Agreed. It was even more unique on this occasion as he had come to the studio straight from filming on location for the remake of Daphne DuMaurier's Jamaica Inn, and apologised for the gruffness of his voice, because he'd been doing a lot of shouting playing the villain, Joss Merlin. Practically all his screen roles after The Prisoner were as the villain - I guess that was his way of exorcising his own 'evil essence'.
I'm assuming after doing 'interviews' like these it's what made him take the final decision to live out his life in solitude until he died and refuse any contact. It must be tiresome answering the same questions, especially since it was mostly 'Hurr Durrr me no get your show'. It's the hubris of being such an intelligent thought-provoking man and making a show that reached the most idiotic of populations
@@newdefsys how you describe is the way it is said and that’s what we are meant to take it to mean…….until we become “enlightened”. That is the “masterful speakimg” where the true meaning is hidden - where you being told without you even realizing
My favourite TV Series of all time. When considering the number of TV Series that are just too good to even be on a top 10 list. It is high praise. But why such high praise... it was intelligent and didn't patronise its viewers. The Prisoner was born of its time and still, almost 60 years later... relevant, it is still relevant!
Orson Welles said in 1969 that he believed McGoohan "would now be, I think, one of the big actors of our generation if TV hadn't grabbed him. He can still make it. He was tremendous as Starbuck", and "with all the required attributes, looks, intensity, unquestionable acting ability and a twinkle in his eye."
I was glad to see that #6 escaped The Village at the end, but I must admit that, to this day, I don't fully understand the last episode. I was saddened when I discovered that the silent butler had died in poverty a few years after the series ended.
Angelo Muscat, yes sadly died in 1977. When he got cast as the butler in The Prisoner he said: “I always feel lonely. I feel that people don’t want to know me. Girls don’t fancy me, I’m tiny and nearly bald but I’m only in my thirties. That’s why I’m so grateful to Patrick McGoohan. He has given me responsibility for the first time in my life. I am playing an important part in a big series. I AM something, for the first time ever.”
His portrayal as Joss Merlyn in Jamaica Inn was his best role...in my opinion anyway. He was such an amazing actor...and that voice..an Irish Alan Rickman.
Knew Patrick in Carmel Ca where he retired to. Lovely guy, very friendly and kind to everyone. Used to make the rounds of the pubs on occasion. Very bright guy. Big loss!
I loved this show! In 1968 I was in High School here in Texas and this show was so different and with the wonderful accents seemed so different and exotic. Had a massive crush on this handsome man.
Poor Patrick. Having to give a proper and lengthy answer to an audience who in the main had no idea who he was, or who hadn't watched The Prisoner. I know how he felt. I can't speak to anyone most of the time because they want a quick and simple conversation or a quick and simple answer. We live today in a world of instant gratification and where patience and thought are exterminated.
What are you talking about, he was literally sitting in a room full of the 6 of 1 appreciation society, he couldn't have got a better audience than that.
It was NOT a confusing ‘series’ to watch. Each episode up to the last two followed a fairly straightforward scenario in which The Prisoner cleverly thought of ways to escape amid a determination to resist the brainwashing techniques of No.2. The last two though were certainly different and in my opinion provided no satisfactory ending, no matter how extensively they are analysed. But I may be wrong!!! As to who was number one - one has only to look at the number on the door to his London apartment, clearly visible in at least one episode.
There is NEVER a 'single person' behind systemic oppression, thats his point. It doesnt have a single face, something we should realize by now. The people upset are the poeple who thnk this Klaus Schwab guy is singularly responsible for all our problems.
I recall the reaction to the series at the time and I appreciate Mike Smith getting straight to the point and asking about the final episode and the reaction to it. It's not until I visited Portmerion today and listened to a CD I bought there of an interview with Patrick McGoohan that I learnt what that final episode was trying to say. Nice to have some kind of resolution after all these years!
@@chillemdafoe1738 The film was called "In My Mind" by Chris Rodley. It's on Disc Six of the Blu-ray release of "The Prisoner: the complete series" released in 2019.
@@chillemdafoe1738 McGoohan said nobody knew who was going to be No.1 until he wrote the final script (although others had already guessed). Seventeen million Channel 4 viewers waited to find out who was Number 1 in the final episode. After number 6 pulled away the black & white mask from number 1, revealing the mask of the ape and then the "grinning, evil face" of number 6, it was clear that number 6 was number 1. McGoohan asks "what is the most evil thing on earth?". He answers by saying "it's the evil part of oneself". He says "if that was a cheat then the whole thing was a cheat, because he could have got out!". The audiences were outraged and jammed the switchboard of Channel 4 TV and McGoohan says he would have been outraged if that hadn't happened! He loved that reaction, he wanted controvesy, anger and discussion and he would do it again! As long as people feel something then he felt the ending was successful. McGoohan's daughter, who is interviewed, admits the ending wasn't very popular and he kept out of the public eye for a couple of days but, she says, the ending had longevity. People expected to see a mystery character at the end that they'd never seen and they were disappointed to find it was number 6 rather than a "James Bond villain". Personally, I was 11 when the series was shown on TV and I do remember the hostile reaction and my own confusion after viewing the ending. It's good to finally understand what McGoohan was trying to achieve.
@@edwardgrabczewski The stories about the supposed furious reaction to the final episode are greatly exaggerated. First off, on its original run The Prisoner was not networked, it was shown at different times on different days in different areas of the country, which meant that the final episode was shown at different times on different days - Scottish viewers saw the final episode first, days before anybody else. There's no contemporary evidence of any public outcry; there were a few slightly bemused comments in newspaper TV review columns in the following week or two, but that was about it. ATV did not report a jammed switchboard. And perhaps more to the point, it wasn't a particularly popular show anyway. Fair play to McGoohan, he managed to invent a myth about the reaction to the final episode that bears little resemblance to what actually happened.
After the last show it seemed clear to me number 6 was in effect number1 because only by proving he couldn't be broken would he be set free. It's no wonder McGoohan is angry can you imagine having to spend the rest of your life explaining the last episode of the show. I bet he often wanted to pull a Shatner and tell them to all get a life.
On an other hand, when you have the talent (and he was deeply envolved, whatever he may say now !) and the luck to be the face and the motor of an 'overcult' series, made in 1967 (!!...over-chic!), you can explain one more time ''the meaning of life'' (to use the Monty Python's imortal quote) to a nostalgic journalist or a brand new fan !... It must have been 'itchy' in the late sixties, for sure, but more than half a century after, it must be mindblowing, in fact, to be forever 'the Prisoner'... of his own fate.
The Prisoner is an incredible piece of television but the finale is a let down. I believe it would have been a lot different - and more satisfying - had George Markstein sadly not quit the show.
He was a great actor and man the series nearly sent him mad and caused a great time for him to rest. He was was right in suggesting that it was the greatest utopian story of man being the victim who allows others to control him.Only a true strong humane being could survive.We are starting to live it when did you last think and act for yourself?
Maybe it's just my interpretation, but I got the distinct impression that McGoohan was uncomfortable with the adulation and interview here. He was always a very private man, and didn't enjoy discussing "The Prisoner" too much. Still, I loved his work, and miss him.
We are ALL in The Village, people! Controlled, questioned, watched, led, fed, clothed and NUMBERED in this world! We cannot escape, even if we think we can or have...
Yes - I'm the woman in the red cap sitting next to him, and one remark that he made in between 'takes' was that "we're all in this Prisoner-game". That's now becoming increasingly apparent....
He had come up with the idea of the village and when he found out about that he resigned and they took him to the village of hers own creation, he was number one all alone.
I just found this clip on my of my old vhs video tapes and was going to upload it. However, looks like you have a digitized copy from the TV archive. Great rare interview with the man himself. Thanks for the upload. Block
I prefer to imagine that No. 6 went insane -- after all that mind-fuckery episode after episode -- that he IMAGINED or HALLUCINATED everything in "Fallout" -- that it's all in his head. He's still in the Village, but probably strapped in a straitjacket in that "Aversion Therapy" room, with the REAL No. 1 still trying to figure out what major mistake the most recent No. 2 had made to put No. 6 beyond all recovery. No. 6 'escaped' the Village only by retreating into his shattered mind . . . imagining that he discovered the mysterious No. 1 lurking behind that ape-mask (etc.) yet eventually realizing that the ONLY way he could ever 'escape' his predicament in that escape-proof prison, was to imagine HIMSELF somehow being/becoming No. 1 . . . himself as a cackling madman. My 'take' on the ending of the series can account for all the bizarre, surreal elements -- everything that flies in the face of the more straightforward plots of the prior 15-to-16 episodes. And, you'll notice, that he never does give them the "information" they had been seeking all that time: his reason(s) for having resigned from his job as a spy. They may have destroyed his Mind, driving him insane, but they didn't get what they were after "by hook or by crook" . . . so, in the end, he does 'win' by retaining his Big Secret -- but at the ultimate cost of his sanity.
McGoohan is quite clear about the conclusion of the 17th episode. The danger comes from ONE-self. The TV series is actually an INITIATIC process that reveals much more information than what has been generally understood by the general public. It is quite obvious by looking at the faces of those who where present during this interview that none we're curious to understand Patrick McGoohan's statement. First, we need to remember that the ''Prisonner serie'' was create during the cold war, a period during which the fear of communism was palpable and the rise of individualism was starting to gain momentum in the western world. Without going to much in details, we can establish a parallel between the ONE-self and the identification with the EGOTIC structure of human nature. For example, a giant like Steeve Job and APPLE which he developped merely to decades later, could not have succeeded in selling all the I series ( iPad, iPod, iwatch, etc) if the forceful cult of the ''I'' and individualism had not been put forward. The democratization and universal access to the technology is actually a concession made by the Elite to instigate division between human beings and not to help them becoming FREE. Control over the people can either come by communism or...capitalism. In the later case, by selling merchandises that enslaves you while the show is run from outside.
The general TV-viewing audience doesn't think too deep - or at all - about what they watch. It was thus in 1968 and the same now. Hence, if they watched the Prisoner episodes, they expected everything to be boxed off nicely at the end. McGoohan didn't want to do that - understandably - as it would have been too trite, so instead he disguised the denouement in a lot of flummery (it has to be said). But most of the audience couldn't be bothered to engage their brains and apply a bit of thinking, so ended up very frustrated. However, I agree with one of the actors involved, Peter Wyngarde, who said in the documentary included with the BluRay boxed set, "Patrick simply didn't know how to end it." I think McGoohan was a strong character, which is essential in someone trying to realise an artistic vision, especially one so extraordinary for its time, but the downside to that is he was not good at self-editing, or taking input from others who he felt were below his level of intellect. (Orson Welles never fully realised his potential for the same reason, in my opinion.)
Patrick McGoohan confirmed what I have always believed: when asking “ who is number one?“, He was told “you are number six.” Just put a comma after “are” and you have just what he said here.
judging by mike smith, was this on Saturday Superstore? I remember watching the first re-run on Ch4, being caught up in the whole hoo-ha. one day, I will watch the whole series and see if it makes any sense to me. Unitl then, 'be seeing you'
Now as for the symbolism and numerological insights of the serie. It is not by chance that the apparent changing managers of the island are number 2. In numerology, number two stands for dualism which is quite appropriate to the enslaving nature of the egotic structure that runs the village and general humanhood. In case of number 6, It is knowned as the number of MAN. The rebellion of number 6 can be interpreted at two levels. The most obvious one being the affirmation of the will that needs to stand apart from the unconscious mass of people living under the rules of a mad society. Nevertheless, even if this was not the purpose of the Serie, we could add in regard to our actual society that this same will can become an obstacle to the emergence of something wider and higher than the EGO. For instance, in tibetan tantrism we learn to understand that the ordinary man is confined to 6 limited domains of existence from which he needs to evolve in under to liberate himself from all bondages. Last but not least, as for the monitoring of number 6 and the other people, the recurring EYE symbol has been knowned for centuries to be a freemasons trademark. Through this, Patrick McGoohan knowingly or not shows us the instrument of EVIL at work here and now in our societies. Don't overlook any détails of this serial .It can become a way in that invites us to deepen our awareness. Thumbs up!
The 'Eye symbol' can also be kinda joke with the ''Big Brother is watching you''; from Orwell's "1984". As the formula "Be seeing you", in quite the same mood it seems.
He was asked, but declined due to his dislike of how Bond treated women, I.e. sex scenes, and also using a gun. Although he did shoot people in the final episode of the Prisoner.
In this talk show he appears to be the wisest of the wise. At 2:00 he talks about "the most evil ... human essence". No wonder this reminds me of a Schopenhauer quote that human beings are "essentially evil".
love him! At another time he suggested that the character of the "midget" may have been the power behind the entire thing, as they are seen "leaving the village together" in the final episode, but does he ever really leave it? Or does it just continue...as a metaphor for the individual's complicity in the shadow underbelly and at large in human society, the hubris and delusions at play on this planet Earth. It all remains a wonderful mystery anyway.
I thought so, he was battling himself, his own ego. He was a prisoner of his own ego. Thats why he was number 1. Once he was free of himself, his own narcissistic ego brain, he was no longer the prisoner, and the series then ended.
McGoohan was a visionary with this show and the questions asked, which are more current than ever. The problem with the last episode was that they suddenly had the plug pulled prematurely and while he had a clear idea for the end in mind, it seems to have been a mix between giving the network a big middle finger in regards to how he did it, and possibly mistaking the intelligence of his audience and not expecting all the fan backlash. In times like these we can all see the captions that the answer to who was number 1 was given with 'you are, number 6' but back then and before the internet it was taken as one sentence and a refusal to answer (Hell, it's used like that in an Iron Maiden song and they're hardly dumb). The mix between the population being uninformed idiots on one side, and the few that *did* understand the whole idea of him being number one and his own enemy possibly being aggravated as well. Now in 2020 we can see regarding monitoring, camera's and whatnot he was dead on. But I can understand having questions like these asked for the umpteenth time by what's essentially a walking Ken doll made him in the end go into seclusion, refuse contact and ultimately die. If you're as smart and deep as McGoohan was and surrounded by idiots, life must be annoying as hell. I can understand why he drowned in alcoholism.
Well. Two more days, and 2021 will open the doors of one more new year. I just can prey for this new one to be better than the dying one... Anyway, worst than 2020 seems to be impossible ! But I've paid to know that it ain't the case. Worst is ALWAYS a possibility, if not a probability ! The world continues the same; even worse probably... That's life, anyway, and I'm positively and absolutely sure that there has been a lot of people in this sick world living a life worst than Patrick McGoohan's one... For those who have survived ! At least, he lived an incredible life when young in the 60's, the funniest and craziest period of our decadent civilisation; he has even declined to play James Bond in "Doctor No", the first of the saga in 64 (!!!) and, for what I know he has'd continued acting (various episodes -5- of "Colombo", in which he always shines; "Escape from Alcatraz" with Clint Eastwood in 1979, "Braveheart" in 1995, and some other movies). And eventually, he died after a long life, aged of 81 years. With 'The Prisonner', and others characters too; he still survives in the memories of a lot of people. And has let the picture of a great artist, probably someone complicated and uneasy; but let me tell you... All the artists are complicated and uneasy. That's how it is; and generally this is why they are artists ! Well, how was his life so ?!... I've really seen worst.
Exactly as I have learned to interpret it - 'YOU are'. (When you think and put the inflection (via the comma) into the saying it speaks for itself). So to speak.
It was very gracious of him to answer the question regarding the meaning of the last episode for probably the billionth time.
@1:00 you can see him ''ok here we go again'' :D
@@gogol1st9⁹⁹😊
He might have had the most unique voice ever. Definitely one of a kind
Agreed. It was even more unique on this occasion as he had come to the studio straight from filming on location for the remake of Daphne DuMaurier's Jamaica Inn, and apologised for the gruffness of his voice, because he'd been doing a lot of shouting playing the villain, Joss Merlin.
Practically all his screen roles after The Prisoner were as the villain - I guess that was his way of exorcising his own 'evil essence'.
Like Burton?
That last comment was very kind. McGoohan had a hard edge but he could also be a generous soul.
One can feel the seething disgust Mcgoohan has having to be on this show.
@James Henderson Why?
I'm assuming after doing 'interviews' like these it's what made him take the final decision to live out his life in solitude until he died and refuse any contact. It must be tiresome answering the same questions, especially since it was mostly 'Hurr Durrr me no get your show'. It's the hubris of being such an intelligent thought-provoking man and making a show that reached the most idiotic of populations
He is literally like that ALL the time in interviews. It's just his personality.
I agree, I believe he may of been in the UK at the time for a stint at theatre. He's an intelligent bloke, maybe feeling typecast...
The staging is hokey.
Edward Longshanks. What a great actor.
He was so cool and brilliant...!
He was one of the best for sure.
Magnificent actor!
Who is Number One?
YOU ARE, Number Six. The show told you every episode!
Its "You, are number Six"
@@newdefsys how you describe is the way it is said and that’s what we are meant to take it to mean…….until we become “enlightened”. That is the “masterful speakimg” where the true meaning is hidden - where you being told without you even realizing
My favourite TV Series of all time. When considering the number of TV Series that are just too good to even be on a top 10 list. It is high praise. But why such high praise... it was intelligent and didn't patronise its viewers. The Prisoner was born of its time and still, almost 60 years later... relevant, it is still relevant!
@@newdefsys But still...?
Orson Welles said in 1969 that he believed McGoohan "would now be, I think, one of the big actors of our generation if TV hadn't grabbed him. He can still make it. He was tremendous as Starbuck", and "with all the required attributes, looks, intensity, unquestionable acting ability and a twinkle in his eye."
I was glad to see that #6 escaped The Village at the end, but I must admit that, to this day, I don't fully understand the last episode. I was saddened when I discovered that the silent butler had died in poverty a few years after the series ended.
He didn't escape Patrick McGowan said that the thing just starts all over again
Angelo Muscat, yes sadly died in 1977. When he got cast as the butler in The Prisoner he said: “I always feel lonely. I feel that people don’t want to know me. Girls don’t fancy me, I’m tiny and nearly bald but I’m only in my thirties. That’s why I’m so grateful to Patrick McGoohan. He has given me responsibility for the first time in my life. I am playing an important part in a big series. I AM something, for the first time ever.”
A true legend 👍🏻
His portrayal as Joss Merlyn in Jamaica Inn was his best role...in my opinion anyway. He was such an amazing actor...and that voice..an Irish Alan Rickman.
Knew Patrick in Carmel Ca where he retired to. Lovely guy, very friendly and kind to everyone. Used to make the rounds of the pubs on occasion. Very bright guy. Big loss!
Lucky you! One of my all time favourite actors, I loved everything about him. Intelligence, discretion, looks, voice, rich inner life.
He sort of enjoyed doing this... thanks for uploading this!!!
Very charismatic personality👍
My favourite two performances were “Mr. Jones” from Ice Station Zebra, and King Edward from Braveheart. Brilliant
I never knew that was Patrick McGoohan in braveheart thank you
"The Prisoner? I looooattth-ah the Prinson-AH!" --Patrick McGoohan.
Mike Smith... a towering intellect of our time
The hair, the tie, the intellect… 🙃
tho' he WAS smart enough to marry the gorgeous Sarah Greene ♥♥♥
@@bannjaxx Strange that. He was probably a great guy off TV (hopefully so anyway).
@@misdangered4326 maybe he had hidden talents 😏😄
@@bannjaxx Yeah, I expect he could pick up buns with it…
In the series there is a clear answer. Number six asks: "Who is number one?". And the answer he gets is: "You are, number six".
The comma after "are" is very important!
Exactly!
Good theory but not accurate, sadly. Patrick himself said he had no idea who Number One was until he had to write the last episode and wrap it all up.
That’s brilliant never thought of that .
There is no Number 1
I loved this show! In 1968 I was in High School here in Texas and this show was so different and with the wonderful accents seemed so different and exotic. Had a massive crush on this handsome man.
Poor Patrick. Having to give a proper and lengthy answer to an audience who in the main had no idea who he was, or who hadn't watched The Prisoner. I know how he felt. I can't speak to anyone most of the time because they want a quick and simple conversation or a quick and simple answer. We live today in a world of instant gratification and where patience and thought are exterminated.
What are you talking about, he was literally sitting in a room full of the 6 of 1 appreciation society, he couldn't have got a better audience than that.
It was NOT a confusing ‘series’ to watch.
Each episode up to the last two followed a fairly straightforward scenario in which The Prisoner cleverly thought of ways to escape amid a determination to resist the brainwashing techniques of No.2.
The last two though were certainly different and in my opinion provided no satisfactory ending, no matter how extensively they are analysed. But I may be wrong!!!
As to who was number one - one has only to look at the number on the door to his London apartment, clearly visible in at least one episode.
There is NEVER a 'single person' behind systemic oppression, thats his point. It doesnt have a single face, something we should realize by now. The people upset are the poeple who thnk this Klaus Schwab guy is singularly responsible for all our problems.
Everyone wants a face to their oppressor or evil. Sometimes there is, but sometimes it's just an idea.
Even Greta thumbberg she is from the Rothschild line
It's in us.
Absolutely just great!
Patrick as warm and affable as ever...
I recall the reaction to the series at the time and I appreciate Mike Smith getting straight to the point and asking about the final episode and the reaction to it. It's not until I visited Portmerion today and listened to a CD I bought there of an interview with Patrick McGoohan that I learnt what that final episode was trying to say. Nice to have some kind of resolution after all these years!
What was it
@@chillemdafoe1738 The film was called "In My Mind" by Chris Rodley. It's on Disc Six of the Blu-ray release of "The Prisoner: the complete series" released in 2019.
@@edwardgrabczewski what was the final ep trying to say
@@chillemdafoe1738 McGoohan said nobody knew who was going to be No.1 until he wrote the final script (although others had already guessed). Seventeen million Channel 4 viewers waited to find out who was Number 1 in the final episode. After number 6 pulled away the black & white mask from number 1, revealing the mask of the ape and then the "grinning, evil face" of number 6, it was clear that number 6 was number 1. McGoohan asks "what is the most evil thing on earth?". He answers by saying "it's the evil part of oneself". He says "if that was a cheat then the whole thing was a cheat, because he could have got out!". The audiences were outraged and jammed the switchboard of Channel 4 TV and McGoohan says he would have been outraged if that hadn't happened! He loved that reaction, he wanted controvesy, anger and discussion and he would do it again! As long as people feel something then he felt the ending was successful. McGoohan's daughter, who is interviewed, admits the ending wasn't very popular and he kept out of the public eye for a couple of days but, she says, the ending had longevity. People expected to see a mystery character at the end that they'd never seen and they were disappointed to find it was number 6 rather than a "James Bond villain".
Personally, I was 11 when the series was shown on TV and I do remember the hostile reaction and my own confusion after viewing the ending. It's good to finally understand what McGoohan was trying to achieve.
@@edwardgrabczewski The stories about the supposed furious reaction to the final episode are greatly exaggerated. First off, on its original run The Prisoner was not networked, it was shown at different times on different days in different areas of the country, which meant that the final episode was shown at different times on different days - Scottish viewers saw the final episode first, days before anybody else. There's no contemporary evidence of any public outcry; there were a few slightly bemused comments in newspaper TV review columns in the following week or two, but that was about it. ATV did not report a jammed switchboard. And perhaps more to the point, it wasn't a particularly popular show anyway. Fair play to McGoohan, he managed to invent a myth about the reaction to the final episode that bears little resemblance to what actually happened.
Orson Welles called him a great actor. He was marvelous.
After the last show it seemed clear to me number 6 was in effect number1 because only by proving he couldn't be broken would he be set free. It's no wonder McGoohan is angry can you imagine having to spend the rest of your life explaining the last episode of the show. I bet he often wanted to pull a Shatner and tell them to all get a life.
On an other hand, when you have the talent (and he was deeply envolved, whatever he may say now !) and the luck to be the face and the motor of an 'overcult' series, made in 1967 (!!...over-chic!), you can explain one more time ''the meaning of life'' (to use the Monty Python's imortal quote) to a nostalgic journalist or a brand new fan !...
It must have been 'itchy' in the late sixties, for sure, but more than half a century after, it must be mindblowing, in fact, to be forever 'the Prisoner'... of his own fate.
Longshanks is gonna throw the interviewer out the window
Who is this man who speaks to me as though I needed his interview?
@@jimmypapadopoulos1738 Trouble with interviews....is that it's full of interviewers LOL
Funny thing is that many only know him as that old prick in braveheart "Longshanks", not number 6
@@luisalonso959ha ha ha loved that “old prick” I don’t think anyone would want to mess with old long shanks even his tomb in St Paul’s creeps you out
Superb man
The Prisoner, Danger Man, several episodes of Columbo as both an actor and a script writer. His resume is impressive. (sub'd)
Quite good in "I am A Camera"
Best to play the most ruthless King of England.
An amazing mesh of round toned Irish accent with some recieved English annunciation ....lovely.
Exactly 1:48
same meaning as Pink Floyd THE WALL
The Prisoner is an incredible piece of television but the finale is a let down. I believe it would have been a lot different - and more satisfying - had George Markstein sadly not quit the show.
The show was originaly 26 episodes, but the powers at ITC decided to chop it prematurely, money? hence the strange ending.
I remember watching it first time around. I think it was a live programme.
Brilliant 👦🏿👍🏿👍🏿! Thank You 😊 Patrick McGoohan !
He was a great actor and man the series nearly sent him mad and caused a great time for him to rest. He was was right in suggesting that it was the greatest utopian story of man being the victim who allows others to control him.Only a true strong humane being could survive.We are starting to live it when did you last think and act for yourself?
Maybe it's just my interpretation, but I got the distinct impression that McGoohan was uncomfortable with the adulation and interview here. He was always a very private man, and didn't enjoy discussing "The Prisoner" too much. Still, I loved his work, and miss him.
Very accurate interpretation. He really didn't enjoy talking about it, or himself, much.
We are ALL in The Village, people! Controlled, questioned, watched, led, fed, clothed and NUMBERED in this world! We cannot escape, even if we think we can or have...
Yes - I'm the woman in the red cap sitting next to him, and one remark that he made in between 'takes' was that "we're all in this Prisoner-game".
That's now becoming increasingly apparent....
@@Merlina7 What a privilege to have someone who knew Mr. McGoohan to reply to my comment. Thank you so much from No.13...
He had come up with the idea of the village and when he found out about that he resigned and they took him to the village of hers own creation, he was number one all alone.
Brilliant actor and creator. He never really got quite the credit he deserved.
I just found this clip on my of my old vhs video tapes and was going to upload it. However, looks like you have a digitized copy from the TV archive. Great rare interview with the man himself.
Thanks for the upload.
Block
Why do so many handsome actors, grow beards.....!!!
wat amazing actor he was the best actor in breaveheart
Great Actor
Ah yes Mike Smith serious intellect
ESTE GRAN ACTOR ME GUSTO VERLO INTERPRETAR AL REY PIERNAS LARGAS EN LA PELÍCULA CORAZÓN VALIENTE
" I am number two "
" Who is number one ? "
" You .............. are number six ! "
Be seeing you ,
He taught "LOST" how to end a series. LOL
I prefer to imagine that No. 6 went insane -- after all that mind-fuckery episode after episode -- that he IMAGINED or HALLUCINATED everything in "Fallout" -- that it's all in his head. He's still in the Village, but probably strapped in a straitjacket in that "Aversion Therapy" room, with the REAL No. 1 still trying to figure out what major mistake the most recent No. 2 had made to put No. 6 beyond all recovery. No. 6 'escaped' the Village only by retreating into his shattered mind . . . imagining that he discovered the mysterious No. 1 lurking behind that ape-mask (etc.) yet eventually realizing that the ONLY way he could ever 'escape' his predicament in that escape-proof prison, was to imagine HIMSELF somehow being/becoming No. 1 . . . himself as a cackling madman. My 'take' on the ending of the series can account for all the bizarre, surreal elements -- everything that flies in the face of the more straightforward plots of the prior 15-to-16 episodes. And, you'll notice, that he never does give them the "information" they had been seeking all that time: his reason(s) for having resigned from his job as a spy. They may have destroyed his Mind, driving him insane, but they didn't get what they were after "by hook or by crook" . . . so, in the end, he does 'win' by retaining his Big Secret -- but at the ultimate cost of his sanity.
Number 6 was a case of multiple personality - all the other numbers and his Number 1 was their MasterMind
McGoohan is quite clear about the conclusion of the 17th episode. The danger comes from ONE-self. The TV series is actually an INITIATIC process that reveals much more information than what has been generally understood by the general public. It is quite obvious by looking at the faces of those who where present during this interview that none we're curious to understand Patrick McGoohan's statement. First, we need to remember that the ''Prisonner serie'' was create during the cold war, a period during which the fear of communism was palpable and the rise of individualism was starting to gain momentum in the western world. Without going to much in details, we can establish a parallel between the ONE-self and the identification with the EGOTIC structure of human nature. For example, a giant like Steeve Job and APPLE which he developped merely to decades later, could not have succeeded in selling all the I series ( iPad, iPod, iwatch, etc) if the forceful cult of the ''I'' and individualism had not been put forward. The democratization and universal access to the technology is actually a concession made by the Elite to instigate division between human beings and not to help them becoming FREE. Control over the people can either come by communism or...capitalism. In the later case, by selling merchandises that enslaves you while the show is run from outside.
You sound like a lovely optimistic individual.
We're all doomed huh?
I too sometimes forget to take my medication.
What complete and utter pabulum.
Good comment - For me it's more about the human element. What's in us causing outward projection
The Prisoner was the follow up to Dangerman series.
Great interview. Wish he had done more about the series. Gives us something that was going on in the background. How hard it was to do the scenes. :(
It was NOT an American series with a denouement and explanation for the hard of understanding. So delightfully McGoohan.
"I'd love to know what it's all about" Hilarious
The general TV-viewing audience doesn't think too deep - or at all - about what they watch. It was thus in 1968 and the same now. Hence, if they watched the Prisoner episodes, they expected everything to be boxed off nicely at the end. McGoohan didn't want to do that - understandably - as it would have been too trite, so instead he disguised the denouement in a lot of flummery (it has to be said). But most of the audience couldn't be bothered to engage their brains and apply a bit of thinking, so ended up very frustrated. However, I agree with one of the actors involved, Peter Wyngarde, who said in the documentary included with the BluRay boxed set, "Patrick simply didn't know how to end it." I think McGoohan was a strong character, which is essential in someone trying to realise an artistic vision, especially one so extraordinary for its time, but the downside to that is he was not good at self-editing, or taking input from others who he felt were below his level of intellect. (Orson Welles never fully realised his potential for the same reason, in my opinion.)
Great actor RIP Patrick no 6
Patrick McGoohan confirmed what I have always believed: when asking “ who is number one?“, He was told “you are number six.” Just put a comma after “are” and you have just what he said here.
judging by mike smith, was this on Saturday Superstore? I remember watching the first re-run on Ch4, being caught up in the whole hoo-ha. one day, I will watch the whole series and see if it makes any sense to me. Unitl then, 'be seeing you'
Now as for the symbolism and numerological insights of the serie. It is not by chance that the apparent changing managers of the island are number 2. In numerology, number two stands for dualism which is quite appropriate to the enslaving nature of the egotic structure that runs the village and general humanhood. In case of number 6, It is knowned as the number of MAN. The rebellion of number 6 can be interpreted at two levels. The most obvious one being the affirmation of the will that needs to stand apart from the unconscious mass of people living under the rules of a mad society. Nevertheless, even if this was not the purpose of the Serie, we could add in regard to our actual society that this same will can become an obstacle to the emergence of something wider and higher than the EGO. For instance, in tibetan tantrism we learn to understand that the ordinary man is confined to 6 limited domains of existence from which he needs to evolve in under to liberate himself from all bondages. Last but not least, as for the monitoring of number 6 and the other people, the recurring EYE symbol has been knowned for centuries to be a freemasons trademark. Through this, Patrick McGoohan knowingly or not shows us the instrument of EVIL at work here and now in our societies. Don't overlook any détails of this serial .It can become a way in that invites us to deepen our awareness. Thumbs up!
The 'Eye symbol' can also be kinda joke with the ''Big Brother is watching you''; from Orwell's "1984". As the formula "Be seeing you", in quite the same mood it seems.
Tout à fait ça, les francs maçons 😈
I use #1 for pee pee and #2 for poo poo
Coolest dude in my lifetime.
Great hair. He's 55 there, but looks a lot older.
A combination of being very slim, grey, and hairy. He looked like this up until braveheart. Barely seemed to have aged in that time.
@@jimmypapadopoulos1738 Ah
He was actually 54 there, or maybe still 53. This was early 1982.
extremely deep and compelling
The latter episodes of The Prisoner are of a lower quality than the early episodes - that gets overlooked when discussing the show.
Mike Smith RIP
i feel that he is Edward longshanks by someway
McGoohan was a genius way ahead of his time
Should have been James Bond .
Pretty good spy in Ice Station Zebra
He was asked, but declined due to his dislike of how Bond treated women, I.e. sex scenes, and also using a gun. Although he did shoot people in the final episode of the Prisoner.
In this talk show he appears to be the wisest of the wise. At 2:00 he talks about "the most evil ... human essence". No wonder this reminds me of a Schopenhauer quote that human beings are "essentially evil".
When was this recorded? Thanks.
Yes.
love him! At another time he suggested that the character of the "midget" may have been the power behind the entire thing, as they are seen "leaving the village together" in the final episode, but does he ever really leave it? Or does it just continue...as a metaphor for the individual's complicity in the shadow underbelly and at large in human society, the hubris and delusions at play on this planet Earth. It all remains a wonderful mystery anyway.
Fucking wow.
I always understood by his own actions he imprisoned himself and by his actions he freed himself. We are all prisoners of our own design.
Have an old star on and tell him that his show was a mess.
What he says here is precisely what Jung maintains.
Ah the inventor of the 15 minute city 🏙️👁️
What show was this on?!
He has a very deep voice
" *I AM NOT A NUMBER* ."
1:59
2:40
Pierce Brosnan?
Fantastic in hell drivers , real menace
Still handsome ❤
I thought so, he was battling himself, his own ego. He was a prisoner of his own ego. Thats why he was number 1. Once he was free of himself, his own narcissistic ego brain, he was no longer the prisoner, and the series then ended.
No. He was a prisoner of his own dick.
Exactly.
The interviewer is almost 70 years old today.
The interviewer died in 2014.
Can believe this person is Longshangs.
When was this?
1982
Stole the best actor role in the movie from Mel Gibson in Braveheart too!
Ice Station Zebra 1968 star.
Deverau in “Silver Streak”, and the Warden in “Escape From Alcatraz”.
Keanu reeves in the background
McGoohan was a visionary with this show and the questions asked, which are more current than ever. The problem with the last episode was that they suddenly had the plug pulled prematurely and while he had a clear idea for the end in mind, it seems to have been a mix between giving the network a big middle finger in regards to how he did it, and possibly mistaking the intelligence of his audience and not expecting all the fan backlash. In times like these we can all see the captions that the answer to who was number 1 was given with 'you are, number 6' but back then and before the internet it was taken as one sentence and a refusal to answer (Hell, it's used like that in an Iron Maiden song and they're hardly dumb). The mix between the population being uninformed idiots on one side, and the few that *did* understand the whole idea of him being number one and his own enemy possibly being aggravated as well.
Now in 2020 we can see regarding monitoring, camera's and whatnot he was dead on. But I can understand having questions like these asked for the umpteenth time by what's essentially a walking Ken doll made him in the end go into seclusion, refuse contact and ultimately die. If you're as smart and deep as McGoohan was and surrounded by idiots, life must be annoying as hell. I can understand why he drowned in alcoholism.
Well. Two more days, and 2021 will open the doors of one more new year. I just can prey for this new one to be better than the dying one... Anyway, worst than 2020 seems to be impossible ! But I've paid to know that it ain't the case. Worst is ALWAYS a possibility, if not a probability ! The world continues the same; even worse probably... That's life, anyway, and I'm positively and absolutely sure that there has been a lot of people in this sick world living a life worst than Patrick McGoohan's one... For those who have survived !
At least, he lived an incredible life when young in the 60's, the funniest and craziest period of our decadent civilisation; he has even declined to play James Bond in "Doctor No", the first of the saga in 64 (!!!) and, for what I know he has'd continued acting (various episodes -5- of "Colombo", in which he always shines; "Escape from Alcatraz" with Clint Eastwood in 1979, "Braveheart" in 1995, and some other movies). And eventually, he died after a long life, aged of 81 years.
With 'The Prisonner', and others characters too; he still survives in the memories of a lot of people. And has let the picture of a great artist, probably someone complicated and uneasy; but let me tell you... All the artists are complicated and uneasy. That's how it is; and generally this is why they are artists !
Well, how was his life so ?!... I've really seen worst.
Exactly as I have learned to interpret it - 'YOU are'. (When you think and put the inflection (via the comma) into the saying it speaks for itself). So to speak.
And you're so much smarter eh?
@@philippebernard4577Dr No was 1962.
2:57 Pierce Brosnan !
The covid lockdowns and cameras everywhere our phones...we all are prisoners now
Very strange 😮
The trouble with Scotland is, that it's full of Scots.🤣🤣
Australia is infested/afflicted in the same manner.
Is it 1970s interview? Anybody?
Early 80s
So, Smith wanted information?😳