Regarding Dark Shadows' Eclectic Film Soundtrack

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Hey gang,

Did you think that the songs that director Tim Burton selected for his film, "Dark Shadows," were absolutely right on the mark?  I thought that Mr. Burton hit a grand slam in his selection, beginning with, of course, the great Robert Cobert's eerie "The Secret Room," and, then segueing into the classic scene of Vicky (or was that Maggie or Josette?) onboard the train on her way to Collinsport with The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward intoning, "Nights in White Satin." 

Mr. Burton perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the early 1970s with  such songs as Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" and Steve Miller's "The Joker."  (Didn't Johnny Depp sound like Sir Ian McKellen, so seriously reciting the lyrics to Steve Miller's seminal hit song?)

Certainly, humor played a great part in Mr. Burton's film version of Barnabas Collins & company.  And, we certainly were provided with much laughter with the great Alice Cooper's appearance and musical performance in the film.  "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "The Ballad of of Dwight Fry" (with the able assistance of young Carolyn Stoddard)  set just the right tone for Mrs. Stoddard's "ball," don't you think? 

Incidentally, I believe that Dwight Fry was a character actor back in the 1930s, who appeared in both the original "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi (Mr. Fry portrayed Mr. Renfield, who was Dracula's victim and who also ate spiders, if my memory does not fail me after all these years), and as one of Dr. Frankenstein's "slightly" demented lab assistants, who has a particularly nasty and fatal confrontation with Boris Karloff on the roof of the Frankenstein castle/laboratory in the original "Frankenstein."   

And, how about that oh-so-energetic love scene between Johnny Depp and Eva Green (as Angelique) with the late, great Barry White singing "Your're the First, The Last, My Everything"!?!    I don't think that I've seen such a "spirited" love scene since I saw Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland get it on in romantic Venice in the film , "Don't Look Now," if I correctly recall that erotic thriller's title.

I think the song that I enjoyed hearing the most in the film, though, was "Top of the World," performed by the late and eternally lovely Karen Carpenter.  To hear that truly angelic voice while Mr. Burton provided us with a series of scenes with Barnabas, attempting to cope with life in the 20th century, was masterful!  As I sat in the theater, the audience (along with yours truly) erupted into paroxyms of laughter, seeing Barnabas supervising the restoration of both Collinwood and the Collins Fishing Cannery, attempting to find "suitable" sleeping accommodations, brushing his fangs in front of the mirror (with predictable "vampiric" results!), and reading Erich Segal's sappy novel, "Love Story," together with a starry-eyed Vicky while sitting romantically at the beach.   That sequence was easily my favorite scene in the film.

After seeing "Dark Shadows," I logged onto Youtube to view some of Karen Carpenter's past  television performances with her equally talented brother Richard and the other musicians in the group, The Carpenters.  After having seen her perform way back in the early 1970s, it was wonderful to see and hear  Ms. Carpenter and the band perform again.  Although, in watching these old videos, I had a sense of sadness, remembering how tragic and untimely  Karen Carpenter's death was, and that she will have been gone for thirty years, come this February.

However, I was extremely pleased in reading some of the comments following the musical videos, that some of the younger people, after having seen the film "Dark Shadows," were interested in checking out Ms. Carpenter's past performances on Youtube.  Many of these younger people, who had never even heard of The Carpenters before seeing the film, expressed great admiration for Ms. Carpenter's musical talent.  In fact, one young woman posted that her interest in Karen Carpenter was piqued after having heard her mother sing right along with Ms. Carpenter as she sang "Top of the World" during that wonderful scene in "Dark Shadows." 

So, I am grateful that Mr. Burton included Ms. Carpenter's song in his film and for providing the younger generation with an opportunity to become acquainted with a truly great singer, of whom composer Paul Williams once said: "Karen Carpenter, she sang like an angel."   

Bob             

[IluvBarnabas]

I enjoyed the soundtrack very much, especially 'Nights in White Satin' which I think was a fitting opening theme, and 'Top of the World'....you see Barnabas trying to help get the family business back on top, fixing up the family mansion, wooing Vicki...even though he is basically still a fish out of water at this point I think the song demonstrates how he is slowing making his way into the family and the business in spite of his curse.

And I love how he mistakes Alice Cooper as the 'ugliest woman' he's ever seen lol. I have to admit I was never much of an Alice Cooper fan before the movie, but I think his music fit right into the film.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

....you see Barnabas trying to help get the family business back on top, fixing up the family mansion, wooing Vicki...even though he is basically still a fish out of water at this point I think the song demonstrates how he is slowing making his way into the family and the business in spite of his curse.

ILuvBarnabas,

Yes, I thought that Mr. Burton captured Barnabas' gradual acclimation to the 20th century wonderfully!  That's an aspect of the original Barnabas' "arrival" at Collinwood that I wished Dan Curtis and the DS writers had explored back in 1967.

And, wasn't it cool the way that Tim Burton had Barnabas being able to "function" in broad daylight?  (If only Dan Curtis had thought to have provided Jonathan Frid's Barnabas with sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and an umbrella to be able to walk with Vicky along the seashore below Widow's Hill on an especially beautiful and sunny day!!!) 

Another great part of that "Top of the World" sequence in the film was when Barnabas walks into the family den (or study?) as Carolyn is watching television.  When Barnabas observes a decidedly diminutive woman standing and singing in the front of the apparently magical box, he walks over, pounds the set, and declares: "Reveal yourself, tiny songstress!"    Of course, that "tiny songstress" was the late, lamented Karen Carpenter!   Everyone in the movie theater audience erupted into uncontrollable laughter as Barnabas' "confronted" that "specter" in the box.

Another cool scene was when we got to see Angelique (or "Angel") tooling around town in that sharp, red-colored Mustang of hers as the theme song  from the film, "A Summer Place," is heard.

Too bad that Mr. Burton did not choose to play the one-and-only "Meet Me at the Blue Whale" song when Barnabas and Willie walked into The Blue Whale to enlist the support of the veteran Collinsport fishermen.  And, I for one, would have liked to have caught a glimpse, at least, of the venerable Blue Whale proprietor/head bartender, Mr. Bob Rooney, tending bar during that scene.

Bob