Product Details

• Actors: Vic Perrin, Bob Johnson, Ben Wright, Robert Culp, Robert Duvall
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 26, 1995
• Run Time: 51 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301971396
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,180 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The dark side of the mind, May 26, 1999

By 

Thomas Rucki (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outer Limits: Man With the Power [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"In the course of centuries, Man has devoured the Earth itself. The Machine Age has dried up the seas of oil. Industry has consumed the heartlands of coal. The Atomic Age has plundered the rare elements-uranium, cobalt, plutonium-leaving behind worthless deposits of lead and ashes. Starvation is at hand. Only here, in the void of space, is there a new source of atomic power. Above us, in the debris of the solar system, in the meteorites and asteroids, are the materials needed to drive the reactors. Yet in their distant, silent orbits, these chunks of matter are beyond the reach of Man, beyond the reach of human hands... but not beyond the reach of human minds. Driving along a country road in an ordinary car is a modest man : Harold J. Finley, quiet and profound..." A meek and mild professor invents a device that can control all the sources of energy and the forces that surround us. This was the first episode I saw and I was very impressed by the mind power premise. Pre-"Fantastic voyage" Donald Pleasence's performance is top-notch. I like the very quiet man who turns angry and hysterical as Jeff Corey in the end of "O.B.I.T.". Conrad Hall's cinematography is outstanding as always. Watch the chiaroscuro close-ups of Donald Pleasence out. The mind power test when the dials become mad is very bizarre. The dark clouds and lightning visual effects, that symbolizes Donald Pleasence's avenging subconscious, are brilliant. Remember the character of Dr. Morbius/Id from "Forbidden planet". All the characters are great : the shrewish wife, Edward C. Platt as the authoritarian boss from University (the first attempt to kill him is fun), John Marley as the dead-serious psychiatrist. The operating room mood is really Expressionist and you can recapture the same scary feeling as in "The architects of fear". The best episode directed by "The wild one" Laslo Benedek and the single script written by "Mission : impossible" Jerome Ross. "Deep beyond the kindest, gentlest soul may lurk violent thoughts, deadly wishes. Someday Man will learn to cope with the monsters of the mind. Then, and only then, when the human mind is truly in control of itself, can we begin to utilize the great and hidden powers of the universe."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasance With The Power!, May 31, 2000

By 

David J Candy - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outer Limits: Man With the Power [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Great performance by the one actor who can do more with his piercing gaze alone than anyone else. The story is well-written and not as predictable as it could have been written. Once he discovers the consequences of his uncontrolable Power, his conscience constantly tugs away at him until he sees one option left open to him.

Donald Pleasance's low-key approach works well with a character, dubbed by his nagging wife as a "simple little nobody", who wants to become someone greater than the mundane person he really is.

The special effects are truly classic 1963 vinatge - but then if you looking for this episode to be visually flashy, you've got it all wrong! It is Mr. Pleasance's performance that makes this such as pleasure to view - one-half 'The Great Escape' and one-half 'Fantastic Voyage'.

If you wish to view further evidence of Donald Pleasance great acting abilities - besides 'The Great Escape' and 'Fantastic Voyage' - check him out in 'The Night Of The Generals', 'You Only Live Twice', the underrated George Lucas debut 'THX-1138', and 'Prince Of Darkness'.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding offering from a show that was ahead of its time!, February 4, 2006

By 

Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outer Limits: Man With the Power [VHS] (VHS Tape)

For a child born in the 50's, the 1960's original "The Outer Limits" was a breath of fresh air in a television sea of westerns, variety shows, and cop dramas. There was nothing else on the tube that offered wondering minds a place where sci-fi and social commentary blended so well. Every week some of the best writers and established, as well as rising, stars would come together and offer audiences thought-provoking fare, mixed with great black and white cinematography and then state-of-the art special effects.

One of the best of the show in the superb first season was "The Man with the Power". Donald Pleasence is characteristically meek as the man that, through a scientific "chip," of sorts, placed in his head, was able to consciously, as well as sub-conciously, summon a malevolent force that could, literally, eradicate anyone or anything on which he directed it. Pleasence's character is saddled with a shrew of a wife, an overbearing boss, and the demands of the scientific community; thus, setting the stage for his "alter ego" to come forth and wreck havoc.

Of course, the effects are crude when compared to today's CGI but "The Outer Limits" was never about the effects.

It was a show that dared to challenge its viewers with glimpses of what could be and how we should react to it.

And "The Man with the Power" does exactly just that.