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In The Twilight Zone
by Hizreen Kamal, New Straits Times Press - Malaysia (December 8, 2004)


Get a glimpse of the power struggle between good and evil in the finale of the Emmy award-winning series Carnivale on Dec 14. Hizreen Kamal writes.


For fans of the spooky supernatural adventure Carnivale (Season 1), a HBO new Original Series, be sure not to miss the last two episodes, which will be shown back-to-back on Dec 14 at 10.30pm.

A first-time nominee at the recent 56th Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, it won five of the seven Emmys it was nominated for, including awards for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series and Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series.

Exquisitely and moodily photographed, it has been touted as a rare and special television masterpiece. Carnivale's cinematography provides some of the most richly imagined glimpses of rural poetry in the 1930s, with a set that is wellmounted, beautifully composed, lovingly lighted and handsomely dressed. Visually compelling, the world of Carnivale seems always to be at twilight and its darkness, a magical place to be.

With an assembly of talented actors like Nick Stahl, who plays the troubled young man Ben Hawkins, and Clancy Brown as Brother Justin Crowe, Carnivale follows a travelling carnival as it winds its way across the Dust Bowl. It focuses on a mysterious young fugitive with hidden talents who is taken in by the carnival, and on the charismatic, shadowy evangelist who will ultimately cross his path.

This 12-episode series takes place at a time of worldwide unrest, with evil on the rise around the globe and the Great Depression wreaking economic and social havoc here at home.

With each episode becoming more riveting, the fate of these two men (Ben and Brother Justin) seems to be moving towards an explosive confrontation of some kind.

While Carnivale does not make it clear which character is good or evil, viewers will have a much better understanding of the link between Hawkins and Brother Justin towards the first season's finale.