One of the more emotional and thought provoking entries in the "Twilight Zone" series, "The Changing of the Guard" stars Donald Pleasence as Professor Ellis Fowler, a long-time teacher who is being forced to retire due to his advancing years. Feeling that his life and work have been all for naught, the good professor contemplates suicide until he enters the "Zone." He is soon visited by many of his past students, some of whom are already deceased. They inform their former teacher that if it wasn't for the lessons they learned from him, their lives would have had much less meaning and fulfillment. For the first time in his life, Fowler receives some belated but deserved gratitude for a job very well done. He decides that a "Changing of the Guard" is in order now. The story ends on a highly-charged emotional note, and it's nearly impossible to watch without getting a few tears in your eyes.
Pleasence gives an admirable performance here and he never allows his character to be overly sentimental. He hits just the right notes as a man who discovers his true self-worth just in the nick of time. Pleasence was an under-rated actor in his day and "Changing of the Guard" was a great venue for his abundant talent. The story was written by Rod Serling and the subject matter was obviously close to his heart. At the end of Serling's days in Hollywood, he went back to upstate New York and did some teaching himself.
Pleasence gives an admirable performance here and he never allows his character to be overly sentimental. He hits just the right notes as a man who discovers his true self-worth just in the nick of time. Pleasence was an under-rated actor in his day and "Changing of the Guard" was a great venue for his abundant talent. The story was written by Rod Serling and the subject matter was obviously close to his heart. At the end of Serling's days in Hollywood, he went back to upstate New York and did some teaching himself.
