For your consideration ... two rare "Twilight Zone" episodes ...
both well written and produced, both withheld from circulation for
decades but now available.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
- Based on a story by Ambrose Bierce – famous for his surprise endings –
this is a harrowing tale about a man about to be hung for sabotage
during the Civil War. Saved when the rope breaks, he escapes and makes
his way through hazardous country, desperate to reach home and family.
This isn't just a Southern state, it's Twilight Zone territory, so his
journey's end turns out to be someplace very different. The film's
somber mood is emphasized by the slow-motion movements of the soldiers,
extreme close-ups of the man with the rope tight around his neck,
black-and-white camerawork moving slowly between the noose, the water,
trees, insects – and a haunting gospel song called "Living Man." This
was the only episode ever produced abroad and outside the TZ production
company, and it won a number of awards.
“The Encounter”
- A caustic diatribe against war and dehumanizing military propaganda.
It begins as WWII veteran (Neville Brand of STALAG 17, BIRDMAN OF
ALCATRAZ, and TV’s “The Untouchables”), a racial bigot, reluctantly
hires a Nisei handyman (George Takei of "Star Trek"). In the course of
an emotional day, each man is strangely affected by the Japanese samurai
sword that the vet keeps stored in his attic. Primal wounds and guilts
surface, with deadly consequences. Almost totally absent of the usual
Twilight Zone twists and turns, “The Encounter” is nonetheless riveting
for its intense acting (Brand is uncomfortably convincing) and
timeless/timely message. Interesting as the episode is, it was vaulted
after only one telecast because everal Japanese-American organizations
objected to Takei's character.)
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