AutCuddly
Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
mxfrickey-61583
The Prisoner has been, and will always be, one of the best TV shows to ever grace the small screen. Though full of action and intrigue, every episode delved into questions about individuality and personal agency: are we ever truly free, or are we being manipulated every minute of our lives? What is truth, and does it matter what we learn, or how we gain that education? Of course, a show is only as successful as its actors and writing- and with Patrick M we had the best there was. A true Renaissance Man, he could act, perform action scenes, and even create episodes, if he wished. Others directed, and contributed stellar scripts as well, so that all in all, the episodes were far and above anything else on TV, at that time. Of all the worthwhile programs that have existed, The Prisoner is the one that most bears repeated viewings and analysis. It has never been more timely and pertinent than it is in today's screwed-up world.
GeorgeSickler
This was a fantastic summer replacement when I saw it as a kid in Dallas, back in the days when many normally scheduled shows took a break to give actors and crew a time off.Until the final episode. We thought it would all tie the loose ends together and finally figure out what it was all about. Instead, the final episode was so bizarre, off topic, off story line, non-senseical, defies common sense - you name it - that the viewers felt that they were grossly cheated.I understand that the viewers in the UK were so outraged, disappointed and disgusted, there were huge protests against the studio, writers, producers, actors, etc. Some allegedly went into hiding for awhile until things simmered down.
Anyway, still a fun and highly creative short series. Especially, all these decades later, to see the final episode.
gedhurst
When The Prisoner first aired in the UK in 1968, it perfectly reflected the breathless, constantly changing, revolutionary times. The idealism and freshness of the early-to-mid sixties was gradually being replaced by cynicism and a creeping decadence. The world was convulsed by new breakthroughs in popular music, fashion and the arts, all played out against a grim background of the Cold War and spy paranoia.The Prisoner was enormously popular with the British public. McGoohan was already a huge star after Danger Man, and the public was primed and ready for what was, on the face of it, a superior spy drama with no expense spared on the production. Everyone was enthralled by the first 16 episodes, and eagerly awaited the last, when Number 6 would (hopefully) finally escape and all would be revealed. What actually happened was that people were completely confounded by it, so much so that there was a real hue and cry in the national press from ordinary viewers who thought that they'd been duped and cheated into wasting their time with a load of pop-psychology rubbish. I remember vividly my own father saying just that.Of course the story doesn't stop there and the series was repeated several times in the UK and US, beguiling new audiences with the multi-layered references in the stories and raising the same questions which seemed perennially relevant and disturbing. I still find myself going back to it and chewing over the themes. The episodes bear repeated viewing, revealing new details each time like lost pieces of an elaborate puzzle.Many on-line sources give superbly detailed critiques of The Prisoner and the philosophical themes it explores, so I'm not going to go into that. What I will say though, is that for me, the performance of McGoohan is central to the appeal. He demonstrates a perfect example of British bloody-mindedness, a refusal to be pushed around and manipulated, a determination to go his own way regardless of all entreaties by bien-pensants and the ruling clique. And oddly, in 2016, these attitudes all resurfaced again in the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump. Truly a series for all ages.
Mr-Fusion
There's a lot to say about "the Prisoner" - notably about how it challenges its audience and how it invites discussion and further exploration - but what charmed me (even on subsequent rewatches) is just how well it grabs you in the process. Could be due to a particular episode order (mine was the ITC order), but it was highly involving nonetheless. "Many Happy Returns", especially, is a nail-biter and you find yourself sticking around to see what happens. And I'd already seen the series twice. Aside from that, it is wholly unique; a '60s spy-fi series with a distinct cool factor. One that asks questions of its audience without much in the way of immediate answers. The beauty of the show is that this is ultimately a fun, not frustrating venture. And after having seen a few episodes, you have to know that the finale won't be a clear-cut solution to the questions raised. I don't know if I've gotten this much replay value out of such a convoluted show, but it remains one of my favorites. 9/10