4/25/2023 0 Comments Twilight zone accident bodiesJoseph Schildkraut’s father, Rudolph, was one of the top stars of the German and Yiddish stage but both father and son experienced their share of antisemitism. This is a haunting, unflinching episode, exactly what fans of The Twilight Zone expect from this groundbreaking show.Īvailability: The Twilight Zone series has been released on DVD. The Twilight Zone was a half-hour television show taking on the Holocaust and Serling quite rightly focused on the character of Becker. Of all the movie tasks in the world, I’d say empathizing with an SS captain is not exactly a priority. You know what? I’m pretty good with that. This episode is generally acclaimed but it is occasionally labeled as simplistic in its portrayal of Lutze. In the 1960s, Nazis were still being hunted down and charged with their crimes but there were some whom evaded detection and arrest into the new millennia. Beregi’s descent into madness and Schildkraut’s calls for justice create a cacophonous finale that is deeply satisfying. With the exception of a few incidental characters at the opening and closing of this episode, it is essentially a two-man show and the perfect casting ensures its success. (I have a fairly strong stomach for the macabre but genocide is something I can’t handle I haven’t actually seen that many classic films about the Holocaust because of this.) Truth be told, this episode gave me nightmares. Its restraint is its power as our minds summon up images far more terrifying than what could ever be shown. This episode contains no graphic violence, all the horror is in dialogue atmosphere and the ghosts and relics of torture. Beregi, whose father was a silent film star, matches Schildkraut’s performance with a more blustery technique that works to put across the arrogance and brutality of Lutze. To unleash such power and yet maintain complete control is no easy task and it is a marvel to behold. Schildkraut was, of course, coming from a very personal place but there is also immense skill in the performance. The ruthless, logical, methodical way he recounts Lutze’s crimes is mesmerizing. He has endured the worst savagery imaginable and his capacity for emotion has been sapped. The most chilling thing about the episode is Schildkraut’s calm, collected rage. Of course, there is a twist and most of you will probably see it coming but the actors sell it. He reminds Lutze of the pain he inflicted and declares that he will pass sentence on him for his crimes. The camp has been abandoned but Lutze’s memories are strong and he is enjoying himself when he realizes that he is not alone.Īlfred Becker (Joseph Schildkraut) is still there, still wearing his prisoner’s stripes. Lutze has returned to Dachau under an assumed name for the purpose of wallowing in nostalgia, happy memories of a time when he controlled the lives and deaths of hundreds, thousands of prisoners. (When this episode is written about, the most common anecdote is that Joseph Schildkraut’s real life wife passed away while this episode was being filmed and he channeled his grief into the performance.)ĭeaths-Head Revisited in the bleaker and more interesting of the two episodes and, barely a decade and a half removed from the war, the wounds would have been quite fresh for audiences of 1961. Also notable are Alma Platt as Schildkraut’s wife and Theodore Marcuse (Korob in Catspaw, Star Trek’s only Halloween episode) as a gambler with a heart. No surprises but Schildkraut’s sweet character pulls it through. This is a solid episode, acted well and written well. There’s not much to say about this second episode except that it’s a sturdy science fiction concept and Schildkraut overcomes some dodgy old age makeup to deliver a perceptive performance as an elderly man trying desperately to purchase new artificial bodies for himself and his wife. The second, The Trade-Ins, is a more sentimental tale of an older couple grappling with mortality and androids. The first, Deaths-Head Revisited, is a dark Holocaust revenge tale. Schildkraut made two appearances on The Twilight Zone, both in season three and both written by series creator Rod Serling. Schildkraut was a stage star in German, Yiddish and English and is probably best known to silent film fans as the leading man of Orphans of the Storm, where he rocked a powdered wig and caused many a heart to go pit-a-pat. Today’s guest of honor is a personal favorite of mine: Joseph Schildkraut. For this outing, I’m going to be periodically sharing my reviews of Twilight Zone episodes that feature veterans of the silent era. Welcome to a new variation of After the Silents, in which I examine the careers of silent movie personnel in the sound era.
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