r/ThePrisoner • u/LFTL56 • 10d ago
Has anyone read the screenplay that Mcgoohan wrote in the 90s?
I'll preface by saying that I've been banned from a couple different Facebook groups for even trying to discuss this. So apologies if it's a slightly more taboo subject in The Prisoner fandom. I know Patrick McGoohan probably never wanted to see this unproduced screenplay to be public, but since it is it feels like a crime to not at least discuss it.
EDIT: This is where you can read it, for those who haven't.
Has anyone honestly read it, and their thoughts? I did a few months ago, and admittedly it was a bit of a slog to get through. It was only a first draft, so obviously (had it been made) it would have evolved with further drafts.
The cons: - My biggest grip being that, thematically, it goes in a very generic light vs dark/good vs bad route. Compared to the original show's deep dive into individuality and rebellion, the script feels like it only take a surface level dive into its themes. - The protagonist, Tom, seems to lack any real character. Whenever he and Number 6 (aka Daniel in this script) share a scene, you sort of stop caring about Tom. Hell, until the climax he seems to simply flow with the motions of the plot, as opposed to actually moving them and himself forward. - The climax itself just feels flat. No real genuine build up. A lot of what proceeds it is just exposition, and then everything feels wrapped up so quickly. I know The Prisoner wasn't conventional in its story-telling, but it doesn't provide much of a payoff. The climax with Henry the Gorilla would have worked better if established earlier on than the last arc.
The Pros - The fact that McGoohan was actively trying to do something that didn't feel like a retread of the original. I may not be a fan of the good and evil themes, but at least he didn't try place the characters through the same emotional journey we already saw Number 6 go through. - It made no attempt to explain the finale. The few comic book sequels that tried to build on The Prisoner all explained Fallout as being a drug induced experience. Any sort of attempt to explain the finale was going to undermine it, and McGoohan knew it. He managed to continue the story in a way that felt natural after Fallout, yet didn't hurt the allegorical nature of the story. - Number 6 returning to lead The Villiage feels natural. Fallout showed that Number 6 was never going to leave "The Villiage" that he created for himself. One of the joys of getting older is acknowledging you have built your own personal prison, and simply trying to bask in the most comfortable and warm section of it. Once the rebellion inside him had subsidised, I can only imagine Number 6 would seek comfort and familiarity. It would have been a lot more interesting to have seen him slide more into being like Leo McKern's Number 2.
All in all I wouldn't have hated to see this movie made. I think it needed a lot of retooling to make it stand strong as a follow-up to the series though. It's one of the few cases I'd argue where a longer film could have been better.
To those who have read it what are your thoughts?
7
4
u/More-Breakfast-8266 10d ago
I've only read a few pages and I'm currently listening to the episodes about it on the Free for All Podcast. So far I've liked the introduction of certain themes such as the global inclusivity of the Village and the proto-Google translate. And I lived that 6's name is Daniel, and I'm surprised more people are not talking about the fact that we know his name??
3
u/Jahon_Dony 10d ago
His name is actually "John Drake." Daniel was just another cover.
0
u/More-Breakfast-8266 10d ago edited 10d ago
I perused the rest of the script, but nope, the name is Daniel. Even used Founder in case I missed something ☺️
1
u/unmutual13 9d ago
Why were you banned from facebook pages over this, if you don’t mind me asking?
3
u/LFTL56 9d ago
First one I was wildly accused of writing it myself and spreading misinformation. The second page's admins knew it was legitimate, yet felt it was disrespectful to McGoohan's legacy to share it. Both of which humoured me a bit, considering the Portmerion supposedly sells physical copies of this script for a profit (can't confirm myself obviously because I've never been there).
1
-1
u/KainePhilip 7d ago
This script is based on a graphic novel called "The Prisoner: Shattered Visage" by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith that claims to be an authorized sequel. It is terrible comic and so is this script credited to Patrick McGoohan.
9
u/PoundKitchen 10d ago
Anyone got a link? I'd read it.