"The Twilight Zone" Perchance to Dream (1959)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Robert Florey

Writer:

Charles Beaumont (writer)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

27 November 1959 (Season 1, Episode 9)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A fatigued man fights to stay awake as he explains to a psychiatrist that if he falls asleep it will trigger a nightmare, which will cause his heart to fail. |

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Nightmare | Title Based On Shakespeare | Based On Short Story | Narrator

Cast

Richard Conte	...	Edward Hall
John Larch	...	Dr. Eliot Rathmann
Suzanne Lloyd	...	Maya / Miss Thomas

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Trivia:

The quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet used in the title is: "To sleep, perchance to dream- ay, there's the rub."

Quotes:

Edward Hall: You mind if I walk around a bit? It's the only way I can stay wake.
Dr. Rathmann: Stand on your head if you think it'll help.
[Hall laughs]
Dr. Rathmann: What's funny?
Edward Hall: You are. You sure you're a psychiatrist?
Dr. Rathmann: Why do you ask?
Edward Hall: I don't know. I guess I expected something different.
Dr. Rathmann: Like an old man with a white beard and a German accent?
Edward Hall: Maybe.
Dr. Rathmann: I know. It's what everybody expects and they're always disappointed.

Quite Intriguing

While some may not like this episode, I found it quite captivating. A man is dying. Either he is going to die from a heart condition, from over-stressing himself, or he is going to die at the hands of woman whom he meets in an episodic dream. Most of the story takes place in a psychologist's office. The man relates his seemingly insane story. There are many layers here, including whether a dream is a reality, or, even more interesting, what is a dream. The concluding foray by Rod Serling talks about the momentary nature of dreams, how they may be a second long yet seem an eternity. One can only feel for the man who is trapped in a consummate no win situation. He hasn't slept for days. He is tied up in knots. The psychologist must deal with what he knows. At the end, we don't even know the reality we are supposed to believe in. Of course, this could be a criticism of this episode.