The Twilight Zone - 'The 5th Dimension: Limited Ed. Gift Set' Combines '59 and '85 Shows on DVD

Here we go again! yet another Twilight Zone release!


http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Twilight-Zone-The-5th-Dimension-LE/20338

 

I am still trying to find a way to get the original series on Blu-Ray.

 

I wonder what masters they are using for the original series?

 

I would guess they are the same as the DVDs that are out now.

 

I'm bummed-out because I know for sure they never went back and pulled all the 35mm negative to redo the 1985 shows, several of which I worked on. And trust me, they looked pretty grungy back then. (We did our best, but the mastering equipment of that time was very limited in what it could do.)

 

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what I can't figure out is why they did nor use the latest remastering of the original series that was used for the Bluray box?

 

IIRC, the current DVDs are mastered form an older mastering?
I'm gonna ask Vid maybe he can tell us?...

 

I didn't know that was the case. Unfortunate.

 

I have the original Twilight Zone on blu-ray, it's a stunning example of, well, how good blu-ray can look itself so I have to recommend it.

I just bought the standalone DVD set for the 1985 shows because they were at a price I couldn't refuse- $30 for the entire series. I have some very good memories of watching this show as a kid.

I'd been holding out for a blu-ray release for the '85 series for years, but it just seems they don't want to invest the time or money into it as it was edited, dubbed and had special effects added on video. I noticed the article references a review made on the last DVD set by someone else who worked on the show:

As one of the writer-producers who contributed to this series, I'm posting this to correct some misapprehensions concerning the picture quality of this DVD set. This is NOT a "bad transfer." The 1985-87 Twilight Zone was shot on film, but edited on video. In other words, the raw footage was 35mm film, which was then transferred to videotape. Editing, dubbing, special effects--everything was done on video. (We were in fact the first drama series on television to do this.) So unlike the original Rod Serling TZ, there ARE no original film negatives from which Image could strike new prints for transfer. All that exist are the old one-inch master tapes, and the unfortunate reality is, videotape does deteriorate some over time. Image has, in my opinion, done a superb job packaging our series, and it is to them that I award the five stars in this review! If not for their interest in bringing this show to DVD, those one-inch masters might eventually have eroded into so much static (as my 3/4-inch tapes of the show already have). If you enjoyed this series, just be grateful it's been preserved!

-Allan Brennert

To be clear, note that these comments refer to the original set on DVD.

Of course, we didn't think we'd see Star Trek TNG for what I understood were the same reasons mentioned above, but we eventually got it on Blu-Ray. Here's to hoping.

 

That's awesome you worked on the series! Any memories you can share?

 

This review on the 85 standalone set confirms it's a repackaging; I'd be surprised if the gigantic box set is any different.

 

Hi thanks, yes I know the 80's series is a repackaging, but I am curious what masters they used for the original series in the new DVD Mega Box in this thread.

 

I was asleep half the time! (We started those sessions early in the morning, 4AM-9AM, then I had a full day of commercials after that.) My favorite episode was the one about the guy from the future who was a relative of John F. Kennedy, who goes back in Dallas to November 1963 to witness the assassination, only he accidentally manages to stop JFK from being killed -- the President is only wounded instead. Eventually, the time-traveller has to reveal to the President who he is, and he winds up having to take the President's place because the world starts to come apart once time is changed. The time-traveller is killed in the limo on 11/22/63, and the President gets to go back to the future and live as a noted statesman and lecturer.

We also had an episode involving Merlin the Magician and I think King Arthur, and that was memorable because the actor playing Merlin accidentally hit a stunt man in the face with a sword (for real). We had to quickly rush that transfer through so lawyers could figure out who was at fault and how much they were going to have to pay. I think that shot was redone for the show, so the scene of the poor guy being slashed in the face were never seen on TV.

The show was terribly uneven, but some of those episodes were interesting and memorable. My problem with all of the Twilight Zones was that most of them were very downbeat and depressing, and I think that took a toll on viewers and the ratings sank. The rival Amazing Stories went in a much less believable direction, very optimistic to the point of silliness, and that show got no ratings, either. Twilight Zone was totally controlled by the writers, while Amazing Stories was totally controlled by the directors; I don't think either one worked, maybe because by the 1980s nobody could get into anthology shows with revolving casts.

No, no -- as far as I know, the 1959-1964 B&W TV series was transferred in HD from the original camera negatives about 9 years ago and those are being re-released as part of the boxed set. The 1985 CBS remake series is probably going to be from the original standard-def 1" analogue master tapes. It would be possible (and not that expensive) to rescan all the camera negatives in HD and re-conform the show, but they'd also have to redo all the visual effects in HD, which would not be cheap. This is what the CBS crew had to do on Star Trek: TNG when that was released on Blu-ray.

 

I'll have to watch for that one when my set arrives! The episode where the woman had the ability to stop time ("Stop talking!") and was ultimately was doomed to isolation when she stopped it just prior to a nuclear bomb detonating in her city always stuck in my mind- to me that did a good job of capturing the irony the original show often had.

I have to admit I felt both shows (Twilight Zone '85 and Amazing Stories) struggled after the first season or so. Both seemed to have great starts but then slowly fizzled. I'd still like season 2 of Amazing Stories on DVD without paying an arm and a leg for a Japanese import!

 

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This particular TZ story was written by George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones for those living in a cave). He said that CBS wanted stories with more twist endings like the original series, and that they (the writers) wanted that as well, but the audience had become too sophisticated since the original shows had aired. He then gave the example of "The Eye of the Beholder" from the original series, if done in 1985. "Oh, everyone's talking about how she's very ugly. Why is everyone else in shadow? Why can't we see their face? I bet they're the ugly ones!" He said the old plots would be figured out by 80's audiences before they made it to the first commercial break.

My personal favorite episode from the '85 series was the William Friedkin directed "Nightcrawlers." I found it to be very creepy for TV at that time.

 

My standalone set of The Twilight Zone '85 arrived today. As you can see, the packaging is as bare bones as it can get. Actually, I was surprised there was a flip-out cover. I'm fine with that as I'm just happy they're making this complete set available for a low price (~$30.99 at the time I ordered it).





As the review mentioned earlier said said, the mastering is the same as the DVDs from 10 years ago. If anything the episodes look worse only because when I watched these before because then I was using a CRT that masked a lot of the details (or lack of). It's very much like watching an old VHS tape or laserdisc.

I'm not disappointed, mind you, I had low expectations for this set. I'm a Twilight Zone nut and there's no other way to be able to watch and own the 85 series again in the meantime, so I'll take what I can get.

 

agreed! my wife really, really loves the entire series so I got it for her...I prefer the original, but we watched many of these together back in the 80's on cable? IIRC?...I enjoyed them as well...packaging is abysmal! WTF? how does the stacked DVDs work out? any scratched? my copy should be here tomorrow...in the future we'll get this done properly no matter what Bul*S*&t they are throwing at us in regard to lost elements. IMAGE is famous for screwing the fan with unreal amounts of reissues...I loathe them, but unfortunately I own most of their stuff that they have an exclusive on...pox on 'em anyway!

 

Yeah I'm with you, I love the original. The '85 TZ had some good moments, and I have some good memories of it. It was on NBC, I think.

They're just stacked on top of each other, spindle style, they sit in a very thin plastic tray and that cardboard insert goes on top. No scratches so far, I looked at them and they seem fine. I've read a lot of Amazon of other budget "complete series" collections being in the same minimal packaging so I will say, my expectations were low on the packaging and I already knew about the mastering being the same. I did want to give a heads up to anyone considering getting the set though.

 

OK, thanks...I may have been thinking of the Outer Limits from the 80's being on cable..I know one of the two were!

 

So are the DVDs of the 60's Twilight Zone in this set going to have all the extras that the Blu-Ray has? Stuff like the extra commentaries and radio dramas?

 

received my TZ 80's box recently...yes, the packaging may not up to to par....BUT, I like it in a strange way...one thing I can say... NONE of the DVDs were scratched! I see no problems storing this as well...for the price it's a steal.

 

So has anyone picked up the big "5th Dimension" box yet? Just curious to hear opinions/reviews.....

 

I loved TZ growing up in the 70's, it seemed it always came on late at night or on Sunday's with One Step Beyond. So when I was a teen in the 80's I was thrilled it was coming back. I loved it and watched every episode but I haven't seen any of them since. So I did what you did, I say the complete DVD set on ebay and got it for something like 10 bucks. I thought I had a steal of a deal. Then when it came in the mail the box was different. I thought maybe they updated the art. So I put the DVD in and I had never seen any of it before and Forest Whitaker is on it. I am thinking WTF is this?!? So I kept watching and had no idea there was another series after the 80's. So I kept it and didn't complain that they sent the wrong one because some of the episodes were enjoyable. So bottom line is that I need to see the 80's version again. I remember one particular episode where everyone is blue and they create time, one minute ahead of "real time" called "A Matter Of Minutes". Very cool episode along with "Wordplay".

I have a few questions and maybe someone can help out. Some of these are on YouTube so I brought up Wordplay. Wasn't the series narrated by Burgess Meredith? Why was the narration left off this? Or was this not the case at all and I am thinking of something else?



Finally, unrelated to TZ is another question: Does anyone remember a show called "The Red Room"? I think that is what it was called. Came on in the early 80's and was kind of Zone-ish in stories but I never saw it again after it aired the first time. I don't think it was one very long. (This thread reminded me of it).

 

I read someplace that they pitched the original negatives. Could that be the reason they can't go back?

 

In addition to my original question..... to anyone who has picked up/seen the box, what was the price? A used copy of the set showed up this week at a local store, and they're charging $200.... that seems a little steep, but this particular store usually has a big sale in August, so if I wait until then to buy it, I'll probably be able to get 30-40% off.