The Twilight Zone is my primary favourite TV sequence ever made. The sequence is a timeless masterpiece that transcends generations, with its thought-provoking and typically eerie tales of the human expertise, that are nonetheless related at the moment.
Creator Rod Serling‘s genius lies in his skill to make use of science fiction and the supernatural to discover elementary elements of human nature, morality, and societal points. The present’s anthology format permits for a various vary of tales, every with its personal distinctive twist.
After all these years the present continues to encourage and resonate with viewers, reminding us of the superior energy of storytelling to problem our beliefs and provoke self-reflection.
The Sopranos creator David Chase lately shared his ideas on The Twilight Zone with Variety and mentioned the impression that the present had on him as a storyteller. He wrote:
“The Twilight Zone” got here on the air in 1959 — my freshman yr in highschool. And it made a mammoth impression. No one had ever seen something like that. From the opening, the place author Rod Serling got here out in his herringbone jacket together with his cigarette and launched the present: That, in itself, was entertaining. I simply needed to listen to what Rod needed to say in regards to the thriller of the universe this outing.
Now, should you’re 13 years previous, you would be simply scared by the tales “The Twilight Zone” advised. But even now, as an grownup, should you watch an episode, you’d get the chills. Think in regards to the episode “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air”: It depicts astronauts who the viewer believes have landed on an asteroid. The entire half-hour is taken up by the panic and violence between them — they’re squabbling over how a lot water they’ve, and just one survives, by means of homicide. And it seems, as he walks over the crest of the hill, that they’ve been on Earth the entire time. All the hatred and violence was for nothing. When I used to be 13, that blew my thoughts. They had been there the entire time?! That was my introduction to the twist. My first writing lesson. Sure, you can also make the case {that a} twist is without doubt one of the cheaper types of artwork. But it simply tore my mind up, and I by no means forgot it. I additionally consider it had one thing to do with the psychedelic revolution that occurred later. Kids who watched it had been one way or the other prepared to simply accept what occurs with LSD, or to be interested in LSD. Without “The Twilight Zone,” it may not have been such a revolution.
As I began to work professionally, I discovered extra about easy methods to describe Serling’s work. The arguments the astronauts had touched on themes in American life, like all of the episodes did, identical to when Tony Soprano says, “I have the feeling I came in at the end.” That wasn’t in regards to the Mafia. That was about this nation. Or “Christopher,” the episode everybody hates: That’s about America at its ludicrous worst.
The years of “The Twilight Zone” had been the start of life beneath the thermonuclear cloud. Then got here the Cuban missile disaster. During “The Sopranos” it appeared like one thing was going downhill. As I labored, I gained a brand new appreciation for the way uncommon a present like “The Twilight Zone” is. As attention-grabbing as Rod Serling was, I’d like to get into the brains of the folks at CBS who mentioned OK to this sequence. I’ve been to 1000’s of conferences. TV was dominated by worry and greed, and the community executives, sorry to say, are sometimes not that vivid. So what occurred with “The Twilight Zone”?
It had different impacts on my work. I dabbled in surrealism on “The Sopranos”: This is a present a couple of man with a psychotherapist in an period of speak remedy. To me, dream sequences need to be part of a present descended from Freud. It was thrilling to be there, spending cash on taking pictures these issues that had been surreal. Along with Salvador Dalí (who I additionally found after I was 13), “The Twilight Zone” was in there. It was a complete unique.
Next favourite, Jackie Gleason.
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