The Twilight Zone is a series beloved by generations, a program that has stood the test of time. The show resonates with viewers thanks to consistently unpredictable narrative arcs, a penchant for moral messaging, and thoughtful insight into the human condition. Though each episode of the anthology series is unique, each installment feels like a Twilight Zone episode. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that almost every installment feels like a Twilight Zone episode. There is one series outing that fits well enough into the canon, yet it is still readily identifiable as different from its contemporaries. We’re talking about Season 5, Episode 22, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”
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“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” stands out for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it wasn’t shot as an episode of the series at all but as a short film.
The Twilight Zone Episode “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” Wasn’t Filmed as Part of the Series
In 1961, French director Robert Enrico adapted the 1890 Ambrose Bierce short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” for the screen. The short film garnered significant critical acclaim upon release, eventually catching the attention of Twilight Zone series creator Rod Serling.
In an unexpected move, Serling acquired the short and ran it like a regular episode of the program during the show’s fifth season. Serling even recorded a special intro for the episode that explains that this particular installment is an international production to which the show acquired distribution rights. That’s a somewhat unorthodox move, but seeing as The Twilight Zone is an unorthodox show, it seems rather fitting.
The episode in question catches up with Confederate resistance fighter Peyton Farquhar (Roger Jacquet) as he stands awaiting execution by Union troops. At the last second, Peyton escapes, making his way back to his wife. But just as it seems all is well, the story delivers an unexpected twist.
This episode is almost entirely absent of dialogue and unfolds more like an existential meditation on life and death and the evils of war than a run-of-the-mill installment of The Twilight Zone. Even still, the story feels (almost) at home in the Twilight Zone universe because it features a hefty helping of social commentary and a surprising twist in its final moments.
The twist ending featured in this series installment is jarring and upsetting, but it ultimately stands out as more grounded than a lot of Twilight Zone episodes. The ending is more of a cruel twist of fate than the otherworldly twists to which viewers of the program may be more accustomed.
Although the short film wasn’t produced as a proper series installment, that didn’t stop the creative team from doing what they could to ease the transition. Accordingly, there are a few minor differences between the episode that aired on CBS and the short in its original form. For instance, the French voice over narration featured in the short film has been excised from the episode. Additionally, the production team trimmed more than 60 seconds from the 28-minute short film to make it fit within the time allotted by CBS.
The episode aired twice in 1964 in accordance with the licensing agreement. The arrangement, however, did not include syndication rights. Thus, why the episode is often absent from streaming platforms and reruns in linear broadcast. With that said, the episode has historically been featured in series box sets on physical media.
For a bit of added context, the short film was initially released as La Rivière du hibou in its native France. Under that title, the film earned the prestigious Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1962. Additionally, the picture won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 1964.
After all these years, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” stands out as an unforgettable episode of The Twilight Zone that was conceived as its own unrelated entity. Even still, the thematic elements and narrative trajectory are similar enough to the series that the episode blends in better than it might otherwise have.
What are your thoughts on this decidedly unorthodox episode of The Twilight Zone? Make sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
