The Prisoner (1956)
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60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
50% of users liked it
(480 ratings)
British theatrical director Peter Glenville made his film directorial debut with 1955's The Prisoner (Glenville had previous helmed the London stage production of this Bridget Boland play). The film is based on the real-life travails of Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty, who after suffering under… More British theatrical director Peter Glenville made his film directorial debut with 1955's The Prisoner (Glenville had previous helmed the London stage production of this Bridget Boland play). The film is based on the real-life travails of Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty, who after suffering under Nazi persecution was imprisoned by the new Communist regime for remaining loyal to his religious convictions. Alec Guinness, his head shaved, plays an unnamed Cardinal in an unspecified Eastern European country who is clapped into jail. Here he is ordered by the politicos to issue a phony statement to his flock, one that will effectively end Catholicism in his country. Jack Hawkins plays the diabolically clever "Interrogator", who is almost successful in convincing Guinness that his false statement will have a beneficial effect. The Prisoner fared better in its American release than it did in Europe, where it was branded both "pro-Communist" and "anti-Communist" by various single-issue pressure groups. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Peter Glenville
- Written By
- Bridget Boland
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Dec 11, 1955 Wide
- On DVD
- Mar 2, 2004
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org
What Guinness does with his eyes alone ... provides a seminar on acting. And that's just from the neck up.
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Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Drama psicológico inteligente e com belas atuações de Guinness, Hawkins e Lawson, perde pontos apenas pela presença forçada de uma subtrama tola envolvendo dois amantes.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
This could've been a fascinating look at the interplay between two very different men...but Bridget Boland's screenplay utilizes the most stilted dialogue imaginable.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
Cast
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Alec Guinness
as The Cardinal
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Jack Hawkins
as The Interrogator
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Wilfred Lawson
as The Jailer
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Kenneth Griffith
as The Secretary
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Jeannette Sterke
as The Girl
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Ronald Lewis
as The Warder
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Raymond Huntley
as The General
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Mark Dignam
as The Governor
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Gerard Heinz
as The Doctor
- Richard Leech
