"The Prisoner" is a post-WWII psychological drama taking place in an unnamed East European country that has fallen under Communist rule. You'll notice that none of the characters are credited with proper names, in this tale of a popular Cardinal (Alec Guinness) being put through the wringer by an interrogator (Jack Hawkins). The Cardinal has been accused of treason against the state, and arrested, and the interrogator hopes to crack through the churchmans' shell and find his weak spot, anything to make the man confess to what are essentially baseless charges.
It's all about the acting in this small scale production, a battle of wills which does indeed come off as a photographed stage play. Director Peter Glenville doesn't give it style or cinematic flair, but it IS pretty atmospheric as photographed by D.P. Reginald H. Wyer. Inspired by two real-life churchmen, the tale (written by Bridget Boland) is intelligent and compelling. One does feel quite bad for the Cardinal, who is a tough nut to crack at first. And yet neither lead character is painted as purely one-dimensional; the viewer doesn't necessarily hate the interrogator when all is said and done.
There is a minor number of supporting players, all of them very good, especially the hearty and jovial Wilfrid Lawson as the jailer. Ronald Lewis, as the young warder, figures in a subplot about his love for a married woman (Jeanette Sterke), although this bit of business never really goes anywhere. Fortunately, Guiness and Hawkins (old pros, the both of them) deliver commanding performances that hold ones' attention even if the material does not.
Provocative and controversial in its day, "The Prisoner" was seen by some as too sympathetic to Communists, and by others as being too *anti*-Communist. It clocks in at a fairly trim running time, 94 minutes, and does give us a fairly powerful ending.
Seven out of 10.
It's all about the acting in this small scale production, a battle of wills which does indeed come off as a photographed stage play. Director Peter Glenville doesn't give it style or cinematic flair, but it IS pretty atmospheric as photographed by D.P. Reginald H. Wyer. Inspired by two real-life churchmen, the tale (written by Bridget Boland) is intelligent and compelling. One does feel quite bad for the Cardinal, who is a tough nut to crack at first. And yet neither lead character is painted as purely one-dimensional; the viewer doesn't necessarily hate the interrogator when all is said and done.
There is a minor number of supporting players, all of them very good, especially the hearty and jovial Wilfrid Lawson as the jailer. Ronald Lewis, as the young warder, figures in a subplot about his love for a married woman (Jeanette Sterke), although this bit of business never really goes anywhere. Fortunately, Guiness and Hawkins (old pros, the both of them) deliver commanding performances that hold ones' attention even if the material does not.
Provocative and controversial in its day, "The Prisoner" was seen by some as too sympathetic to Communists, and by others as being too *anti*-Communist. It clocks in at a fairly trim running time, 94 minutes, and does give us a fairly powerful ending.
Seven out of 10.