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"The Conscience of the King" is a memorable drama about a traveling Shakespearean troupe led by one Anton Karidian (Arnold Moss), who may or may not be the same man as Kodos the Executioner, former governor of a Federation planet who oversaw the mass murder of thousands of people rather than watch them starve to death during a food shortage. (Shortly after the deaths, Federation supply ships arrived and Kodos disappeared, right around the time that Karidian arrived as a classical actor touring the planets.) A nice twist: among victims of Kodos's wrongheaded mercy killings were relatives of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), adding a personal note to the mystery of Karidian/Kodos. Well-written (by Barry Trivers) and sensitively directed by a not-well-known but very interesting Hollywood filmmaker, Gerd Oswald. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great stuff
This Shakespearean episode, in which a father and daughter lead an acting troupe being transported by the Enterprise, is one of the most underrated. The episode has a very distinctive feel, from the opening shot of the bloody knife to the medieval-sounding musical score. The parallels between Macbeth (and other Bard works) and the episode are also quite intriguing. Themes explored in this thoughtful show include 1) the impossibility of escaping the past, and 2) the strength (for better or worse) of familial bonds. Add to this the fact that the episode is a murder mystery with three plot twists (one of them is admittedly revealed far too soon), and you have a winner.

Solid, superior 1st season episode with a few minor flaws...
Tightly written and expertly acted, 'The Conscience Of The King' foreshadows the recurring themes of Shakespeare used inventively in several episodes and incarnations of Star Trek. Here Kirk is a thinly veiled interpretation of Hamlet as he tries to determine the guilt or innocence of a suspected mass murderer and whether or not he can act on the scarce evidence at hand. Though the plot seems a bit farfetched - of 8,000 colonists on Tarsus IV only nine eyewitnesses can identify the planet's most prominent politician - the story is punched acrossed solidly with it's few obvious flaws sidestepped gracefully. As Anton Karidian/Kodos The Executioner Arnold Moss supplies one of the best character portrayals from the original series, and Barbara Anderson (of television's "Ironsides") is his equal as his daughter who comes unhinged in the finale.

A scientist who claims he has invented a food substance that will save the populace of another planet suffering a famine summons the Enterprise to Planet Q. Soon after they arrive though they discover the story is a ruse. The scientist, an old acquaintance of Kirk's, explains to him that he is certain that an actor in the traveling troupe visiting Planet Q is the infamous Kodos The Executioner. Kodos was responsible for the death of 4,000 colonists on Tarsus IV, a colony that both Kirk and his friend were part of when the massacre occurred; now some twenty years later only a few eyewitnesses who can identify Kodos remain alive. Kirk is skeptical at first but when his friend turns up dead and a consultation with the ship's computer reveals that seven of nine eyewitnesses have been murdered while the traveling troupe is in the vicinity, this coincidence persuades Kirk to arrange to transport the actors to their next destination. After attempts are made to kill Kirk and Lt. Riley - another eyewitness - the captain finally forces both the assassin and Kodos to reveal themselves.

While this episode is one of the series' better-acted and directed shows it painfully reveals the series 1960's origins. In attempting to proof that Karidian is actually Kodos Kirk uses information provided by the ship's computer and later a voiceprint analysis. DNA evidentiary findings weren't in vogue at the time of production, but certainly fingerprints were! And wouldn't a Federation appointed colony governor have been sufficiently processed by a clerical system to have some sort of records that could provide damning evidence too? Despite this glaring oversight the show succeeds in providing sufficient suspense and a terrific finale. Also contained within the story is another worthy round in the continuing Spock vs. McCoy ethical debates; eventually they confront the captain - both as friends and as staff officers - to determine his questionable motives, a scene that is handled brilliantly.

Note: William Shatner would later co-star with Barbara Anderson in an episode of Mission: Impossible (post Leonard Nimoy years); but the tables would be turned this time, as Ms. Anderson would set a trap for the villainous Shatner. By the way, does the figure seven of nine ring a bell to anyone?

Definitely one of the best episodes!
Conscience of the King is the 1st season Trek Original Series December 8th, 1966 episode. The story is that Anton Karidian a space touring Shakespearean actor may really be Kodos the Executioner who wiped out half of his colony (4000 people). Kirk is one of 9 witnesses, 7 of which have been killed, and Karidian and his beautiful daughter Lenore(Barbara Anderson of Ironside fame) end up onboard the Enterprise.

It's an interesting twist on the equivalent of a Nazi war criminal of the future, and a reference is made as such: "his own form of eugenics" "he wasn't the first".

And considering William Shatner's classical acting training, he must have loved the Shakespeare stuff in this episode. And it's hard to take your eyes off of Barbara Anderson, strikingly beautiful (oh I said that already) and great intensity in her acting. And the story offers a great twist at the end, not at all predictable. Watch also when Janice shoots Lenore a quick icy "get away from my man" stare.

Finally all acting here is first rate, and we even get to hear Uhura sing and play that guitarlike thing. And the final part is classic '60s Trek drama all the way: the "death scene" where Hamlet merges with reality, and the final thing with Bones "you really cared about her didn't you?...I have my answer."

A couple lines in the dialogue were definitely "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" influenced as that film was out in 1966:
"later, latest, too late" and such. And even the sub-theme is a vague allusion being a woman who has lapsed into fantasy. This and the other best Star Trek Original Series episodes have that je ne sais quoi surrealism, intensity, intelligence, believability, creativity, and '60s style.

Kirk thinks he is on the trail of Kodos the Executioner
"The Conscience of the King" is surely one of the most dated Star Trek episodes. Just think: hundreds of years have gone by and Kirk has a difficult time trying to prove Anton Karidian, the head of a troop of actors, is really Kodos the Executioner. You think they would have known what forensic technology would be like before the end of the 20th century. The Enterprise can analyze planets from the far side of the galaxy, but cannot come up with a way of determining the identity of a human being. So there are only three people left in the universe who can identify Kodos. Actually, that's two after Kirk's old friend is murdered after the pair watch a performance by Karidian. Kirk then arranges things to get the troop on board, where he has to deal not only with the actor but his daughter, Lenore, who loves her father much more than she is attracted to the dashing Captain Kirk. The line "The Conscience of the King" is taken from "Hamlet," and certainly Kirk is placed in a similar position to the Danish prince in that he thinks he knows but he is not sure enough to take action. But since I have never really found the inability of the hero to act particularly enjoyable, this episode tends to drag a bit for me, despite the outstanding performances by the guest stars. Karidian is given a dignified presence by Anton Moss, while Lenore is played by Barbara Anderson, better known for playing Eve Whitfield on "Ironside." Anderson's performance in the shattering climax of this episode when her character goes over the edge is as memorable a piece of acting as any you see in any Star Trek episode. This is another one of those Star Trek episodes where the holes in the story are made up for by the performances of the actors. I know I have always enjoyed "The Conscience of the King" more than it deserved, which is why they call it the willing suspension of disbelief. However, it is depressing to think that in the future Shakespeare's plays will be performed by a half-dozen actors...

Slow Moving but Fascinating
The suspense isn't very engrossing and the mystery doesn't yield too much of a surprise, but the concepts in the episode are worth considering.

The actor that portray's Koridian does an excellent job and Bruce Hyde gets to ham it up again as the passionate, misunderstood, overeager Kevin Riley.

If you can sit through the slow moving story, this is actually a fairly good episode. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not that bad after all. Hey, at least its different.
Catspaw, an episode which employs Halloween frights (witches, black cats, etc.), was the first episode produced in the second season. There is a light, jaunty quality to both the music and the performances not seen during season 1. It's almost as if everyone gave a collective sigh when the show was finally renewed, and thought they wouldn't be as heavily scrutinized the next year. Whether or not this was a good thing is certainly open to debate, but there is no denying that the second season shows feel more relaxed and lighter than the first.

But back to Catspaw. This episode and the 3rd season opener (Spectre of the Gun) were the only episodes written with a specific airdate in mind. This was meant to be first and foremost a Halloween episode, and it does a decent job of providing some frights. (Spectre of the Gun aired within a day or two of the anniversary of the gunfight at the OK Corral.) But Catspaw is ultimately too reliant on a parade of gimmicks (that don't even frighten the landing party) to be engaging. Uninspired performances by Antoinette Bower and Theo Marcuse don't help any either. Other than the gimmicks, there just isn't much here; on the other hand, the gimmicks keep the show moving.

what are scotty and sulu doing?
spooky.these aliens control the minds of enterprise crewmen.the spooky begining with the enterprise crewmeber screaming youll all die! and then dying himself.scotty,sulu and mcoy are well....spooky when under the aliens control.the good alien is very dull.the ending is good too.

How broke was Gene Roddenberry anyway??
Now I know a TV series that was never popular with the network in the first place ain't gonna get much money, but c'mon. The best they could do was two puppets at the end that looked like they were stolen out of a garbage can in TJ? The black threads are so thick a child can point them out and laugh.

There's something familiar about that woman with the warlock
"Catspaw" is the Halloween episode of Star Trek, where the Enterprise discovers fog, witches and a haunted castle on Pryis VII. There they also find a warlock named Korob and his beautiful but definitely strange associate, Sylvia. The pair are visitors to Prysi VII themselves and want to learn about the technology of humans, apparently as a prelude to launching some sort of invasion. They demonstrate their powers when Sylvia holds a small pendant shaped like the Enterprise over a fire and the crew reports things getting suddenly very hot aboard the ship. This is one of the few times that Kirk relies on his good look and charm rather than his brain or his right hook to save the day. "Catspaw" does not amount to much as an episode, although we do get to see Kirk and Spock hung up in a dungeon and you have to chuckle at the Vulcan's characterization of the witches' curse as "very bad poetry." But the idea that "magic" is nothing but alien technology dressed up with smoke and mirrors, is a tad cliche, even for Star Trek.

Don't let the cat paw you to death
"Catspaw" is another one of the great episodes of Star Trek that used illusions as its main effect. This is the episode where you'll see the catwoman hang a U.S.S. Enterprise chain above a fire and it will heat the whole ship and its crew up till they're sweating. She uses everybody as a slave and when she gets mad, she will turn into a huge black cat. Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Spock must find a way to get Scottie and Mr. Sulu out of their spell while they try to survive in the dark dungeon.

"Catspaw" is a great episode and anybody who likes Star Trek should get it. It has some of the best special effects of the series and it also has good acting. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Great Dane
Sir Laurence Olivier's 1948 version of Hamlet sets the standard for film version of the play about the Danish prince. Much as he did with Henry V, Sir Laurence exercises some significant plot points and characters from Shakespeare's play, but it is done to concentrate the focus of the film on the brooding prince. Make no mistake about it, this is Sir Laurence's film all the way. He brings an amazing breadth to character who disintegrates from a happy and sensitive man into a tormented and lost soul. There are some other great performances including Eileen Herlie who plays the Queen and is Sir Laurence's mother in the film despite being thirteen years his junior, a young Jean Simmons is luminous as Ophelia and Basil Sydney is effective as the villainous Claudius. Horror film notables Peter Cushing and the now ubiquitous Christopher Lee also appear as does Stanley Holloway. The film was a major success and it helped earn Sir Laurence his only competitive Oscars in 1948 as Best Actor and as producer on the Best Picture award in addition to two others for Best Art Direction (B&W) and Best Costume Design (B&W). He is also the only Best Actor Oscar winner to direct himself to the award.

OLIVIER MASTERFUL IN HAUTING ADAPTATION
There are several film versions of Shakespeare's great play about the troubled Prince of Denmark; Mel Gibson's imbues the drama with a barely restrained mania while Kenneth Branagh's is notable as the most nearly complete version yet made. Still, it is Olivier's production which remains the standard, and justifiably so. His is the performance which I believe most nearly matches the Bard's own vision of how the tormented Hamlet should be played--sensitive, caustic and impassioned yet tortured and lost. Olivier's direction leads the viewer inexorably into the heart of the play, whose characters move through the nearly inescapable walls of Castle Elsinore like sleepwalkers through a lucid dream. But Olivier couldn't do it all himself, and doesn't need to. Felix Aylmer is a likeable wise old fool as Polonius; Eileen Herlie is an appropriately confused queen and mother; Basil Sydney is well-cast as the villain who would rather not be; and Jean Simmons shines as Hamlet's innocent love, whose disintegration is so realistic it breaks the watcher's heart. More, the individual scenes are beautifully orchestrated. Oliver's rendition of the "To be or not to be" soliloquoy is pure magic, and the story's climactic duel is worth the wait, as Hamlet and Laertes (Ophelia's brother, well assayed by Terence Morgan)duel to the death--one unwittingly, and both to the death of more than each other. True, the production is incomplete, and the lack of Rosencranz and Guildenstern is a regrettable omission. But overall, Olivier's film captures the essence of Shakespeare's play like no other. As long as Hamlet is studied in schools, this will be the version most often used to show how the play should be done. A worthwhile addition to even the most discerning video library.

Another good Lawrence Olivier adaptation of Shakespeare
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

In this release Olivier's second adaptation of a Shakespeare play, Olivier again plays the title role. Unlike the previous film, this one is in black and white,

It follows the story of a Danish prince bent on avenging the murder of his father by his uncle.
I would assume that most people know the plot so that is all I will say about it,

The DVD has no special features which is not normal for a Criterion release.

Olivier is fantastic!
A film by Laurence Olivier

The word "masterpiece" is thrown around far too often these days, but for years I have heard that this version of "Hamlet" is Olivier's masterpiece. Recently I had the opportunity to see this masterpiece and for the first time I saw Olivier at work. I was impressed with what I saw. To the modern ear, Shakespearean language can sound awkward and archaic, but with Olivier, much of the dialogue sounded like easy conversation.

I once heard "Hamlet" described as the most structurally perfect play, that every action stems directly from something else in the play and that every action happened in that particular way because it had to, that there was no other way for the actions to work out. I am not enough of a Shakespeare scholar to be able to really speak to this, but I do know that when done well, "Hamlet" is a fascinating play, and a fascinating film. Olivier succeeded at doing this play well.

The story is one that is well known. Hamlet (Laurence Olivier) is a prince of Denmark. His father had died a month prior, and Queen Gertrude (Eileen Herlie) married the dead king's brother, Claudius (Basil Sydney). Hamlet has been brooding, unable to accept either his father's death or his mother's rather quick remarriage. This continues until Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, who tells him that he was murdered, and that the murderer is now sitting on the throne of Denmark. As a character said early in the film, "something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Hamlet must avenge his father, but in such a way that he can get away with it. As he begins to plot, he pretends to be mad (crazy), so that his excesses can be excused away. So begins the story.

This is an impressive movie, from the acting to the set design. The castle has a dark, gloomy atmosphere and it feels (and looks) real rather than looking hokey (the movie is more than 50 years old, after all). I was most impressed with Olivier, and rather less so with Jean Simmons, as Ophelia. The character (and her motivations) just didn't feel real to me this time. Excellent movie and highly recommended for classic film buffs.

"Dead for a ducket! Dead!!!"
With those words spoken with a maniacal glare, Lawrence Olivier had my complete attention. He is both director and the lead in this classic version of the celebrated play. The direction is smart, reminiscent at times of visual techniques used in "Citizen Kane." Praise, indeed! However, his acting performance is frustrating. He speaks softly, letting the poetry of the language speak for itself, then has a brilliant moment or exceptional scene, only to blaze sensationalistic at the wrong times. One such instance was just after Hamlet slays Polonius. Olivier cries out at the top of his voice, "Is it the King?!" Hamlet states early in the play that he is only playing at madness. Why is he then drawing so much attention to his bloody actions when we all know he just left the King praying on a lower level? He knows it couldn't be the King. Once again, his direction is amazing, but there are some excellent examples of why actors should not direct themselves. Seriously, who's going to tell them their performance needs work? Another scene that had me scratching my head was after the "players" first arrive. Why does Olivier pull the lead player aside, telling him that he has lines for him to memorize, only to have the "play-within-a-play" enacted without any words at all? He should have cut that earlier scene, or let the players have their lines.

The meeting with Hamlet's ghost is incredibly creepy here, with trick camera work, an eerie score, great special effects, and a thudding heart-beat announcing the ghost's arrival. This is my favorite version of this particular scene.

Jean Simmons looks very pretty here, and she does have her moments, but there are better portrayals of Ophelia in other renditions of the play. Both Helena Bonham Carter, in the Mel Gibson version, and Kate Winslet, in the Kenneth Branagh version, are superior. Jean Simmons is good, but not great.

Horatio is wooden for the most part. When will actors learn that one doesn't stop acting simply because it is not their turn to speak. Gestures and expressions, people! Lawrence Olivier uses subtlety in ever scene at ever moment, that is why so many consider him a great actor.

Once again, the character of Laertes is portrayed with only a little passion. Catch the Kenneth Branagh version to see a vengeful Laertes on the verge of exploding with blood-lust!

Overall, I was disappointed with the supporting cast. They have their moments, but none of them can match Olivier's performance. To quote a critical review I read, "Olivier is triumphant!" As both director and actor, his work here, for the most part, shines. Thank you. ... Read more

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When their mission to secure a mineral trade ends in failure, a freak ion storm catches Kirk, McCoy, Uhuru, and Scotty in mid-beam-up and sends them to a parallel dimension where Federation leaders are as ruthless as the Klingons, and Star Fleet promotions are attained by assassination. They find themselves on an alternate Enterprise, peopled with evil counterparts to the individuals they know (all attired in glittery, glam-rock uniforms), including most famously an evil, goateed Spock whom Kirk must convince to overthrow the empire. Kirk and his landing party try to fit in with this crew of villains who are threatening with annihilation the planet where the mineral trade went sour, while searching for a way back to their world and fending off assassination attempts. "Mirror, Mirror" achieves the best of what Star Trek is capable, which is to say space opera brought to a high pitch by melodrama. Everyone appears to be having great fun turning their characters to the dark side, especially George Takei, whose evil Sulu beams when making his assassination attempt against Captain Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy, who makes Spock's shift from the meditative logician to the ruthless goateed one seem, well, quite logical. This episode in particular fueled popular culture in such a way that in some circles it is now impossible to sport a goatee without being called "the evil Spock." The story of the evil Spock is continued in the Deep Space Nine episode "Crossover." --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Logic of History
"Terror must be maintained or the empire is doomed. It is the logic of history."

The concept of an alternate reality, of a place where a decision I made has its alternative or counterpart, has always held scientific and philosophical fascination for me. The quotation above was spoken by Spock, the Spock of the Taryn Empire. The ruthless assassinations and blood letting as it exists in the alternate universe is only one indicator of how human decisions and manifest themselves in the future. Perhaps a dictatorship arose on earth where a democracy existed in our own time-line. Such would be enough to cause the eventual formation of the empire and the conditions under which Kirk, Scott, Uhura, And Mccoy found themselves to be playing. The concept of an abusive captain, a conniving and vengeful first officer, and a Gestapo-like security apparatus is not something we are accustomed to seeing on our own starships, and it speaks profoundly to humans' abilities to act as savages.

The episode is the first of its kind, and therefore some understandable and predictable faults must be pointed out. First, the transporter accident which caused the episode is not explained to our satisfaction, at least, not to mine. More fundamentally, however, there seems to be an underlying assumption that only one alternate reality exists. If each decision, or even each significant historical event has alternatives, does that not speak for numerous if not infinite realities? Yet this is not so much as hinted at. Too, there is the lack of history. I wanted to see more hints of imperial history, to better understand what makes a Vulcan killer or such a ruthless authoritarianism possible. These questions could not have been answered in anything less than a television movie, and such was simply not done with the first series. These defects are the reason the episode earns only four stars. Yet its moral, scientific, and philosophical assertions and implecations make it a show worth several viewings.

The Only Good Mirror Universe Story Ever.
While beaming back to the Enterprise during an ion storm, Jim, Bones, Scotty, and Uhura (William Shatner, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, and Nichele Nicholas) find themselves transported into a Mirror Universe where the history of everything they know is altered. Here in place of the Federation, is an evil "Galactic Empire" where they destroy worlds that oppose them and the officers move up in rank by political murder of their comanders. In order to get home, they are aided by a woman (Barbara Luna) to fix the transporter and use the power of the warp engines to balance it for the four of them to beam back to their home universe where everything they know is waiting for them, aboard their Enterprise. But they have to hurry because the doorway between the two universes is closeing fast and they have only three hours to get the work finished and return home. Very well written episode with very good effects work.Written by Jerome Bixby. Directed by Marc Daniels. Music Score by Fred Steiner.

The best episode of the original series
This is my favorite episode of the original Star Trek series. Due to a freak ion storm, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhuru are beamed to an Enterprise in a parallel universe. In this alternate universe, there is no United Federation of Planets, but an Empire dominated by humans. Discipline is brutal, officers assassinate superiors to achieve rank and the mission is to destroy the Hulkans if they refuse to cooperate. One of the best lines ever to appear in Star Trek is uttered by Spock at the close, "It was easier for you as civilized people to behave as barbarians than it was for them as barbarians to behave as civilized people."
There are several memorable scenes, but one of the best is when the barbarians are forcibly placed in the brig. The rage exhibited by McCoy, Scotty and Uruhu is very realistic and I have always felt that the episode would have been better if there had been some treatment of the actions of the "evil" officers plotting while in the brig of the "good" Enterprise. Even though he is first officer of a ship whose purpose is to destroy uncooperative civilizations, Spock is still thoughtful, still fundamentally a Vulcan. One of the excellent spin-off story lines that could have been done would have been some explanation of how the Vulcans managed to acclimate themselves to serve an "evil" empire.
The final scene on the "evil" Enterprise is one that begs for a sequel. It is clear that the "evil" Spock will attempt to save the Hulkans, but the only tool he has is one that causes people to disappear without a trace. However, it is clear that Spock cannot save the Hulkans simply by making people disappear, at some point, the Empire will send other ships to destroy the Enterprise. It would have been fascinating to witness what happened once the "evil" Kirk and his group arrived back on their ship.
One of the best treatments of the science fiction staple of parallel universes, the acting in this episode is superb. The story line is intense, thoughtful and does not waver a great deal from the fundamental characters. Spock still considers the "evil" McCoy to be full of human weaknesses and Spock is still a Vulcan. A sequel would have been an excellent premise for a feature film.

Perhaps the most suspenseful episode
The 'real' alternate universe episode, featuring an evil Enterprise, is a real gem. From the spooky string music accompanying the ion storm at the start to the ensuing more dramatic music and orbit-change, Mirror Mirror has Trek's best teaser. It doesn't let up much thereafter. Drama is maintained throughout, as the good guys try to keep up with the wily machinations of Chekov, Sulu (even Sulu turns in a good performance here!), and just about everybody else. The gorgeous Luna also turns in a nice performance. The episode is very dramatic and threatening, yet by the end a hard-fought optimism has been interjected, thanks to some of Kirk's strongest salesmanship ever (he has to work on both the Harkan council and Spock here). By the end of the episode, I was totally absorbed, and even found myself believing that maybe good can conquer evil (certainly it's hard to imagine the 'evil' Federation ever growing strong in the first place with all that intrigue and double-dealing). It just goes to show how a good story can knock down our cynical defenses.

Ion Storms and Mirror Universes and Bearded Vulcans
Synopsis:

Caught in the beginnings of an ion storm, Kirk, McCoy and Uhura interrupt their negotiations with the Halkans for dilithium crystals, to return to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Scotty beams the landing party aboard as a burst from the storm hits the starship. The transporter malfunctions, sending Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura into an alternate universe. In this world, they soon discover the "Galactic Empire" is maintained by fear and assassination. Now, aboard the Imperial Starship Enterprise, the four must find a way to remain undetected until they can return to their own universe.

Meanwhile, the mirror versions of Kirk, Scott, McCoy and Uhura have been beamed on board the positive U.S.S. Enterprise. Their behavior is so different from their counterparts that Spock immediately realizes something is wrong. He had the four imprisoned until the transporter could be checked and repaired.

On the I.S.S. Enterprise, the mirror Chekov is foiled in an attempt to assassinate Kirk. When Kirk refuses to give an order to destroy the Halkans, who have refused to give up their dilithium crystals, the mirror Spock becomes suspicious.

The Imperial Fleet sends a secret message to the mirror Spock, telling him to kill Captain Kirk and assume command of the starship. Finding an unexpected ally in the mirror Spock, Kirk continues to stall while his three comrades gather the information needed to send them back to their own universe.

Mirror Spock has no desire to become captain, and therefore a mark for assassination. Along with Lieutenant Marlena Moreau, who wants the mirror Kirk back because she is "the Captain's woman," they help return the four U.S.S. Enterprise officers to their own world. Before he goes, Kirk talks to the bearded Spock, telling him the advantages of a Federation-like system over the anarchy of this universe. Spock seems almost convinced that he should in fact get rid of his Kirk, seize control of the I.S.S. Enterprise, and manipulate the Imperial Starfleet into working toward a more civilized universe. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Follow-up Info
The "light stealing" episode of Northern Exposure is "Northern Lights" which is also available on VHS. "Northern Lights" and "Aurora Borealis" are 2 different episodes of the show....

Chris meets Bernard, but Joel runs into Adam...
"Aurora Borealis" (Season 1-Episode 8, August 30, 1990), is sub-titled "A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups." Strange things are happening in Cicely, especially for Chris and Joel. Chris (John Corbett) is working on a sculpture but is drawn to a stranger in town, Bernard (Richard Cummings, Jr.). After talking about Jung and the collective unconscious Chris and Bernard start acting alike and end up talking alike. When Chris encounters Bernard, and Jung, in his dream they discover the truth: the two are brothers. Meanwhile, Joel (Rob Morrow) is returning from a house call on a forest ranger when his truck breaks down. Suddenly, a strange hulking figure appears from the woods, scavenges some things from Joel's truck and beckons for the doctor to follow. Thus Joel encounters Adam (Adam Arkin), the mysterious figure everybody in Cicely has been talking about. Turns out Adam is a superb chef. But the next morning Adam is gone and when Joel returns to town, no one will believe his strange tale. A landmark episode of "Northern Exposure" that introduces two of the most fascinating recurring guest stars in the show's run. Perhaps even more imporant, Dr. Fleischman finally meets somebody who complains more than he does. "Aurora Borealis" was written by Charles Rosen and directed by Peter O'Fallon. Did you know?: In Sweden "Northern Exposure" was known as "Det ljuva livet i Alaska," which translates as "The sweet life in Alaska."

Lost Episodes?
I'm trying to find 3 episodes of NE. The first 2 involve Maggie. One is where she's rescued by a hunky guy who takes her to his cave. When she goes back later, she finds out he's really a bear who changed to human form just to meet her. The 2nd episode involves a stray dog that Maggie thinks is the reincarnation of her dead boyfriend Rick. The 3rd episode is about Fleischman's mom who's visiting. She falls off a mountain and doesn't even get a scratch. Marilyn explains that she became an eagle and "flew" down.

Does anyone know the names/numbers of these episodes? There're my favorites and I'd like to track them down.

NE was a great series, but I did lose interest when Joel left and the new doc came to town. However, the first couple of seasons were classics.

Maggie & the Bear, Maggie & the Dog, Fleischmans Mom Flies
I'm looking for 3 episodes of Northern Exposure. The first 2 involve Maggie. One is the episode where she meets the hunky guy who rescues her & takes her to his cave, and when she goes back to visit she finds out he's a bear who took human form just to meet her. The 2nd episode is the one where she finds the dog that she thinks is the reincarnation of Rick, after he's killed by the falling satellite.

The 3rd episode involves Fleischman's mom who's visiting, and she falls off a mountain and doesn't get hurt, and Marilyn explains that she flew like an eagle, which is why she didn't get hurt. Does anyone know the names/numbers of these episodes?

NE is still great to watch on reruns. However, I lost interest when Joel left and the new doc came to town.

Blokey! It's "Dinner at 7:30!"
The episode you're looking for (with the dream where everyone switches personalities), opened the 6th season on 9/19/94. The title is "Dinner at 7:30" Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider Directed by: Michael Fresco

Aurora Borealis is my absolute favorite episode of this most wonderful series, by the way. It truly is a fairy tale for adults. Why this magnificent series isn't out as a full DVD set is beyond me. No one is running Northern Exposure anymore and I miss it terribly. Nothing like it on TV before or since. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A pivotal episode
An average episode, this one sees the enterprise crew reduced to salt (Styrofoam?) crystals for future use by the colonization-bent Kelvans. As others have pointed out, this is an interesting episode in that it has two tones. The events of the first half are frightening (although not as eerily stylized as 3rd season shows), as Kirk seems powerless to prevent the Kelvans' cold blooded homicide and control of the Enterprise. The ominous sense that anything goes is augmented by the surprising turn of having a female crew member killed. The tone changes dramatically in the second half of the show though, as the remaining crew exploit the Kelvans' newfound emotions, with entertaining results. These scenes are not just entertaining, but also insightful; it reminds the viewer that much of our own (only semi-successful) acculturation is devoted to reigning in our emotions.

But one wonders whether the blend of the dark and the comic seen here was for the best; it still worked here to some extent, but the episode's schism is somewhat jarring, and we're not quite as able to go along with the blend as we were in say Friday's Child, or A Private Little War. Why? Because a growing lack of introspection was beginning to border on cynicism. Did this gradual moral drift taint the show? Certainly the shows were becoming more calloused, a process that would accelerate in season 3. Season 3 certainly had other problems, but I believe some of the roots of future problems can be found, ironically enough, even in some of the strong episodes from season 2.

But back to By Any Other Name. Other pluses include Kirk's willingness to forgive even a defeated and cruel foe. And don't forget the lovely Kelinda.

Distant Galaxies
Synopsis:

When the U.S.S. Enterprise answers a distress call from a small planet, the landing party is captured by a group of agents from the Kelvan empire, located in the distant Andromeda galaxy. The Kelvans' purpose is to find planets suitable for colonization. However, their own ship was destroyed and now they need the Enterprise to make the 300-year journey home. To utilize the starship, the Kelvans â€" huge, tentacled creatures â€" take on human form. After several attempts at escape, Kirk accepts his fate and agrees to let the aliens take over his ship. The Kelvans use their technology to transform all but essential Enterprise personnel into small "cubes" which, unless broken or damaged, can be restored to human beings.

Recognizing that the Kelvans, in their new human bodies, are discovering human sensation and emotion, the remaining crew attempts to foster dissent amongst the aliens: Scotty succeeds in gettting one of them drunk, McCoy injects an irritant into another, and Kirk makes romantic overtures to the Kelvan leader's woman. With the Kelvans thus distracted, Kirk and the crew are able to regain control of the ship.

Kirk points out to Rojan, the Kelvan leader, that the Kelvans are already becoming less like they were before by encountering the humans. In 300 years, their descendants will be so human-like that they won't be able to live among their people on Kelva. Rojan sees the logic in his argument and sends a robot probe to Kelva, reporting what has happened. Pledging to restore the Enterprise crew, Rojan accepts Kirk's offer that the Enterprise find the Kelvans a Class-M planet to colonize.

Showing aliens how to be human beats being a cube
In "By Any Other Name" a group of Kelvans take ove the Enterprise using advanced technological weapons that allow them to reduce the crew to small blocks of chemicals until only Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty are left (If you remember the comedian who did a riff on this episode, say the punchline to yourself now, please). Rojan, the leader of the Kelvans, wants to modify the Enterprise so his group can get back to the Andromeda Galaxy in only 300 years, at which point his descendants will inform their government that the Milky Way is suitable for conquest. Fortunately, the Kelvans have assumed human form, which means they are now susceptible to sensory inputs, a fact that Kirk and the others seek to exploit. Scott introduces one Kelvan to liquor (the "green" type), McCoy slips them stimulants, and Kirk hits on Kelinda, while Spock helps Rojan experience the wonderful world of jealousy. It is rather surprising that "By Any Other Name" goes the comic route, but it does get pretty funny. You know, it is important to have fun when you are out trekking around the universe on a five-year mission.

A great episode that can stand repeated viewings
This is the one where aliens take over the Enterprise. They compress them into these strange cubes of salt or some alien substance. It was fun to see the crew take advantage of their human form and use human weaknesses as a means to prevent them from taking over the ship. These aliens did take human form for a temporary amount of time. To fool Kirk and crew of course. All in all it's one of those episodes that you can watch again and still find it good.
Especially the scene where Scotty gets the alien drunk.

Terrible
I've always considered this episode to be one of the worst Trek Classic episodes. The writing is just plain bad (a low point in Jerome Bixby's career. Interesting that he also wrote "Mirror, Mirror", one of the best episodes, as well as "Day of the Dove" and "Requiem for Methuselah", two bright lights in the otherwise dismal third season).

The concept of the story is good, but the execution is an embarrassment for Star Trek. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Northern lights, a dream world captured on tape
Northern exposure is brilliant at it's worst and in this magical episode, it combines every character nuance, every dynamic to it's upmost. Chris, ever my personal hero toils over a piece of performance art that, shockingly to both himself and the viewer fails to come together: "there's no there there" he laments. Mistaken for a hobo by Cicely's first homeless person, they share a pure moment in which class and situation are immaterial - brilliant! Maurice flaunts his famous bigotry brought up smart by a surprising twist in the hobo's story while Bernard ponders so incisively the psychological and metaphysical reasoning behind class attitudes. Joel meanwhile battles with his personal dejection and "abandonment issues" as Cicely first denies him his holiday and then begins a lawsuit against him when he protests. The episode ends as brilliantly as ever with truly the most captivating and enchanting set imaginable, set to an appropriately whimsical score. Brilliant an absoloute 5 star cracker. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Doesn't have the greatest of plots, but still fun to watch!
Volume 5 has episodes "The Off-Broadway Affair" and "The Take Me To Your Leader Affair", both which appeared on Man from UNCLE's third season. The Man from UNCLE series is one of my favorite TV series ever to watch! But I must confess, these episodes do not have great plot (thus the 3 stars) but still I love the episodes! Lots of funny parts! The main characters are Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn, "Bullit" and "The Magnificent Seven") and favorite the enigmatic and quiet Russian, Illya Kuryakin played to perfection by actor David McCallum (another great movie with him is "The Great Escape").

Episode 69 "The Off-Broadway Affair": When an off-broadway actress is killed after trying to contact UNCLE, Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) are sent to investigate. They feel that the murdered actress had information about how THRUSH has recently been getting information through UNCLE's main computers. With the help of understudy, Janet Jarrod (Shari Lewis), they go up against THRUSH agents Machina (Leon Askin) and Linda (Joan Huntington) before anymore of UNCLE's valuable information is stolen. * A so-so episode with fun Shari Lewis, who I'm sure everyone knows her from her TV show, "Lamb Chops". We get to see her sing "All God's Children Have Rhythm" and watch her perform the song "Stand Up and March". And what a surprise, we get to see David McCallum perform his own show "A Man is a Horn" while he is working undercover! Lots of funny lines throughout the whole show, my favorite is in the beginning where Illya says, "I seems a trifle unfair Napoleon. You get to dally around with a lush, young actress while I go prowling around in a dirty basement." But the reason this episode is so-so is because of some parts in the plot which were pretty stupid.

Episode 75 "The Take Me to Your Leader Affair": Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin are sent to scientist Adrian Cool's (Woodrow Parfrey) whose instruments are pointing out that a UFO is approaching the earth! When his daughter, Coco (Nancy Sinatra, the great Frank Sinatra's daughter), is kidnapped along with Illya by power-mad millionaire Simon Sparrow (Paul Lambert), it's up to Napoleon Solo to learn why. With the help of Corinne (Whitney Blake), Napoleon learns that Sparrow is going had faked the approaching UFO to secure power for himself. * Another episode which lacks plot, I still love it for some really great parts. UNCLE regular Woodrow Parfey this time gets to play the good guy. I really like all the parts with Illya and Coco. Coco flirts a lot and gets to kiss him! And for David McCallum fans, I'm sure you'll be interested to find that he gets to play the guitar, plus perform a duet with Sinatra the song which he wrote himself! And, of course, not only does Illya get the girl, Napoleon gets his own girl, the very pretty Whitney Blake.

Horrific stuff!
Both episodes were horrible, pure examples why the show went down the drain. Forget the guest stars. They don't save the episodes' silly quality. Save your cash.

The Off-Broadway and Take Me To Your Leader Affairs
In "The Off-Broadway Affair", UNCLE's arch-enemy, THRUSH, has found a way to infiltrate their top secret computer files and wreak havoc with the information they have discovered. Can a musical performance by Illya and help from an aspiring actress (Shari Lewis) save the day or is UNCLE doomed?

In "The Take Me To Your Leader Affair", a unappreciated astronomer discovers an asteroid hurling towards the earth. Napoleon and Illya are deployed to deal with the situation, but Illya is captured while trying to save the scientist's kidnapped daughter (Nancy Sinatra). Features a great singing duet. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

TFTDS Vol. 5--A True Part of the 80s Culture
A fixture...a "must have" for the 80's Cult-TV offbeat enthusiasts. This was the first TFTDS video I came to own, and my favorite of the six I have so far. It was interesting to see the "lighter side of hell" in the form of Clive Barker's earlier writing, which I found both amusing and clever. The series is a veritable who's who cornucopia of classic TV/movie actors as well the up-and-comers; i.e., Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), Anthony Heald (The Silence of the Lambs, TV's Boston Public), Seth Green (Stephen King's "It", and later, Austin Powers' comedies, etc.) only to name a few ...The writers, directors and actors all bring something special and personal to the series and specifically to this video. It captures some of the nuances of the Twilight Zone series, but peppered with an 80s attitude and new directions in writing and overall treatment of the genre. For both the nostalgic and the first-time viewers, a treat. To me, TFTDS helped define the feel, mood and sympatico that was the 80s...Hey, I was there! ... Read more

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"Space Seed" introduced Khan Noonien Singh (a viperlike Ricardo Montalban) to Trek lore. The trouble begins when Kirk and crew discover a derelict ship and its crew of 70 supermen aboard, all in suspended animation. Led by Khan, these strange people turn out to be the product of genetic experimentation in the 1990s and instigators of a so-called Eugenics War, i.e., the Third World War on Earth often mentioned on various Trek programs. Though displaced from his more violent time and place, Khan quickly overcomes his disorientation and shifts into conqueror mode, rapidly overtaking the Enterprise with the aid of a comely Federation historian who is swooning at his feet. As any Trek fan knows, "Space Seed" inspired Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, regarded by many as the best of the Trek feature films. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Khan would rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven
Probably no episode of Star Trek has gained more in prominence since the end of the show's original run than "Space Seed." Of course, this is due to the release of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Ricardo Montalban turns in a powerful performance as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically bred superman from the late 20th century on Earth. The Enterprise discovers Khan and dozens of his followers in suspended animation when they find the Botany Bay adrift in space. The charismatic Khan seduces Marla McGivers (who may well be the only ship's historian ever seen on a starship) and with her help revives his crew, who immediately take over the Enterprise. You would think these people who be daunted by 200 years of scientific and technological advances, but Kirk lends a helping hand by giving Khan all the technical manuals he would need. Montalban's performance is what makes "Space Speed" a standout episode, proving that there is not much more impressive in the world than good diction and a neat accent. He might be having his biggest battles in this episode with Kirk, but the scene where Khan threatens McCoy provide one of the good doctor's finest moments. However, I have to think in the future the Enterprise will do without a ship's historian and just use the computer to find out about the past. Besides, there is nothing like a quote from Milton to lend a space opera a touch of class.

A brilliant episode....Khan is fantastically evil!
Khan Noonian Singh. One of my favorite villians of all time is introduced in this classic episode. A leader of the 20th century "genetic wars", Khan is banished to the SS Botany Bay which is adrift in space for over 200 years until the USS Enterprise finds it beaconing signal and beams over to investigate. Then the fun begins....
Khan is taken to the Enterprise where nobody knows who he is yet, except maybe a lovely archeologist. When Khan is finally figured out, let's just say that his brilliant "evil" plan is almost carried out. One of Capt. Kirk's best nemisis to say the least. Khan and his crew of "superior beings" are sent to live on Seti Alpha 5 to start a colony on their own without help from the federation. People forget he and his people exist...Until 15 years later...Thus begins the movie Star Trek II: The wrath of Khan. What a great episode this is. Highly recommended.

Remember what Khan says, "Revenge is a dish best serve cold!"

Tribble Ahead
This classic episode first introduces us to the eugenically bred Khan. Here we have another thoughtful episode that prophesizes an issue ('unnatural' selection) that would feature prominently in the headlines today. It is interesting to see Kirk and company portrayed as 'inferiors' (in a narrow sense of the word) for much of the episode. The scene that ends with Khan threatening Kirk is particularly tense and threatening. Ricardo Monteblan is also effective in his scenes as leader and seducer.

The acting performances and tight script lend an air of subtle believability to this episode that wouldn't always be present on Star Trek. The conflict and drama are well developed. Also interesting is Kirk's ultimate compassion, which of course distinguishes him from the 20th Century leader. Trek, like many great westerns, often found a way to show that compassion and humanity did not have to be synonymous with weakness, passivity, or the absence of charisma. These are important messages for young viewers. Left open here is whether that compassion here will ultimately come back to hurt the Federation. The difficult question is whether one must follow their conscience even when the long term consequences may be detrimental.

Tidbit: This episode features one of Star Trek's most notorious bloopers, in which a dropped phaser visibly distresses several onlookers, particularly DeForest Kelley.

Khaaannn!
I like this film because It's cool. I've watched The Wrath Of Khan before I watched this one. I've read about Khan Noonien Singh in the books about the so-called Ujenics Wars. This is the first time I've seen Curk and Khan coming to grips with each other. This is twice I've seen Khan defeated. First in the Ujenics Wars books, and now in this film. I don't mean to ruin the plot for you, but I like it when Curk engages in a fist fight with Khan...Wo! What have I done? Anyway! I highly recommend this film to everyone.

Well written with good characters
I've watched the entire Star Trek Original Series, and nothing compares to this. The Enterprise finds a sleeper ship, the Botany Bay, drifting in space. The crew beams aboard, and accidentally revives the leader, Kahn Noonien Snigh. His middle and last names are hard to pronounce. So then he comes awake, but is threatened by some rehabilition problem. Kirk breaks Kahn's sleeping chamber, and they take him to sickbay. Meannwhile, the crew beams more people over for treatment. And when the doctor is alone, examining Kahn, he goes to do some deskwork, and Kahn awakens. When he hears McCoy speaking, he quickly grabs a knife and attempts to injure the doctor. But the doctor is ready, and they settle down. There's too much else to say, and it's too good to spoil. So see the rest for yourself. ... Read more

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"Return of the Archons" is a cautionary story about mind control written by Gene Roddenberry. The tale begins when Ensign Sulu (George Takei) is taken hostage on an Earth-like planet with a primitive culture. Zapped by a weapon that leaves him under the control of someone or something named Landru, Sulu is then pursued by Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who discover that Landru has the same grip on everyone else. Once Landru becomes aware of efforts by the captain and first officer to interfere with its bidding, Kirk and Spock become the target of a massive hunt by locals. A minor episode with a somewhat obvious scenario, "Return of the Archons" does have novel appeal in its heightened role for the ever-charming Sulu, and in Roddenberry's characteristically humane interest in elements that make people (and intelligent aliens) everywhere free to fulfill their destinies. The solution to the who-is-Landru mystery won't surprise anyone, but it may strike you as a prototype of several future episodes, from all the Trek series, involving centralized caretaking on various planets. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Festival! Festival!
'Return of the Archons' is probably my all-time favorite episode of 'Star Trek.' It has so much going for it, I don't know where to begin. Of course, it's basically a parable about the alleged evils of 'mind control' but it's quite possibly the funniest, most entertaining show ST ever had! From the robotic, mindless natives of Landru's planet, to Sulu (with dreamy gaze) waxing about 'Paradise, my friend' and 'sweetest people in the universe' to McCoy coming under the spell of Landru ("You speak strangely, friend, are you from away?" and "You speak in strange whispers.") This is the one ST episode I can watch endlessly and not get tired of.

Doesn't Quite Live up to Its Potential
Brilliant beginning. Sulu gets zombified. Kirk, Spock, and two crewmen beam down to the planet to try and set things right and are just in time for a mandatory orgy, which they manage to avoid. They get involved in a secret plot to set things right but the story slows down. An "Enterprise is losing its orbit" subplot is added, but seems phoned in.

Kirk's moralizing speech to Landru is very interesting, but rather hypocritical if you think about it very hard. (Kirk frequently chastises computers for failing their prime directive. Wouldn't that be great if one of them told him to examine his own behavior?) The "Changeling", The "Ultimate Computer", and "I, Mudd" all involve Kirk vs. a computer, and they are all superior to this particular story.

This is still a worthy episode, and should be owned by any serious Star Trek fan. With a little work, though, it could have been so much better.

The Red Hour is upon us
This creepy if hokey episode concerns cloaked figures and a zombie-like populace. This show isn't particularly thoughtful for a first season episode, and the ending in particular is very unoriginal and disconnected from the rest of the show. The first half of the episode certainly packs enough mystery though, with the creepy creatures and music, as well as the Jeckyl-Hyde aspect of the population. Sulu also has one of his larger roles here.

"Joy To You Friend. Peace And Contentment Too."
Computers were often depicted as potential formidable foes in the popular science fiction of the sixties but Star Trek did it to a tee. The show's familiar theme of the super computer as a society controller/watchdog was first seen here. And though 'The Return Of The Archons' isn't as well defined as later similar episodes it still stands as one of the best early efforts of the series.

The Enterprise is in an area of space investigating the 100 year old disappearance of a Federation vessel, the Archon. When Sulu is beamed back aboard during an away team emergency he displays a disturbing but sedate state of mind. He is taken to Sick Bay and Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and a complement of others beam down to further investigate. Within moments the local residents, who behave bafflingly eccentric, break out into a collective fury, an event that is termed Festival. The away team seeks shelter at a nearby hotel where they meet three older gentlemen, two of whom welcome them (Reger and Tamar) and the other (Hacom) who is immediately suspicious of the away team. Kirk's questions about Festival make his hosts uncomfortable and they provide him only with superficial answers, requesting he wait until the morning comes. When the morning comes Hacom has returned with two odd looking fellows, known as lawgivers, who proceed to kill Tamar and demand that Kirk and his party come with them. They refuse and make their way to a safe haven with the help of Reger but eventually the all-powerful ruler Landru that Reger has been speaking of detects their presence. After Landru explains to them they will be 'absorbed' and become 'part of the body' the group is rendered unconscious and taken to a holding cell. Kirk and Spock are spared the absorption by a friend of Reger's (Marplon) who also returns their weapons and communicators to them. After affecting their escape from the holding cell Marplon shows Kirk and Spock the Hall Of Audiences where Landru is located. Discovering a computer hidden behind a wall Kirk and Spock are able to destroy it by causing a conflict within it's programming.

The first try at this type of show comes off quite well with only a couple of notable exceptions. In the hiding place Reger takes them to Landru explains to Kirk and his complement that "they have come to a world of peace and harmony, a world without conflict." That's not entirely true as we see in the first act when every one of the townspeople appears to go simultaneously stark raving mad! Also, in the beginning of the episode the landing party beams down in full view of the townspeople - who demonstrate no surprise at this. Shouldn't they have beamed down outside the city or somewhere they would be certain no one would see this unusual phenomenon? By all appearances this society has the look and feel of late 19th century or early 20th century earth.

The personification of Landru is well conceived and the effect of projecting his image in random locations at will adds an eerie and unnerving touch to the proceedings. The lawgivers are quite creepy as well, clothed in robes, their faces indiscernible, speaking in oddly echoing voices and firing harmless looking but deadly weapons. As Spock tells a frustrated Lindstrom, who feels they can overcome the lawgivers, "they apparently command powers well beyond our comprehension and are very, very dangerous." The wrap-up is satisfactory if a bit too expected. The plot device of Kirk and Spock using their own logic to defeat an all-powerful computer would be returned to several more times through the next three seasons, eventually wearing a bit thin.

Noteworthy: The landing party is attacked when the townspeople begin the Festival. Everyone is pelted by rocks or flying objects, or even in one case beaten with a wooden beam! Everyone that is except for Kirk. An attractive young lady takes a running leap onto the captain, wraps herself around him and administers a deep, passionate kiss - this guy has the most incredible streak of luck with the ladies!

"You are not of the body".......famous line from Archons
The best part about this one was the "Red Hour" where the whole town went on a wild party ..to put it mildly..havoc reigned while Kirk and company watched. It's another one of those computers gone bad thing. It's about a planet that condones the mob mentality and people are drones that listen to every order from the computer. Sounds like us earth people when you look real close at this episode. Well, to make a long story short Kirk short circuts everything with his illogical statements. Spock sits and watches while the whole computer blows to kingdom come. It's fun to watch and stands up today. Because Landru might be Microsoft if the episode was produced in 2002. This could be an ad for Linux OS...."you are not of the body"..you are not Microsoft. ... Read more

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The third and final entry in Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare triptych, Richard III (1954) is an audacious portrait of a man determined to prove himself a villain. As the personification of evil impudence, Olivier portrays the Duke of Gloucester with such aplomb that he brings the audience onto his side. This is true even as Richard engineers plots to murder his brother Clarence (John Gielgud), betray his cousin Buckingham (Ralph Richardson), and seduce his niece Lady Anne (Claire Bloom). From the play's famous opening lines ("Now is the winter of our discontent"), Olivier delivers every speech with truly Machiavellian splendor, and his superb staging of the climactic battle rivals his work on Henry V. Regrettably, this would be Olivier's last Shakespeare film, as a planned adaptation of Macbeth was abandoned for financial reasons. Olivier justly received an Oscar® nomination for his performance; and believe it or not, this film was the inspiration for the original Blackadder! --Kevin Mulhall ... Read more

Reviews (19)

One of the greatest Shakespeare films...
Only two of Orson Welles' Shakespeare films rival "Richard III" for the title of greatest Shakespeare movie ever made. That said, Olivier's film may contain the most sheerly enjoyable performance any actor gave on film. His Duke of Gloucester is the definitive performance. Elia Kazan once said Olivier had a certain girlish quality, and that quality is used in the film: His Richard is seductive--a prancing, charming monster whose voice sounds like "honey mixed with razor blades." But one look into his black eyes, framed by false hawk nose, violently angled eyebrows and fright pageboy wig, will tell you that he's also stone-cold pure evil. Richard enacts all our homicidal, plotting fantasies as he cheerfully knocks off all his stuffy relatives and rivals.

Olivier emphasizes the black comedy and wittiness of Shakespeare's play, which he cut and refashioned into a star vehicle for himself. Though Sirs Gielgud, Richardson and Hardwicke co-star, they don't make much of an impression. (Blame that on Shakespeare too) Interestingly, Olivier later regretted not having cast Orson Welles as Buckingham.

You experience two major innovations concerning the filming of Shakespeare: the first is Olivier's old custom of using extremely stylized, artificial sets, thereby making Shakespeare's stylized, artificial verse fit in with the settings. The second is the source of Olivier's triumph: he delivers his soliloquys directly to the camera. This daring move destroys the fourth wall and takes true advantage of what the movies offer. He becomes our friend and confidante and we become complicit in his mounting evil. The production values are top-notch: we get deliriously vibrant technicolour, William Walton's pompous, irresistible music of pageantry, and the book-of-hours sets. And through those sets Olivier's camera subtly glides and skulks like the snake Richard himself is. Olivier is still an underrated director, and his grasp of the frame's spatial properties is excellent: he knew how to move the camera into and out of the frame for maximum impact. For an example, look at the moment Richard finally becomes King, and his satanic powers become unbottled: He slides down the bell rope to greet his minions, and expecting to shake his hand they approach, only to fall on their knees when Richard silently demands they kiss it. As they sink downward, the camera flees backward until the awful composition is complete, with half a dozen men in black on their knees as Richard presides all in the center of the frame: on twisted and bent legs as the bells announce the triumph of evil.

Machiavellian cunning and ingenius
In what I deem Laurence Olivier's finest Shakespearean performance, Richard III is quite simply an absolute must see for any true Shakespeare aficionado. Having just read the play and viewed the movie subsequent to the reading, I was afraid I might be somewhat disappointed after such an enjoyable read. Not the case.

From the word go, or rather the words "Now is the winter of our discontent," Olivier adroitly plays a most egregiously evil, yet sinfully likable, villain. Olivier's skillful mastery of the soliloquy is readily manifest as he conspiratorially confides in the audience his countless connivances and sordid schemes as he maniacally murders and manipulates all of those unfortunate enough to be in his way on his morbid quest for the crown. He's so good you'll find yourself rooting for the dastardly villain that is Richard III. Pop some popcorn and sit back and enjoy.

Excellent acting but overrated as a film
I must disagree with the reviewers who praised this as one of Shakespeare's best movie adaptations. Sorry, it's not. The main strength of the movie is the acting, and for that alone it's a must-see. Yet, as a movie it has many stylistic and visual flaws.

The camera shots are very long and there are very few shifts in angles, there are almost no close-ups, the settings, costumes and makeup are overdone and look too fake and low-budget (perhaps on purpose?), and it's done almost entirely in a studio (the outdoor battle scenes feel like a Western..). The result is that you feel that you're watching a two-dimensional play. Perhaps black-and-white would have been a more suitable vehicle.

I'm also annoyed with the liberties the movie has taken with the text, shifted scenes around, chopping lines, etc. I didn't like that it begins with a scene from Henry IV. The Bard's original structure is better. Stick with it!

Also, for the first half of the movie I felt distant from Richard, possibly because until then we almost always see him from a distance and rarely up close. That changes once he become king. Overall, the second half is much better.

If you want to see a truly great Shakespeare adaptation, watch "Julius Caesar" with Marlon Brando and James Mason, even though the play itself is not as good as Richard III.

In spite of all this, I recommend it. Certainly worth seeing Olivier in action.. and it has some great moments.

A must see!!
I won't rehash the plot. Suffice to to say the Olivier's performance is magnificent. Also magnificent in this Criterion collection edition, is the addition of a top notch commentary which explores both Shakespeare's structure of the play and Olivier's decisions in bringing the character to the screen. Also interesting is a 1960's era interview with Olivier that reviews his acting career.

Even More Impressive in the DVD Format
Those who criticize Laurence Olivier and Alan Dent -- co-authors of the screenplay -- for taking certain liberties with Shakespeare's play should also criticize Shakespeare for taking certain liberties with the historical material on which he often relied so heavily. In this instance, Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, Vol. 6, and various Tudor Historians. In my opinion, such quibbling is a fool's errand. This much we do know about the historical Richard III. He was born in 1452 in Fotheringay Castle, Northamptonshire, the youngest son of Richard, Duke of York. He was created Duke of Gloucester by his brother, Edward IV, in 1461, accompanied him into exile (1470), and played a key role in his restoration (1471). Rewarded with part of the Neville inheritance, he exercised vice regal powers, and in 1482 re-captured Berwick-upon-Tweed from the Scots. When Edward died (1483) and was succeeded by his under-age son, Edward V, Richard acted first as protector, but within three months, he had overthrown the Woodvilles (relations of Edward IV's queen), arranged for the execution of Lord Hastings (c.1430-83), and had himself proclaimed and crowned as the rightful king. Young Edward and his brother were probably murdered in the Tower on Richard's orders, although not all historians agree. He tried to stabilize his position but failed to win broad-based support. His rival Henry Tudor (later Henry VII), confronted him in battle at Bosworth Field (August 22, 1485), when Richard died fighting bravely against heavy odds. Though ruthless, he was not the absolute monster Tudor historians portrayed him to be, nor is there proof he was a hunchback.

Cleverly, this film begins with the final scene of Henry IV, Part III, the coronation of Edward IV (Cedric Hardwicke). Locating himself at a strategic distance from the throne, the Duke of Gloucester (Olivier) carefully observes those around him. He shares with those who see this film or read the play his most private thoughts and feelings, many of which are as deformed as his body. Gloucester's "winter of discontent" will soon end. With a systematic tenacity unsurpassed by any other of Shakespeare's villains, Gloucester's coronation as Richard III (his own "glorious summer") will be the fulfillment of his royal ambition. The acting throughout the cast is outstanding. I do not recall another film in which Olivier, John Gielgud (George. Duke of Clarence), and Ralph Richardson (Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham) all appeared together, joined by Claire Bloom (Lady Anne Neville) and Stanley Baker (Henry Tudor). Special note should also be made of Otto Heller's cinematography which is integrated seamlessly with their performances. It is a pleasure to have this film now available in a DVD format, one which offers much sharper images and much clearer sound. Other special features of this DVD version include high-definition digital transfer; newly discovered footage; a commentary by playwright and stage director Russell Lees and John Wilder, former Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company; 1966 BBC interview with Olivier hosted by Kenneth Tynan; a 12-minute television trailer; a theatrical trailer; and an essay by film historian Bruce Eder. ... Read more

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If you know the difference between an Andalite and a Yeerk, then you'll easily become engrossed in this video, which contains three episodes of the Animorphs television series. Even if you're not hooked on the series of sci-fi books that are sweeping grade schools, there's enough inherent dramato draw you in and clues to help you figure it out. Each installment involves high drama: the teens are chased by bad guys and morph into animals as they deal with high-anxiety trauma. In one episode, the teens meet Ax, a wild-looking Andalite creature who falls from space to help them fight the resident bad guys, the parasitic Yeerks. In the best segment, Cassie--one of the morphing teens--can't stop turning into a crocodile against her will. The solution? She burps up the beast. Gross? Yep, and totally kid cool. --Valerie J. Nelson ...