DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '07 I => Topic started by: loril54 on February 14, 2007, 04:20:25 PM
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I know that I saw the show in Black and White. With the early black and white they had an effect. Reminds me of the Republic Monster Movies. I think it added to the tension of the show. The color gave it a warmer feeling. Thoughts.
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I agree that the B&W episodes gave DS more oomph. I think the black and white episodes where Barnabas shows up are some of the best because they most certainly add to the gothic feel of the show. When the color came along, it was totally different, and things that may have once been thrilling or ever (gasp!) scary in black and white became almost normal.
This is one of the reasons that I enjoy the kinescope episodes so much, because when one pops up here or there in the middle of all those color episodes, it's really a treat. I'd venture to say that the kinescope episodes are much better than the regular black & white episodes because the kinescopes give the show that 30s movie feel, with the shifty and at times blurry visuals and scratchy sound.
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While the color episodes were often very lush and beautiful (especially when set in period times, particularly with the costumes), the black-and-white were far more atmospheric. Black-and-white, too, seems more "forgiving" regarding special effects - for example, the ghosts appeared more "3-D." Also, during the black-and-white period, the exterior filmed shots were used, giving the show a unique quality, along with more sets and background performers giving it a more realistic approach. Something was lost with the transition to color.
Gerard
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I liken the differences to the Universal horror films and the Hammer horror films. I like both the black & white and the color. They were both great, but I do think the b&w was more atmospheric and spooky. However, the color could be very visually stimulating and beautiful as well, with its moody lighting in "many somber colors" as the viewmaster reels informed us.
As Brandon Collins said the kinescopes definitely gave the show that old horror movie feel. I like those episodes too.
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I don't the color actually helped until 1897. Think what it would have been like if the first color moment, instead of being in the middle of a Blue Whale bar scene in 1967, was the same moment VW found herself back in time, looking at the Old House in sunshine, cherry blossoms, or whatever they were, everyplace.
The color was unpleasant and washed-out looking for quite awhile.
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There were some very rich color-soaked episodes that were downright distracting. I imagine there was some tech. aspect they didn't take into account, or perhaps they were experimenting with what would and wouldn't work especially re: video as opposed to film.
I read that Superman's suit was brown instead of red because of the way it came acrosss in black and white (until they started filming it in color) - so I am thinking that it is that sort of thing that needed to be worked out for the transition from B&W to color.
I wonder which soap was the first to convert to color?
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I'm old enough to have lived with black and white television for some time.
I think of black and white, and color photography, as two different art forms, requiring two different ways of seeing.
I think black and white is the more difficult art form, requiring the director and the cinematographer to be much more creative, and I love seeing films shot that way.
George Cloony's "Good Night, and Good Luck." was an absolute thrill for me.
When my folks bought a color TV, watching DS was more than a bit jarring. But I got over it..... ;)
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I wanted (but forgot) to mention that the color looks gorgeous in the captures I've seen from the DVDs.
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DS was ABC's first soap to switch to color, so they were blazing the trail for ABC. But I think NBC's Days of Our Lives was the very first color soap back in '65.
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You know, with all that's said (ad nauseam) about how tight the budget was for DS, it is amazing to think they went to color at all, nonetheless to be the first (for the network).
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Actually, with all that's said about how tight the budget was for DS, it's easy to forget that DS was ABC's highest budgeted soap (which no doubt explains why General Hospital looked like it was shot in front of two cardboard walls or even just one background wall half of the time). But then, DS was ABC's highest rated soap for much of the time it was on the air.
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LOL, re: GH.
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I think the B&W added wonderfully to the gothic atmosphere and overall spookiness of the show. I also love the ocasional cinescope episode - what seemed normal suddenly gets much more scary. I remember one 1897 ep. where Vicki was on trial, and Trask looked truly sinister in B&W.
B&W can really add to a show - I saw Van Lewton's White Zombie the other day and that was fabulous with the B&W photography. Probably would have just looked cheesy in color.
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I think that it was spookier in B&W, mainly because the show was new, but as the show went on, it kind of became more camped and it seemed repetitive. There were still some spooky moments later in the show, but i think in genral, all the spooky ideas were in the beginning, and that is what made the B&W episodes more spooky. It kind of reminds me of Lost In Space, where the show started out scary, and then was campy by the end of the series. JVjr
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i'm in two minds about this.
i think the black-and-white format perfectly suited the early,gothic,victoria winters stuff.very noir.i also think the early barnabas storyline's sense of creepiness was heightened in black-and-white.
storywise it was somewhat odd to make the transition to color in a random blue whale scene(however a signifigant one since it marked the return of maggie evans)rather than in an episode that marked a major transition in storyline or time period.it might have been cool if the show had gone to color when vicki finds herself outside the old house in 1795...sort of a "wizard of oz" type effect.
at the same time my favorite period on the show is the early color episodes.from about the time that julia comes to stay at collinwood till the seance that leads to 1795 are my favorite months.i just love that part of the show.
i also think some of the later "trippier" storylines were enhanced by the color format. [happy10]
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I found two of the creepiest, most atmospheric episodes I ever saw were not only in black and white, but one was kinescoped as well. They are episodes #260 and #261, when, [spoiler]at the tail-end of the kinescoped #260, Maggie escapes from Barnabas into the subterranian labyrinth beneath the Old House. Through the shadows, Barnabas slowly pursues, shouting how Maggie can never escape. The chase continues in #261, which is B/W videotape, and we see not only the shadowy tunnels below OH, but the beach at the base of Widow's Hill, as well! The difference between B/W and kinescope can really be seen between these eps, though they are both very spooky![/spoiler]
I thoroughly enjoyed the later color, but I agree with some of the other posters that earlier color eps were at times washed out, with too much front-on white light wash in them. 1897 had a lot more of the depth and shadow of the earlier black and white episodes, though some of the 1967 night scenes (in Eagle Hill Cemetery, for example) were pretty good, too.
Petofi