Over the decades there have been a number of Prisoner based amateur film productions; By Public Demand - A Little Knowledge - Village of the Damned - The Penny Farthing Mystery - Paddy In Wonderland - Prisoner Bear series. But the most ambitious film of this genre is Village day, produced in 1998, produced, directed and starring David A. Stimpson, with whom our own reporter caught up with recently.
113: “Who cast the film?”
David: “The film cast itself!”
113: “How so?”
David; “Well members of the cast seemed to fit particular roles so easily, as though they themselves had been made for the roles in the film.”
113; “For those who, like myself, who have not seen ‘Village Day,’ let alone have heard about it. Could you give a brief out-line of what the film is about?
David: “Village Day’ is set at the time of the Prisoner. No.6's brother is put to the challenge of finding his long lost brother by his fiancée Janet Portland who has not seen him of more than a year.”
113: “That's Janet Portland of the Prisoner episode ‘Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.”
David: “Yes.”
113: “And the trail leads him to the village?”
David: “Because too many embarrassing questions were being asked in some very high places of office. As the new No.6 he was then abducted to the Village for his own protection!”
113: “So there were two No.6's in the Village?”
David: “No only the one. The new No.6 having arrived in the Village then set about finding his brother, the former No.6 in the Village.”
113: “Which he does?”
David: “Yes, during "Founders Day."
113: "Founders day?"
David: “The day when the citizens of the Village celebrate "Founders Day," the founding of the Village.”
113: “And who is the founder of the Village?”
David: “Patrick McGoohan.”
113: “An what day is Founder day?”
David: “Nineteenth of March nineteen-twenty-eight.”
No.113: “I suppose that depends on one’s point of view.”
David: “It’s my point of view.”
113: “Tell me what did you find the easiest aspect to work on with the film?”
David: “The films soundtrack.”
113: “So you are musically minded. You can compose music?”
David: “No, but I knew what I wanted.”
113: “Did it occur to you to use the music of the original series?”
David: “Yes, but I hadn't the funds to pay such a price as would be asked.”
113: “So the film score, theme music is totally original?”
David: “Every note, composed by Australian musician Bruce Stringer.”
113: “How did Bruce get the job?”
David: “Because others who had wanted to produce music for the film let me down. Bruce Stringer contacted me from Australia saying that he wanted to produce all the music for the film. He sent me a tape of his work, he seemed good to me. So I wrote back and gave him an out-line of the kind of music I wanted, how I wanted the theme music and end credit music. Bruce then composed more music and recorded it onto tapes which he posted to me here in England.”
113: “So Bruce was in Australia and you were here in England, some 12,000 miles away?”
David: “Yes. But it worked nonetheless for that.”
113: “And you never met?”
David: “Not until a year or so later.”
113: “So Bruce would send you music tapes.”
David: “I would then listen to them again and again. Then write to Bruce with my suggestions, or we would speak on the telephone, to change this, alter that, tempos and the like, more music tapes would arrive, I would write up notes on what I liked and didn't like and return both notes and copies of the tapes to Bruce. And so it went on, back and forth until Bruce produced the music I wanted. The theme music was there almost from the start. His original theme music needed only few changes, but I liked, and knew, that it was ideal for the film which proved to be the case.”
113: “It’s certainly a strange way, and very probably an original way to produce music.”
David: “But it worked. If it had not been for Bruce Stringer I would really have been struggling for the films soundtrack. And I shouldn't think that music has been produced in this way before or since!”
113: “And the result of the film?”
David: “The fact that a good many people gained a good deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from the film, both having worked upon it, or simply to watch and enjoy. Demonstrated in such moments when during filming, no one wanted to return their penny farthing numbered badges, or the copies of The Tally Ho given out by the Tally Ho vendor. People were excited to be involved with ‘Village Day.”
113: “All amateurs of course?”
David: “Of course, but with the necessary skills required.”
113: “And you David, what did you gain from producing ‘Village Day?”
David: “A good many headaches, extreme hard work, and a premier for the film, a film premier enjoyed by all those who attended. And at the end of it all I had a extremely good idea of how Patrick McGoohan must have felt by the time he had completed ‘the Prisoner’ series.”
113: “David Stimpson, thank you.”
David: “It was a pleasure.”
Be seeing you
