IMDb RATING
8.1/10
4.5K
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In 1862, during the American Civil War, a Southern civilian is about to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a railway bridge. When the execution takes place from the bridge, the rope breaks... Read allIn 1862, during the American Civil War, a Southern civilian is about to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a railway bridge. When the execution takes place from the bridge, the rope breaks and he begins his escape toward home.In 1862, during the American Civil War, a Southern civilian is about to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a railway bridge. When the execution takes place from the bridge, the rope breaks and he begins his escape toward home.
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This film is chilling, yet absolutely wonderful. One cannot help but to have sympathy for the convicted man. The beauty of nature is displayed quite perfectly in his cute musical number; the sunlight plays wonders with the camera despite the film being in black and white. There is hardly any dialogue to clutter up the message, only one man's struggle to live. The ending is amazing and will leave the viewer's jaw agape. This film is even better than the original short story. Recommended viewing for anyone who craves a short movie that is long on depth.
I first saw this film on The Twilight Zone when I was only about eleven.It was unforgettable.I believe it was a winner at the Cann Film Festival also.Just recently bought it and shown it to many friends.They all loved it.
Rod Serling brought this to American attention as a part of the Twilight Zone series and I have to agree with his departure from the popular series. A great story, intimately told. It points out the beauty of life and how it is magnified when death threatens. I think it is as good or even better than any Zone episode both in style and depth.
I am a high school English teacher, and this film is absolutely perfect for classroom use. At just over 20 minutes, it is exactly the right length to show in an 11th grade class - it holds the students' attention and is short enough to keep them from getting bored. It is also an extremely faithful representation of the story, which helps students visualize and reinforce what they have read. To the teacher who posted earlier, who had to keep warning his students about "being bored for 20 minutes," I'd suggest that he's established a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you think it's boring, and you tell them it's boring, don't be surprised if they act bored.
Beyond the classroom applications, this film is just plain good and will prove a real treat for all lovers of film and/or The Twilight Zone.
Beyond the classroom applications, this film is just plain good and will prove a real treat for all lovers of film and/or The Twilight Zone.
10wjreagin
The original writer of the story was a civil war reporter. He covered many such events as outlined in the film. I like this film for many reasons. First, it is a black and white film to capture the feeling of the story. Next, the story was very realistic for the time in which the story takes place. Also, there are very few spoken lines. Finally, the twist at the end is worth the wait. I am not going to spoil the ending, but please be patient to the end. I promise that you will not be disappointed. When I was in college my class studied this film for all of the above points. It is short, only about 30 minutes, but the time is not wasted. It is a moving piece and I recommend it to anyone!
Did you know
- TriviaOriginally a French filmed short. Appeared at Cannes and shown on The Twilight Zone (1959) (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1964)), the first time the show aired a production filmed by someone else.
- GoofsThe snippets of English dialogue are all spoken with French accents even though these are supposed to be Americans. Not a goof: Although this story is performed by French actors, French people emigrated to the United States prior to the American Civil War and settled in Louisiana.
- Alternate versionsReedited for broadcast as one of the final episodes of the television series, The Twilight Zone (1959). The episode is: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1964). Customary narration by Rod Serling was added for the broadcast.
- ConnectionsEdited into Au coeur de la vie (1963)
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- Also known as
- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
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- Runtime
- 28m
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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