via The New York Times...On June 1 (1968) audiences accustomed to the corny vaudeville of “The Jackie Gleason Show” on CBS (a US television network) stumbled upon an utterly baffling summer replacement: "The Prisoner" recently released on DVD in a 10-disc (40th) anniversary set.
The premise seemed simple enough. An unnamed man (Patrick McGoohan
) resigns from some sort of top-secret intelligence job, whereupon he is kidnapped to a sprawling, secretive complex known only as the Village. There he is surrounded by other captured spy types, and his ever-present captors try to trick, drug and otherwise manipulate him into revealing why he quit. The man, rechristened No. 6 by his captors, spends 17 episodes resisting their efforts and plotting his getaway.This conventional cat-and-mouse game, of course, was merely the starting point from which “The Prisoner” plumbed issues of freedom, conformity, privacy and control. The Village (in real life, the Hotel Portmeirion resort in North Wales) was a microcosm of civilization, and within its confines — which, if the captives decided to cooperate, could be comfortable enough — the eternal drama of an individual’s relationship to society was played out. (more)
Portmeirion is a visually beautiful place. It will automatically join your vacation wish-list after you watch The Prisoner. Tip: Stay at the hotel – Room 2 is a good one. Dine one evening at Castell Deudraeth.You won't be lucky enough to see the filming of "The Prisoner - Series 2" (due to be released in 2009) while you are there. It is being filmed in Swakopmund. On the other hand, Portmeirion and the rest of Northern Wales are areas very few people are ever lucky enough to see. ~Kevin
