Customer Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Vol. 3

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When purchasing a DVD on any of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, I think it is safe to say that in the majority of cases the buyer knows those stories by heart. The main concern is one of quality. How does the picture measure up? In this case I have never seen better transfers. The images are excellent. They are sharp, clear and maintain consistent contrast. The laserdisc versions had a problem with black & white contrast. That problem has now been corrected.

Volume 3 contains A GAME OF POOL, KICK THE CAN, STEEL and WALKING DISTANCE. This volume is one of the best containing all solid episodes. WALKING DISTANCE is probably the best episode ever produced. Gig Young acts out Serling's prose so perfectly that he speaks for every man that ever wished he could go home again. Very moving. Bernard Herrmann's score intuitively picks up the emotion and heartfelt sincerity that Serling wrote into this story. This was Rod Serling's, Bernard Herrmann's and Gig Young's finest work for any medium. I think it is the finest piece of work ever put on film. KICK THE CAN is thematically similar and also very moving. Again one of the best. A GAME OF POOL and STEEL pits man against the legends he makes and the machines he builds. STEEL is an episode that doesn't instantly hit you. It has to grow on you and that may take years.

Rod Serling was a man of great literary and social intellect, somewhat ignored because of the genre he worked within and was famous for. "The Twilight Zone" frequently bordered on the edges of science fiction if not immersed in it. Society's values being what they are, science fiction has never been thoroughly embraced by conventional thought as a legitimate literary or cinematic art form. That is society's loss and Serling's heartbreak. However, "The Twilight Zone" still endures. WALKING DISTANCE will remain in the heart forever.

In this review, I do not disclose any of the surprise endings. So don't worry.

I own about forty Twilight Zone discs. Every viewer will have his or her favorites. My favorites include: TO SERVE MAN, THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT (with William Shatner), NICK OF TIME (with William Shatner), CAVENDER IS MISSING (with Carol Burnett), THE FEVER, THE LIVING DOLL (with Telly Savalas), TIME ENOUGH AT LAST (with Burgess Meredith), PRINTER'S DEVIL (with Burgess Meredith), MISTER BEVIS (with Don Rickles), and PIANO IN THE HOUSE.

The volume being reviewed, Volume Three, contains some of the tightest writing and sharpest acting that I have ever encountered on any T.V. program or movie.

The first story, KICK THE CAN, takes place in an old folks home, where the inhabitants can view youngsters out in the street playing kick the can and other games. One of the retired old folks, reminded of his own childhood, is struck with the notion that if he can persuade the other old folks to join in a game of kick the can, they will somehow recapture some aspect of their youth. FIVE STARS.

The second story, STEEL, takes place in 1974, a time in the future when boxing has been outlawed and all boxing matches are done with competing robots, where the robots look essentially like real people. The issue is that the owner and mechanic, in charge of their boxing android, realize that their android is broken and won't be fixed before that evening's fight. The owner, Lee Marvin, has the idea of placing himself in the ring, instead of the robot. What is astonishing is Lee Marvin's ability to change personna. In one scene, Lee Marvin is forceful and demanding towards his mechanic, that is, the android's mechanic. And in another scene, Lee Marvin is groveling and apologetic towards the owner of the boxing ring, in a scene where the boxing ring owner complains about Lee Marvin's out-dated robot. FIVE STARS.

(A similar transformation -- demanding versus groveling -- can be found in the character of Biff, in Back to the Future. When Michael J. Fox travels to the past, he sees Biff abusing Michael J. Fox's father in a soda shop. However, when Michael J. Fox returns to the future, Biff is acts in a humble and groveling way towards the father.)

The third story, A GAME OF POOL, is initiated when Jack Klugman, a pool player in Chicago, vows to himself that he wants to have a match with deceased pool legend, Jonathan Winters. As it turns out, the pool legend materializes, and after several minutes of negotiating, decide to have a match then and there. FIVE STARS.

(Please note that Jonathan Winters was one of the highest profile comedic actors from the 1960s. I recommend Jonathan Winters' narrative of the Paul Bunyan story, accompanied by Duck Baker on guitar, available on compact disc. If you need to buy a kid a gift, I recommend Jonathan Winters' rendition of Paul Bunyan.)

The fourth story on this disc, WALKING DISTANCE, starts when a high pressure company executive stops in a rural service station for an hour's worth of repairs on his automobile, then decides to walk to a nearby town when he realizes that the town is where he'd spent his childhood. As it turns out, when he stops in an ice cream parlor for a bit of refreshment, the year is 1938 when the man was just a boy. The man finds his childhood home, and visits his disbelieving parents. The man unintentionally scares the younger version of himself, and the younger version of himself (a boy) runs away. The boy runs away when the executive discovers himself (the boy) carving his name in a structure in the town park. Later on in the story, when the executive (the man) tries to approach himself (the boy), the man inadvertently frightens the boy, and the boy falls off the edge of a merry-go-round, injures his leg, thus explaining the etiology of the executive's limp. The story is really a mood piece, that is, the story is not a setup for a suprise ending. The story concludes with a charming little narrative. FOUR STARS.

Volume Three of Twilight Zone makes an excellent, inexpensive gift, for just about anyone. This volume does not include any especially creepy or scary scenes. This volume also includes a couple of stories that feature little kids. All of the actors on this disc are easy to like.

Vol. 3 of the Twilight Zone DVD series is one in which every episode is a winner. The worst of the four, "Steel," is a very good tale of what men think they can do themselves to bring themselves out of a difficult situation. "Kick the Can" is a touching episode that makes us reflect on fleeting youth and the idea that you are only as old as you feel. "A Game of Pool" is an example of superb acting. Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters deliver more tension and excitement than any current television drama. Finally, "Walking Distance" is a brilliant look at trying to recapture youth and going home again.

On most other Zone DVDs, buyers are forced to stomach at least one lousy episode along with their favorites. This disc is an exception. Sure, the extras are not very "extra," but for your money, Vol. 3 contains some of the best Twilight Zone episodes on one disc.

The Twilight Zone, Vol. 3 DVD is worth having if only for the episode "Walking Distance," Serling's most autobiographical story from the series, by his own claim. Having watched many a rerun (I heard the Sci-Fi Channel owns the rights to air the episodes, but I never see them on the cable channel...) before the onset of DVD technology, it is quite a treat to see the episodes as the creators saw them: crisp, clear and as nuanced as any great film. I recall being joyfully entertained by almost every episode I ever saw, but "Walking Distance," is the only one to have ever brought tears. The inablility to "go home again," was never more poignantly crafted than in this episode, nor has the truth of those pure feelings of childhood which creep into our consciousness when we least expect it, possibly triggered from a bit of music or a long-forgotten smell.



Jack Klugman demonstrates his range as an actor in the episode, "A Game of Pool," as does his costar Jonathan Winters. Both deliver steely performances with such well-regulated under-the-surface tension that you feel like each is enjoying himself and in agony at the same time, a feeling familiar to anyone engaged in high-stakes competition.



My one complaint about the DVD is that the features listed here are a tad misleading. There is no extra footage or documentary footage included as part of "Inside the Twilight Zone." Rather, it is on-screen text plaquards, with most of the information repeated among all 40+ DVD volumes in the series save the reference material for the episodes on the particular disc. These text screens also scroll by themselves and have no "BACK" control, so if you miss a word or a sentence, you have to go back to the main menu and start over, which is very annoying.
Buy this DVD for "Walking Distance," and you will understand more about where Mr. Serling was coming from than if you were to talk to the man himself.

From my teens this is one of the series that I more fondly remember. As a sci-fi fan I was attracted by "The Twilight Zone" proposal. At that time I wasn't able to see more than a score of episodes, but they remain in my memory with extraordinary persistence.
Thanks to the technological marvel of DVD I'm able to see these amazing stories again and find them as magical & thought provoking as 45 years ago.
As the structure of the episodes are mostly bounded to a surprise ending or to the argument in a very short span of time, usually 25 minutes each, I'll focus my review more on outstanding features than on the topic of the episode in order not to spoil the pleasure of the viewer.

Disk 3 contains four excellent chapters well representative of the whole series spirit & charm, composing a perfect 10 points poker.

1) Steel - Human box fights are abolished & boxers are robots now, so where is drama gone? Just watch this episode and you'll discover it.
Lee Marvin gives one his top-notch performances as the robot's manager.
Cinematography in charge of George Clemens deserves a special mention. He won Emmy Award 1961 and nominations for the same honor 1962 & 1963 all due to several episodes of this series.
Richard Matheson delivers, once more, a great story.
Qualification: 10.

2) A Game of Pool - Jesse Cardiff is great pool player is embittered because no matter his own prowess the public always mention deceased "Fats" Brown as the best ever. The Twilight magic will allow Jesse to have a chance of confronting "Fats".
Jack Klugman impersonates Jesse with outstanding brilliance. Fortunately for TLZ fans he will perform in several episodes of the series.
Jonathan Winters, usually a comedian, delivers a nice dramatic characterization of "Fats".
The story written by George C. Johnson has his trade mark style: slightly melancholic & gripping.
Qualification: 10.

3) Walking Distance - A distressed executive stops his car at a fuel station, discovers he is "at walking distance" from his hometown and decides to pay a visit entering the strange universe of The Twilight Zone.
It is an episode written by Rod Sterling in person delivering a nice sci-fi story.
Gig Young who has been twice Oscar nominee and will win his Oscar award in 1970 gives a great performance as the main character of the episode.
Qualification: 10.

4) Kick the Can - In a senior citizen rest home an internee tries to recover the delightful world of infancy.
Here we have again a story written by George C. Johnson with his trade mark style.
Qualification: 10.

This DVD series presentation has two great advantages: it has a very good price and allows buyers to choose their favorite chapters without needing to buy the whole series.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

[a] 'Walking Distance' [Rod Serling's personal favourite episode - and mine too!] is an emotionally devastating and engrossing story of a disillusioned man who wanted to go back to his 'wonderful' childhood. Own it at any cost and watch it every few months for the rest of your life!!! The music was composed by Bernard Hermann who also did such fantastic scores for the films 'Vertigo' and 'Taxi Driver.'
[url] viewer rating 8.09/10

[b] 'Kick the Can' great performances and a beautiful story.

The remaining two episodes are not too bad and you may watch them once a year or so:
[c] 'A Game of Pool'
[d] 'Steel'

'Next stop, the Twilight Zone!'

A previous reviewer is quite right: "Walking Distance" is beyond praise. It is impossible to do justice to this episode in a review. Easily one of the best, if not the best, episode ever made. "Kick the Can", remade in the 1980's TZ movie, is also extremely well-done. "A Game of Pool" is flawless. "Steel", as the previous reviewer perceptively remarked, takes time to grow on you...I hated it the first time I saw it, and while it's not one of my favorite episodes, it's a solid and well-done piece of work. If you're not collecting every last TZ DVD, don't miss Vol. 3. It's easily one of the best. E-mail me for any comments/questions about the TZ series, old and/or new.

I liked most of the episodes on this DVD.

Steel- Didn't like this one too much. I found it kind of boring. Maybe it's because I'm a girl and not really into boxing. (*)

Game of Pool- This was a good one. It kept my interest. (****)

Kick the Can- Another good one. I found it to be very sweet. (***)

Walking Distance- Wow, this was a good episode. Something about it nearly brought tears to my eyes. (*****)

Twilight Zone is one of the greatest tv shows that was ever made. Rod Serling wrote brilliant tv and even in the end when it seems his writings were not as good but also surrounded himself with alot of other talented writers. This set is an excellent sampler of what the show as about. Steel is the weakest effort on the set but it doesnt bring the rating down.

Steel- Human's boxing is banned in the not so distant future. A good film but it should have been replaced by a show that had the same themes of the other shows on the dvd.

A Game of Pool- Jack Klugman is an excellent actor and he does a brillant job as a pool player who wants to the the best. He challenges the greatest player who ever lived and he gets his wish. Johnathan Winters does a good job as Fats. With only two actors in the whole show and some great dialogue between the two actors-its a must watch. Klugman is also brilliant in In Praise of Pip and The Passage of the Trumpet.

Walking Distance- Perhaps the finest half hour of television you'll ever witness. Serling wrote a beautiful and touching story based on his youth. While recently viewing this, I noticed a few story errors but it doesnt take away from how powerful this show is. Martin's dad and Martin have some words of wisdom and then Serling's narration in the middle and the end of the show were some of the most touching words ever written for television.

Kick The Can- An old man believes he will be young again if they play the game Kick The Can and believe there young again. I like his roommate who thinks its all rubbish and the ending is good. Then again, all Twilight Zone epsiodes had great endings.

Excellent set with great acting and story telling thru out the set. Steel is out of place on this set and could have been replaced by a dozen or so stories that fit the mold.

I have been a fan of Twilight Zone since the early 1960's--as a child still mystified by television. Recently, as a result of modern tech., I have been fortunate enough to stroll back in time via the dvd series of TZ. There seems to be a preference for the episode Walking Distance, understandably so. The elegiac quality of the music, dialogue, and character depictions is more than evocactive; the episode does for the viewer what the twilight zone does for Martin: takes you right along with him. How brilliant this show was/is in terms of telling a story. To hear Martin talking about the old proprietor of the soda fountain and then to have the door opened onto him napping strikes a resounding chord in us all who can remember a glimmering of those days. Vol. 3 also has Kick the Can, also pleasurable along the same lines as Walking Distance. Game of Pool, good, particularly for us Jack Klugman fans. Steel, perhaps my least favorite of all TZ episodes.