Customer Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Vol. 18

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Volume 18 in "The Twilight Zone" DVD series offers an interesting combination of two space stories with one about the Civil War. "I Shot an Arrow Into the Air," written by Rod Serling and based on an idea by Madelon Champion, relates how the U.S. spaceship Arrow One disappears off the radar screen and crashes. Three of its astronauts survive the crash and find themselves on what they take to be an asteroid with only five gallons of water between them. Corey (Dewey Martin), decides the only way to survive is to kill the other two. Another spaceship is featured in the hour-long "Death Ship," written by Richard Matheson and based on his short story. The E-89 investigates something shining on the surface of a planet and discover what looks to be their own wrecked ship and dead bodies. Lieutenants Mason (Ross Martin) and Carter (Fredrick Beir) become convinced they are dead, but Captain Paul Ross (Jack Klugman), will have none of that. "Still Valley" by Serling based on Manly Wade Wellman's short story "The Valley Was Made Still," stars Gary Merrill as Paradine, a Confederate scout who stumbles upon a town filled with Union soldiers all standing frozen. An old man (Vaughn Taylor) has used a book of black magic to work this miracle. The old man is dying and begs Paradine to take the book and use it to win the war. This is another disc where none of the episodes qualify as a classic Zone story. Its chief virtue is seeing Jack Klugman once again on the show, but for once playing a strong and very determined character.

Each reviewer for this specific volumn of TZ episodes seems to have his or her own favorite. I'll add my thoughts if nobody minds, because one of the included episodes has always been, in my opinion, very underrated when it should be up there with Shatner and his Nightmare or Burgess Meredith and Time Enough at last to read, if only all the Lenscrafters hadn't been destroyed by that damned nuclear wipeout. Firstly, my least favorite: "Still Valley". I didn't get it twenty years ago, and I still don't get it. Gary Merrill finds himself in a town frozen stock still, is offered a book that will help his side win the Civil War, decides he doesn't want it if it means he'll be making a deal with the Devil...the end. I really, really try to see good to this specific episode, and I just don't, so I'll leave it alone. "I Shot An Arrow" is good, and I've watched it many times. Dewey Martin, without repeating too much or giving up too much of the plot not mentioned by other reviewers, ends up the surviving astronaut who gets the kick in the teeth of all kicks by Fate. Good acting, well-written, and I like the TZ-type twist. Now, "Death Ship": I absolutely love this episode, one of the hour ones when TZ went to that length for one season. Jack Klugman, Ross Martin and Frederick Beir are astronauts, and when their ship lands on another planet, they're more than surprised to see an exact replica of it already there, right down to doubles of themselves in the phantom ship's hold. Again, the plot is mentioned in other reviews, but the basic question to the first time viewer - or even those going back with an "I guess you could look at it this way, too" attitude - is, Are these three men dead, and did their ship crash? This means that they're ghosts, for lack of a better description...maybe. Klugman's character, a hardnosed, unwilling-to-give-an-inch Captain, refuses to believe that theory, and he thinks that they have gone through some sort of warp and are witnessing their future. Therefore, he says, they just won't land in the first place, and there won't be any crash landing. Hm, oohhkaay. While the two men under Ross mull this over, Beir's character, Carter, rubs his eyes in confusion, and suddenly finds himself walking home. He meets a neighbor and then reaches his house, which is empty of life. On the bed in the master bedroom, though, he finds a telegram informing his wife that her husband - Carter - has been killed, and with the telegram are black gloves and hat, i.e. widow's weeds. Captain Ross talking to him jolts Carter back to what we assume is reality, and Carter relates the experience, uncertain of what, in fact, is happening to him. Meanwhile, Ross Martin's character, Ted Mason, has lain down for a nap and - disappeared. He is now at a picnic site, and from the brush runs his little girl. Simply by the look on Ross Martin's face, and how he, in character, holds the child, shatters into a thousand pieces with gratitude, grief, confusion much like Carter's, the viewer knows that the child has died. Therefore, that makes Mason dead as well, right? Not so fast. As Mason finds his wife, also dead (we learn very shortly that they were killed in a car wreck), and Mason embraces her with as much joy as he did his daughter, hm, here comes Captain Ross, determined to shove his ideas down Mason's throat. Ross literally tries to drag Mason back 'with him', and the two struggle, but in the end, both are back on the ship and Mason is devastated. He cries out that it was real, and Captain Ross snaps No way, we're going to go over this again, and now he's got new theories, none of which have to do with the astronauts all being deader than doornails. The ship goes back up on Captain Ross' orders, lands again (why they land again, after all, is explained by Captain Ross), and as the other two men beg for release, Captain Ross says, No, we are going to go over this again.... - Now, why I think it's a great episode. Firstly, the acting is superb: Klugman is amazing, and Ross Martin, as the one left behind when his family was wiped out, is magnificent. His facial reactions, the tone in his voice, whether when talking to his dead child or begging his captain to please let him be what he is, now - dead - is remarkable. I have always loved both Klugman and Martin, and this episode shows just why I think that they are/were actors who never were fully appreciated. The other reason I like it: Maybe I have taken too many psychology classes, but I see this offering as a commentary on man being afraid of the greatest unknown, Death, and willing to do anything to keep it at bay just awhile longer. Even if that means having to drag something out, repeat the same useless motions again and again,there are far more people worried about suddenly not being than there are those who believe Death will be a different road, same trip. If none of this is what you think after watching the episode, that's fine - as I said at the beginning, the viewer is left to make their own decision. Whether ghosts, hypnotized by aliens, whatever, these are three lost souls, and that's what makes it scary. There isn't one of us that hasn't lain awake at night at least once and thought, "Nah, there's no way I can die, that happens to somebody else. Let's go over my options again." Creepy, deep and worth watching -

This CD has some of the best of the old, "Twilight Zone," movies that deal with both science fiction, and drama. My best on this CD are, "I Shot An Arrow, and Death Ship," though there are many others. Still great after all these years.

I bought this for "I shot an Arrow into the Air." It's still great after 37 years. These DVD's are a great bargain.

This 18th Volume of THE TWILIGHT ZONE doesn't include any must see episodes. The second episode featured on the disc is worth the money because of an excellent performance by Jack Klugman and the third episode revolves around an intriguing Civil War-based story. The three episodes on the disc are:

"I Shot an Arrow Into the Air"--the first manned space mission ends up crashing on an unchartered asteroid, killing all but three of the crew. The three astronauts find the environment harsh and hot with only five gallons of water to spare among them. Established rules and norms soon come crashing down as the remains of the crew find themselves in setting that quickly becomes just like THE LORD OF THE FLIES. Out of the three episodes on the disc, this was my 2nd favorite. The equipment and costumes date this episode greatly and the premise of the story is quite farfetched, especially since we've now been to space. However, at the time of the episode's initial airing, Sputnik was only two-and-a-half-years-old and the Space Race hadn't really started.

"Death Ship"--three astronauts scouting for hospitable planets for harvesting and possible colonization come across a crashed space craft almost identical to their own. Inside, they discover duplicate bodies of themselves and try to figure out the difference between what has already happened and what is happening. Jack Klugman stars as the willful and determined Captain Ross. Despite the strong performance of Klugman, this was my least favorite of the episodes on this disc.

"Still Valley"--a Confederate scout enters a town where an entire Union company stands as still as statues. The valley's lone waking occupant reveals what has happened to the scout, promising him that the Confederacy can win the war if they just follow his plan. But to do so requires enlisting an ally of wayward means. This short, but intriguing story is my favorite episode on the disc.

The only extras featured on this DVD are a collection of written features entitled "Inside the Twilight Zone". Some of the information here is both interesting and informative for fans of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but most others will find it completely trivial.

"I shot and arrow into the air". Three astronauts crash land on what they think is another planet, and one of them kills the other two for water.

"Death ship". Three astronauts land on another planet and see a duplicate of their ship, with their dead bodies inside it!

"Still Valley". A civil war scout comes upon a town where everybody is frozen in place. It turns out they are under a spell by an old man with a black magic book.