The Twilight Zone: Vol. 1 (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Twilight Zone was a truly great anthology series that perfected the ironic twist ending. You never knew if the episode was a joke or serious until that final zinger. Sometimes you could see them coming, but what the heck pobody's nerfect.
The three episodes (only THREE?) on this first volume are beloved by many, loathed by few (I disagree 100% with the one star reviewer) but do not fit well together. I guess they were put together as a representation of The Zone at its most diverse.
Night of the Meek: The only Christmas episode the series produced, but they got it close enough to right the first time so why tempt fate? The best thing about it is Art Carney's performance, which, if you only thought he could do Ed Norton, is a stunner.
The Invaders: Agnes Moorehead (who speaks no dialogue) is terrorized by teeny alien invaders that have landed their flying saucer on her roof. Jerry Goldsmith's excellent, and legendary, music help lift this episode (which is both playful and scary as hell) up to one of the series all time greats. So what if the Little Spacemen look like wind up toys?
Nothing in the Dark: Robert Redford plays an injured police officer that a woman hiding from Mr. Death reluctantly helps. This is far from my favorite Zone, but it does feature gruff character actor R.G. Armstrong in a small role as a man hired to tear the old lady's building down.
All three (only THREE???) episodes are good in their own unique way, but they do not play well together. I wished that more thought had been given to place episodes with similiar themes together, making for a stronger viewing experience. Nonetheless this stuff is required viewing for sci-fi buffs.

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The Twilight Zone: Vol. 6 (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)Vol. 6 is worth seeing for the episode "The Passerby", an extremely well-produced show. The set alone is very impressive, as is the plot device of the continuous procession of weary, bedraggled soldiers, especially as night falls.
I am greatly disappointed at author Mark Zicree's negative remarks about this episode in his "TZ Companion"; believe me, his opinions are just that, and he totally misses the beauty and eloquence of this show. True, the pace is weary and measured, but that's exactly what the plot demands. He says that James Gregory is "too old" to play a Confederate Sargeant----has he ever seen actual photos from the Civil War??? Men of ALL ages fought---and they aged tremendously from the torturous rigors of war.
Johanna Linville is wonderful--always on the edge of tears, heartsick, lost in her dreams of the past. Sure Mr. Zicree, WE all know what's happening fairly early on in the show---but SHE DOESN"T---she's too "disconnected" from reality to grasp it.
Fred Steiner's noble and elegaic score is wonderful, and the overall look of the show is terrific. There's even a real shocker of a scene involving a Union Lieutenant---even though James Gregory's lead-in dialogue and explanation during that scene is pretty contrived and "over-the-top".
And the final twist----how touchingly understated!
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The rest of the dvd is variable. "The Grave" is OK in terms of atmosphere, and we all like watching Lee Marvin but COME ON--the ending is really stupid--no other way to say it!
Joseph Schildkraut, one of the great actors of all time, is excellent in "Death's Head Revisited" ---- a very moody and gripping morality play---(and rather daring for its time).
"Jeff Myrtlebank" is OK. Zicree thinks it's fabulous. Cute, maybe, but its minor stuff.
Buy it and judge for yourself.

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