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Thursday 12 September 2013

The Therapy Zone

The Peaceful Atmosphere Of The Village
   The only person who can never enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the village is  - No.1.

Blown To Bits At The Wicket........ That must have been a bit nasty!
   I can think of better ways to die, and better causes to die for. But the Colonel- Colonel Hawke-Englishe was a brave man, and a man in the field - being on the trail of the mad Professor Schnipps as he was at the time of his untimely death. Well it certainly wasn't cricket!
   So here we have another side to the Prisoner - horror - and all it takes is a little imagination. Because try to imagine if you will, what those spectators would have seen as the bowler bowls the ball, and with a bounce on the wicket makes contact with the Colonel's cricket bat. Then the loud report, smoke and flame, blood and guts all over the stumps and wicket-keeper. It must have been a terrible sight to look upon, for players and spectators alike. Almost as devastating, I should think, as the bomb, concealed in the Great Seal of Office in the episode ‘It’s Your Funeral,’ would have been - if it had been detonated on the balcony during the "Appreciation Day" ceremony.

Easily Swayed By Dem Bones!
    I recall attending a particular Prisoner convention at Portmeirion, it was the year that one of two screened episodes of the Prisoner was Fall Out. Six of One used to have episodes screened at the Coliseum in the nearby town of Portmadog as part of the convention, where the "Rushes" were screened at the time of filming of the Prisoner in 1967. Well we were all comfortable watching Fall Out on the big screen, and then No.48-Alexis Kanner started running about and singing "Dem Bones" and everyone in the audience began to clap and tap their feet to the lyrics of the song. Well everyone but me. I simply sat there looking at people there joining in as they were, with what was happening on the screen, apart from No.6 who sat there on his throne. And that felt good, only myself in the cinema and McGoohan-Sir on the big screen, not joining in with the multitude who are so easily swayed by the song "dem Bones."

It Certainly Wasn’t Cricket!
    So, the game's a foot Mr. Sherlock Holmes, as he is on the trail of ‘The Girl Who Was Death!’ He's wearing a standard disguise and stands at the crease waiting for the ball to be bowled. Even though the game is a fascinating one, the group of spectators is almost as fascinating, because it is made up entirely of the female sex, girls, young and older women - and not one male member is to be seen amongst them! Of course it is possible that this group of spectators is simply made up with wives, girls friends and family of the two cricket teams playing. But girls are amongst the spectators, so why not the boys -perhaps they are not interested enough, but then why the girls?

Be seeing you.

2 comments:

  1. Dem Bones.
    It's a remarkable scene. No. 48 getting up, running around causing great disturbance among the audience. I wonder what or: who initiated, "Dem Bones", the incidental music here. Because down in that cavern no source for music appears to be around in that particular scene nor would there be a sensible reason for having music at all. How did it come about? Sure, there must have been loudspeakers, sure also there are the musical boxes in the corridor. But somebody must have anticipated No. 48 acting the way he did and play the accompanying "Dem Bones" track. My guess would be it wasn't devised by No. 1 or anyone from the Village authority. In this scene the use of "Dem Bones" is a comment effected by the presence of the (hidden) AUTHOR, the originator of The Prisoner, perhaps PMcG in person, his spiritual influence on almost any aspect of the production. Adding the theatrical stage quality of the episode as such. Any further clue? - BCNU!

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  2. Add: Later on the highway "Dem Bones" is heard again. But this time there's also a source for it, the car radio. While No. 6, No. 48 and the Butler are seen dancing on the truck. - BCNU!

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