There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of mans fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Or so ran the opening monologue of
Rod Serlings science fiction anthology series In each half-hour episode an intelligent, mysterious and often horrific and disturbing scenario was showcased, highlighting the prevalent social & political concerns of the time. Playing up to the Cold War fears of post WWII America and exploiting the paranoia generated by this, Serling and his team produced a series that was truly groundbreaking and with this exceptional debut season now available on an equally spectacular
Blu-ray release, it's time to revisit an old favourite or for the even more fortunate of you out there, a chance to be introduced to something spectacular. An array of complex and puzzling narratives form the structure of The Twilight Zone. From faded film stars unable to cope with their diminishing fame, through a man wrongly imprisoned alone on a planet and finds companionship with a robot, to a man who visits his hometown only to discover hes gone back in time and a hypochondriac who makes a deal with the devil, each episode makes an intelligent comment upon society and politics through the medium of science fiction and fantasy.
This hugely influential television series helped make science fiction drama popular on television at a time when the genre was predominantly aimed at children through Saturday morning cartoons and serials. Similar in vein to
Alfred Hitchcock Presents and following the classical anthology drama structure of popular series such as the Chevron Theatre, Playhouse 90 and The Philco Television Playhouse, The Twilight Zone boasted a guest star of stature in most episodes and a unique narrative each week. Notable thesps in the first series include
Ida Lupino (in the episode, The Sixteen-Millimetre Shrine),
Burgess Meredith (in, Time Enough at Last),
Rod Taylor (in, And When the Sky was Opened) and
Vera Miles (in, Mirror Image). By todays standards some performances may appear over the top or slightly ridiculous, but generally speaking most are underplayed and the actors abilities to restrain themselves helps heighten the tension and unsettling atmospheres presented in each episode. Serling offers a gripping voiceover monologue at the beginning of each episode and hooks viewers into the story by offering hints to the plot, but remaining mysterious enough to not give away too many details. Similarly, he entices audiences with a brief (on camera) introduction to next weeks tale at the end of the show. These monologues add a unique charm to the series, much like Hitchcocks introductions did to his.
For a television series the camerawork and imagery are tremendous and are actually more accomplished than much of the 1950s and early 1960s sci fi film output (particularly the slew of B pictures that were produced after the genre proved so popular with contemporary audiences). The official pilot episode
Where is Everybody? features an entire deserted town that is particularly disconcerting because it evokes the familiarity and comfort of a normal, everyday suburban American locale, but suggests that this can be a place of menace and fear. The production values appear high because of these incredible sets, but in actuality it was made on a relatively small budget (after the success of the first series, by the time production had begun on the second one this had risen to $65000 however). Its very hard to single out individual episodes as being the most notable, as the whole series is constructed with exceptional writing, acting and imagery. However, the following are particularly enjoyable episodes, looking and sounding great on this new transfer:
The Sixteen-Millimetre Shrine An aging film star spends her time shut away in her private screening room reliving her former youth and fame. Unable to accept her declining popularity and looks shell go to desperate lengths to return to her golden years. Elements of
Sunset Boulevard (1950) blend perfectly with notions of fantasy and sci fi.
Escape Clause A vile hypochondriac sells his soul to the Devil but will he actually get to enjoy the possibilities of immortality before he has to use his escape clause? Black comedy merges with elements of fantasy to offer a tongue-in-cheek but moralistic episode in the series.
The Hitch-Hiker A mysterious man keeps reappearing on the road that a woman drives across America on. A particularly suspenseful and unnerving episode, this is classic Twilight Zone storytelling at its best!
Mirror Image A woman who waits at a bus stop starts to see and experience strange things. Another suspenseful and unsettling episode that features an excellent performance from Vera Miles.
The After Hours A woman visits a department store looking for a gift for her mother. She falls asleep and awakes to find that she is locked in. She also discovers that she is not who she thinks she is Brilliantly capturing the Cold War fears of the time, this episode is mysterious and shocking without making a direct reference to the political climate.
QUALITY
The quality of aged films and television series proves a problem for Blu-ray upgraders, as its near on impossible to present these features in the same quality as modern releases. However, audiences seem to demand this. The Twilight Zone is plagued with grain throughout each episode, but the picture quality is still incredible for its age. The grain may be distracting for some viewers, but could equally add a sense of reality and atmosphere for others. The audio sound fantastic in the cleaned-up tracks, adding a depth and quality of sound not previously afforded the series in its DVD release. The prominent and ominous soundtracks have never sounded better here, perfectly emphasising the mysterious and often uncomfortable atmospheres during the episodes.
EXTRAS
Along with all 36 half-hour long episodes of the first series, this release is festooned with additional material that will keep you engaged for literally days! Distributors Shock Entertainment have outdone themselves by including all of the features present on the previous DVD release, but also adding oodles of additional, more obscure morsels to keep obsessive fans happy! The long list of special features runs as follows: The never before released unofficial pilot episode from the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, called
The Time Element in high definition, with an audio commentary by Marc Scott Zicree and alternate opening and closing sequences from the syndicated version of the episode. This episode was written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz. New audio commentaries on numerous episodes, featuring comments from The Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, author and film historian Gary Girani, author and music historian Steven C Smith, music historians John Morgan and William T. Stromberg, writer/producer David Simkins, writer Mark Fergus, actor William Reynolds and director Ted Post. Interviews with actors Dana Dillaway, Suzanne Lloyd, Beverly Garland and Ron Masak. Bonus Tales of Tomorrow episode: What You Need. Vintage audio interview with director of photography George T. Clemens and vintage audio lectures from creator Rod Serling. 1977 Syndication promos for episodes A Stop At Willoughby and The After Hours. Radio dramatisations of 18 episodes. 34 isolated music scores, which include the works of legendary composers Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith, amongst others. Vintage clips from the Emmy Awards ceremony that saw wins for The Twilight Zone in the writing and cinematography categories. A range of additional audio interviews and commentaries accompany most episodes. All of these features offer interesting background information to this groundbreaking series and should entertain viewers that desire as much knowledge on the show as possible. The only downside to some of these extras is the fact that they are audio based and therefore it seems slightly strange to spend half an hour or so listening to your television with the accompanying episode playing on screen without the sound in the background! However, for devoted fans this isnt likely to detract from the overall experience of listening to these rare interviews and radio plays, for instance.
The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu-ray Was Released This Week.