Mk2 would have that ability, with the white membrane taking on a red or pinkish hue as its victim was absorbed. But it was thought that that would be too horrific for the television viewer at the time, so the idea was dropped. Mind you, I have a photograph of which there will be many, when the Guardian is floating through the air having left the top of the Gloriette in ‘Arrival, the membrane of the Guardian has a pinkish hue to it! Perhaps it’s simply a trick of the camera, but then again..................

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