Talk:The Old Man in the Cave

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Untitled[edit]

There is an attempt at analysis of this episode, that it revolves around faith. Faith in what? Goldsmith? The Computer. The Soldiers?

What starts out as a good treatise against the thuggery of Statism, the soldiers pushing people around and asserting their authority simply because they can. But then there's the other authority, Mr. Goldsmith. Is this what we're supposed to believe in? His say so? Because that's what the townspeople have been given. And he failed.

Why the "Old Man in the Cave" hoodwinking? Goldsmith must have known it was a computer, he knew how to open the door. Why the injection of Faith by him? Why not simply allow the townspeople to know that it is a computer, one equipped to detect lethal levels of radioactivity? Wouldn't everyone been better served to know the truth and the reality without shenanigans? That seems to be the lesson.

Yet the episode winds up bolstering blind faith in "betters" and go with it, 'cuz they're right. That's the worst moral lesson of all. There are two types of States of the 20th centuries, or a blending of both, those that physically coerce and those that brainwash. French was the former, Goldsmith the latter. It was French AND Goldsmith together that killed those people. Goldsmith knew the truth and played games with these people. He set himself as the IMPORTANT one, the intermediary between the great unwashed and THE TRUTH. He held a monopoly on where the information was coming from, and treated everyone else like sheep. Goldsmith was greedy too, greedy for bureaucratic power. Once he was revealed to be a liar of sorts, the people revolted. Instead of an informed mass making decisions with all the known data, they were kept intentionally ignorant. That's what you get from the State, fictions and half truths to lull you into complacency. And if that doesn't work, you get the jackboot. And in typical fashion, the failed bureaucrat is left pondering where everyone else went wrong.

But who would have expected any different lesson than the one tossed out by this episode? The whole series exudes Liberal Statism.--12.28.101.34 15:45, 14 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No. The episode is focused on the value of blind faith and thus exudes religious, conservative morality. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.52.222 (talk) 06:35, 26 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Character names are indicated in the on-screen credits only for the two leading players and one supporting player[edit]

It may be noted that, in addition to a considerable number of non-speaking bit parts (the post-nuclear townspeople), this episode has five speaking roles.

However, in the closing credits, the character names of only three credited cast members are indicated, while the name form of the remaining players in the cast list is taken from various resources, such as IMDb, as well as from personal viewing by editors. For the record, below is a reproduction of the cast listing in the end credits:

Twilight Zone Created by ROD SERLING

"THE OLD MAN IN THE CAVE"

Starring JAMES COBURN as French

JOHN ANDERSON (actor) as Goldsmith

with JOSIE LLOYD JOHN CRAVEN (actor) and JOHN MARLEY as Jason

Roman Spinner (talk • contribs) 22:01, 2 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]