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Shadow Play (1961 The Twilight Zone episode)
Encyclopedia
"Shadow Play" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
. It was remade under the same title as part of the 1980s series
of the show.
as to his sanity, and that the District Attorney should ask the governor to issue a stay of execution
. With some reservations, he places the call and asks the governor to do so. He tells the reporter that the governor said he would issue one. A stay of execution arrives too late. We discover he was correct: the world was a dream for them, and a nightmare for him, as everything begins to vanish and the world turns to black. The opening scene recurs as he's sentenced to death for murder once again, albeit with the same people in different roles (e.g. a fellow inmate is now the judge at the trial).
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. It was remade under the same title as part of the 1980s series
The New Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:...
of the show.
Synopsis
A man convicted of murder, Adam Grant (Weaver), tries to convince those about to execute him that the world all around them is just his recurring nightmare. The story opens up with the jury claiming that Grant is guilty. He laughs then rants that he refuses to die again. He claims the District Attorney and the lawyers are all people he has known in his waking life now playing the parts in a dream. They ask why he cares about dying if it is all a dream. He explains that he cannot get a decent night's sleep because he always wakes up screaming. He tells the District Attorney to go home; what he originally thought was for dinner will be something else. This happens and unnerves the District Attorney, who discusses the issue with a friend. The friend reasons out that the man's claims constitute reasonable doubtReasonable doubt
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is the standard of evidence required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems . Generally the prosecution bears the burden of proof and is required to prove their version of events to this standard...
as to his sanity, and that the District Attorney should ask the governor to issue a stay of execution
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
. With some reservations, he places the call and asks the governor to do so. He tells the reporter that the governor said he would issue one. A stay of execution arrives too late. We discover he was correct: the world was a dream for them, and a nightmare for him, as everything begins to vanish and the world turns to black. The opening scene recurs as he's sentenced to death for murder once again, albeit with the same people in different roles (e.g. a fellow inmate is now the judge at the trial).