9.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.8 |
The complete first season of Rod Serling's classic, groundbreaking series exploring the fantastic and the frightening.
Starring: Jack Klugman, William Shatner, Robert Redford, William Windom, Cliff RobertsonHorror | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 47% |
Mystery | 40% |
Supernatural | 39% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
1st 2.0 Mono is Remastered Audio, 2nd is Original Audio
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as
timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies
between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area
which we call…The Twilight Zone.”
Fantastical. Extraordinary. Vaguely ominous. Creator/showrunner Rod Serling’s opening narration says it all. The
Twilight Zone—which ran for five seasons between 1959 and 1964—was to be something wholly unique in the
then-short history of television: a program aimed squarely at adults that would explore the realms of science fiction
and fantasy, supposedly juvenile genres that were typically seen as the province of kid’s comic books. For a hotshot
like Serling—who was one of TV’s top writers of high-minded dramas—The Twilight Zone initially seemed like
a diversion, a potential career misstep. Journalist Mike Wallace, noting in a 1959 interview that Serling seemed to be
putting all of his creative energy into The Twilight Zone, even had the gall to ask, “You’ve given up on
writing anything serious for television, right?” It was only later that critics would realize just how
subversively serious The Twilight Zone actually was. For all of its genre thrills—and the show is still more
unsettling than most of what passes for horror these days—The Twilight Zone was Serling’s way of skirting
TV censors, using the guise of seemingly innocuous sci-fi stories to broach then-unacceptable topics like racism and
McCarthyism. It’s the social commentary equivalent of slipping booze into the punch at the school dance, and this sly
mix of chills and cultural criticism is the reason The Twilight Zone is so smart, scary, and compulsively
watchable.
Rod Serling presents...
In a word: beautiful. Image Entertainment has gone back to The Twilight Zone's original camera negatives to make 1080p/AVC-encoded transfers—framed in the original TV 1.33:1 aspect ratio—that are sharp, surprisingly clean, and completely free of unnecessary tampering or tinkering. The prints are very nearly free of debris; you'll see small, white, barely noticeable flecks in each episode, but there are no major scratches or stains. Perhaps the greatest sigh of relief is that the series' gorgeous black and white cinematography is completely intact, with rich cinematic grain, no DNR scrubbing, and no overt edge enhancement. This hands-off approach extends to the monochromatic color gradation, which doesn't appear to have received any excess boosting, but has a naturally dense contrast with deep blacks, crisp whites, and no significant loss of detail in shadows or highlights. Any brightness flickering that occurs is mild and infrequent, and aside from a few instance of minor banding—most notably in the darker segments of "Perchance to Dream"—I didn't spot any compression-related distractions. Of course, the greatest boon to having The Twilight Zone in high definition is the dramatic increase in clarity. If you've been watching the series through all its iterations —TV re-runs, smeary VHS copies, okay-but-not-amazing DVDs—you'll be momentarily stunned by how great the show looks on Blu-ray. From tweed suits and the inner mechanisms of a female robot to prop details and facial features, the upgrade in resolution is immediately and appreciably apparent. The sense of depth and, for a lack of a better phrase, the visual poetry of the 35mm image, is simply fantastic. It's hard to imagine The Twilight Zone looking any better than this.
Image has provided each episode of the season with two Linear PCM mono mixes, both harvested from the series' original magnetic soundtracks. The episodes default to restored and remastered mixes that reveal newfound dynamic depth and clarity. Of course, only so much can—and should—be done with the mono source material, and rather than trying to expand the presentation to 5.1 channels or add new sound effects, Image has wisely opted to simply clean up the tracks. The remaster's most notable traits are tape hiss reduction, clearer dialogue, and brighter, tighter tones. Many of the episodes feature fantastic scores—from the likes of Bernard Herrmann, Van Cleave, and Jerry Goldsmith—and the music sounds wonderful here, with surprising projection and presence. For comparison, purists can also select the original unrestored audio, which, as expected, is slightly dirtier, with more muffled voices and a persistent hiss. I definitely prefer the remastered mix, but it's commendable that Image thought to include both tracks. Plus, unlike the DVDs, each episode here includes easy-to-read English subtitles. I have no complaints.
Audio Commentaries
Image Entertainment has assembled all-new, full-length commentary tracks for no less than nineteen
episodes of season one—a few episodes even feature multiple commentaries—with input from The Twilight Zone
Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, film historian Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television), music historians
Steven C. Smith, John Morgan, and William T. Stromberg, writer/producer David Simkins (Lois & Clark,
Dark Angel), writer Mark Fergus (Children of Men, Iron Man), actor William Reynolds, and
director Ted Post. Other tracks feature actors Earl Holliman, Martin Landau, Rod Taylor, Martin Milner, Kevin McCarthy,
and CBS executive William Self. There's just an incredibly bounty of Twilight Zone goodness here, from
obscure trivia and personal reminiscences to insightful discussions on the series' edge-of-your-seat narrative style and
extremely timely themes. The tracks by Marc Scott Zicree and Gary Gerani are especially informative, as these guys
are bonafide TZ experts.
Isolated Musical Scores
Thirty-four of the episodes include full-length isolated musical scores—in Dolby Digital 2.0—featuring compositions
from legends like Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, and others.
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse: "The Time Element" (1080p, 54:52)
This is a biggie! "The Time Element" is the never-before-released-on-home-video original "unofficial" pilot episode for
The Twilight Zone, which aired on Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse drama
anthology series. The Rod Serling-penned episode is about a man who may or may not be skipping back in time to the
events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Includes optional commentary by Marc Scott Zicree, and an alternate
opening and closing from the syndicated version of the episode.
Original Unaired Pilot Version of "Where is Everybody?" (SD, 34:44)
Includes a clever pitch to sponsors from Rod Serling, optional commentary by CBS exec William Self, and alternate
opening and closing narrations.
Tales of Tomorrow: "What You Need" (SD, 29:29)
Tales of Tomorrow, a sci-fi anthology show that ran on ABC from 1951-1953, was a kind of predecessor to
The Twilight Zone. Here we get to see the Tales version of "What You Need"—based on a Henry Kuttler story
—which differs quite differently from the Twilight Zone episode.
Radio Dramas
The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas is a syndicated radio show—launched in 2002—that retells classic TZ
episodes with slight modifications for contemporary audiences. Eighteen 45-minute broadcasts are included here, and
when selected, the audio plays over a single still from the episode that was adapted.
Rod Serling Promos (1080p)
At the conclusion of each episode, Rod Serling gives a quick tease for what viewers can expect next week.
Rod Serling Lectures at Sherwood Oaks College
Four of the episodes—the pilot version of "Where is Everybody," "Walking Distance," "And When the Sky Was
Opened," and "The Mighty Casey"—can be watched with audio from a series of lectures Rod Serling delivered at
Sherwood Oaks College. Most of the discussion is episode specific, so these are just as good as having commentary
tracks by Serling himself!
Marc Scott Zicree Interviews
Audio-only tapes from The Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, who interviewed actors
Burgess Meredith and Anne Francis, directors Douglas Heyes and Richard L. Bare, producer Buck Houghton, and writer
Richard Matheson in 1978. Disc five also includes part one of an extensive interview with cinematographer George T.
Clemens. Part two is presumably coming on the season two set.
Additional Interviews (SD)
Brief video interviews with actors Dana Dillaway, Suzanne Lloyd, Beverly Garland, and Ron Masak.
Sponsor Billboards (1080p)
View four vintage, 15-second bumper ads for the likes of Kleenex and Sanka Coffee.
Emmy Awards (1080p, 3:10)
Clips of Rod Serling graciously accepted various Emmy Awards.
Syndication Promos (1080p)
Two 30-second syndication promos for "A Stop at Willoughby" and "The After Hours" that aired in 1977.
I can't tell you how happy I am with this set. Not only do we get all 36 episodes of the first season of the immensely influential Twilight Zone remastered in beautiful high definition with uncompressed audio, but the five-disc set also includes a Thanksgiving-sized cornucopia of bonus material goodness, from expert commentaries, vintage interviews, and radio dramas, to Rod Serling lectures and—perhaps best of all—the show's original "unofficial" pilot episode, "The Time Element," being released here for the first time on home video in the U.S. If you love television, science fiction, fantasy, horror, time travel, Cold War craziness, snappy twist endings, the realm of the unknown, or all of the above, this is an absolute must-have release. It's also a definite contender for my year-end top-10 list. Bring on season two!
1959-1964
1959-1960
1959-1964
1960-1961
1960-1961
1961-1962
1961-1962
1962-1963
1963
1963-1964
1963-1964
1997
2018
2000
2013
2019
2009
2009
2011
2001
1995-1996
70th Anniversary
1953
Warner Archive Collection
1951
1969-1971
1985
Standard Edition
1953
2K Restoration
1958
1964-1965
Space Mission to the Lost Planet / Vampire Men of the Lost Planet
1970
1966
1964