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Current Talk '24 I / Re: Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows
« on: October 11, 2023, 03:16:00 AM »
Revisiting how Scene 61 is scripted:
And setting up and wrapping the current scene as it appears in DC's script:
LOWER
61 INT -STAIRWAY TOTOWER ROOM - DAY 61
Through the door
Carlotta leads Quentin up the stairs. He is
carrying his equipment. Pan enter the room and
start toward the other stairs
CARLOTTA
I'm sure you'll find it perfect.
61 CONTD CONTD 61
They are at the door. She takes out her keys.
QUENTIN
Wait ...
Carlotta looks at him.
And that's when today's first quote -Page 25/Scene 61 - Quentin: 'I have the strangest feeling I've been here before.'
- comes up, followed by today's second quote -Page 25/Scene 61 - Carlotta: 'How could you have been, Mr. Collins?'
- coming up, followed by today's third quote -Page 25/Scene 61 - Quentin: 'I couldn't have.'
- coming up, followed in the script by:
She looks at him, then opens the door.
End of scene.
...
And when it comes to the differences in the descriptions and directions, as we can see above, DC crossed out STAIRWAY TO as the setting for Scene 61 and decided it would take place in the LOWER TOWER ROOM (Grayson's script still has it set in the stairway) - and along with the setting change, as can also be seen above, DC added some more directions to the opening of the scene (though Carlotta doesn't lead Quentin through any door, nor is anything shot through a doorway, so when it comes to that, who knows?), but like Grayson's unchanged script, it still has the original directions, which are not quite how things play in the film because, as can be seen in today's first capture -
- Carlotta starts up the stairs but Quentin does not because he stops short of them when he has the feeling he's been there before - and as can be seen in today's second capture -
- (I love how) Carlotta fondles the key to the tower room as with but a small smile she asks how Quentin could have been there - and as can be seen in today's third capture -
- Quentin replies with a big grin that he couldn't have - and we don't see Carlotta open the door to the tower room.
And it probably won't come as a surprise that when it comes to the next scene in the sequence, once again Grayson's script has some notations that we'll get into at the appropriate time...
... - and I can't go without saying that I absolutely love the look of delight on Carlotta's face -
- as she starts to ascend the stairs to the tower room - though, of course, first time viewers of the film have absolutely no idea why that is - but back in '71 I do honestly remember asking myself why. Little did I know what was about to come up (especially in the R rated 97 minute version of the film, which I was lucky enough to see several times) that would throw some hints, yet bring up even more questions. However, that tower room scene with Charles, Angelique, etc. doesn't come until much later in the script...