A Quality of Mercy

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“A Quality of Mercy”
The Twilight Zone episode

Scene from "A Quality of Mercy"
Episode no. Season 3
Episode 80
Written by Rod Serling from a story by Sam Rolfe
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Guest stars Dean Stockwell : Lt. Katell/Lt. Yamuri
Albert Salmi : Sgt. Causarano
Leonard Nimoy : Hansen
Rayford Barnes : Andrew J. Watkins
Ralph Votrian : Hanacheck
Dale Ishimoto : Sergeant Yamazaki
Jerry Fujikawa : Japanese Captain
Michael Pataki : Jeep Driver
Production no. 4809
Original airdate December 29, 1961
Episode chronology
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"Five Characters in Search of an Exit" "Nothing in the Dark"
List of Twilight Zone episodes

"A Quality of Mercy" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. The title is taken from William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. It was later adapted into the first segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie.

Contents

[edit] Opening Narration

“ It's August, 1945, the last grimy pages of a dirty, torn book of war. The place is the Philippine Islands. The men are what's left of a platoon of American Infantry, whose dulled and tired eyes set deep in dulled and tired faces can now look toward a miracle, that moment when the nightmare appears to be coming to an end. But they've got one more battle to fight, and in a moment we'll observe that battle. August, 1945, Philippine Islands. But in reality, it's high noon in the Twilight Zone. ”

[edit] Synopsis

A young gung-ho American Lieutenant in World War II orders his war-weary soldiers to make a near-suicidal attack on a group of sick and wounded Japanese soldiers holed up in a cave. Sgt. Causarano, who knows the men have had enough of war, tries to talk him out of it, but Katell pulls rank and stands firm on his orders, intent on proving himself.

Suddenly, Lt. Katell finds himself in Corregidor, three years earlier in the war, and gets a new perspective. As Lt. Yamuri in the Japanese army, he is ordered to attack a group of American soldiers in the cave. In vain, he tries to dissuade the captain from the attack, but the Japanese captain believes the young man is sick with jungle fever, or worse, has lost his nerve. He tells him to straighten up or stay with the wounded.

His mind reeling from what he has just experienced, Katell finds himself back in the Philippines, an American soldier, with his men telling him that they've gotten word the A-bomb has been dropped. They have been ordered not to attack the cave and to fall back. The young man seems relieved, in light of his revelation.

[edit] Closing Narration

“ The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.' Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, but applicable to any moment in time, to any group of soldiery, to any nation on the face of the Earth—or, as in this case, to the Twilight Zone. ”

The full quote used by the narrator at the end of the episode is from Act IV, Scene I, of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. The words come from a line spoken by Portia to Shylock, which begin: "The quality of mercy is not strained, / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest, / It blesseth him that gives and him that takes." (lines 183-186)

[edit] Adaptation

The episode would later be remade into the first segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), with a modern day approach in which the main character, Bill Konnors (Played by Vic Morrow) is a racist businessman who is upset after a promotion is passed on him for a Jewish man. After giving a prejudicial rant in a bar, he is then taken on a trip through time and is given similar justice of intolerance; a Jew during the Holocaust, an African-American being lynched by the KKK and a Vietnamese being attacked by American soldiers during the Vietnam War. It was directed by film director John Landis. While filming the segment, actor Vic Morrow and two young child actors were killed during a helicopter stunt while shooting the Vietnam scene and as a result, most of the film was incomplete. Later, Landis along with the film's producers were put on trial for manslaughter and child endangerment, but were found not guilty on all counts.

[edit] Cast and crew

Many cast members from this episode went on to achieve fame in later science fiction television series. Dean Stockwell became well-known to science fiction fans as Al Calavicci in the television series Quantum Leap. Leonard Nimoy, who makes a brief appearance in this episode, also later became well-known as Mr. Spock in Star Trek. Michael Pataki also made appearances on Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is most famous in the Star Trek Universe for playing the Klingon Korax in "The Trouble with Tribbles".

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Twilight Zone links

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