An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (film)

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" ( _fr. La Rivière du hibou) is a 1962 French short film based on the short story of the same name by Ambrose Bierce first published in the 1891 collection "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians". It was directed by Robert Enrico and produced by Marcel Ichac and Paul de Roubaix with music by Henri Lanoe. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards. It was also screened on American television as an episode of "The Twilight Zone".

Marc Scott Zicree's "The Twilight Zone Companion" incorrectly states the French film was purchased for $10,000. This mistake has been reprinted in a number of books since the 1984 publication. "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic" by Martin Grams correctly verifies the purchase price as $20,000 plus $5,000 additional costs for re-editing.

"Twilight Zone" airing

Infobox Television episode
Title = An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Series = The Twilight Zone


Caption =Roger Jacquet in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Season = 5
Episode = 142
Airdate = February 28, 1964
Production =
Writer = Ambrose Bierce
(First published in the 1891 collection "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians")
Director = Robert Enrico
Guests = Roger Jacquet : Peyton Farquhar (Confederate Spy)
Anne Cornaly : Mrs. Farquhar
Anker Larsen : Union Officer
Music =
Episode list = List of Twilight Zone episodes
Prev = Spur of the Moment
Next = Queen of the NileTwo years after its production, the film was screened on American TV as part of the science fiction show "The Twilight Zone". Producer William Froug saw the film and decided to buy the rights to syndicate it on American television. The transaction cost "The Twilight Zone" $25,000 — significantly less than the average of $65,000 they expended on producing their own episodes. However, Froug’s purchase allowed for the film to be aired only twice (the first airing was on February 28, 1964). Consequently, it is not included on "The Twilight Zone’s" syndication package (although it is included on Image Entertainment's DVD box set of the original series and on the DVD "Treasures of the Twilight Zone"). The episode's introduction is notable for Rod Serling breaking the fourth wall even more than usual, as he explains how the film was shot overseas and later picked up to air as part of "The Twilight Zone".

Opening Narration

Closing Narration

Preview for Next Week's Story

ynopsis

Peyton Farquhar, a Civil War civilian prisoner, is about to be hanged from Owl Creek Bridge. As he is dropped, the rope breaks, and he swims away, the soldier's bullets missing him. After avoiding capture, the man arrives at his home. He sees his wife and child. He runs toward his wife, she runs toward him. Just as they are about to fall into each other's arm's, his head and neck suddenly jerks back, and we see him hanging from the bridge. For his escape was only in his imagination.

Awards

*Won first prize for Best Short Subject at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
*Won the 1963 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film. cite web |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/35918/An-Occurrence-at-Owl-Creek-Bridge/details |title=New York Times: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge |accessdate=2008-05-22|work=NY Times]

References

*cite book|last=Zicree|first=Marc Scott|title=The Twilight Zone Companion|year=1982|publisher=Bantam|location=New York|id=ISBN 0-553-01416-1
*DeVoe, Bill. (2008). "Trivia from The Twilight Zone". Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1593931360
*Grams, Martin. (2008). "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic". Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0970331090

External links

*imdb title|id=0734554|title=An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge