Product Details

• Actors: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, Vaughn Taylor, James Turley
• Writers: Rod Serling
• Format: Box set, Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302468485
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,245 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From the tinkling avante-garde drone of the opening theme, The Twilight Zone promises a journey into the unknown. The mix of science fiction, the macabre, and O. Henry twists compel viewers to this day, and decades after Rod Serling's acclaimed CBS-TV series left the air it remains one of the great cult classics of all time. Treasures of the Twilight Zone presents a collection of rarities that were frequently excluded from the show's syndication package. The pilot episode "Where Is Everybody?" stars Earl Holliman wandering through an empty ghost town seeking someone, anyone, to break his isolation. The volatile, edgy study in racism, "The Encounter," with Neville Brand and George Takei was pulled from syndication after its initial showing. "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the show's memorable swan song, was the only episode created outside of Serling's production company and his creative control, an award-winning short film from France by Robert Enrico. The real treasures of this Twilight Zone DVD, however, remain two of its compelling supplements. A thoughtful 1959 interview with Rod Serling (from the TV show The Mike Wallace Interview) cuts through the usual small talk to get to the business of writing for TV, from the creative process to commercial compromises and sponsor-driven censorship, and the original "pitch" film made for sponsors features Rod Serling using simple props in brilliantly inventive ways to explain his vision for the series. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars La Rivière du hibou, August 21, 2001

By 

H R Kuehne - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasures of The Twilight Zone (DVD)

"An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" (the original English name for this French film which was presented as Episode 142 of the "Twilight Zone" on 2/28/64) is this DVD's ONLY raison d'être. The other two TZ episodes ("Where Is Everybody?" and "The Encounter") appear on DVD volumes 43 and 33, respectively, and the fillers (The '59 Serling/Wallace interview and "Inside the Twilight Zone") are shamelessly (or perhaps shamefully) duplicated on "More Treasures From the Twilight Zone." So, is this DVD worth its price just for this one feature? Probably. In the first place, it is based on an Ambrose Bierce short story. Bierce is best known for his acidly satiric aphorisms in _The Devil's Dictionary_, but, more to the point here, he was also a consummate (arguably America's best) short story writer, and this story in particular has achieved near legendary status in literary circles. In its French video version, it won best short subject in the '62 Cannes and '63 BAFTA (British Academy Awards) competitions. Somewhere along the line, Rod Serling saw it, and when William Froung (the series' producer for its final episodes) told him that the 36-episode budget had been exceeded after only 35 episodes, Serling suggested acquiring US TV rights to the French film. For a paltry $10,000, which saved the 5th season's budget, but not the series, the deal was done. Later that year, probably as a result of the exposure it received on TZ, the film completed its hat trick by winning the '64 Academy Award for best short subject. Although I'm not positive on this point, I believe it to be the least expensive and most highly honored half-hour-long film in the history of US television. The original film (with a few minutes of footage that was cut for the TZ version and sans the Serling narration) is available as a VHS cassette, but, for the few dollars extra, I recommend that you go ahead and buy this DVD -- especially if you don't already have one or more of its other features.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure genius., July 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Treasures of the Twilight Zone [VHS] (VHS Tape)

You don't even have to know what is on this tape. It doesn't even matter which episodes are on it. "Eye of the Beholder" is present. You won't find a better half-hour than that. "The Howling Man" is good, and "The Masks" is adequate. Check out Serling's interview with Mike Wallace.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A testimony, May 3, 2000

By 

Ed_from_NY (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasures of The Twilight Zone (DVD)

Rod Serling had quite a bit to say about the quality of televsion programs of the late 1950s and the way advertising dollars and corporate influence effect the medium. He could see this and rise above it. Each of the episodes exhibit that Rod Serling was a man of true determination and integrity. He was an artistic genius who was not afraid to challenge both audiences and censors.

The first episode is an early attempt of just what Rod Serling claims he set out to do in the Mike Wallace interview. That is to create mature, quality drama for television. While it does have a relatively safe, conclusive ending, unlike many of the best TZ episodes, Rod was merely testing the waters rather than jumping in with both feet. Keep in mind that this is still only a 1959 audience.

The second episode is much more daring. It shows how the show progressed and the creators began to push the envelope in dealing with more socially concious topics. This definitely isn't I Love Lucy or Father Knows Best.

While the third isn't a TZ original, it is an example of the awareness the show's producers had of artistic possibilities of the medium of television. Something that had become too often overlooked as Rod mentions in the Wallace interview.

Rod Serling was a visionary and this DVD is a testimony to his true genius.