Customer Reviews

The Prisoner - Set 3: The Schizoid Man/Many Happy Returns/It's Your Funeral

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alas, if you are looking at this to buy, you must be familiar with the show, The Prisoner. If not you are in for a real treat, but you should be starting with volume one. This incredible show still holds up so well after 30 years. The writing is excellent, and can not be missed. This one contains my favorite episodes The Schizoid Man and Many Happy Returns. Its a shame writing for most shows in TV isn't this good. This DVD copy it very good with no color fading. The extra material is a bit limited, but it will provide you with some very challenging triva.

Patrick McGoohan's Number 6 does battle in three new stories in this compilation from his classic 1966 television series; one is excellent, one very good, and only one is just fair, but even a fair episode of "the Prisoner" puts most other shows to shame. In "The Schizoid Man" - by far the standout story of the trilogy presented herein - Number 6 is put into the maddening position of having to prove to his captors that he is himself, and not the man who is impersonating him better than he is impersonating the impersonator. The story is ingenious, and worked out with a methodical and sinister brilliance worthy of an Alfred Hitchcock movie; McGoohan's acting, as the "real" and "fake" Numbers 6, is even more fascinating than usual. "Many Happy Returns" mostly takes place in the "real" world, as Number 6 realizes his dream of escaping - only to learn that his own former employers in the British secret service now consider him to be a possible traitor. The episode begins with an eerie portrayal of a completely abandoned, lifeless Village, moves on to Number 6's voyage across the high seas, and return to London - all portrayed without a single word of spoken dialogue for the first 20 minutes of the episode! Very cool, unsettling stuff. Finally, we have "It's Your Funeral," a rather routine story of multiple plots (of the criminal variety) being bandied about, disbelieved, and yet, still carried out, in the allegedly peaceful Village; Number 6 attempts, in vain, to warn the retiring Number 2 that his youthful successor is planning to send him to a *very* permanent retirement. The use of a bizarre, imaginary game called Kosho, something involving trampolines and martial arts (I am not making this up), which McGoohan invented particularly for the series, highlights a rather routine tale. Any episode of "The Prisoner" is still standout viewing entertainment, but this collection features only one truly standout piece, "Schizoid Man" - but the tape is easily worth buying, for that episode alone!

Set Three of A&E's The Prisoner series features three episodes of the television program and an interesting interview with the production manager for the show, Bernie Williams. I won't spend too much time talking about the individual episodes. If you've seen the series before, then you know exactly how good they are. If you haven't seen them, then you owe it to yourself to view them. The transfer to DVD was very well done with nice little touches added in the menu pages. The video is excellent and the sound is superb; Number Six has never looked better.

The three episodes here are a great representation of the series. In THE SCHIZOID MAN, the Prisoner is confronted by an agent sent to test his own sense of identity. This episode is excellent and mind-bending; it definitely deserves several viewings on its own.

The interview with Bernie Williams may be a bit light for the hardcore fanatics, but as a casual fan of the series I found it to be quite enlightening and interesting. Williams goes over the creation of some of the classic show elements such as Rover and the various Number Twos.

If you're not familiar with THE PRISONER, it concerns a secret agent who resigns his position, and is immediately transported to a most unusual prison camp known as The Village, where he is designated "No. 6." His captors go to increasingly drastic measures to find out why he resigned, as he struggles to find out who they are, where he is, and how he can escape. There is a resolution, but of a surrealistic, allegorical nature that you must be prepared for.

I'd first like to mention that it was my mother who introduced me to Patrick McGoohan's enigmatic television classic, and who got me the original MPI VHS edition. I'm saying this in memory of her, since she passed away in April 2004, and her interest in THE PRISONER belongs in her eulogy.

Fortunately, she got to see the interview with production manager Bernie Williams in this third installment of the A&E DVD release. Williams candidly discusses many aspects of the show, including what McGoohan was like to work with, the origin of Rover, and the various ordeals of filming. This bonus feature also includes the Prisoner theme music in surround sound -- unlike the episodes themselves, which are presented in their original mono mix. My only complaint is the absence of footage to illustrate Wilson's points. For this, you must watch the "Behind the Scenes" featurette in set #5, narrated by Williams. I wish that featurette and this interview had been combined.

"Schizoid Man" is one of my favorite episodes, even though it's not one of the "essential" seven, as defined by McGoohan. It's also a good example of a key point Williams makes during the interview; you can't watch THE PRISONER with half your mind on something else. I got royally confused by this episode the first time around because I wasn't paying close enough attention during the first several minutes. The reigning No. 2 attempts to break No. 6 by confronting him with a double -- No. 12 (also played by McGoohan) -- who does a better job of being him than he does. But No. 2 doesn't merely send this Doppelganger to haunt No. 6. The Doppelganger is only part of a master plan that involves brainwashing No. 6 while altering both his appearance and his environment. The idea is to trap No. 6 in both an internal and external illusion that HE is the impostor brought in to destroy the sanity of the real thing.

I find the episode interesting because it indirectly foreshadows the ultimate resolution of the series -- if you can can call it that. Unfortunately, I can't say any more, lest I give too much away. If you're familiar with the series, you know what I'm getting at. This episode also seems to suggest that Rover is a sentient life form, rather than just a machine. After all, it seems capable of getting confused. Or DID it get confused? Did it perhaps decide to betray its masters for some reason? (BTW, this is the only episode where Rover actually gets called by name.)

Alas, this is one place where I feel A&E's revised order causes problems. Placing "Schizoid Man" AFTER "Dance of the Dead," in which No. 6 suffers much abuse at the hands of women, makes it almost impossible to believe that he would befriend and trust Alison. Furthermore, I don't completely agree that "Schizoid Man" must come after "The General." Yes "The General" includes another No. 12, who has been in The Village a long time, so it can't come IMMEDIATELY after "Schizoid Man," but if enough episodes separated these two, it wouldn't be a problem.

But I also had two intrinsic problems with "Schizoid Man." First, it's hard to believe that No. 6's captors would have let him keep that photograph that clues him in to what they've done to him. In fact, it's hard to believe that photograph wouldn't have simply gotten lost in the shuffle. Second, it's hard to believe No. 12 would have fallen apart so easily at the end. Still one of my favorite episodes, though.

At one point, I mistakenly believed that "Many Happy Returns" was one of the "essential" episodes, as defined by McGoohan. It has a bit of the surrealistic feel of those episodes, and it introduces an idea that comes back in the final episode -- that No. 6 may be able to leave the Village, but will never truly escape it for reasons that I can't elaborate on, again lest I give too much away. There's even an appearance of that mysterious black car driven by the man who originally gassed No. 6. The surrealism lies in the fact that No. 6 wakes up one morning to find The Village mysteriously deserted and with all utilities turned off. How this was managed overnight is never explained. Of course, No. 6 takes advantage of this strange turn of events to escape -- and actually makes it back to England. Since the series is less than half over at this point, it goes without saying that he doesn't stay free. But I am left feeling that he COULD HAVE stayed free if he had been willing to forget about the "why" of it all and simply enjoy his freedom. But he HAS to investigate ...

"It's Your Funeral" is one of the episodes I think of as "side trips." No. 6 neither tries to escape nor endures any further attempts by his captors to find out why he resigned. The episode concerns an elaborate plot to assassinate a No. 2 who's outlived his usefulness -- and to discredit No. 6, whose warning is the only one that the intended victim might have taken seriously. This isn't one of my favorite episodes because it's too much of a digression, but even my least favorite PRISONER episodes have much more of my respect than most what you find on commercial television.

Back in 1967, an allegorical television show emerged that has yet to be topped by any other English television series. The show: The Prisoner. Starring Patrick McGoohan, he plays the role of No. 6, a former secret service agent who resigned for unknown reasons and then finds himself knocked unconscious and trapped in a seemingly peaceful place called "the Village." Each episode features a new No. 2 (with a few exceptions), who watches his every move and strives to find out why he resigned. The only superior is the unseen No. 1, the supposed ruler of the Village. The only other characters that reoccur are The Supervisor (also called Controller), played by Peter Stanwick, and The Butler, played by Angelo Muscat.

In "The Schizoid Man," Number 6's behavorial patterns are altered and he's convinced that he's Number 12 impersonating as Number 6. An interesting story that tests Number 6's individuality is among the best in the series. My favorite part: Number 2 tells him the "password" is Gemini. When he's confronted by street thugs and they ask for the password, he defiantly tells them "Jiminy."

In "Many Happy Returns," the Village is seemingly deserted. He escapes, only to find that his superiors don't trust his motives. Still, a surprising plot twist makes his escape seem irrelevant... ah well, watch it and see for yourself.

In "It's Your Funeral," Number 6 learns of a plot to assassinate a former Number 2. He doesn't believe it, thinking they're at him again as to why he resigned. Is it a trap, or the work of "jammers"? This one's pretty complex when it comes to the murder plot, but it unravels nicely in the end.

The DVDs include an interview with Bernie Williams, the series' production manager and line producer. It's pretty insightful, as he stated that Patrick McGoohan had total control of the show (just because the show got weirder as it went along DOES NOT mean he had little control to begin with...) and it's comforting to know that most people involved with the show didn't even know what it was all about (Bernie said that it was "all in Patrick's head.").

Here is where I agreed with A&E's episode placement. You can tell the Village administration growing desperate overtime and since the two aforementioned episodes are back to back episodes, it would only seem logical. Also, we're halfway through the series and the original airdate had "Many Happy Returns" BEFORE "Checkmate," which in the episode, Number 2 says "the early recruit." EARLY EPISODE, peoples.

When Number 6 escaped from the Village, the world that we know that exists outside of the Village seemed not all that different... which goes to show you that the Village could be ANYWHERE, even the place that you live in. Perhaps this was to instill the idea into Number 6's head that he might be better off in the Village? Nevertheless, his individuality remained intact and still yearned to be free.

Many people have compared Number 6 to John Drake (Secret Agent Man). Sure, they're both played by Patrick McGoohan and act similar, but are they the same? I don't believe so. As I have stated in my review for Set 1, I believe McGoohan meant for us to "fill Number 6's shoes." In other words, we too are prisoners in society, caught in a social order that we can't break from.

I give every episode a 5 star rating, but I HIGHLY recommend you get the megaset instead of the individual volumes. This show is one that must be seen to believe.

...Set 3, containing "Schizoid Man," "Many Happy Returns," and "It's Your Funeral" is perhaps the darkest (and best) of the lot.
"Schizoid Man" takes Number 6 into a confrontation with his own identity, now seemingly usurped by an exact duplicate. An elaborate mind game ensues, and both the Village wardens and the Prisoner come close to losing at key moments of the episode...
"Many Happy Returns" is my personal favorite. Number 6 awakens one morning to find the entire Village deserted. He escapes by hand-made raft, making it back to an England shrouded by dark clouds and hinting at an oppressive environment. His return home would be victory enough, but...well, watch the episode. What I love about this episode is its' camerawork, as during the first half of the episode there's little or no dialogue, and we have to rely on the Prisoner's facial reactions and body language to guess what he's thinking.
"It's Your Funeral" is perhaps the most confusing of episodes in that an elaborate assassination attempt is being planned, and Number 6 is dragged into its web. The confusing aspect is that the "wardens" are planning to assassinate one of their own, and yet will also act out retribution against the unwitting Villagers under the excuse of "deterring" future assassinations(which is why Number 6 tries to foil the plot). Just recognize the episode for what it is, a thinly veiled conspiracy-themed recreation of JFK some 20 years before Oliver Stone got his hooks into it (keep an eye out for a grassy knoll!...).
As middle-of-the-pack episodes go, these are some of the best. The only qualms I have with this set cover essentially the whole DVD series in that there aren't a lot of extras added (a commentary track from McGoohan would have ruled!, plus any deleted scenes, bloopers, et al.). Video quality and sound quality on the discs I got were excellent. If you have to select certain sets before any others, go for Sets 1,3 and 5.
Be seeing you!

If you love The Prisoner, you can't go wrong with the DVD set. While this set has only three episodes instead of four, and they're not the most outstanding episodes of the series, they're all solid ones and they stand up to repeated viewing. And, while the interview with Bernie Williams is no substitute for a fourth episode, it's fascinating - and it's great to see someone connected with the show still talking about it with such enthusiasm.

There are a few reasons why this set could stand on its own without the entire series. It lands the viewer squarely in the middle of the drama, it contains an interview about the series from production manager Bernie Williams, and the episodes explain more about the community environment of the village...

The Schizoid Man, the first of these episodes, is a great episode because it pits No. 6 against his most irritating foe yet- himself! Their sparring (both physically and mentally) is hilarious, as the doppelganger gives No. 6 a taste of his own self-righteous medicine.

Many Happy Returns, the next episode on the set, may be my personal favorite (except for maybe Fallout). It takes the main action away from The Village and shows No. 6 at the peak of his skills. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is a real stinker for No. 6 ;)

It's Your Funeral is, in my opinion, one of the weaker offerings of the series- but it makes a good finale for this set. However, the introduction to and ending of the story are well handled and the fellow who plays No. 2 is a riot. He thinks he sooo smart, and he is... but smarter than No. 6? Don't count on it...

Although the set only has three episodes, the final one detracting somewhat from the epic scope of the show- it still earns its five stars for The Schizoid Man and Many Happy Returns. And It's Your Funeral still deserves four to four and half stars anyhow. Watching McGoohan mix it up like an English prep schoolboy is always worth the price of admission. :)

-Be Seeing You!

This set contains Episodes 7, 8, and 9 (although there is some debate about the "true" order of the episdoes). The first two episodes are excellent but frustrating: in both, Number 6 has an opportunity to escape but (of course) is defeated in the end. In the third episode of this series, however, Number 6 scores a small victory against his captors, but despite this, I found the episode to be more slow-moving and not enjoyable as the others. Overall, however, this is a good addition to The Prisoner collection.

Aside from the new interview with production manager Bernie Williams who reveals lots of tidbits about the show and some neat video footage, there are a couple of great episodes in this set.

"The Schizoid Man" is an extremely clever and delightful episode centering around a double that has been brought in to confuse #6 and ultimately us, the viewers. No matter. It's fun to sometimes be confused by this one and to see how #6 will once again outsmart his enemies. "Many Happy Returns" is another crafty episode with absolutely no dialogue coming for several minutes into the show. With a deserted village is this now #6's chance to escape? Finally, "It's Your Funeral" has #6 ironically on the side of #2 after he learns of a conspiracy to assassinate his top nemesis in the village. But is it legit or is #6 the one being outsmarted? As usual, it's fun to watch every little detail unfold. On video, it just wouldn't be the same. Enjoy.