PRE-ORDER @AMAZON
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PRISONER CELL BLOCK H: VOL.7 IS OUT NOW ON UK DVD. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE…
Prisoner Cell Block H is oft derided by those who haven’t been converted to the cause so this week, it’s time to refute a few false claims and give the proper respect to what this writer thinks is the pinacle of the Soap Opera form and a series that effortlessly combined the constant rolling drama of a long running TV show and the grimy elements of exploitation cinema, albeit toned down a tad for home viewing. So, for everyone whose ever stuck up for Bea Smith, The Freak, Vinegar Tits and all the other ladies of Wentworth, here’s a spirited defence…
Blah, Blah, Blah… The Sets Wobble
Often the first accusation to be waved at the series and probably the most irrelevent. Prisoner hails for the 70s and 80s, when TV wasn’t so slick or fast moving and the camera work had yet to take on the rough, hand held style used in many cop shows or the more cinematic look that increasing budgets give to big American shows. So, occasionally, a cell wall will tremble as a door slams shut, making one wonder as to how easily an escape could be if you had a saw. The thing is, this is kind of hokey set building is part of the fun in Doctor Who or Blake 7 and it’s also part of the charm in Prisoner. Maybe people should focus more on the extraordinary performances, which leads me on to point two…
Whatever… The acting is awful.
Not true. Soap Opera, when pitched perfectly, should be a glorious mix of melodrama, pantomime, heart tugging emotion and show stopping outrage. Prisoner Cell Block H isn’t a Mike Leigh movie, it’s an Aussie Soap and the fine work by the actors in the series is a reflection of that. Soap Opera scripts, painted as they are on a big, unsubtle canvas, need big characters who’ll throw themselves into whatever situation the writers require. Nuanced performances of surprising depth are still possible, even if you’re a top dog planning another crazy scheme to get rid of Vera.
Yeah well… The plots are stupid
In comparison to what? Eastenders. Well, when you finished watching Phil Mitchell rocking out while smoking crack on Youtube for the nth time, say that again. Really now, is the plot involving building a model robot for a local school so that one of the girls can be smuggled out hidden inside any more outrageous than a cast member being abducted by aliens in The Colbys? Soap is Soap, we want crazy plot lines.
But having said that, if there’s one Soap Opera that actually fulfils its remit for dealing with real life issues it’s Prisoner. In a country not known for it’s tolerance, Prisoner is a series that doesn’t just leer at societies unfortunates for our kicks. For a start, there are good lags and bad lags; Corrupt screws and honest screws. Prisoner also finds time to address the issues that bring people to the prison in the first place and, in the subplots that revolve around the halfway house, the problems that trigger recidivism. All this from a late 70s show made in less open minded times. I propose that the so called outrages against storytelling claimed by the shows detractors are just a small part of a bigger picture that emcompasses social issues and moments of real emotional clout.
Um… It’s dated?
Now your just losing the argument! Dated? what, like Fawlty Towers? or Citizen Kane? Of course it’s dated but why does that affect the enjoyment? If fact, there are advantages to being a little long in the televisual tooth. For cultural historians, the frequent retro-sexism of the show is an interesting curio for those fascinated by evolving social attitudes. Interestingly, the attitudes displayed in the show are more akin to how men behaved towards women in 60s British movies of the swingin’ variety leading this viewer to think that perhaps equality filtered down under more slowly. Whatever the sociological reasons, I always imagine that the often moustache sporting 70s Alpha males that populate the show must have flooded the set with the musky odour of Blue Stratos.
