1998’s A Town Has Turned to Dust received little attention when it first aired, but delivered a decent film that injects social commentary into a sci fi setting
What Is It?
This story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future and focuses on a town whose “boss”, Jerry Paul, heads up an operation to scavenge scrap metal that is sent to the colonies in space. His mostly white crew of “Drivers” directs the Native American “Dwellers” into dangerous areas to collect and return the needed material. One of these “Dwellers” is accused of assaulting and raping Paul’s wife, and he is being held by the ineffectual town sheriff. (Minor Spoiler Ahead) Paul leads a lynch mob to the jail and this results in the death of the Native American. But that’s only just the beginning as the story of this town crumbling at the seams delves into the bigotry and inner turmoil of the troubled people who populate it.
Aired: June 27, 1998
Cast: Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Judy Collins, Gabriel Olds, Barbara Jane Reams
Crew: Rob Nilsson (Director), Rod Serling (Original Screenplay)
Legacy:
This long-forgotten and vastly underrated telefilm has very much the feel of an extended Twilight Zone episode (not surprisingly since it is based on a Rod Serling screenplay) as it presents a brooding yet introspective tale that transcends its setting and delivers a poignant commentary on human nature.
A Closer Look:
This TV movie was produced by the Sci Fi Channel back in 1998 in an era when that network still more closely embraced its science fiction roots and had not yet given in to cheapie critters-run-amok films, reality shows, and Sharknado, or relegating scripted programming to a low priority which appears to be its current direction. It is based on an episode of the 1950’s drama showcase Playhouse 90 that was written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling and it originally took place in a western setting. The ’90s hearkens very much back to the Golden Age of science fiction on television when shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Star Trek used their genre-infused settings and premises to explore human nature and society with thinly-veiled morality plays. The shift from the original western setting to a post-apocalyptic future is seamless and it still delivers a timeless message that resonates with its audience. And the telefilm follows the 1950s version very closely apart from its sci fi reworking (more on that below).
This movie obviously had its budget constraints–just like television has had for years, especially early on–but it more than makes up for that by limiting the special effects and focusing on the story and its characters. Television may not always be able to deliver the level of spectacle we see with the typical Hollywood blockbuster (especially on the basic cable channels), but it can tell a good story when it tries. A Town Has Turned to Dust may seem somewhat slow and talky, but that’s the way the early television dramas worked. They often had a staged feel with stilted direction and heavy dialogue-driven scenes. But many early television dramas (and comedies as well) were filmed live which meant that they were much closer to theatrical productions than feature films. And the updating of this teleplay holds on to that earlier sensibility, delivering a look and feel very similar to TV of the 50’s and 60’s, particularly The Twilight Zone. Some viewers might hold this against the movie and argue that it seems outdated. But personally I found that it gives it a nostalgic and retro feel which complimented its story.
The movie is helped along by the strong performances from its two leads Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Stephen Lang (Avatar), who have since become very familiar faces to sci fi fans, and the latter was playing very much against type in the film. But apart from the leads, it offers plenty of choice roles for the other actors involved as well. In addition, its message on racism was quite appropriate for the ’90s (and the ’50s when the original version aired), and sadly, still today. Unfortunately, it has all but fallen off the radar and is not easy to find beyond an out-of-print DVD release (more on that below). I do recommend seeking it out, though, for those who would appreciate a well-made retro-sci fi flick that hearkens back to the classic age of the genre on television.
Should It Be Rebooted?
No. This is already a reboot of the Rod Serling story and it does quite well with that and follows the original script pretty closely. Any reboot these days would almost certainly go high on the CGI and low on the story which would make it essentially pointless. However, it would be great if Syfy (or another venue) were to start producing movies like this again. There are plenty of stories that could be adapted without demanding a huge budget, and plenty of talented creators willing to take up the challenge.
Interesting Facts:
Rod Serling is the only writer receiving a credit on the ’90s reboot, and since he passed in 1975, the movie was filmed with almost no changes in dialogue from the original teleplay. It was simply moved from the old west to a futuristic setting, and the story still worked perfectly. Interestingly, Serling originally wrote the script about a contemporary lynching in the Southern United States, but the sponsors were worried about offending white viewers (especially in the South) which prompted the change to a Western setting. This sort of censorship eventually inspired him to create The Twilight Zone so that he could use sci fi and fantasy elements to disguise his social commentary.
The racist town boss who in the 1998 version is played by Ron Perlman was originally portrayed in the Playhouse 90 presentation by a young actor named William Shatner.
Where Can You Watch It?
The movie was released on DVD in but it has since gone out of print. It is still available from third-party sellers, though. It is not streaming on any of the major services that I am aware of, but it shows up on YouTube from time to time.
