The First Cut

    ‘Arrival’ was originally to have been ninety minutes in length, which means 40 minutes of film, and original unwanted scenes, ended up on the cutting room floor. Well, not all of it apparently. Take the episode of ‘Its Your Funeral’ for example. Number 2-the heir presumptive and Number 100 are awaiting a visit from No.6, who is about to warn Number 2-the heir presumptive of an assassination plot against him.
    Number 6 leaves the Watchmaker’s shop, and makes his way along a cobbled path, through an archway, crossing the chess lawn he goes up the steps and across the central piazza. In this scene Number 6 can clearly be seen wearing the charcoal grey suit he wore in ‘Arrival.’ And so clearly this scene was cut from the opening sequence of ‘Arrival,’ because it is clearly obvious that in ‘Its Your Funeral’ Number 6, wearing his arrival suit is on his way to the cafe, not the Green Dome!
   And also in the episode ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ Patrick McGoohan is in this episode more than you first might imagine. The Prisoner can be seen driving his Lotus 7 through London on his way to his home in Buckingham Place - more cut film footage from ‘Arrival's’ opening sequence, kept and later used as stock footage in ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling,’ which gives the impression that you’re watching the opening sequence again, twice for the same episode!
    ‘Fall Out’ also contains stock film footage from ‘Arrival's’ opening sequence. After the Prisoner drives away from No.1 Buckingham Place, the Lotus 7 is seen turning onto Mill Bank from Westminster Bridge, passed the Houses of Parliament, and so it is quite clear that the Prisoner is driving towards the turn off to Abingdon Street car park, as he does in the opening sequence of ‘Arrival.’
   Had all the extra stock film footage had been used, it would have made the opening sequence extremely long……too long! 

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