Twilight Zone: The Movie
Short description
Twilight Zone: The Movie is an anthology that brings the classic television series to the big screen in four segments. Two travelers passing the time on a night drive recall episodes of the show, setting up stories about a man forced to endure his own prejudice, residents of a retirement home who briefly recover their youth, a boy whose unusual abilities hold his household in thrall, and an anxious airline passenger who becomes convinced something is damaging the engine outside his window. Four directors each handled their own chapter, working from a script written by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson and Melissa Mathison.
Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller share directing duties. For Spielberg it was the eleventh of his forty films in chronological order, between Poltergeist and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; for Dante the third of sixteen, following The Howling and preceding Gremlins; for Landis the seventh of eighteen, after Trading Places; and for Miller the third of thirteen, between Mad Max 2 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The large credited cast of sixty-seven includes Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Scatman Crothers, John Lithgow, Vic Morrow and Kathleen Quinlan.
Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, the film cost about 10 million dollars and returned roughly 29 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from 44,000 votes, with the same average on TMDB from 848 votes. A critics' score of 5.8 out of 10 from 41 reviews places professional response below the audience figures.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene filmed during the death of Vic Morrow (1929-1982) was added to the script to show his character, Bill Connor, in a more positive light: while fleeing an American attack on a Vietnamese village, he sees two orphaned children, decides to save them at all costs, and carries them across the river to safety. He then finds himself back in Nazi-occupied France, and the children have traveled through time with him. The Nazis are about to execute the children, and Bill is sent to a train. Due to an accident involving a helicopter crash, in which Morrow and both children, aged 7 and 6, perished, all scenes with the children were cut from the film. The initially scripted final scene with Bill remained.
- John Lithgow always carefully considers his scenes, and here too he meticulously planned his actions in the scene in the airplane seat with lightning flashing outside. Unfortunately, during filming, the crew member responsible for simulating the lightning flashes was either turning on the lighting too early or too late, constantly throwing Lithgow off rhythm. Initially, this angered him greatly, but after watching the film, he concluded that it was actually better, as it fully reflects his character's state and reaction to the lightning flashes outside the window.
- Actor Vic Morrow died during filming when the rotating helicopter blades, which went out of control of the technical crew during a special effects explosion, decapitated him at full speed. Two child actors – Mick Dean Lee (7 years old) and Rene Chen (6 years old) – also perished during this tragic episode. This event became a catalyst for the review and amendment of US legislation regarding child labor and safety measures on film sets.
- Actor Vic Morrow died during filming. Rotating helicopter blades, which went out of control during an explosion, severed his head. During this tragic episode, two child actors – Myca Dinh Lee (7 years old) and Renee Chen (6 years old) – also died. This event became a catalyst for the review and revision of US legislation regarding child labor and safety measures used on film sets.
- The scene filmed at the time of Vic Morrow's death was added to the script to somehow portray his character, Bill Connor, in a positive light: fleeing during an American attack on a Vietnamese village, he sees two orphaned children, decides to save them at all costs, and carries them across the river to safety. He then finds himself again in Nazi-occupied France, and the children time-traveled with him. The Nazis are about to execute the children, while Bill is sent to a train. Due to a helicopter crash that killed Morrow and both children, all scenes with the children were cut from the film. The originally scripted final scene with Bill remained.
- In the opening credits, when it comes to another dimension of sound, sight, and imagination, the image of Rod Sterling – the creator of the original series – can be seen in the large eye.
- John Lithgow carefully considered his actions in the scene in the airplane seat with lightning flashing outside. During filming, the technician responsible for simulating the lightning flash would turn on the lighting either too early or too late, constantly throwing Lithgow off rhythm. Initially, this angered him greatly, but after watching the film, he decided it was even better, as it reflected the nervous state of his character.
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