The Prisoner (TV Series) The Chimes of Big Ben (1967) User Reviews

"I don't want a man of fragments!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 24 October 2009]

The second 'Prisoner' to be shown in the U.K., this is one of Patrick McGoohan's core seven episodes ( the other ten were added to make the series saleable to America ). It is indeed a strong story of manipulation and betrayal, conforming to the conventional spy theme established by its predecessor 'Arrival'. Things would start to get really weird with 'Free For All'.

Number 6 prepares to face a new day while watched by the latest Number 2 ( Leo McKern ) and his Assistant ( Christopher Benjamin ). 2 comments on how 6 can 'make even the act of putting on his dressing gown appear as a gesture of defiance!'. Annoyed by the blaring radio he cannot turn off, 6 puts it in his fridge, provoking 2's admiring laughter. It is now some months since 6's arrival, and still he has not been broken. 2 wishes to know the reason for 6's resignation, so an elaborate scam is put in place.

A new arrival in The Village, Nadia ( Nadia Gray ), comes from Estonia. Before she resigned, she saw a secret file in which the Village's location was given as Lithuania. 6 befriends her, and uses an arts and crafts competition as a cover to make a boat, in which they both take to sea late one night. 'Rover' chases them along the Baltic coast, until a man with a high-powered rifle shoots it away. So now 6 and Nadia are free. Or are they?

The outcome is superbly executed, with not only McGoohan brilliant but also Kevin Stoney as 'Colonel J' and Richard Wattis as 'Fotheringay'. The latter had appeared in a number of early 'Danger Man' episodes in the role of 'Hardy'. In a line of dialogue deleted from the broadcast episode, Fotheringay claimed to have been at school with Number 6.

This story began a thread of speculation amongst viewers that the British Establishment might conceivably control the Village. At one point 6 asks Colonel J: "Are you sure you haven't got a Village here?".

As 'Number 2', the bearded McKern manages to be both sinister and likable, putting that wonderfully raucous laugh of his to good use. "You'll be back...whimpering!", he yells at 6 as he leaves The Green Dome. Small wonder that McKern was asked to return ( not once, but twice ).

The late Nadia Gray is very much a 'Danger Man' sort of Russian; beautiful, courageous ( she tries to escape from The Village soon after her capture by swimming out to sea ) and strangely enigmatic. Her banter with 6 inside the crate suggests she has fallen for him.

One of my favourite scenes is the hilarious arts and crafts competition. Puzzled by his unusual entry ( which he calls 'Escape' ), the judges ask Number 6 what it is ( anticipating the very questions McGoohan would later be asked about the series itself ). When one likens it to a church door, he snaps: "Right first time!". Art means whatever you want it to mean.

Finlay Currie appears as a grumpy old General, whom 6 plays chess with ( rather like the 'Admiral' from 'Arrival' ).

Written by Vincent Tilsley, later to write 'Face Unknown' ( retitled 'Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling' ) for the series. Your heart will go out to 6 in the final scene. Luckily, we are consoled by the fact that there are another fifteen shows left.

Audacious, Quintessential "Chimes" Is an Unabashed Triumph

[darryl-tahirali · 10/10 · 2 April 2022]

Arguably the quintessential "Prisoner" episode, "The Chimes of Big Ben" is audacious for Number Six's escape attempt, Number Two's (Leo McKern) attempt to entice him into revealing why he resigned from his top-level intelligence-agency post, Vincent Tilsley's incisive script that brilliantly blends the two attempts into one, and, perhaps most of all, the riveting exchanges between Patrick McGoohan and McKern, which led to McKern returning as Number Two for the series' last two episodes.

The debut episode "Arrival" previewed what would be this revolutionary spy series' running feature: the frequent turnover of Number Twos, chairpersons of the Village, the cozy if Kafkaesque hamlet that is actually a high-tech detention center for intelligence personnel who had become inconvenient but whose expertise yet to be extracted from them precluded outright wetwork (as the KGB would put it colorfully). The Village shed Number Twos like a spy burning through disguises largely because of failed interrogations attempts of Number Six, who was always on his guard for all manner of subterfuge.

Thus, he becomes suspicious at the arrival of Estonian Nadia Rokovsky (Nadia Gray), dubbed Number Eight in Villagespeak, a high-enough number to suggest a high-ranking official, although her suicide attempts, and Number Two's veiled threats to keep the pressure on her, persuade Number Six to heed Number Two's insistence that he become a cooperative Villager by agreeing to participate in the upcoming art contest if Number Two lays off Nadia.

While Number Six works away at his woodworking abstract, he begins to trust Nadia, who tells him she learned accidentally that the Village is in Lithuania, and that she has contacts in the vicinity that can get them to England. Lo, Number Six's abstract sculpture, which nets him a special prize that he promptly redeems for another contestant's prize-winning giant tapestry, can be assembled into a makeshift sailboat with the tapestry acting as the sail, enabling him and Nadia to escape the Village under dead of night (or at least under day-for-night simulation). Nadia indeed has contacts, and they soon find themselves nailed up in a crate bound for London.

Tilsley's drollery manifests itself both verbally and visually. When Number Two, commiserating with Number Six that they both know too much and are thus "lifers" in the Village, states that his hope is that entire world will become the Village (one-world government conspiracy theorists take note), then asks Number Six what his hope is, he replies, "To be the first man on the Moon." The sole subject allowed to be depicted in the art contest is Number Two, a sly swipe at dictator worship of any ideological stripe made hilarious when the sailboat tapestry is unfurled to display the big giant head of Number Two. And, near the close, when the maniacally cheerful Village herald (the delightful Fennella Fielding) announces over the PA system what the subject of the next art contest is, laughter barely soothes the sting.

But the centerpiece of "The Chimes of Big Ben" is Number Six's return to England and how the titular timepiece figures into that. Tilsley must tread carefully in his narrative, and in hindsight it isn't hard to pick out contradictions in the characterizations, particularly Nadia's, but director Don Chaffey's brisk pacing is enough to carry an impressive conceit the first time through as McGoohan is nothing less than spellbinding at the climax. An unabashed triumph.

Jailbreak!

[Mr-Fusion · 10/10 · 25 September 2017]

What 'The Chimes of Big Ben' has up its sleeve (pretty much the whole third act) is mind-boggling, and some of the most exciting material this show has to offer. It perfectly illustrates the lengths that Number 6's captors are willing to go to break him.

It's not spoilers to say he actually gets off the island, but that's the kind of lure I'm talking about. The real spoilers are that we learn so much about the Village (off the shores of Lithuania) but these turn out to be lies in the end. And their plan was beyond sinister from the start.

This episode benefits highly from Leo McKern as the new Number 2 (my favorite, and it's easy to see why he's brought back later). His is a boisterous villain, maintaining a good repartee with McGoohan while owning the stage. We get to see 6's classic obstinance, but also his skill at playing Number 2's game.

'Big Ben' is one of the best episodes, offering not just twists and suspense, but everything the show is really about.

10/10

An Elaborate Plan

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 16 February 2015]

The second episode is quite stellar. Number Six teams up with Number 8 (identified as Nadia). She is seen as rebellious as he and so he begins to connect with her. She is seen as suicidal and hopeless. Number Six bargains for her life. At an arts fair, where almost all the submissions look like Number 2 in some way, Number Six builds an abstract piece, admired by all. It serves two purposes. One, it is an ancient positioning method which will help him figure out where he is exactly. It is also the hull of a sailboat. The two abscond with a tapestry and finish the boat and on their way. They are met by her confederate along the way, and Number Six sends a coded message with him, notifying his former bosses what has happened to him. This is a very entertaining episode because we are able to sense the intense futility of his situation. He is so infuriating to the powers that be because he refuses to crack.

I am not a number. I am a person.

[aramis-112-804880 · 8/10 · 2 May 2022]

In the late 1930s, to celebrate twenty years of wholesale murder in the workers' paradise of the USSR, Stalin and his posse decided the only acceptable art moved the Socialist ball down the field. Shostakovich, the great composer, kept getting into hot water, for instance, because Stalin didn't think his music was Socialist enough. Music! His fourth symphony nearly got him in the Gualgs.

I was reminded of that when watching the Village art contest in "The Chimes of Big Ben," one of the episodes of "The Prisoner" that seems more relevant today than ever, when art is a battlefield and artists and writers have their work vetted by lots of nosey interest groups. Most of the village art bore depictions of no.2 on them, but no.6's did not. So the art-judging committee wondered, "Where's Number Two?" (Note: by accident or design a picture of no.2 in the work behind no.6's seem to be attached to it). Not only is 6's sculpture a means of escape, it allows a little satire on modern art. "Why the cross-piece?" "Why not?" Marvelous.

Whenever I hear someone suggest "giving back" to the "community" I'm reminded of the dear old Village. To paraphrase 6 only slightly, I am not a Community; I am a person.

"The Chimes of Big Ben" is one of those episodes most people like. Most notably it features Leo McKern's powerful no.2. If anyone could break 6, he could. The two actors, McKern and McGoohan, have a wonderful rapport. And McKern's 2 is the definition of the iron fist in the velvet glove.

It proves one reason "The Prisoner" was cancelled. It cost too much, it was overrunning . . . But audiences in Britain and America at the time loved a comfortable sameness. "The Prisoner" had some great no. 2s and fine actors as no.2. But I think broader audiences would have preferred no. 2s that didn't keep changing. And McKern was the man for the job, playing the new no.2 or the old no.2 in three episodes.

Frankly, I didn't mind the ever changing no.2 collage. But McKern set his stamp on the role in a way no other did. I can see Guy Dolman or Peter Wyngarde getting away with it as well; but McKern has a special place in the hearts of "Prisoner" fans. So it's just as well he's in the Green Dome's spherical chair of this episode.

No. 6 takes a new Prisoner, the Estonian Nadia, under his wing; and she presents an idea for escape. With his typical wariness he plays along, and it all seems to be A-OK. But "The Prisoner" is a roller coaster ride of plot twists and the rug yanked from under expectations. It's difficult to describe many episodes without giving away the tricks

One clue Americans may have missed at the time was the presence of the great supporting actor Richard Wattis, who played McGoohan's superior (or, at least, a conduit through which John Drake received orders) in some 30-minuite "Danger Man" episodes.

Clockwork

[AaronCapenBanner · 10/10 · 9 June 2015]

Early broadcast episode of this series was the first to introduce veteran British actor Leo McKern as number two, (who would memorably return later on in the series). Here, number six(Patrick McGoohan) is still adjusting to village life, and trying to fool the authorities with a most clever piece of functional abstract art(a small boat) that he will use to escape from the village with new arrival number eight(played by Nadia Grey) to get back to London, but events will prove that the reach of the village is wide indeed... Fine episode every bit as worthy as the first, showing the steely resilience and determination that marked "six", with effective final twist.

Interestingly Superior to the Pilot of the Series

[mrdonleone · 9/10 · 15 January 2020]

I remember seeing the pilot and feeling very disappointed, but all of that overthinking is gone now in this first real episode of the series, and I love it so much. Everything about this episode was great: music, colors, kitsh and cult. The acting a bit outnoded, true, but fascinating whereas the pilot wasn't that much to my taste.

A Chime Off

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 18 June 2019]

In "The Chimes of Big Ben" Number Six gets a new neighbor in the form of Number Right, Nadia. She's a new arrival who is here because she accidentally came across a map of the Village. She thinks she knows of a way of escaping so Six carves out a sailboat and the two sail across the water overnight. They arrive to meet one of Nadia's contacts who snuggles them in boxes to ship them to London.

The two arrive and Six meets his old boss and tells him the whole story about the Village he's been marooned at for months. Six feels that something is off though when Big Ben chimes the wrong number. This was all an elaborate ruse to get Number Six to disclose why he left his employ. He's been in the Village all along.

Number Six seems to be quite the rube sometimes yet extremely intelligent other times. Figuring out the Big Ben discrepancy was clever, yet he just trusts Nadia completely. Shouldn't he have gotten suspicious when she had a contact waiting for the two of them on the beach when they landed? How could that man possibly have known where they were or how they'd get to him.

I liked this Number Two a lot. He played it REALLY big and is just hamming it up all over the screen. He makes his scenes very memorable.

My favorite concept introduced so far is that it's like Groundhog Day and we don't really know how long Number Six has been in the Village. We're led to believe that he's been here for months at the very least which puts a dark undertone the episodes. Pretty enjoyable so far.

I've been worried about to come!!!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 5 February 2020]

When this series come out, I've stay very exciting, thinking with spy adventures, however on the first episode as introducing the characters and concepts of the series I understood, nonetheless the second episode trapped on the village, the number six got escape from there, after a couple days arrives in London, did he?? No he actually never leaves the village, then I've been stayed worried about to come, if he will be trapped there forever and they asking "Why you resign?" will be a pain in the neck really, I wouldn't believe in such silliness, let's see the next episode with further unveiling things, let's wait!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7