Twilight Zone Definitive Edition (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

Received my copy of the definitive set yesterday and I am very pleased with it. It really looks great, and the companion book is perhaps the best DVD packaging extra ever. Looking forward to getting into these in the next few weeks - just hope I can find time to finish them by the time season 2 gets here.

 

[Dane Marvin]

just hope I can find time to finish them by the time season 2 gets here

Sam, I predict you will finally get the time to finish them, but then your glasses will break.

 

[Paul_Scott]

I haven't actually seen this set yet.

What's the packaging like? (And, also, what kind of packaging is the 80s series in?).

a thin slipcase, very similar to the original boxed sets, houses the book as well as another slipcase with the 6 thin pack cases containing the actual discs.

Amazon came thru with mine today, and i just gave a couple eps a cursory viewing.

this looks to be fully what i expected- every bit as good a presentation as the Dick Van Dyke sets Image put out.

back in 2003, i thought those sets were state of the art as far as TV on DVD product went; from the graphic design of the packaging and the menus, to the supplements, to the actual transfers themselves- first class as well as tasteful & appropriate.

this set is even more impressive on specs alone, and from the couple episodes i've watched the transfers are generally as fine as i could ask for with NTSC resolution.

some shots have a grainier, more digital appearence, but then the very next shot can, and often does, look remarkably smooth and silky.

i would still easily give the Image an A.

i also got a kick out of the intro screen (the one that says Image is not responsible for comments made in supplemental material, etc).

while it might not register with most people, i find the simple graphic design of that screen to be very much in a late 50s/early 60 style.

a very small detail, but i for one appreciate it quite a bit. a nice mood setter.

 

[WillLon]

My set arrived today, ordered via Coconuts.com on 12/30. Beautiful.

The TZ Companion --

I agree with the comments by others in this thread.

It would have been nice if Zicree had just stuck to "the facts." Such as episode x was rehearsed and filmed on x dates, with location filming [exact location] on x date, the score was recorded on x date completing post production. I'd bet those details all exist in the Serling or CBS archive. That would be far more interesting than the author's opinion.

This edition still has the same errors the previous editions did:

page 191: air date should be "3/31/61" not "3/3/31" !?

page 231: air date should be "5/11/62" not "5/11/64"

It's still nice having a miniature reprint of the Companion. I still have a dog-eared copy of the 1st edition I bought around 1987-8.

Another out of print book to be avoided (or amused at) is called "Into the TZ: The RS Episode Guide" - Lofficier. Every episode synopsis in this book is a 1 or 2 sentence spoiler-filled statement explaining the outcome of every episode!

The RS Blooper is from the 4th Season episode "He's Alive". Read Serling's intro on page 320 of the TZCompanion. This clip has been on some public domain blooper compilation tapes from several years back.

Cheers..... Wil

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Having already purchased the first run of TZ on DVD I was on the fence about getting the Definitive Edition. I did and it was worth it. I did a comparison for DVDBeaver.com. You can see it HERE
Some episodes may look better, some worse. I just choose the first episode of season one. Enjoy.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

While it was a good idea to include the 2nd Edition of the Twilight Zone Companion with this set, doesn't anyone else feel it would've been a great time for Mr. Zicree to have worked on, and released a 3rd Edition that would include reviews for the 80s and 2002 version of the show?

 

[Craig Beam]

I would've loved to see a revised and expanded edition of the book... maybe someday it'll get a third edition...
But hey, it's a cool little bonus (despite the occasional error and Zicree's frequent crankiness). I love the fact that the DVDs themselves have their own slipcase, which will presumably match the forthcoming sets, giving the owner the option of displaying the total box (with book) or just the DVDs. A nice touch.
I love these DVDs! As I slowly plumb their depths, I am constantly surprised and delighted. My only complaint concerns that ugly montage that plays under the main menu screen when each disc (except #6) spins up. This awkward mish-mash of clips from the first three seasons (for those who don't already know) was first featured on the Columbia House VHS volumes. I didn't like it then, and I hate it now. With all the money and effort put into these sets, it kinda seems like they could've done something new... but oh well. Pretty minor gripe, huh?

 

[ScottR]

Why did the press release state that they would utilize as much of the frame as possible, if it was going to be cropped more than the previous release? Another example of 1.33:1 films being cropped. I wish the press releases wouldn't lie.

 

[PaulP]

Could someone explain the point of the little show trailers after the credits?

 

[RISUG]

Gotta save something for the 50th anniversary edition on (hopefully) Blu-ray in 2009.

 

[Jerome]

Could someone explain the point of the little show trailers after the credits?

are they trailers for Twilight Zone or other CBS Series of the 60s ?

 

[Dane Marvin]

Are you referring to the "next week" teasers done by Rod Serling? If so, they are after the end of the last act but not after the credits. The show comes back from final commercial and Rod is there telling a bit about the premise of next week's episode and (generally) who is starring in it. Sometimes he has a prop (like a slot machine in the teaser for "The Fever"), sometimes he is just standing there. They are great, especially for Serling diehards who can't get enough of his on-camera performances.

There are also short trailers for "The Danny Thomas Show" and I did catch one other show advertised in the first season, but my brain isn't working well enough right now to remember what it was. They are very brief and are shown after the credits, just before the CBS logo and all that jazz.

So what we are basically getting with all these bumpers, teasers and promos is the episode the exact way it would have aired in '59 or '60, sans the commercials and things specifically related to the sponsor(s). There are some extra features dealing with the sponsors though, including Kimberly-Clark.

 

[Craig Beam]

Aside from the Danny Thomas promos, there are also plugs for Wanted: Dead Or Alive (starring Steve McQueen) and The United Way. I think there might even be one in there soliciting blood donations...

What's the point, Paul? A bit of nostalgia, not to mention placing the episodes in historical context. I for one was thrilled to see them included.

 

[PaulP]

Yes, I was referring to the short show trailers and not Serling's Next Week outros. Seems well-meant but would be nice as an extra rather than part of an episode, in my opinion.

 

[Reagan]

These new releases are amazing. I didn't have the old ones, but the DVDbeaver comparisons confirmed the marketing - this new release really is a new transfer. When I watch the episodes it feels like I'm watching a film in a theater, not a TV show.

-Reagan

 

[ScottR]

I was surprised to see an alternate opening credits sequence at the beginning of "Mr. Denton On Doomsday." Does anyone know if this was an experiment, or what. I have never seen that opening before.

 

[Ric Easton]

This thread really depresses me. I of course have already bought the previous releases in several variations. I got the 40th Anniversary set which inluded Volumes 1-5 as well as the great American Masters documentary. I bought about the next 15 volumes as the separate releases. And I finally finished up with a couple of the "Collection" sets. Since nothing matched, I made my own set of covers to give the series some kind of uniformity.
Anyway, these new transfers and extras sound great, and I wish I had never previously bought the show. Problem is... on ebay, who is gonna want to buy my collection? It comes with no inserts and if I was to dig up the original packaging, well, like I said, its a real hodge-podge.
Why do I always have to buy this stuff when it first comes out? Why do I believe the studios when they say this will be the only version released? Between this, Star Trek: TOS (which I caved on) and Farscape, I feel like I am always on the losing end of collecting my favorite shows.
I'm sure I'm not the only person that feels this way... Just had to vent.
Ric

 

[todd s]

Ric,

Someone will always buy something off of ebay. You may not get a lot. But, you should be able to sell them for a decent price.

 

[Eric Paddon]

I understand where you're coming from. I think often it's just the sense of wanting to have access to episodes of a show we love right then and now that makes us give in and buy them when they may end up being redone. I bought all the old boxed sets of TZ last spring because I wanted to see any episode I liked uncut right now and indeed the chief reason why I'm not buying the new ones yet is because I don't want to get rid of the old ones and have just one season of shows to watch.

Later on, I know I will eventually give in and I just plan to sell the old sets at a bargain to a friend and just cut the losses.

 

[Craig Beam]

Scott, that alternate opening you're referring to (with the eye changing into a setting sun) is used in a few episodes at the end of season 1 too ("A Passage For Trumpet," for example). I'd never seen it used on "Mr. Denton On Doomsday," before, but it must have aired that way originally, then was changed when the series was syndicated. Many of the season 1 opening titles were replaced in syndication with the familiar season 2 opening. It's nice to see them restored.
Ric: I sold my entire 43-disc collection (the earlier volumes) on eBay about six months ago, and got $350.00 for them from some guy in Hong Kong. Don't give up hope!