Mystery With a Moral

"Suspended in time and space for a moment, your introduction to Miss Janet Tyler, who lives in a very private world of darkness, a universe whose dimensions are the size, thickness, length of a swath of bandages that cover her face. In a moment we'll go back into this room and also in a moment we'll look under those bandages, keeping in mind, of course, that we're not to be surprised by what we see, because this isn't just a hospital, and this patient 307 is not just a woman. This happens to be the Twilight Zone, and Miss Janet Tyler, with you, is about to enter it."

Watch this 1960 television production of The Eye of the Beholder (it's 22 minutes long), a episode written by the master of television suspense, Rod Serling. Serling's show The Twilight Zone, ran for six seasons (1959-1964). It was a collection of short TV films that explored the unknown and uncertain mysteries of life, but often with a moral twist.

In this video, Serling criticizes the obsessive pressure that is placed on individuals to conform to society. Artists in the late 50s and early 1960s often examined this theme. The new and powerful medium, television, provided clear directions as to how one should look, talk, and act. Serling skewers conformity, especially when it comes to appearance. The surprise ending pounds this point home like a judge's gavel: "Beauty, indeed, is in the eye of the beholder."

However, we're studying Edgar Allan Poe and specifically, his methods of creating mood. Poe was a masterful story teller, but the story was the star. Don't look for hidden meanings or underlying criticisms of society in Poe.

So rather than write about theme, your assignment is play the role of a film critic. Watch the video carefully and analyze the "methods" that Rod Serling uses to create the suspenseful mood of this short television film. Include elements of dialogue, setting, lighting, music, plot, character, etc. and be specific.

You don't have to respond to this on the blog, or even in your journal. But you will have to respond intelligently on your next test.

Now back to the theme, not the focus of your assignment, but definitely an important matter. What better explanation is there than Rod Serling's narration that closes the episode:

"Now the questions that come to mind. Where is this place and when is it? What kind of world where ugliness is the norm and beauty the deviation from that norm? You want an answer? The answer is, it doesn't make any difference. Because the old saying happens to be true. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in this year or a hundred years hence, on this planet or wherever there is human life, perhaps out amongst the stars. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lesson to be learned—in The Twilight Zone."

clipped from video.yahoo.com