JohnHopper
Senior HTF Member
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- John Hopper
REVIEW
“You and the others will start a new race for Eros. A race of men, who cannot help but dream, who have the dream machine in their human half and call it ‘soul’.”
—Aabel (Kent Smith)
Watchable for Kent Smith’s second appearance and a couple of moody (see the blind lighting effect of Ethan’s cell, shot high angle) and hand-held camera shots in the woods (with Hallian coated filter shots) a la “The Man Who Was Never Born” but done by newcomer cinematographer Kenneth Peach, season 2’s regular one. The story—about mass conformity, generational gap and its aftermaths: manhunting and witchcraft—fails to convince, especially the confused last act which also contains too many awkward and primitive zoom shots. Kent Smith is not as ambiguous as in his previous part (Dr. Block in “It Crawled out of the Woodwork”) but his Aabel pedantic character—its name makes reference to the Genesis (Abel in the Holy Bible) but without the Cain brother and, instead, it must sacrify its son but not for Abraham’s reasons—which wants to attract-endoctrinate Ethan to bring him back to his home planet—like later Mr. Zeno will do so with a kid—remains appealing. This is the second time the neologism “to uncreate” is used (also see “Don’t Open Till Doosmday”) and at last, defined by an alien being (“We do not have the power to kill... only to destroy, suddenly, and totally. We do not kill, Ethan, we uncreate.”) from a totalitarian planet. The subtheme of dream (“I never dream... dreams are normal experience. I only have nightmares”, said Ethan) is dealt as in “The Guests”; notice a typical psychoanalytical symbol via the spider’s head of Aabel which is the iron father figure. You can notice the same location as in “The Mice”: the tree’s alley from the MGM backlots where they used to shoot Combat! (1962-1967).
This drama could have been better if they’ve avoided the rigid F.B.I./detective line because of John Milford’s blunt and solemn role who also handled a slides machine already seen in “Nightmare” in a black conference room recycled from “The Architects of Fear” and talked about a galaxy Krell (see Forbidden Planet). In a way, Lee Kinsolving as Ethan Wechsler looks like Peter Fonda who would play Richard Kimble’s part due to the events of his escape and by the fact he quickly drinks water like a trapped animal in a wild river and keeps on running (to check and compare, see the season 1’s opening title of The Fugitive). As in the later “The Chameleon”, the Ethan character is a half breed who must face the dilemma of choosing on which planet he wants to live. The soft romantic imagery—the girl throws a stone in the water—of the happy epilogue, with the kissing couple which walks in the countryside, reminds the optimistic moral of “The Borderland” and the pagan feel of Leslie Stevens’ Incubus. The spaceship which produces another outloud sound is the mock-up from “The Man Who Was Never Born”, the one you see in deep space is from “Nightmare” (see the US stars in the central wing) which is recycled footages from the series Men Into Space. We can hear a sound effect from Byron Haskin’s classic sci-fi film: The War of the Worlds, when Aabel annihilates Earthmen.
Notes: William O. Douglas is Aabel under the mask of the Eros creature. Dabbs Greer returns in “The Inheritors”. Stoney Burke-wise, actor John Milford guests in “Web of Fear” and Dabbs Greer in “Image of Glory”.
“You and the others will start a new race for Eros. A race of men, who cannot help but dream, who have the dream machine in their human half and call it ‘soul’.”
—Aabel (Kent Smith)
Watchable for Kent Smith’s second appearance and a couple of moody (see the blind lighting effect of Ethan’s cell, shot high angle) and hand-held camera shots in the woods (with Hallian coated filter shots) a la “The Man Who Was Never Born” but done by newcomer cinematographer Kenneth Peach, season 2’s regular one. The story—about mass conformity, generational gap and its aftermaths: manhunting and witchcraft—fails to convince, especially the confused last act which also contains too many awkward and primitive zoom shots. Kent Smith is not as ambiguous as in his previous part (Dr. Block in “It Crawled out of the Woodwork”) but his Aabel pedantic character—its name makes reference to the Genesis (Abel in the Holy Bible) but without the Cain brother and, instead, it must sacrify its son but not for Abraham’s reasons—which wants to attract-endoctrinate Ethan to bring him back to his home planet—like later Mr. Zeno will do so with a kid—remains appealing. This is the second time the neologism “to uncreate” is used (also see “Don’t Open Till Doosmday”) and at last, defined by an alien being (“We do not have the power to kill... only to destroy, suddenly, and totally. We do not kill, Ethan, we uncreate.”) from a totalitarian planet. The subtheme of dream (“I never dream... dreams are normal experience. I only have nightmares”, said Ethan) is dealt as in “The Guests”; notice a typical psychoanalytical symbol via the spider’s head of Aabel which is the iron father figure. You can notice the same location as in “The Mice”: the tree’s alley from the MGM backlots where they used to shoot Combat! (1962-1967).
This drama could have been better if they’ve avoided the rigid F.B.I./detective line because of John Milford’s blunt and solemn role who also handled a slides machine already seen in “Nightmare” in a black conference room recycled from “The Architects of Fear” and talked about a galaxy Krell (see Forbidden Planet). In a way, Lee Kinsolving as Ethan Wechsler looks like Peter Fonda who would play Richard Kimble’s part due to the events of his escape and by the fact he quickly drinks water like a trapped animal in a wild river and keeps on running (to check and compare, see the season 1’s opening title of The Fugitive). As in the later “The Chameleon”, the Ethan character is a half breed who must face the dilemma of choosing on which planet he wants to live. The soft romantic imagery—the girl throws a stone in the water—of the happy epilogue, with the kissing couple which walks in the countryside, reminds the optimistic moral of “The Borderland” and the pagan feel of Leslie Stevens’ Incubus. The spaceship which produces another outloud sound is the mock-up from “The Man Who Was Never Born”, the one you see in deep space is from “Nightmare” (see the US stars in the central wing) which is recycled footages from the series Men Into Space. We can hear a sound effect from Byron Haskin’s classic sci-fi film: The War of the Worlds, when Aabel annihilates Earthmen.
Notes: William O. Douglas is Aabel under the mask of the Eros creature. Dabbs Greer returns in “The Inheritors”. Stoney Burke-wise, actor John Milford guests in “Web of Fear” and Dabbs Greer in “Image of Glory”.