Understanding ‘The Prisoner’ at 50 – By The Fans, for The Fans
The Prisoner: It Means What It Says
Trying to Understand The Prisoner, Volume One
50th
Anniversary Edition (2 variations) Edited by Ed Fordham (Cover by Dan Kreeger, Illustrations by Warren Green,
'The Jailbird' by Steve Matt, Foreword by Rick Davy, 'Looking After Number One'
by VJ Clarke, etc.)
On the surface, The Prisoner was an unusual
TV series - a mixture of spy thriller, action and science fiction - about a man
who resigns a top secret job and is then abducted and taken to a strange place
simply known as the Village. Here, others like him have been living peacefully
and he is known only as Number Six, but he refuses to accept
both his imprisonment and the number. Each episode finds him
battling efforts by one of a succession of Village leaders, each known
only as Number Two, to extract the priceless information in his head.
Gradually however, under the guidance of Patrick McGoohan (who both starred as Number Six and was Executive Producer), the series becomes an allegory indicating that we are all 'prisoners' of some kind, ultimately held captive by our own worst enemy - ourselves.
Gradually however, under the guidance of Patrick McGoohan (who both starred as Number Six and was Executive Producer), the series becomes an allegory indicating that we are all 'prisoners' of some kind, ultimately held captive by our own worst enemy - ourselves.
Over the past fifty years, many attempts
have been made to understand or decode The
Prisoner. Is it really a work of television art, as often claimed? Can the
concepts of politics, sociology and psychology be seen as shaping the fabric of
the series? Who is Number Six? Who
are the various Number Twos and to
whom do they owe their allegiance?
For the 50th anniversary of The Prisoner, this first volume unlocks facets of the series through a variety of topics, with the help of those who know it better than anyone - its fans. Mixed with humour and illustrated throughout, a range of essays and critiques examine the elements that make up the series’DNA .
For the 50th anniversary of The Prisoner, this first volume unlocks facets of the series through a variety of topics, with the help of those who know it better than anyone - its fans. Mixed with humour and illustrated throughout, a range of essays and critiques examine the elements that make up the series’
· Very personal views from the wide fan base, aimed
at creating an understanding of the various themes of the series
· More frivolous pieces build on the series’ wit and
whimsy
· Includes the long awaited return of ‘The Jailbird’
cartoon
· Pieces dealing with
‘The Butler’, Lotus 7 cars, Mini Mokes and why the episode 'Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling' has been much maligned
All profits from
the sale of this book will go to Tŷ Gobaith, a hospice for life
limited children, located in North Wales .
STANDARD
EDITION (b & w illustrations), 333 pages
- £9.99
FULL COLOUR
EDITION, 358 pages - £29.99
Standard Edition
Full Colour Edition
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