I started this post days ago, just before all this hack garbage shut The Blu-ray Blog down for a while. I’m so happy to get back to it and tell you all about this new Blu-ray edition of The Twilight Zone: Season One boxed set. Those of you who own the DVDs might feel a little pissed off about this set, as you were led to believe that you purchased the “The Definitive Collection” of the episodes on home video, suggesting that the elements would never look or sound any better on disc. Well, Image is going the extra mile here to prove that this new high-def package is worth the upgrade!
In addition to a new HD remaster of the episodes, billed by the studio as “a huge step up even from The Definitive Collection, mastered from new 1080p film transfers using the original camera negatives and magnetic soundtracks“, this set contains all new exclusive bonus material including 19 new commentary tracks, isolated music scores by composers like Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann and “The Time Element” – an unofficial, never before released Twilight Zone pilot written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz.
Sold. Sounds brilliant to me. If the A/V remaster even approaches the quality of the Star Trek Blu-ray releases, this upgrade should be a no-brainer for fans.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE: SEASON ONE
(September 14, 2010 – MSRP $99.98)
Video: 1.33:1 1080p
Audio: LPCM Mono
Special Features:
- Audio Commentaries by actors Earl Holliman, Martin Landau, Rod Taylor, Martin Milner, Kevin McCarthy, and CBS executive William Self.
- Vintage Audio Recollections with actors Burgess Meredith and Anne Francis, directors Douglas Heyes and Richard L. Bare, producer Buck Houghton and writer Richard Matheson.
- Rod Serling Audio Lectures from Sherwood Oaks College.
- Rod Serling Promos for “Next Week’s” Show.
- Original Unaired Pilot Version of “Where is Everybody?” with Rod Serling’s Network Pitch.
- Footage of the Emmy Award wins for the series.
EXCLUSIVE NEW BONUS FEATURES:
- Extremely rare, never-before-released unofficial Twilight Zone pilot, “The Time Element,” written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz – presented in glorious high definition!
- 19 New Audio Commentaries, featuring The Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, author and film historian Gary Gerani (Fantastic Television), author and music historian Steven C. Smith (A Heart at Fire’s Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann), music historians John Morgan and William T. Stromberg, writer/producer David Simkins (Lois & Clark, Dark Angel), writer Mark Fergus (Children of Men, Iron Man), actor William Reynolds and director Ted Post.
- Interviews with actors Dana Dillaway, Suzanne Lloyd, Beverly Garland and Ron Masak.
- Tales of Tomorrow episode “What You Need.”
- Vintage audio interview with Director of Photography George T. Clemens.
- 1977 syndication promos for “A Stop at Willoughby” and “The After Hours.”
- 18 Radio Dramas
- 34 Isolated Music Scores featuring the legendary Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith and others!
There is no ‘definitive’ any more, the word has been so abused by DVD companies that it no longer has its original meaning. Next there will be an ultra high def version, then a holographic one, then one that plays directly in your mind. And it STILL won’t be the definitive version, that’ll be out the following Christmas with two new extras and a stuffed toy taped to the box.
Any subtitles in this edition?
[...] Huh?! Another season set of Twilight Zone episodes announced for release on Blu-ray already?! We only just found out about Image‘s [...]
[...] Read all about it here: The Twilight Zone: Season One comes to Blu-ray [...]