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Serielizados Fest premieres in Spain the documentary that unveils the mysteries of one of the most enigmatic and influential series of the twentieth century: ‘The Prisoner’.
What is a cult series? How long does it have to last and what mark does it have to leave to be considered as such? The Prisoner (1967-1968) was, above all, an experiment. An experiment that came from the mind of an actor tired of always playing the same role, and who for this occasion would take the reins of creation, in addition to starring in it. An experiment that mixed the espionage thriller with a psychedelic solution set in an unmapped place called The Village, half prison, half “vacation town” of kitsch aesthetics, with the appearance of utopia.
As Enric Ros excellently defines in his article Patrick McHoogan, el hombre de otro lugar, “The Village is an endearing and disturbing non-place, a Guantanamo disguised as Marina D’Or or, if you prefer, a Disneyland for ex-spies; an allegorical space that looks like a Baudrillardian simulation of “overmodernity”. And trapped in it, a classically cut secret agent who must reach the rabbit hole of this fantasy of “attraction capitalism”. A masterpiece ahead of its time that impregnated incalculably the dystopian series that we constantly devour.
In My Mind (2017) is a documentary made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Prisoner written and directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Chris Rodley, known for his productions about Lou Reed, Pink Floyd or Andy Warhol. The feature film chronicles one of Rodley’s earliest filmmaking experiences: an attempt to interview Patrick McGoohan in 1983, something McGoohan had previously resisted. But the documentary didn’t go as planned. In that series of interviews, McGoohan revealed his innermost thoughts about his concept.
After McGoohan’s death in 2009, Rodley revisited the original interviews and material sent by McGoohan, and decided to produce his own film to do ‘justice’ to the creator. This new piece is In My Mind.
With new interviews with his daughter Catherine McGoohan, who offers insightful and informed views on her father’s emotional and psychological state, and never-before-seen footage, we finally have the definitive story of The Prisoner told by its creator. A unique opportunity to enter the mind of a visionary who changed the way we think about paradise.
Hosted by journalist and professor Enric Ros.
Run time: 78 minutes.
Screening in original version (English) with subtitles in Catalan.