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DVD The Twilight Zone - Season 2 (The Definitive Edition)
The middle ground between light and shadow just became a whole lot sharper and detailed with this stellar five-disc set, which compiles the entire second season of Rod Serling's classic television series, The Twilight Zone, and gilds the whole package by including a treasure trove of supplemental material. TZ's second season (1960-61) is a stand-out in the series' history thanks to its sheer number of memorable stories; among the episodes that have achieved pop culture landmark status are the chilling "Eye of the Beholder" (a disfigured woman undergoes surgery to appear more "normal") and "The Silence" (Franchot Tone wagers that Liam Sullivan cannot silent for a year); "The Invaders" (Agnes Moorhead is pitted against tiny space travelers), "Long Distance Call" (Lost in Space's Billy Mumy converses with a deceased relative on his toy phone), and the more light-hearted "Night of the Meek," in which department store Santa Claus Art Carney gets a chance to fulfill the real St. Nick's duties. As always, the combination of sharp, intelligent scripting (mostly by Serling, but with notable contributions by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and George Clayton Johnson) and superb casting (guest stars include Cliff Robertson, Dennis Weaver, Burgess Meredith, William Shatner, John Carradine, and Don Rickles) produces television that remains as thought-provoking and entertaining today as it was over 40 years ago.
Though The Twilight Zone has received numerous home video releases over the years, the aptly titled Definitive Edition is arguably the finest presentation of this series to date. Each of the episodes have been digitally remastered from original camera negatives (even the episodes filmed on videotape look good) and magnetic soundtracks; Serling's previews for upcoming episodes and advertising "billboards" (sponsor spots) have also been included, as have commentaries by Rickles, Weaver, Robertson, Shelly Berman, and other performers. Clips of Serling on The Jack Benny Show and in conversation with Mike Wallace, audio interviews with cast and crew members by Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, radio adaptations of classic episodes, and even the script for "Twenty-Two," complete with Serling's notes, round out the set, which belongs in the collection of anyone who's ever been enthralled by this landmark series. Now, if only the same treatment could be afforded to Serling's other anthology program, Night Gallery… --Paul Gaita
Review(s): DVD The Twilight Zone - Season 2 (The Definitive Edition)
A few comments and a comparison
As others have already commented on the specifics of the technical features and the episodes themselves, I thought I would try to make some different comments more about the series as a whole. Then I compared seasons one and two are the very end (those are the only ones I've watched all the DVDs for yet).
I wasn't a fan of the original series as I was a little young at the time, having been born in the early 50s, but I saw some of the shows in reruns in the mid-60s. I was more of a fan of the Outer Limits, Lost in Space, and Star Trek, at the time, and only caught saw maybe a dozen episodes. So at age 53, I decided to buy seasons 1-4 and finally watch most of the episodes. (I still need to find the last season, number 5).
I was pleased to see how well they have held up. It was the drab 50s and then turbulent 60s, and the Cold War, with its threat of possible nuclear annihilation, was in full swing. Perhaps that explains the pervasive film noir ambience and dark mood that often hangs like a pall over many of the episodes. Although the characters are drawn from all levels of society and from all walks of life--from two-bit criminals to the rich and famous--many are just various and sundry low-lifes, riff-raff, criminals, and grifters. And then there are the simply down and out--the bored or emotionally overwrought, old and unwanted, middle-aged and overstressed, desperate housewives, the dyspeptic, dispossessed, or depressed, and your average guy just down on his luck.
One funny aspect of the episodes is how unflatteringly writers themselves are portrayed. The episodes starring Keenan Wynn (in the first season) as a America's most famous (but philandering) playwright and Richard Haydn in the second season as a snobbish, effete, arrogant, spiteful, and verbally abusive wine and food writer with a short temper and a sharp wit and tongue, don't exactly portray writers in a positive light. :-)
There were the few episodes that made an attempt at humor, but as the editorial review mentions, they don't seem to have held up as well as the other episodes. It was also interesting to see how often science fictional themes cropped up--although the science aspect isn't so important as the fact that a futuristic scenario allowed Serling to explore another dark topic--such as in the episode in the first season starring Jack Warden, who has been unjustly sentenced to a lonely existence on an uninhabited asteroid. He is going mad from isolation, his only contact with the outside world being the few minutes every 3 months when the supply ship comes to drop off supplies.
One final note on the special features of the second season volume. This set is only five DVDs and not six like the first season, and there is less bonus material on the fifth DVD. The sixth DVD of the first season is all extra bonus material, but for the second season, it contains five episodes in addition to the bonus material, For comparison purposes here are the special features of season 1 versus season 2:
Season 1:
In addition to the above features, there are the additional features on the sixth and last DVD in the first season set. These are:
1. A special edition of Where Is Everybody? which wasn't aired
2. Serling's Netherlands sales pitch (the show was to be shown in the Netherlands)
3. Serling's hosting the Liar's Club TV show
4. A rare Rod Serling blooper
5. The first Emmy award he received (hosted by Chuck Conners and Fred Astaire)
6. The original Twilight Zone Billboards
7. A Photo Galleries section containing individual photos from the first season
8. The Twilight Zone radio drama, "The Lonely," starring Mike Starr
9. The Twilight Zone Comic Book (in .pdf format).
Season 2:
1. Mike Wallace interview
2. Tell It to Groucho clip
3. The Jack Benny show clip
4. The Twilight Zone season 2 Billboards
5. Season 2 stills/photos
6. The Twilight Zone comic book in .pdf format.
The first season also had Serlings Sherwood Oaks college lecture, which was interesting, especially the portions where he fields questions from the audience and explains how the did some of the shots and worked out the problems of transferring the written scripts to the more visual medium of TV.
So overall, I'm finding it to still be a great series that has stood the test of time. This is truly a great slice of Americana, from a younger, simpler, less complex America that is now long gone.
A Fan's Dream
The Definitive Edition was great quality. I was taken back to the 1960's as I watched my DVD's. Keep up the great work.
Awesome!
The twilight zone is heavily based on the metaphysical outcomes of quantum physics, relativity and psychology. The picture quality is excellent and the sound is cristal clear (notice how some episodes looked like they were filmed with a handycam). I won't have to wait for the sci-fi channel marathons to watch them now. Overall: EXCELLENT!
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I saw season one by accident and was really expecting the worst. In many ways my expectations were fulfilled, but I just love it... Not even in a 'so bad it's good' kind of way, because many of the episodes are well-done, compelling and intelligent, but it's so... 80's, so badly acted and campy with horrible music. There's a charm to it though, and it's very enjoyable. I find that maybe 50% of the episodes work. The last few discs just scream 'filler,' but for the most part the stories are very efficient, only 20-30 minutes to tell a story and within the first minute it has to draw you in. In that regard it's very interesting to watch how they're made to suck you in. Usually characters and situations are established and within 30 seconds you know every character and what to expect. Some... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Wes Craven DVD Release Date: Released the 28 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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