Revisiting how Scene 103 is scripted:
...
DISSOLVE TO:
103 INT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT 103
Quentin is clutching his throat, moaning, gasping for breath.
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And that's when today's quote -
Page 44/Scene 103 - Quentin (mumbling in his sleep): 'I can't breathe...I can't...breathe...'
- comes up.
And when it comes to the dialogue, interestingly enough the subtitles on the Blu-ray don't even indicate what Quentin mumbles. It could be what's scripted. But to me it seems more like he mumbles "Help me. ... Help me." See what you think...
And when it comes to the descriptions and directions, while Quentin does moan and sort of gasp for breath, he doesn't clutch his throat - but he does perspire quite a bit. Also, the sounds of the brick being laid that are referenced at the end of Scene 102 can be heard at the end of that scene, but they really begin to be heard more clearly after the transition to Scene 103.
And if we might go back to Scene 102, yesterday I forgot to mention that the subtitles on the Blu-ray indicate that after having sealed Charles in the cellar room, Gabriel orders an unscripted "Kill Dubloon!" - and it does indeed sound like that's what he says. But unless someone has read some version of the NoDS script, they would have no idea that Dubloon is the name of Charles' horse because all the scenes referencing the name of his horse were cut from the film as it stands now (and even from the 97 minute version). And I have to say that, yes, of course a human's life is more valuable than that of a horse - but, whoa, killing one's brother and his horse really shows how insanely vindictive Gabriel is. And one has to wonder just how Gabriel got away without the ghosts of Angelique, Charles, and even Dubloon( ) taking revenge on Gabriel. But hey, maybe Angelique and Charles were just so happy to be reunited that they didn't care. And obviously the film didn't want to go down that road. But one can only hope that Gabriel's subsequent life is a completely miserable one...
As far as "today's quote" goes, it was December 27th this time around.
And when it comes to what I wrote about Gabriel, after the passing of Marcy Robin I decided to dig out some of my old issues of ShadowGram, The World of Dark Shadows and Inside The Old House, and when I glanced through issue #34 (August/September, 1989) of ITOH I discovered that I'd completely forgotten that it contains an NoDS fanfic by Kathleen Resch called
For Eternity that deals with the aftermath of the 1810 events. It's written from three perspectives and three different years, the first being an 1850s narrative by one of the men who took part in Angelique's hanging, the second being from 1810 and by Charles Collins, and the third being from 1812 and by Sarah Castle. Kathleen delves into several aspects of what transpired in 1810 and afterward that the film doesn't and it's all quite satisfying. And one of the things that's most satisfying is that she gets into Gabriel's life after all the events of 1810 and ultimately what becomes of him. It's all a must read for any NoDS fan.
Wrapping up Scene 103:
Tracy wakes, stares down at him as he struggles for his breath. She shakes him.
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And that's when today's quote -
Page 44/Scene 103 - Tracy: 'Quentin...Quentin? What's wrong?'
- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:
He doesn't really wake up but just opens his eyes for a moment, not really seeing, and then turns over and goes back to sleep. She watches him and when he starts breathing evenly, she lies back as we TRUCK IN ON HER. Her eyes are wide open.
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And when it comes to what's different with the dialogue, Tracy actually just says "Quentin...sweetheart?" without asking what's wrong.
And when it comes to what's different with the descriptions and directions, Quentin doesn't open his eyes at all - what actually happens is that after Tracy is unable to wake him, he simply turns over onto his stomach - and Tracy rubs his back as apparently his breathing becomes more even - and after that we do see Tracy lie back with her eyes remaining wide open, but the camera doesn't truck in on her - and the scene ends with Tracy looking back over at Quentin.
The interesting thing about Tracy's part of this scene is that in its proper placement in the script, there's far more subtext to Tracy's reactions than is ever realized in the film as it currently stands. On their first night at Collinwood nothing has really been happening with Quentin, so Tracy needn't be all that upset - but quite obviously in the script a great deal has happened with Quentin, including him nearly killing Gerard and trying to strangle Tracy, so she has a great deal to concern her about his behavior. And that will come out in Scene 104, which begins a period of several scenes in the slideshow that don't appear in the film as it currently stands, and in the case of some, not even in the 129 minute version...
As far as "today's quote" goes, it was December 28th this time around.