The Prisoner is a 1955 British black-and-white psychological thriller film directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play of the same name by Bridget Boland. It stars Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins. Although controversial at the time of its release, the film received five nominations at the 9th British Academy Film Awards: Best Film From Any Source, Best British Film, Best British Screenplay, and Best British Actor (for both Guinness and Hawkins).