Judgment Night

Judgment Night (JN) uses The Twilight Zone's version of a plot device incorporated to great effect in the Bill Murray hit movie Groundhog Day----i.e. It tells a story that is repeated endlessly in order to explain the reason for the narrative. The tale is shrouded in mist, mystery and a feeling of unknown peril. And the eternal suffering that one is doomed to experience as the price for committing a great sin certainly draws from elements of the old Flying Dutchman legend. It is a very well cast episode featuring a great lead performance from veteran character actor Nehemiah Persoff (who will be 102 on Aug. 14, 2022). And JN also benefits from the effective moody direction of German-born John Brahm, who demonstrated here why he became celebrated several years earlier when helming the suspenseful atmospheric film classics The Lodger and Hangover Square.

Part of the success realized by JN came from its overall design. This was due to the fact that JN employed several sets from The Wreck of the Mary Deare-----a major movie production that starred Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston just recently completed at MGM. JN also benefitted from its use of authentic newsreel footage of a German U-boat crew in combat action. It should also be noted that Brahm went on to direct a total of twelve TZ episodes------the series record for such efforts.

One fact may be of minor interest when you view JN. It involved the only known occasion when censorship was imposed upon the production of a TZ episode. In Rod Serling's original script, the U-boat's first officer (Patrick MacNee) ordered a cup of tea to be sent to him on the sub's bridge. General Foods (the sponsor), whose Sanka coffee commercials appeared during the show, objected to this reference to a competitive beverage. Serling ultimately accomodated the sponsor by changing the script reference from "a cup of tea" to "a tray!"

JN may not be up to the lofty standard attained by several other First Season episodes. However, it is a top notch entertainment experience and will certainly hold your interest.

Nehemiah Persoff stars as Carl Lanser, who finds himself aboard the British ship Glasgow during World War II, unsure of who he is, or how he got there, but has an ever-increasing feeling of dread about the imminent fate of the ship, which he is certain is about to be torpedoed by a German U-boat. Of course, the passengers and crew don't believe him until it is too late, but only then will Lanser discover the truth of his identity, and the reasons behind his ordeal. Patrick Macnee and James Franciscus costar. Reasonably effective tale is not that surprising really, but nicely put across, and has an authentic feel for the sea and its nautical setting.

Decent episode, great acting and a poignant final reveal. The storyline itself was well development and held an even level of suspense throughout.

The second of a total of twelve "Twilight Zone" episodes directed by the masterful but criminally underrated John Brahm, and yet another very intense and macabre story! These are exactly the type of "Twilight Zone" tales I prefer: ominous atmosphere from start to finish, a claustrophobic and inescapable setting, steady but non- stop tension building and a depressing but righteous conclusion. The plot is very familiar and the denouement is fairly predictable, but I can hardly blame the episode for that. All the movies or TV-shows that I've seen with a similar or even downright identical plot were made long after this "Judgment Night" and thus once again this series proves itself to be a trendsetter. During a misty night in the year 1942, a man inexplicably finds himself on board of a ship called S.S. Queen of Glasgow without any recollections whatsoever. He only knows that his name is Carl Lanser and that he was born in Frankfurt. Through contact with the other passengers and the crew, Lanser discovers that he has a vast knowledge of the maritime, particularly U-boats, and he also has increasing premonitions of a tragic event that is about to happen. You'll know quite early in the episode in which direction the plot is heading, but the climax nevertheless still sent cold shivers down my spine, mainly thanks to a couple of breathtaking sequences and a strong performance from Nehemiah Persoff.

In 1942, Carl Lanser (Nehemiah Persoff) is a lonely passenger without recollections that is traveling in the cargo ship "S.S. Queen of Glasgow" from London to New York. Lanser meets the captain and the other passengers and soon he recalls that he is the captain of a U-Boat that will attack the ship in a few moments.

"Judgment Night" is an engaging episode of The Twilight Zone" with the story of a man doomed to relive a tragic night for the eternity. The plot is based on the myth of King Sisyphus, punished for trickery and forced to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill; but before he reaches the top, the rock would always roll back down. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação: Judgment Night" ("Beyond Imagination - Judgment Night")