.gif)
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (The Twilight Zone)
Encyclopedia
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge ( = "Owl River") is a 1962 French short film based on the short story of the same name
by Ambrose Bierce
first published in the 1891 collection Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. It was directed by Robert Enrico
and produced by Marcel Ichac
and Paul de Roubaix with music by Henri Lanoe. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival
and the Academy Awards
. It was also screened on American television as an episode of The Twilight Zone
.
civilian prisoner and spy, is about to be hanged from Owl Creek Bridge. As he is dropped, the rope breaks, and as he swims away the soldier's bullets miss him. After avoiding capture, he arrives at his home, and sees his wife and child. He runs toward his wife and she toward him. Just as they are about to fall into each other's arms, however, the scene cuts to Farquhar being dropped from the platform and hanged on the bridge. The entire escape was a dream or hallucination that he experienced in the moments before his death.
show The Twilight Zone. Producer William Froug
saw the film and decided to buy the rights to syndicate it on American television. The transaction cost The Twilight Zone $25,000 – significantly less than the average of $65,000 they expended on producing their own episodes. However, Froug’s purchase allowed for the film to be aired only twice (the first airing was on February 28, 1964). Consequently, it is not included on The Twilight Zone’s syndication package (although it is included on Image Entertainment
's DVD
box set of the original series and on the DVD Treasures of the Twilight Zone). The episode's introduction is notable for Rod Serling
breaking the fourth wall
even more than usual, as he explains how the film was shot overseas and later picked up to air as part of The Twilight Zone.
Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion incorrectly states the French film was purchased for $10,000. This mistake has been reprinted in a number of books since the 1984 publication. The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams correctly verifies the purchase price as $20,000 plus $5,000 additional costs for reediting.
According to Zicree, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was the last episode of the classic Twilight Zone to be "produced" (presumably referencing the reediting and the addition of footage of Rod Serling
, as production of the series was cancelled afterwards.) It was not, however, the last episode of the series to be broadcast.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a short story by Ambrose Bierce. It was originally published in 1890, and first collected in Bierce's 1891 book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians...
by Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
first published in the 1891 collection Tales of Soldiers and Civilians. It was directed by Robert Enrico
Robert Enrico
Robert Georgio Enrico was a French film director and scriptwriter.He was born in Liévin, Pas-de-Calais, in the north of France.-Filmography as director:* Fait d'hiver...
and produced by Marcel Ichac
Marcel Ichac
Marcel Ichac was a French alpinist, explorer, photographer and film director. Born in Rueil, France, Ichac was one of the first people to introduce electronic music in cinema with Ondes Martenot for Karakoram and released the first French movie in CinemaScope, Nouveaux Horizons .- Filmography...
and Paul de Roubaix with music by Henri Lanoe. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. It was also screened on American television as an episode of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
.
Synopsis
Peyton Farquhar, a Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
civilian prisoner and spy, is about to be hanged from Owl Creek Bridge. As he is dropped, the rope breaks, and as he swims away the soldier's bullets miss him. After avoiding capture, he arrives at his home, and sees his wife and child. He runs toward his wife and she toward him. Just as they are about to fall into each other's arms, however, the scene cuts to Farquhar being dropped from the platform and hanged on the bridge. The entire escape was a dream or hallucination that he experienced in the moments before his death.
Twilight Zone airing
Two years after its production, the film was screened on American TV as part of the fantasy/science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
show The Twilight Zone. Producer William Froug
William Froug
William Froug is an Emmy award-winning American television writer and producer. His producing credits include the series The Twilight Zone, Gilligan's Island, and Bewitched. In addition he wrote teleplays for The Dick Powell Show, Charlie's Angels, and The New Twilight Zone...
saw the film and decided to buy the rights to syndicate it on American television. The transaction cost The Twilight Zone $25,000 – significantly less than the average of $65,000 they expended on producing their own episodes. However, Froug’s purchase allowed for the film to be aired only twice (the first airing was on February 28, 1964). Consequently, it is not included on The Twilight Zone’s syndication package (although it is included on Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
's DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set of the original series and on the DVD Treasures of the Twilight Zone). The episode's introduction is notable for Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
even more than usual, as he explains how the film was shot overseas and later picked up to air as part of The Twilight Zone.
Marc Scott Zicree's The Twilight Zone Companion incorrectly states the French film was purchased for $10,000. This mistake has been reprinted in a number of books since the 1984 publication. The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams correctly verifies the purchase price as $20,000 plus $5,000 additional costs for reediting.
According to Zicree, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was the last episode of the classic Twilight Zone to be "produced" (presumably referencing the reediting and the addition of footage of Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
, as production of the series was cancelled afterwards.) It was not, however, the last episode of the series to be broadcast.
Awards
- Won first prize for Best Short Subject at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival1962 Cannes Film Festival-Jury:*Tetsuro Furukaki *Henry Deutschmeister *Sophie Desmarets *Jean Dutourd *Mel Ferrer *Romain Gary *Jerzy Kawalerowicz *Ernst Krüger...
. - Won the 1963 Academy Award for Live Action Short FilmAcademy Award for Live Action Short FilmThis name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
.
External links
- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, full film free at Liketelevision.com