THE PRISONER: METHODICAL COMMENTARY

I’d never heard of the movie THE PRISONER until Arrow Video decided to release their version of the film. I’ve been a fan of Sir Alec Guinness but the truth is the majority of his films rarely get mentioned let alone released on disc so this one interested me from the start. The end result was a mixed bag.

The film is set in an Eastern European country though never identified as to which one. Nazism has been replaced by an apparent communist style regime and people are held in check by an oppressive government. The film opens during a religious ceremony overseen by a Cardinal (Guinness) when it is interrupted by a group of police arresting him and taking him into custody.

Placed in a cell and accused of treason he is held captive by the Interrogator (Jack Hawkins). Knowing that the tried and true methods often employed by the regime (mainly torture) will most likely fail with the Cardinal since he suffered thus at the hands of the Nazis in the past, the Interrogator uses other techniques of a more psychological approach. Rather than attack him on political views he does so on his religious beliefs instead.

The state, unwilling to wait patiently for the Cardinal’s confession, attempts to force his hand with false evidence they have against him. He easily refutes their bogus efforts which strengthen his resolve rather than weaken it. The Interrogator uses other methods like sleep deprivation, starvation and others to slowly weaken the Cardinal. It’s an effective use of tools as he combines those with an attack on the vanity of the Cardinal as well.

Breaking him down bit by bit he slowly manipulates the Cardinal to believe that his pious behavior is less an attempt to humble himself before God than it is an attempt to rewrite his own personal history, one filled with shame at his poor life before the priesthood. He pressures him to believe that he chose his path not out of being selfless and wanting to help others but to rise from his own poverty to a position that will care for him in a selfless world.

The movie moves along at a snail’s pace but rightfully so. To move it forward any other way would be to follow the path of the government on display here and rush things that take time. The attempt to slowly and methodically breakdown of the Cardinal is, after all, what the movie is about on the surface. But at its core it is a battle between religion and totalitarianism. Coming out shortly after the war and in the midst of the cold war this makes it an intriguing film to watch.

The performances of the two lead actors are amazing to watch. Both are well known for larger roles that came to them later on, most notably their co-starring once again 2 years later in THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, seeing them at this earlier stage in their careers is interesting. Early on they were both excellent at their craft.

Arrow is releasing this as part of their Arrow Academy series and they’ve done a great job. But then what else would anyone expect of Arrow? The film is presented in a high definition 1080p version and contains plenty of extras. Those include “Interrogating Guinness” a new video appreciation of the film by author and academic Neil Sinyard, select scene commentary by author and critic Philip Kemp, a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Mark Cunliffe.

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