Customer Reviews

Outer Limits: Man With the Power [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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."

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'.

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.

You are tired and bored of your life. Nobody appreciates you. How far would you go if you were suddenly given an extraordinary power that could destroy others? Scary, isn't it? That's what this episode is all about.

Harold Finley (Donald Pleasence) is frustrated with his life. He dislikes his job working as a college professor, his wife Vera (Priscilla Morrill) doesn't appreciate him, and he feels like he hasn't done anything productive his whole life. He feels like he wants to help scientists at the higher level in some way. Even though the scientists at the space agency do not accept him as a research scientist, they accept him as a lab rat to perform experiments on him. They install a link gate in his brain to give him extraordinary telekinetic powers. However, Finley doesn't realize that his power has a mind of its own, for when he is in a fowl mood, his powers destroy the object of his unhappiness without him knowing it. But since the scientists don't know about this, they think it is a breakthrough and decide to install these devices on their astronauts as well. Will Harold realize the side-effects of his powers in time to stop it from happening to others?

I loved this episode in many levels: The acting, the story, and the special effects. Credit for this episode goes entirely to Donald Pleasense on his acting. He did an amazing job in portraying a timid man who is given outstanding powers. The special effects for the dark cloud emerging and destroying everything added well to the episode.

To quote Vic Perrin (The Control Voice): "Deep behind the kindest gentlest soul, may lurk violent thoughts, deadly wishes. Someday men may learn how 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".

Donald Pleasance is top-notch as the mild-mannered little nobody who inadvertently creates a monstrously destructive force, while trying to help the space program develop telekinetic motive force.

Previous reviewers note that the characters in this piece are not sympathetic, but in large part the story utilizes that fact to drive home its point. People around Pleasance begin to suffer - and soon, die - as a result of his discovery, solely because he had some petty squabble with them. This is a story about real people, not ideal ones. If the characters being hurt by Pleasance were all heroic, the story would rapidly become comic melodrama. The fact that they are so everyday, and not exactly noble, is what makes "the power" so frightening. It also makes Pleasance's final sacrifice the more heroic, in and of itself - he would rather die, than harm even some ...schmoe.

This is not a great OL, but is a good one. The effects are especially memorable.

Meek and mild Harold, so well played by Donald Pleasence, suffers with a wife (Priscilla Morrill) that constantly berates him, and a boss (Edward Platt) who bullies him; little do they know that wimpy Harold has become a mental dynamo, thanks to an implant in his brain, and if he thinks a negative thought, all hell breaks out.

This is a well written 1963 episode of "The Outer Limits" that has a core of truth to it; as a believer in the power of the mind, and the detrimental effect of negative thoughts, there are many things in this "mind over matter" scenario that reflect real life. Yes, the special effects are hokey, but the acting is good, with faces that are familiar to anyone who watched TV during that era; Edward Platt (1916-1974), who did hundreds of parts on both small and big screens will be instantly recognized, and of course the perennial Donald Pleasence, who delighted us for decades until his passing in 1995 with his oddball characters, and terrific performances.

An interesting aspect to the "The Outer Limits" series is that one would invariably see the beginnings of someone who would go on to great heights in the film world, and in this instance it is cinematographer Conrad Hall (1926-2003), who won Oscars for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", and "American Beauty", though my personal favorites for the visual excellence of his work are "In Cold Blood" (Oscar nominated in '67), "Hell in the Pacific" ('68), "Electra Glide in Blue" ('73), and "Road to Perdition" (2000).

Other cast members include Frank Maxwell, Fred Bier, Anne Loos, Paul Lambert, James McCallion, Harry Ellerbe, and Paul Kent. Directed by Laslo Benedek, written by Jerome Ross, with a score by Dominic Frontiere, who would in '67, write the memorable music for the Clint Eastwood Western, "Hang 'Em High".

With or without an implant, "The human brain as control center" is alive and well in all of us, and this "The Man with Power" episode is an entertaining reminder of it. Total running time is approximately 52 minutes.

In this Outer Limits episode we see Donald Pleasence playing a scientist who created a unique invention. His invention allows the user (in this case himself), the ability to mentally project his mind to move objects. He joins a project to use this scientific advancement for the use in bringing asteroids from earth closer to spaceships and/or Earth so that their vast minerals could be tapped for good. (OK, the plot about the asteroids is moronic, but it's not the key point of the story.)

Needless to say, the best laid plains go awry and the subconscious starts to take ahold of Donald Pleasence's character. He has pent up hostility towards his wife (for nagging him and not being supportive), and his boss at the University he works at. When his hatred kicks in, he attacks his advisary with a mind projection storm with the purpose of doing harm and/or killing.

The episode has a nice deliberate pace, good acting and the classic Outer Limits music/cinematography. However, it lacks excitement and character depth.

thank you for your time, David

It's hard to enjoy a show if there are no characters you really care about! Harold Finley (Donald Pleasence) may be timid but he's still a jerk!In the opening scene,he subconsiously kills two road workers because he refuses to wait for them to get out of his way. I know, he can't control his power. But he sure gets angry easily, never mind that he's in the wrong with most of his arguments. Unless you like to hear people argue, and find a storm cloud frightening, don't waste your money!