The Golden Age of Television [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The hugely popular live American television plays of the 1950s have become the stuff of legend. Combining elements of theater, radio, and filmmaking, they were produced at a moment when TV technology was advancing and making art accessible to a newly suburban postwar demographic. These astonishingly choreographed, brilliantly acted, and socially progressive teleplays constituted an artistic high for the medium, bringing Broadway-quality drama to homes across the country. The following award-winning program - curated for PBS in the early 1980s as the series The Golden Age of Television, with recollections from key cast and crew members - were conceived by such up-and-comers as Rod Serling and John Frankenheimer, and star the likes of Paul Newman, Mickey Rooney, Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, and Piper Laurie.

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 3
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Screen: Black and White
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Rod Steiger - Marty Pilletti
       Jack Palance - Harlan "Mountain" McClintock
       Paul Newman - Henry Wiggen
       Nancy Marchand - Clara
       Albert Salmi - Bruce Pearson
       Keenan Wynn - Maish
       Ed Wynn - Army
       Kim Hunter - Grace Carney
       Julie Harris
       George Peppard - Piney Woods
       Nehemiah Persoff
       Donald Woods
       Betsy Palmer
       Ned Glass

• Director:

  Delbert Mann, Fielder Cook, Alvin Rakoff

• Producer:

  Martin Manulis

• Screenwriter:

  Rod Serling

• Book Author:

  Mark Harris

• Short Story Author:

  Paddy Chayefsky

REVIEW:

• During his long and varied career, actor Jack Palance has been accused of overacting more than a few times. Requiem for a Heavyweight, however, offers a burgeoning Palance giving one of the most wrenching and heartfelt performances of his career. As the physically and emotionally pummeled Harlan "Mountain" McClintock, Palance's struggle with his own integrity in the face of an uncertain future is so personal, yet so universal, that one can't help but identify and sympathize with this lost soul. The scene in which a tortured McClintock reaches out to the one woman who can understand his plight and the ridicule the duo endures while quietly pondering his questionable future in a local tavern offers a rare glimpse into the despair that success can bring when its illustrious flame begins to grow dim. Legendary screenwriter Rod Serling's delicate handling of a poignant subject matter that could have easily slipped into overwrought melodrama offers viewers the opportunity to question their own ethics in the face of misplaced trust. After witnessing every shred of dignity and pride stripped from McClintock during the film's touching climax, Serling offers a hopeful coda that suggests even in one's darkest hours, there is always hope to find a truly fulfilling life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi