An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

This is the realisation of a concept I've had, ever since I saw this film in 1979 and heard the music a few years later. It just seems to fit. Enjoy!!

[@benderbendingrofriguez3300]

Fun fact: The author of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Ambrose Bierce) went to Mexico in 1913 because he wanted to have a first hand experience with the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared and was never seen again.

[@lucakat9262]

True. I had to do a report on him in college and he disappeared never to be seen or heard of when the Mexican Civil War was going on. Of course, his writing survived but not much else. He was a very interesting and highly intelligent man. If anyone wants to read up on him, he had an interesting life and he had wit too.

[@dillonwalshpvd]

For some reason I think something similar is what took me out. I guess it’s an okay way to go, all things considered

[@vleaky3430]

That's not a fun fact wtf

[@LordGreystoke]

Why is this a fun fact?? What does Bierce’s disappearance have anything to do with this short story?

[@sepehrasadi5997]

This story reminds me of the Old Gringo by Fuentes; wonder if he was inspired by this real life occurrence or not.

[@nathangordon8740]

Saw this as a junior in HS and became a huge fan of Bierce....47 years later and a 38 year career as an English teacher, It still jolts me!

[@vendettaknight104]

Dude, I watched this in my junior year, too

[@triforcelink1310]

We just read it today and I’m a junior. I really enjoy this story a lot even though I’m not a huge English guy. Should I read more Bierce?

[@geraldobrien7323]

It seems like everyone who went to high school in the 70s was shown this film.

[@bigmacpalaba]

@@triforcelink1310 Yes! Read "The Boarded Window!"

[@triforcelink1310]

@@bigmacpalaba alright!

[@schwegburt3002]

Seems like a lot of us saw this in school. And it stuck with us. The prospect of facing an execution and the last moments being a fantasy of escape and seeing your loved ones again . . . It still hits hard today.

[@voz805]

This little synopsis reminded me of the song written by Claude Putnam, Jr. and made into a big hit by Tom Jones, The Green, Green Grass of Home, though the prisoner was in a prison cell not on a bridge. Too much of a coincidence that Mr. Putnam didn't "borrow" the plot from Mr. Bierce.

[@dahorseyguy1]

I saw this in the 7th grade, it had a profound impact in my life and I have never forgotten it.

[@icuryy5826]

I'm 59 and i also seen this in School. I was a freshman. Our English teacher decided that we needed too read the book 📖. Then we watched the bw 35mm film 🎥. After the movie we had to write a paper on how the two were different. Your right thing like this do stick with you.

[@johnadams2063]

Oh man me too!!! It really got to me in a way I cant explane but you get it..

[@dougr.2398]

@@johnadams2063 being able to explain how you feel is an important skill

[@davidl570]

Mentioned this above, but also saw it then. That twist at the end...................I was stunned into silence for a long time afterwards!

[@mountainmanws]

So was my entire junior high school English class.

[@tammanyfields3583]

Saw this in high school in 1978 and I never forgot how powerful this film was and the cliff hanger was outstanding.

[@donarthiazi2443]

There was a _"cliffhanger"?_

[@johnsallie3181]

It was a bridge hanger

[@masterthomas7872]

I remember watching it in my High School class, and was shocked by the ending. It did influence on some later films with a similar ending like this.

[@GK-ji3pm]

I remember watching this on a reel to reel projector in school in the mid 1980s....I remember the voice saying " Im a free man" as he looked around once he made it to the ground....I mever forgot this and this is the first time i have seen it since...

[@livingwill1]

I remember seeing this as a kid and thinking "That is one sloppy execution and the Union Army soldiers are horrible shots" until the end where it is shown it is just a last minute fantasy of the executed man.

[@RB01.10]

Agreed I feel The Last Temptation of Christ got influence from this one. *Spoiler Below* In which you find out the last act of the film that shows Jesus escaping crucifixion, getting married to Mary Magdalene, having children and growing old was all in Jesus’ head. He still dies on the cross at the end

[@jaydonwinger9869]

​@@RB01.10knowing Jesus' mission he would've never fantasized that. He loves Mary like a daughter. and you and me like sons. He died for the sins of the world and rose again on the third day ultimately defeating death. Noone has to die ever if they would just believe that that's what Jesus really did.

[@RB01.10]

@@jaydonwinger9869 It was just a film (it even has a disclaimer at the beginning “this film is not based on the Gospels but upon the fictional exploration of the eternal spiritual conflict,") who knows for sure what he was really thinking in his last moments. That’s why it was called “Last Temptation” because while he may have been tempted not to die and live a life with Magdalene he still ended up accepting death on the cross in the end as history tells us. That part remained unchanged. I really enjoyed the film, one of Scorcese’s best, especially how complex it portrays Jesus.

[@rickchattopadhyay596]

The greatest short film ever made

[@BTsMusicChannel]

My 11th grade (American Literature) English teacher showed us this film when I was in high school.

[@epohjdionysus3431]

Mine too today lol

[@auggied6760]

I watched this when I was in 7th grade.

[@davidl570]

@@auggied6760 Ditto! And the ending scared the CRAP out of me! Took me a few days to recover from it.

[@kjaebased839]

@@davidl570 yo same😕

[@dissectthis9640]

This is weird; my 6th grade English teacher, also showed us this film, this was circa '68/ WTF? I remember this clip from over fifty years ago. I saw this clip today on a rerun of the "Twilight Zone*

[@willyjoerockhead]

I saw this back in the 1980's highschool but i don't remember music all through it...fuzzy memories

[@brendancoburn427]

65 now, watched this as a 9 year old on Irish T.V. in 1968. It made a massive impact on me then , that I haven't forgotten. That was compounded 4 years later, when the short story was part of our school syllabus. Thank you for uploading this.

[@johngranato2673]

I saw this in high school in 1976 or so. I had never forgotten it. I just saw this on The Twilight Zone today--45+ years later. The poster has shortened this a bit

[@Trey2024GrindTime]

This makes me miss my English teacher now i hated high school but I enjoyed these movies they made us watch

[@chris55529]

All things considered, this is surprisingly well done. Thanks for making and posting this, bro! I read the story when I was a kid, and it stayed with me always.

[@jimmyd8206]

Excellent. Saw this in High School Class 1978

[@katejones8570]

I’m seeing this in freshman year 2021 🤣

[@pierrebonnard990]

I am grateful to see the film again, which I first saw about 50 years ago, but I am disappointed about the music dubbed over the original soundtrack, which is much better.

[@aldosanchez4337]

You can find the original on hulu or Netflix

[@jaxisthekingofgotham7012]

Boomer

[@dayton8282]

@@jaxisthekingofgotham7012 lmao calm down virgin

[@davidl570]

@@jaxisthekingofgotham7012 You should change your name to "Jaxass."

[@40mmmm23]

What was the original soundtrack

[@melobazzi]

Saw this in 11th grade Literature Arts class. Classic!

[@DJ_Sage]

10/10 acting. Loved every second

[@bag3lmonst3r72]

I'm not sure why anyone would dislike the music (then again I haven't heard the original audio for this), but this is Hector Berlioz's "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie Fantastique. To me it fits the theme of the story wonderfully.

[@echochambers8418]

I saw this while home sick from school.1990 or so,I was 9-10.The ending really jolted me(no pun intended)to the point that it took me a few more years to find out the Author and read his work.

[@donairthemusical5856]

Dramatic or what. Just read the short story for the first time. Wow!

[@robinsutton4952]

Somehow just thinking of this from my 7th grade social studies (circa 1968) and thank you KZbin I’ll have the nightmare’s again.

[@paradoxical-gr7145]

I didn't know this film existed! When I was in 8th grade, we read the poem this is based off of. I will say that I feel the poem does a much better job of adding color to the story, (Pun intended). The first example of this would be how the poem portrays the scene that starts at 2:32, where he is looking at his surroundings. In the poem, he is looking at everything in wonder, as everything appears to him in a vibrance hitherto unexperienced; absorbing the beauty of a world he now has a new lease on life with which to experience it in a whole new lens and appreciation. The next scene I remember vividly from the book was the scene at the very end. In the poem, he runs all the way to his home, (Which the book states is many miles away, further hinting at the surreal nature of the transpirance) and when he sees his wife, he races up to her to embrace her, when he suddenly hears and feels what sounds like a cannon shot, only for everything to suddenly vanish into nothingness. It is here that we are reacquainted with reality, and the fact that this whole circumstance was no more than a dream; a prolonging of blessed life and consciousness by any stretch the mind can grasp. The cannon shot was the snapping of the mans neck. I absolutely understand people who do not care for reading or going out of their way for a simple poem, Lord knows I haven't the slightest patience for reading if I can help it. In spite of this, I highly recommend reading the poem. It is quite short, but I feel that it is absolutely worth it to experience the prose of the original work as it bathes the story in a light which so suitably portrays the soul and intention of the work. I understand people who defend this short film. It is by no means bad, and I am incredibly happy that it exists! In the end, I feel that anyone who enjoys this film, or even just the concept of the film, should read the poem.

[@nura8978]

What's the poem's name?

[@paradoxical-gr7145]

@@nura8978 An Occurance at Owl Creek

[@stephenpierce2461]

It's a short story, actually; not a poem.

[@dannchamberlain4283]

Excellent comment. Thanks.

[@ronalddesiderio7625]

9th grade saw this. Its never left my heart 💜

[@walterfristoe4643]

Yesterday I mentioned to a friend that I was in the process of reading The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, and she told me about this movie, which I'd never heard of. I'm so glad I was able to see it here! It was much like the short story! I loved it! 🤠

[@kipzmc2024]

I read the short story of this today for an assignment and it’s been a favorite of mine so far this year!

[@nancyhowell4505]

This is my first time seeing this, at age 70! Hit me in the stomach with the horror of it. Have always thought hanging and the electric chair vile punishments in particular. I nearly electrocuted myself when I was 3 by sticking my dad's metal framed sunglasses into an electric socket. My whole body twisted into agonizing pain as I passed out. Fortunately the fuses blew quickly enough to save my life. Came to completely drenched in icy cold sweat and weak. I'm definitely against the death penalty.

[@sudarshbalakrishnan2608]

its soul is precious to all living beings

[@ArmsDealer06]

They used to show this to us in grade school.

[@idaho_girl]

Like many of you I saw this in English class in Jr HS or HS back in the 80s. It was an important lesson in storytelling and story-reading, e.g., what is written is not meant to be taken only literally.

[@johnadams2063]

Say all u want about public schools. But I seen this in school and many many other great things I learned so much from.. in school is where I learned so many beautiful things ..like how to read and enjoy fantastic stuff like this story and hundreds of others like it.. I had teachers who really worked hard to help me understand and love things like reading.. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and my teachers where good . Most of them really where good and wanted to teach me. Man I was forced to learn to read.. ice met so many people who say they never read a book.. how? How could u go threw school and not read books!!?? They forced me too and I'm glad of it to .. my god how can u say u have a high school education if u never read books?? U cant!!

[@per3992]

I don't they "where" good since they didn't teach you how to spell

[@johnadams2063]

@@per3992 they tried .. it's my own fault.. plus it dont count on the internet..

[@valerie270]

NICE.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

Now make this into a romance...and keep the same kind of ending. Now that's horror.

[@TommyElijahCabelloReal]

Thanks for uploading this. I was reading this and could not follow along for the life of me

[@bobbydorou8438]

Saw this film long time ago and even thought it quite wonderful, never realising that it was first published as a story.

[@francesco5581]

Ambrose Bierce was a nihilistic Agnostic (very inclined to Atheism/Naturalism) due probably to personal experiences. Probably he heard many times about NDEs experience from wounded soldiers so he gave his nihilistic representation of an NDE (Near Death Experience) for a materialist perspective. Great idea but poor guy (Bierce...).

[@Hawatt11]

This video was shown in several of my high school literature classes in the 1970's.

[@Priyanka-xf9vx]

Best short film

[@dougpeters1625]

I can't believe I got here from a Doobie Brothers song reference but here I am

[@davidl570]

LOVE that song! (I Cheat The Hangman).

[@DSWL_]

saw this as a kid im 40 now. always wondered why they just left him hanging there 😀

[@constantreader8760]

As a warning to other would-be rebels in the neighborhood. Cruel. But if were in charge of an occupying army, I'd probably do the same, reasoning that it's better to sacrifice one person to keep from having to kill many others.

[@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253]

@@constantreader8760 Each day the entirety of humanity does so much horrible shit that the word "cruel" is made to look completely obsolete.

[@amal4754]

i studyed this story when i studying in 9th standard

[@jamesmcinnis208]

Where they didn't teach you to spell or the past progressive tense.

[@sunilrampuria7906]

@@jamesmcinnis208 okay racist

[@jamesmcinnis208]

@@sunilrampuria7906 Spelling racist, c'est moi!

[@emwilson3764]

Donnie Darko. He escaped his death at the beginning and goes through a flight of fancy where he is the hero, then it turns back and it actually fell on him and he died.. think about it…

[@flwrgarden]

there was a version with this same footage but the music was completely different and more dramatic. i can’t seem to find it anywhere

[@LeosGreat]

Livin man

[@charlesstevens6705]

One should always allow a person to see the original ,then let the watcher decide

[@zed6095]

That. Was. Amazeballs.

[@davidrendell2117]

I always thought it was a French production but it has been decades since I last saw it so I guess I'm wrong, unless there is a different version.

[@Heywhatsupmyman]

Adam Young from Owl City named his project Owl City because of this short film

[@planetside11]

In addition to this one, there are 2 more of Ambrose Bierce's Civil War Stories that have been made into black-and-white films: "Mockingbird" and "Chickamauga." Does anyone know where these videos can be found?

[@bryanhall762]

I do not remember the day I viewed this😢 I have never forgot it

[@roddos]

Świetny!

[@pipmitchell7059]

A concept that William Golding expanded into a full novel, Pincher Martin.

[@alfonsorolli1645]

Dropped acid in ‘68 and made the mistake of watching this. I flipped out.

[@doyleperkins4916]

This is from the Twilight Zone episode of the same title. Adequate musical arrangement. I would have started out with a Classical piece that bespeaks his at first thoughts of calm, graduating to turbulence or tumult. For the latter the current track is good; for the former, might I recommend Claude Debussy's L'apres midi d'un faune"?

[@losthor1zon]

Not originally a Twilight Zone episode. Part of a trilogy of Ambrose Bierce's short stories put to film, and arguably the best one. Serling was astute to include it, however.

[@JohnParks-zc1pn]

I saw this in 8th grade (1970-1971).

[@badname8501]

Ever since I saw this episode it felt like a fever dream and its sooo good as well

[@dannchamberlain4283]

I thought it totally sucked.

[@Erik_Ochoa013]

To think this short film would be attributed to Adam Young to why he’s called Owl City, very interesting!

[@joelspaul7687]

Depth 💯👌

[@s1234pro]

WOW!

[@thecinematicmind]

Cinema and Television History

[@rexwave4624]

Perhaps the underwater scenes influenced The Thin Red Line?

[@zurn41]

Ms. Palucci (She looked like the singer Nicolette Larson) showed this film to our class in 1977.

[@dougr.2398]

I saw this with a quite different soundtrack in the 1980s..... a song “I Want to Be.... A Living Man”. Hard to believe how much sympathy this conjures for the “other side”...... but it shows that we are all have human needs. I’m anti-death penalty because it makes us all killers

[@ginarandolph5543]

I was an English teacher and the "living man" soundtrack is what we heard. That makes the whole film more haunting.

[@pratulr740]

Wow, always been curious about the experiences of the older generations 😅 i believe people were more humane back then? "Simpler times" is what I hear everyone calling it ... Is it so?

[@dougr.2398]

@@pratulr740 no. There is a human tendency toward « nostalgia », because those of us who long for »simpler times » have no experience or concept of how difficult they were. Shorter lifespans were due to famine, disease, warfare, etc. The appeal of fantasy always neglects the reality of a situation.

[@dougr.2398]

@@ginarandolph5543 yes, it does. Poignant, too.

[@pratulr740]

@@dougr.2398 That was very well said sir,gives me a new perspective 😀. Always been an admirer of history! This video taught me how an actor had to express all the words just in his face... Acting had to be at it's finest 😅 or the people would never understand the movie.

[@eddieboggs8306]

Similarl movie called, Corridor Of Evil,renamed Carnival Of Lost Souls, and also The 6th Sence,similar too.

[@davidl570]

Sorry to be "that guy" but it's actually Carnival of Souls.

[@eddieboggs8306]

@@davidl570 My Bad. Been decades ago so no one remembers every detail forever.

[@davidl570]

@@eddieboggs8306 No biggie! I forget stuff all the time.

[@chriswilton9976]

My Dad gave me this short story to read: I remember the book was "Men At War".

[@PropellerHat_Knox]

THANK YOU KZbin ALGORITHM

[@normanleach5427]

The original sountrack is missing.. and that is THE REASON I started this clip.

[@MrUndersolo]

I saw this in grade school. Still a little creeped out by it.

[@Swampyardboxing1993]

Muse- Resistance.......goes perfect with this. Try it

[@mrnobody2018]

I'm interested in horror where the innocents lose in the twilight zone going up to the extreme way possible

[@shawnramsey8264]

I remember watching it in school

[@johneyon5257]

"the realisation of a concept" - this is an edited version of the french production - with dialog removed - and music added - the real film short was 28 min long

[@benthatbirdo121]

"Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge."

[@elifoust7664]

First watched this in High School

[@davidfrance2522]

I assume this won an Oscar?

[@fernaldpaperguest4646]

This must have been an inspiration to Jim Jarmush and his Deadman.

[@williamcrowe2576]

I think I once saw this in an English Literature class.

[@AdaptableContent]

This was the original plot that David Lynch used for "Lost Highway".

[@paulfaulkner8788]

I saw this in about 1963 so I can't recall the original music but the Berlioz 'March to the Scaffold' seems fitting..

[@GODFATHER-pq6yw]

Who's here after VetriMaaran?

[@rs25397]

I am

[@almostfamousaheep]

What you mean? What's the connection? Educate me please

[@praveenv7201]

Hlo

[@GODFATHER-pq6yw]

@@almostfamousaheep he mentioned about this short film in one of his lectures.

[@anupshekar7484]

Sir where can i get the full version of this ? The print i have is corrupted

[@anupshekar7484]

@Jerry Andersen this is just 5 mins ... I want the full length

[@davidl570]

Netflix has it.

[@riccardogalasso4394]

Finn brought me here 🥲

[@keithboone4437]

They showed two versions I never seen this one

[@educationpurpose2532]

Vishnu movie climax concept is this movie original

[@nathangordon8740]

An even better film is made of Bierce's "The Boarded Window."

[@jyxl2904]

What can we infer from this guys?

[@reneejordan7550]

Saw this on The Twilight Zone with a different sound track.

[@jmv447]

What is the musical piece being played?

[@BTsMusicChannel]

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique, 4th movement, "March to the Scaffold." When he sees his wife, we hear the motif (referred to as 'idée fixe' by Berlioz) that represents the symphony's protagonist's object of obsessive affection. It is sad to me that the state of our arts education is such that the average person doesn't hear it and immediately recognize it, but I guess that's how it goes within the anti-art corporate capitalist world. Art is not a subject that we should teach in such a world, because it might lead to creativity, critical thought and independence from the machine. These are not desirable employee traits on the cubicle farm.

[@clarenceperkins1835]

What he do yo

[@balajibabud1223]

மிகவும் ஆழம்

[@Ajmalmahin144664]

Anbukka de interview vaayichadine shesham evide vannavar like adikyu

[@sriranjit3684]

Naan ... Tamilnadu

[@Tertullian1971]

I saw the film in 8th grade. Ambrose Bierce was as brilliant a writer as Poe.

[@angelia-xd]

i watched this at school

[@gorditobrasco310]

What happened to him saying “PEPE!”

[@caesarvalentin6332]

Was he either a traitor or spy?

[@phyein4815]

There used to be an upload of this that someone made using their entirely own ambient soundtrack, it was incredible. I think it was simply titled "An Occurrence..." I can't find it anywhere anymore. If anyone knows PLEASE let me know!

[@replikat4314]

Was it this Song? kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2bHaaVoo9ekoqM

[@phyein4815]

@@replikat4314 nope it was a sort of mashup. No luck

[@replikat4314]

@@phyein4815 oh Well, good Luck!

[@davidprieto655]

Plinth rehearsal 9/10/14 by dorsetpaeans

[@whatsamacallit3833]

This sound trak was not original. The original sound was of the events taking place. Too bad. Always loved this short.

[@pogiboy215]

Ayo what’s are 4 themes of this story

[@tomascinnsealeach9979]

What is the music ?

[@hydraIX]

Classick TZ

[@educationpurpose2532]

Vishnu movieyude climax pole