Question: You wrote recently about An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, but wasn’t it an episode of The Twilight Zone, not a movie?
Answer:
La Rivière du Hibou/An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was entered into both the short-film competition at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the award for best live-action short subject, and to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose members gave it an Oscar in 1963. It was picked up for a one-time airing as Episode 142 of The Twilight Zone on Feb. 28, 1964, shortened by about 10 minutes and given English-language credits. In his introduction, host Rod Serling explained the episode's provenance and its unique place in the anthology show’s history. The Twilight Zone version of Occurrence is available on DVD on the disc Treasures of the Twilight Zone (Image Entertainment), al
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Question: My fourth-grade class was shown a very disturbing film that's stuck with me for years and I'd really like to see it again through adult eyes. It takes place during the Civil War and a man — I think a Confederate spy — is about to be hanged. The rope breaks and he falls into a creek, escapes and finds his way home to his wife. As he goes to embrace her, he's physically pulled back as the film cuts to him being hanged. Any idea what it might be?
Answer: You saw Robert Enrico's short An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1962), based on the short story by Ambrose Bierce. It's widely available on VHS and DVD from a company called Monterey Video.
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