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The Prisoner - Set 3: The Schizoid Man/Many Happy Returns/It's Your Funeral | 
 enlarge | Directors: Patrick Mcgoohan, Robert Asher, Don Chaffey, Pat Jackson, David Tomblin
Actors: Fenella Fielding, George Markstein, Patrick Mcgoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick
Studio: A&E Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $4.19
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Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 40840
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 156 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0767033965
UPC: 733961701753
EAN: 9780767033961
ASIN: B000053VA2
Theatrical Release Date: June 1, 1968
Release Date: April 24, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
It takes a Village to incarcerate The Prisoner. This set contains three mind-bending episodes from one of television's most subversive series. Number 6's (Patrick McGoohan) "strong sense of identity" is put to the ultimate test in "The Schizoid Man." You can't blame him for feeling more disoriented than usual. Everyone is addressing him as Number 12, and he is recruited by yet another new Number 2 to impersonate--you guessed it--himself. The Prisoner was really in the "Zone" (as in "Twilight") with "Many Happy Returns," in which Number 6 at last makes his escape from a seemingly deserted Village. Making his arduous way back to London, he must convince his former superiors of the Village's existence. "It's Your Funeral" finds an ever-vigilant and defiant Number 6 refusing to fall for yet another Village gambit ("I will not cooperate," he thunders). But is a threat to assassinate the outgoing Number Two for real, or is it the work of "jammers," who invent "make-believe plots" to confuse the authorities? A bonus feature of this set is an early 30-minute interview with Bernie Williams, the series' original production manager. He comments that his job was made more difficult because the show's premise was "unclear even to those who made it." This is small comfort to Prisoner devotees who parse each episode, which makes this set, of course, essential. --Donald Liebenson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Questions are a burden to others May 24, 2007
The Doctor (The TARDIS)
SPOILER ALERT!!! What follows divulges show secrets. If you haven't seen The Prisoner, do NOT read on. (I am assuming that most people at all interested in a show as old as The Prisoner have already seen it.)
Now, with that said, The Prisoner is easily, hands down, without any reservations the single greatest TV show in history. (A close second, in my book, would be the first four Doctors on the ORIGINAL run of Doctor Who.) The Prisoner wasn't only entertaining, it was thought provoking. To call it "Kafkaesque" is now cliché, though its similarities to Kafka's The Trial are many and striking. In The Trial a man is told he must defend himself in a bizarre court but cannot learn what the charge is. He never does. In The Prisoner a man learns he is a prisoner in a place called "The Village," a bizarre prison disguised as a luxury resort. The reasoning behind the prison is that prisoners will be so taken with the luxuries at hand that they will find no reason to escape. For No. 6, the sheer fact that he is not free to escape if he wishes is reason enough to do it. He spends the entire series trying to escape.
After discovering that the man in charge of The Village is himself (yes, No. 6 is No. 1), he manages to leave the Village. Or does he? Notice that when he finally gets home his door opens on its own, just like the doors in The Village. For those who didn't catch on, McGoohan later (in an interview) told us what it all means: No. 6 never escaped. He's still in The Village. Society IS The Village. If you live in society, you ARE a prisoner. But you pretty much HAVE to live in a society, which means you pretty much HAVE to be a prisoner. There is no escaping this fact. As McGoohan had achieved fame with Danger Man, he discovered he was prisoner to a contract he deeply regretted signing. He wanted to escape. Ironically, he was playing a spy on Danger Man, and resigned as star of the show. He then made The Prisoner, about a man who quits his job as a government agent. This has created much debate as to whether No. 6 in The Prisoner is in fact meant to be Drake from Danger Man. McGoohan has said no, but The Prisoner's other main writer and script editor has emphatically said yes. You decide. (I'll go with McGoohan, as I think his ultimate point is that everybody is No. 6. He once said that at the end of the show, he wishes the words "The Beginning" had appeared.)
McGoohan is obviously a libertarian. He despises bureaucracy, authority, and big government. He has said he loves the first amendment, adding emphatically that there can be no freedom without privacy. Thus we see why the greeting in The Village, "be seeing you," is so ominous to No. 6. Sure, it sounds like "see you later," but is really a way of reminding everyone in The Village that they are always under surveillance.
The show and No. 6's character traits and struggle has stayed with me, ever since I first saw it as a child. McGoohan is easily my favorite actor, and it is a true shame he did not star in more movies. I've always loved his devotion to his wife and children, how he never lets his work come before them, how he refuses to film any type of love scene because he doesn't want to kiss anyone but his wife, etc. He is truly a remarkable man. It saddens me that he had to turn down the parts of Gandalf and Dumbledor, due to his bad health, as he would have been perfect in both of them. I am very glad for his part in Braveheart, however, especially considering that before this he had spent much of the early 90s in a coma! Mel Gibson wanted McGoohan in the film as he is also a great Prisoner fan, and even (supposedly) toyed with the idea of helping McGoohan make the film version, playing No. 6 himself. Though I simply cannot think of any other actor who could "become" No. 6 (the role being a pure expression of McGoohan's rare personality), Gibson is about as good of a choice as one could make given the current options. In fact, AMC is currently toying with remaking the entire series, and guess what their greatest obstacle reportedly is? Surprise, surprise: they simply can't find anyone who can pull the role off. The actor would almost have to share McGoohan's convictions to be able to do it, becoming almost an embodiment of pure defiance and anger. The Prisoner is, after all, the single greatest showdown of the individual vs. the collective ever put to film, in my book trumping even The Fountainhead, Bullitt, and Enemy of the People (though Ibsen profoundly influenced McGoohan).
Interestingly, McGoohan and fellow Prisoner star Alexis Kanner later made a film together. Like much of McGoohan's film work, it's not available on DVD (which here is an absolute shame given that 1: McGoohan is one of the best actors alive and 2: this film is simply brilliant.) It's called Kings and Desperate Men, and has many of the same elements that The Prisoner contained. I've always been shocked that Prisoner fans haven't rallied for this film to be released on DVD. Perhaps they've never heard of it. In it, McGoohan's character is taken prisoner (literally) by a group of idealistic youthful liberal misfits. He laughs that they think they're in control simply because they have a shotgun, and proceeds to unravel them all with his wits. His libertarian views come out here as much as in The Prisoner, as his character scoffs at the moral crusaders' silly liberal ranting, and exposes the fact that their leader really doesn't know what he's talking about, and that if what he wanted actually occurred, chaos and anarchy would result. (Now that I've brought Prisoner fans' attention to Kanner and McGoohan's followup to The Prisoner, let's see how fast all 8 copies that exist on Amazon are snatched up. If you like it, try to do something to help get this released on DVD. I've written Anchor Bay several times.)
From His Doubling To His Involvment In The Community... October 2, 2004
Michael Meunier (Brooklyn, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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!
What was Patrick McGoohan really like? Find out here. September 18, 2004
David H. Downing (West Chester/Exton, PA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
 Ok show but McGoohan's obvious bi-sexuality is hindering May 30, 2004
6 out of 23 found this review helpful
In real PAtrick McGoohan is married to a lady (Joan Drummond). Fine but he is definitely afraid and/or despising of most women. THis carries right over into his Number 6 character in THe Prisoner. nearly anytime he had to do anything even vaguely romantic with girls on the show he plays really hard against it. He also write a dozen or more times when he touches men. Other problems in characters and technology the show has is it's dated feeling and the ending to the whole show is a non-payoff ripoff. I think producer George Markstein once said that of The Prisoner something like the Prisoner was the biggest bunch of nothing ever compiled.
"Smith. Peter... Smith." October 21, 2003
Axel Law (Wichita, KS, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
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