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Today marks the debut of yet another new slideshow: the '91 DS Series 20th Anniversary Year Slideshow. Chances are pretty good that you've already noticed it on the BoardIndex page of the forum. [santa_smiley] 28 quotes (including several from the restored scenes of the pilot and finale) will be featured from each "hour" of the '91 DS Series, with Midnite and myself alternating hours. I'm up for the first 28 quotes - Midnite's 28 selections from the second half of the pilot will begin on January 29th.
And to make room for this new slideshow, all the previous slideshows have been moved around. No doubt you've already noticed that the Movies Quotes Slideshow is now here atop the Current Talk board. The Quotes Slideshow for the original DS has moved atop Page 1 of the Robservations board. And the Episode Captions Slideshow can now be found atop all the other pages of the Robservations board.
So, enjoy reliving many of the great moments from the '91 DS Series throughout its 20th Anniversary year. [santa_smiley]
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I have to admit I am fascinated with that image of Jean Simmons you've just posted. I have never seen the "extended" redaction of this episode. I was never really clear just how "extended" it was--I thought if it was just a couple of fiddly bits here and there, why bother, since I was less than enthused with what I had seen already--but now I am intrigued...
G.
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This is great! Again, thank you guys so much for recognizing the revival in this way. :)
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Oops. Having received quite a few inquiries about today's capture/quote, I now realize it was an oversight on my part not to put it into context for people who may not have seen the extended version of the pilot. [santa_embarassed] So:
Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended) - Elizabeth (to Roger): 'He needs a father'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]After the sequence in the pilot in which Elizabeth cryptically asks Roger when he will realize that the local school will never take David back "after what happened," Liz goes on to explain that David needs a family and a father. The sequence then plays on to reveal some fascinating insights into David and Roger's relationship. But that will come up with tomorrow's capture/quote. [santa_wink][/spoiler]
And I won't make the mistake again of not putting the extended captures/quotes (there are 6 in all in the first 28) into context. [santa_wink]
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I have never seen the "extended" redaction of this episode. I was never really clear just how "extended" it was--I thought if it was just a couple of fiddly bits here and there
There are 7 extended/restored sequences on the MPI tape version of the pilot and most are quite significantly long and significantly character oriented. In the grand DC tradition, it's almost always the character oriented stuff that ends up on the cutting room floor. [santa_rolleyes] But considering that several snippets from those sequences appeared in many of NBC's promos for the show, I've always presumed that the version MPI released was DC's original cut of the pilot (particularly because they are scored) and then NBC asked for some trims so they could add more commercials to the first night of the miniseries (all the better to award Domino's Pizza with more airtime since they were the major sponsor of the miniseries). But that's purely my own theory.
Other sequences were shot for the pilot but not restored on the tape. My theory there is that DC had never included them in his original cut. However, one of them is included on MPI's DS Resurrected tape.
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It just dawned on me that if today's extended sequence from the pilot had been included on the DVD set, with the botched aspect ratio ([santa_rolleyes]), on the DVD set today's capture would have looked like what's inside the white box:
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/0103ds91_0-boxed.jpg)
Sure, one can still see Elizabeth's face - but I greatly prefer the non-scalped version. [santa_wink] (Not that I'm bitter about the DVD transfer. No. Not at all. Nope. Not one bit.)
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This is very fascinating, MB. Thanks for taking the time to write all this AND demo just how dreadfully bowdlerized the official DVD release of this series was.
Now I really want to see that VHS tape with the extra scenes....
G.
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Golly... Roger's line in today's shot just may be the single most horrifying thing in the episode... and it was CUT! Typical DC.
I'm fascinated that DC wrote the script as if the classic Laura Collins '67 narrative had just taken place... but no Jason, presumably.
If the previous couple of shots are anything to go by, MB, I'm going to enjoy this series more than I expected to do!
G.
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended) - Roger: 'If it would have saved her sanity, I would have left him to die in that burning room.[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]After Elizabeth tells Roger that David needs a father, Roger reveals that the previous night he took David for a walk and tried talking to him but David remained silent until he asked if Roger liked him. Once Elizabeth assures him that they'll get to know each other in time, Roger replies he's not so sure. He then says that he'll try to say what he's going to say in such a way as to preserve his dignity but he resents that David is alive. And after begging the Lord's forgiveness, he delivers the quoted line - to which Elizabeth is speechless.[/spoiler]
Actually, there was even more to this scene as shot but presumably DC didn't include it in his original cut so it's not on MPI's tape. The additional material was:
[spoiler]After Roger explains how David had asked if Roger liked him, and before Elizabeth reassures Roger, Roger went on the say: "I went down on my knees and grabbed him and squeezed him as hard as I could. I said, 'David... David, you're my son. I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world." There are tears in Elizabeth's eyes. Roger continues, "And you know what he did? He just pulled away from me and ran off up the beach... and disappeared over the rocks."[/spoiler]
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Wow. Thanks for all that, MB. It's really too bad that ALL of this material was cut from the aired episode. It would have gone far to explain why David behaved as he did towards Vicki.
G.
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Thanks for taking the time to...demo just how dreadfully bowdlerized the official DVD release of this series was.
Actually I see that it's worse than I'd even imagined (I've never actually watched the DVDs beyond bits here and there to get the captures that I've posted from them). I noticed that in today's capture for the slideshow Sam's eye was so high that it was probably cut off, and sure enough it is:
Today's capture from the MPI tape:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0105ds91_0.jpg)
The same moment on the DVD (I added the black bars at the top and bottom so it would be the same dimension - though unless one has a widescreen TV/monitor, I presume that's the way it plays on regular TVs/monitors).
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/examp-1.jpg)
Willie gets to talk to Sam's nose rather than actually showing that he's looking Sam right in the eye. [santa_sad] [santa_rolleyes]
And if that wasn't bad enough, just look at how different the color is on the DVD! And lest anyone think the color on the DVDs is correct, here's a capture from the same moment taken from the VHS tape I made the night the pilot originally aired. As anyone can see, it's virtually identical to the MPI tape version:
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/examp-2.jpg)
(But I'm not bitter about the DVD transfer. Nope.)
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Ugh, that color grading on that DVD is beyond ghastly.
This is really fascinating, MB.
G.
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended)- Joe (to Daphne): 'Here's the boat - we're gonna dock here right now.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]Joe watches Victoria get into Willie's truck. Willie bids "Loverboy" good night, Vicki waves, and Willie speeds off. Joe stomps back inside the Blue Whale, calling Willie a jerk who needs to learn some manners - especially if he's going to mess with someone crazier than he is. Joe says it time to do some "night fishing" and suddenly slings Daphne over his shoulder and carries her out. Maggie calls it "just another night at the Blue Whale." Outside Joe spins Daphne around and makes his way to his car. After opening the door to the back seat, he delivers the quoted line as he's placing Daphne on the seat and himself on top of her.[/spoiler]
And once again there was even more to the scene as shot but not included on MPI's tape. The additional material was:
[spoiler]Joe quickly shuts the door behind him. Daphne, laughing, says Joe is crazy. In response he grabs her and plants a hard, smouldering kiss on her. Daphne becomes quiet and more serious, She comments that she thought he had to go. Joe replies that he does but kisses her again, softer and more earnest this time, He then says that it doesn't mean that he wants to. Daphne looks up at him, runs her fingers through his hair, then slowly pulls him back down on her, saying, "That's good..." They kiss, long and steaming this time.[/spoiler]
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MB, was there any footage at all left to establish Joe and Daphen's relationship in the original aired episode, BEFORE she wound up as Barnie-bait?
G.
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There are really only two brief references to Joe and Daphne's relationship before she's attacked, but they're others talking about them, not Joe and Daphne actually interacting with each other.
The first comes when Willie first arrives at the Blue While and sits at the bar. Daphne tells Willie that Miss Winters is there waiting for him, Willie says maybe he and Miss Winters can get together after he has a drink, Daphne remarks on how "charming" he's behaving (meaning otherwise), to which Willie shouts that Daphne should just sit with her "loverboy" - Joe happens to be at the table with Daphne and Miss Winters.
And the second comes when Daphne is about to leave the Blue Whale after doing Sam's books. Maggie simply remarks that fishermen who have to get up early don't make for a very exciting love life, to which Daphne jokingly replies, "it's the best I can do." They don't even mention Joe by name - and all we have to go by that they are talking about Joe is Willie's previous "loverboy" remark.
My big question is: Is THAT the same car Joe drives in later eps?! [wow]
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0106ds91_0.jpg)
I don't honestly remember. But if so, I hope he could afford to have some work done on it. I suppose we'll see...
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended)- Roger: 'I think you'll find my son as much a challenge as you can handle.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]Victoria, Elizabeth and Carolyn are having tea in the drawing room when Victoria asks about David. Elizabeth explains that she brought him back from England when his mother took ill and it's been hard on him. She calls David a bright boy with an amazing imagination, to which Carolyn remarks only if putting garter snakes in her dresser is imaginative. Roger enters and he and Victoria are introduced. Her compliment of Collinwood prompts Roger to explain that Elizabeth always had a gift for maintaining the house in the grand manner. Elizabeth feels that style should be the dress of thought and that it tempers life with grace. Roger and Carolyn exchange knowing glances and Victoria agrees with a polite smile. She then changes the subject by asking if a painting on an easel is a Seurat. Elizabeth says it's a copy and is about to say who painted it when Roger interrupts. Victoria inspects the painting more closely and declares that it's very good. Roger asks if she enjoys art, and she answers that it's one of her favorite subjects to teach and that she believes children express themselves very well through drawing and painting. Roger practically rolls his eyes at that response and says he supposes she gets to know them better. But when Victoria says the challenge of it is to have the children get to know themselves, that seems to impress him. Roger then delivers the quoted line and follows it by remarking that he's certain David is different from any boy she has taught. He then excuses himself for the night. Elizabeth is somewhat embarrassed, but Carolyn smirks.[/spoiler]
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What a cool scene. Thanks, MB.
G.
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UGH! They should not have cut that scene from the dvd! It has some much characterization in it, especially from Roger and Victoria.
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I couldn't agree more - it's a wonderful scene and it should never have been cut from the pilot. But alas. And apparently Domino's and their sponsorship of the miniseries was more important to NBC than fleshing out characters. [snow_rolleyes]
There is also a bit at the very beginning the scene that I didn't include because there seems to be some question about how accurate it is so I wanted to get into it more closely this morning (instead of when I'm half asleep (and liable to make typos, which I obviously did last night anyway [snow_embarrassed] - but they're fixed now [snow_smiley])). The first thing Victoria asks is how long David has been without his father - and to that Elizabeth responds for almost six years. The SHADOWS IN THE '90s" The Dark Shadows Concordance 1991 believes that was an error in the script and Victoria should have been asking about David's mother. And that does make some sense. However, after having rewatched the pilot for this slideshow, I'm not so sure it was an error. It's implied in the first scene between Elizabeth and Roger that Roger wasn't a part of David's life for an extended period of time. And when Mrs. Johnson is reprimanding her nephew for making his own life difficult (i.e. neglecting his duties and incurring Roger's wrath), Willie remarks that everything was fine until Roger came to Collinwood. All of that would seem to imply that Roger has recently returned to Collinwood - and that would make Victoria's question and Elizabeth's response perfectly plausible and not in error.
It's also a shame that some scenes that were shot weren't included in the pilot at all. One such scene occurred right after the scene between Joe and Daphne in his car and it helped to establish the relationship that Victoria and Willie share later on. As Willie is driving his truck along the road. Willie glances at Victoria, giving her a long once-over. He remarks about how cold out it is. She looks at him and holds her look as he leans over and punches open the glove compartment. Taking out a pint of Wild Turkey, he unscrews the cap, slugs at it, then offers it to her. Victoria declines. He smiles, takes another, longer belt and wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Willie then remarks that Collinsport's a dump! Victoria doesn't respond. He goes on to say that it's full of creeps, like Loverboy, then also adds that Collinwood isn't any better. It's a case of small town, small minds, and he grins. Victoria says that she hasn't really seen enough of it to say. Willie assets that she will - and if anybody gives her any hassle and she need somebody to set them straight, he's the guy. Victoria pauses a beat, concludes that humor is the best policy, and nods. Willie smiles, glad that he's making headway. The truck then turns into the long driveway to Collinwood.
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I find myself wondering whether any of these restored scenes from the MPI VHS feature Barbara Steele. That may really drive me to rush to the Net to see if I can dig up a copy of that tape without spending a fortune...
G.
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Everything that was shot with Barbara Steele/Julia for the pilot was used in the pilot. However, I don't honestly remember if any Julia/Natalie stuff was added to the extended version of the finale. I haven't watched it in a long time. But we shall see when it comes up in the slideshow in December...
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I just realized that the January 12th capture/quote for this slideshow and for the Movies Quotes Slideshow both feature a scene of Willie at the mausoleum reciting parts of the poem that leads him to Barnabas' coffin (though it's too bad the hoDS bit was trimmed from the film):
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0112ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #1 - Willie: 'Lion looks at dove.'
(http://www.dsboards.com/moviesquoteimages/0112hoDS_0.jpg)
hoDS: Scene #23 - Willie (Off Screen): 'And in the womb
beneath the hill, A secret flame glows bright and still.'
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended)- Victoria: 'I thought I saw someone.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]As Victoria unpacks in her bedroom, Carolyn enters with blankets, saying it gets cold at night. She explains that the fireplace works and describes the bathroom as big enough for a battalion. Victoria thanks her and then adds that she can't wait to meet David. Carolyn jokingly tells her that, yes, she can. Victoria hopes David will like her, to which Carolyn remarks that he will or he'll have to answer to her. Carolyn then adds that she's really glad Victoria is there. Victoria says so is she. Breaking the moment an animal howls, and Victoria asks what it was. Again jokingly, Carolyn goes on about the strange creatures of the Maine woods, and that when the moon is full and the wolfbane blooms, they come down from the mountains out of the cold. And to cap all that off she then howls like a wolf. They laugh, but when a dog barks and Victoria looks out the window, she sees a tall figure in old-fashioned clothes standing in the fog. She tells Carolyn that someone is standing at the edge of the wood. Carolyn checks but the man is gone. A bit embarrassed, Victoria then delivers the quoted line. Carolyn remarks that they're in the boonies - and Collinwood can have that kind of effect. She then adds that Victoria must be tired and suggests she take a bath and rest, and sounding very sincere, before leaving Carolyn adds that if Victoria needs anything, she need only call. Alone, Vicki looks out of the window again. She nods her head like she must have imagined it.[/spoiler]
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My God! an actual reference to *gasp* a ... a... a .... BATHROOM at ... COLLINWOOD?
*clutches throat, puts up other hand in dramatic gesture of avoidance*'
It ... can't be!
Oh... thank God ... it was CUT. Whew!
H.
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Ah, but the scene immediately following that one - and one that appears in all versions of the pilot - actually takes place in a bathroom: when David scares Victoria when she pulls back the shower curtain. [wink2] So, here are three captures: Victoria about to pull back the shower curtain - a glimpse of David - and then David scaring her silly. Enjoy! [b003]
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/bathscare1.jpg)
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/bathscare2.jpg)
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/bathscare3.jpg)
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HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY!!
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The '91 DS Series premiered in the Eastern and Central time
zone regions of the US at exactly this time 20 years ago!
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Considering that nowadays most of us probably associate Joseph Gordon-Levitt with his more recent body of work, it's funny to look at today's capture and to remember that he was ever that young:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0114ds91_0.jpg)
Though we all were. :D
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #1 (Extended)- Elizabeth: 'What kind of person could do such a thing?'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]As rain pours down, Sheriff Patterson drives up the driveway of Collinwood. After entering he tells Roger and Elizabeth that he's looking for Willie Loomis, who was acting strangely at the Blue Whale the previous night. After an introduction to Vicki, Patterson says she must have witnessed Willie almost taking a swing at Joe Haskell, but she tells him that nothing really happened. Elizabeth doesn't quite understand because she thought they were looking for an animal, but Patterson explains they were wrong about that. It's then that Elizabeth delivers the quoted line and then questions how he could seriously think that Willie could have anything to do with it. Patterson tells her he never said that. Roger then offers to accompany Patterson to the stables to look for Willie, and as they leave, Elizabeth and Vicki take each other's hands.[/spoiler]
(There are also other sequences that appear on the MPI tapes: one in which Vicki and Roger talk over breakfast about her encounter with David the night before, and when Roger and Sheriff Patterson go to the stable and discover Willie isn't there. But no quotes from those scenes appear in the slideshow.)
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Just a reminder that Midnite's first 28 quotes (from the second half of the pilot) have begun with the quote for January 29th. [snow_smiley]
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Seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt looking 20 years younger just blows me away.
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Seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt looking 20 years younger just blows me away.
Not to mention that with the correct color, as the show was intended to be seen:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0129ds91_0.jpg)
He doesn't look like someone in the makeup department went overboard with the spray tan, like he does on the DVD:
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/David91_ep1.jpg)
::)
(But again, I'm not bitter over the DVD transfer. Nope. Not. At. All.)
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Wow, MB. And the images show that David's vest was originally black but on the DVD it's brown.
I just watched the pilot on DVD and noticed some really unfortunate changes in Vicki's makeup too, but more on that later. There also are annoying flashes of red light while Carolyn dances in the roadhouse that detract from the scene. And while I never understood the fan complaints before about the bright California sun in the series, I get it now!-- in the DVD, it streams through pretty much every window; it's almost blinding when Vicki is attempting to teach David while he's more preoccupied with the tarantula. Not to mention how amusing it is that the transfer has brightened the basement of the Old House. My recommendation is to skip the Sony DVD totally and burn your own DVD copies from the video series. I promise you will not get the bright sun but you will see the correct colors and lighting.
Anyway, the current quote is from the only extended scene in the 2nd half of the pilot: [spoiler]Ep #1-- Carolyn: 'It'd be, uh, kind of tough to leave, you know, right now.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]We get some insight into Carolyn's background as she drives Vicki to the stables. Her career as a photographer was starting to take off when Liz phoned to request her return. She's still taking some photos, and Vicki suggests that now that she's at Collinwood, Carolyn can return to the city to pick up where she left off, but Carolyn replies that what's happening now makes it difficult for her to leave. Vicki says she understands and thanks her for the ride, and Carolyn tells her to take the chestnut mare named Carolyn. This explains why, in the next scene, Vicki singles out the brown horse and calls it by name.
There've been a few clues already, btw, that a big part of what's keeping Carolyn there is not David and not Daphne, but Joe.[/spoiler]
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i've only seen the series son dvd and the BLINDING california sunlight has always been one of the biggest distractions/production gaffes for me.
and when i've mentioned this in the past for some reason fans of this version of the series become infuriated and defiant. it's like some strange thorn in the side for fans of this.
glad i'm not the only one to see it.
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I think everyone has understood your points, mscbryk, so far as the Sony DVD version of the '91 Series goes - and especially with regard to the sun as it appears on the DVDs, your points are spot on! But the point that people have tried to get across - and Midnite stresses in her post here - is that with the correct color and with the intended filters (the ones that Sony insanely removed during its DVD transfer process) in place, the sun that is indeed a factor on the DVD set is not anywhere near the issue it is on the DVDs. Sony's DVD transfer is nowhere near an accurate depiction of how the series appeared on NBC or was ever intended to appear. The look of the series shouldn't be judged by the DVDs or any of the Web sites that feature the DVD version rather than the original masters which, thankfully, are preserved beautifully by the MPI tapes. The only way to really judge the '91 Series is to watch the MPI tapes. (Or maybe the showings on Chiller? I don't have the channel so I don't know what version they're showing. Hopefully not the DVD version!)
And I certainly agree with Midnite suggestion that fans of the '91 Series should definitely skip the Sony DVD entirely and burn their MPI tapes to DVD. I know that's definitely what I'm in the process of doing as I've begun work on this project. (Thank heavens I was able to get the Sony DVD set for free in a Buy One/Gert One sale. That set isn't worth ANY amount of money. Actually, it isn't even worth getting it for free!)
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i definitely hear your points about the lighting mysterious.
however it's not just the light. i've lived in california and i've lived in maine. everything about the foliage,the coastline look completely different. i'm not trying to be critical it's just the way it is. they're on opposite coasts and the landscape is just different in each location. if the series had been shot in pheonix, arizona it would have a different look too.
as a devoted fan of the original series i know that it was not filmed on the coast of maine but on a set. it looks like a set because it's a set.
but anyways i'm sure this is beating a dead horse.... [snow_lipsrsealed]
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Opinions are always welcome, mscbryk!
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There is one truth that can never be discounted ([snow_wink]) - Collinsport and its surroundings are unique locations in not only Maine but all of the Northern US and almost all of the East Coast in that the grass is always green and not just the evergreen trees/bushes always have foliage. With obvious anomalies like those, who knows what else is possible?! [snow_laugh]
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and of course the summer months require blazing fires and the wearing of stiff,boxy,heavy wool coats. [snow_wink]
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Well, THAT goes without saying! [stfl]
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I don't honestly remember if any Julia/Natalie stuff was added to the extended version of the finale. I haven't watched it in a long time. But we shall see when it comes up in the slideshow in December...
Actually, I had occasion to watch the finale last night and there is indeed extended footage with Barbara Steele as Julia (as well as footage featuring Ely Pouget, Michael T. Weiss, Stefan Gierasch, Jim Fyfe, Ben Cross, and Veronica Lauren).
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Needless to say, I love today's shot of Julia's arrival... emerging from the murk and drizzle of the Collinsport train station...
Her introduction literally foregrounds that this Julia is a much "darker" character than the original.
G.
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The scene was shot with so many shadows that it was very hard to get a good capture that actually showed her face. But then, as you say, perhaps they were trying to convey right from the very start that Julia would be darker in the '91 Series.
I've read that Julia was deliberately drawn so darkly in the '91 Series because she was envisioned as the female analogue of Barnabas. And what's really interesting is how the writers saw the structure of the series as Barnabas' obsession with the three women in his life, with each representing a different aspect of Barn. Josette was seen as his emotions, his past, his lineage, and his heritage. Julia was seen as his future and his intellect. And Angelique was seen as his physical nature, his sexuality, and a simile for his vampiric affliction.
(All that certainly makes one curious as to how the Depp/DS film will delineate the women in Barn's life. But, of course, that's a discussion for a Depp/DS film topic...)
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With all the excitement surrounding Eva Green's videos yesterday, I forgot to post here that I just love the way Ben Cross delivers the word "yes" in yesterday's quote: Ep #2 - Barnabas: 'Yes - that is the question' - in response to Julia's quote from the day before: Ep #2 - Julia: 'That still leaves one question unanswered: who is the one that did this to her?' And I also love the expression on his face:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages/0316ds91_0.jpg)
He looks so seriously puzzled despite the fact that he knows damn well he was the one. Though he has no clue that[spoiler]Julia now suspects him because she's seen that he doesn't cast a reflection in the mirror.[/spoiler]
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Noticing how the capture from yesterday's quote was framed -
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0321ds91_0.jpg)
I was curious if the butchered DVD set cut off the heads of all the characters in the background. But imagine my surprise to discover that whoever handled the formatting of that portion of the scene, for the most part, actually took those background characters into account:
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/91ep2-1.jpg)
However, what I also noticed was that the filtering that was used to darken day-for-night outdoor scenes had apparently also been used to darken some indoor scenes - and as with the outdoor scenes, the filtering from the indoor scenes had been stripped as well:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0319ds91_0.jpg)
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/91ep2-2.jpg)
I don't know why in my mind I would have been thinking that the filtering would have only been stripped in the day-for-night outdoor scenes because, obviously, they didn't just do whatever they did that removed the filtering from the outdoor scenes to only just those scenes - they did it to each entire episode so that wherever and wherever the filtering should have appeared, it was stripped away. Here I was originally thinking that it was only those day-for-night outdoor scenes that were ruined by the processing of the eps, but quite obviously the problem is much deeper and much more extensive.
Grrrr! [snow_mad]
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Dare I horrify you further, MB, and point out that the version that is streaming on Netflix at the moment appears to take the DVD's 16:9 image and lop the left and right sides off in order to get it back to a 4:3 image? In other words, the picture has been cut on all sides.
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Dare I horrify you further, MB, and point out that the version that is streaming on Netflix at the moment appears to take the DVD's 16:9 image and lop the left and right sides off in order to get it back to a 4:3 image? In other words, the picture has been cut on all sides.
Oh wonderful! [snow_rolleyes] [snow_mad]
Hulu was doing that at one time, too - but the last time I checked (which was months ago) they had gone back to the "normal" aspect ratio of the DVD set.
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Glorioski! In the unfiltered (DVD) version, poor Rebecca Staab's makeup looks something like Lily Munster after she'd been half-flattened by Herman's runaway hearse. Can we say LOUD?
On the other hand, the DVD version allows a full clear view of the unbridled yumminess that is Michael Weiss's chest. Let's be thankful for not so small favors....
G.
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You might be on to something. Perhaps the whole reason for removing the filtering was because the person handling the transfer wasn't familiar with the entire series and they removed all the filtering from every ep simply because they wanted to see MTW's body better in scenes like the ones outside and inside the stable - and they hoped there would be more of the same. But then they forgot to restore the filtering before the DVD set was burned. [snow_cheesy] [snow_angry]
Glorioski! In the unfiltered (DVD) version, poor Rebecca Staab's makeup looks something like Lily Munster after she'd been half-flattened by Herman's runaway hearse. Can we say LOUD?
I suppose they felt they had to make it more pronounced so that it would show up with the filtering.
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Absolutely--Staab's makeup works fine WITH the filtering. Without, it just looks like neon goop.
Has anyone ever commented on DC's use of filters generally on the series, and use of what seems to be a lot of ambient mist, or maybe screens in front of the camera lenses--so much of this looks so misty, foggy, or like the result of the old-school vaseline filters used for close-ups of aging divas.
I find the often lurid use of color often works against the general fog in ways that I find very jarring. Particularly in Ben Cross's 18th century vampire makeup, with that lurid lipstick they gave him and that bad hairpiece... it's very comic-book like. But perhaps this was intentional? It seems almost like a tribute to some of the more lurid Italian giallo directors.
Just my totally uninformed thoughts... feel free to delete as needed...
I wonder whether Michael Weiss ever did a Playgirl spread?? *bats eyelashes innocently* Inquiring minds want to know...
G.
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Has anyone ever commented on DC's use of filters generally on the series, and use of what seems to be a lot of ambient mist, or maybe screens in front of the camera lenses--so much of this looks so misty, foggy, or like the result of the old-school vaseline filters used for close-ups of aging divas.
He used smoke machines on the show. So much so that in an interview done during production of the series Barbara Steele remarked that they were all going to end up in iron lungs.
I wonder whether Michael Weiss ever did a Playgirl spread?? *bats eyelashes innocently* Inquiring minds want to know...
I doubt it. Photos like that tend to be plastered all over the Internet, and there aren't any - much to the disappointment of many of his The Pretender fans...
-
J'adore today's utterly ravishing image of Barbara Steele as Julia. She really knows how to work a camera.
G.
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Yes, I loved the expression of her face at that moment while she was delivering the line:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0404ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #3 - Julia: 'I am convinced that it's only a matter of time until
he is ready to face the dawn, and I shall be the cause of his
new-found freedom.'
Though we actually have to thank Midnite for picking the line in the first place, else there would have been no need for the capture.
-
You know I love today's quote, and the shot of our Babs delivering it! One of the high points of the series!
cheers, G.
-
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0419ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #3 - Julia: 'I'm afraid the professor has been acting a bit dotty
recently.'
Truer words were never spoken - or spoken so well. [easter_cheesy] And again we have Midnite to thank for picking that line from Ep #3. [easter_smiley]
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Before today's capture/quote disappears, it's probably worth noting that it wasn't even supposed to be a part of Ep #4
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0429ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Elizabeth: 'I feel as if some dark cloud is descended over
Collinwood.'
- the scene it's taken from was actually scripted as a part of Ep #2 (the first hour of the second night of the miniseries) but not included in that ep. (It was, however, included in the 2 minute trailer (which can be seen here:Watching Project #2: The 2 Minute Trailer
) that promoted the miniseries.) Thankfully, though, it was saved from the cutting room floor and edited into Ep #4. And it wasn't the only scene that was intended for a different ep to find its way into Ep #4. But more on that later...
-
Another gorgeous shot of Julia. The past month's slideshow has made me resolve to catch episodes 4 and 5 on hulu at some point soon...
G.
-
Another gorgeous shot of Julia.
And here it is:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0502ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Barnabas: 'Let us finish what we've started - together.'
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To MB and/or Midnite, I would be interested to hear more about the context for the past two or three days' images in this series. I keep meaning to set aside time to watch this episode and the following one on hulu but have yet to manage to do that.
Also, is there a reason why it's the second week of May and we're still looking at material from episode 4? I had thought it was going to be one month per episode for a total of twelve?
Thanks again for working on this series; I have been enjoying it more than I expected to do so.
G.
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I plan to make a post about today's and yesterday's captures/quotes later on. But to get to your other question, the slideshow features 28 captures/quotes from the 13 "hours" of the series (28X13=364 - maybe there will be a bonus quote/capture on Christmas - maybe not - we haven't decided), which is why its currently featuring Ep #4. However, Ep #4 is actually "hour" #5 because Ep #1, the pilot, was 2 "hours" long. So looking at it that way, its ahead of the actual months because the current 5th "hour" began on April 23rd. [ghost_wink]
The upcoming schedule is as follows:
Ep #5: 5/21-6/17
Ep #6: 6/18-7/15
Ep #7: 7/16-8/12
Ep #8: 8/13-9/9
Ep #9: 9/10-10/7
Ep #10: 10/8-11/4
Ep #11: 11/5-12/2
Ep #12: 12/3-12/31 (maybe skipping Christmas, or maybe Christmas as a bonus)
And I'm very glad you're enjoying it. Midnite and I are definitely enjoying putting it together. [ghost_smiley]
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Thanks MB for the schedule and explanation.
G.
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I would be interested to hear more about the context for the past two or three days' images in this series.
I've finally gotten the chance to get back to this. The captures/quotes in question:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0510ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Victoria (referring to the woman and child in the painting):
'Do you know who this is?'
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0511ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Roger: 'Miss Winters. This room... and everything in it...
doesn't exist anymore.'
come from scenes in Ep #4 that were actually scripted for the pilot, presumably as a followup to the scene in which David scared Victoria with a tarantula in a cigar box in his desk. The scenes were never included in the pilot but, thankfully, like the scene in reply #54, they were rescued and became a part of Ep #4.
As for context, Victoria is once again attempting to teach David when she sees him looking inside his desk. She demands to know what he has in there but is surprised this time when it turns out to be a small landscape painting. When asked where he got it, David replies that there are a lot of them in a room that he's not supposed to talk about or go to. He then hopes that Victoria isn't going to tell his father. She assures him she won't and suggests they put the painting back.
David leads Vicki to a locked room and produces keys, to which Victoria remarks she supposes she'd better not tell his father about those, either.
Once they enter the room, it becomes obvious that it was used as an artist's studio as it's filled with stacks of canvases, art supplies, and a covered painting on an easel. Victoria asks whose room it is, but an uneasy David simply replies that they should leave. However, Victoria studies some of the paintings and asks who painted them. David doesn't answer. She pulls the cover from the painting on the easel to reveal the image of a nude woman, seen from the back, and holding a child. The painting seems to mesmerize David. Victoria asks if he knows who the woman is. David doesn't answer - but the silence is soon broken by Roger demanding to know what they're doing in the room. Victoria covers for David by claiming that she simply asked David to show her around. A furious Roger tells her she has no business being in the room. At that, David runs out. Victoria apologizes and says she was just admiring the painting, to which Roger angrily retorts that she wasn't hired to admire anything. She was hired to teach David, not to break into areas of the house or their lives that don't concern her. He then orders Victoria to go downstairs, adding, with a touch of sadness to his voice, the line that is quoted with the second capture. She leaves, and then Roger glares at the painting.
Another interesting thing about Ep #4 is that though Wayne Tippet's name appears in the credits, Dr. Fisher is nowhere to be seen - though he is referenced in the scene at the sheriff's station when Deputy Harker informs the sheriff that Dr. Fisher and the coroner have taken Prof. Woodard's body to the hospital. The only thing that seems to exist from Tippet's part in Ep #4 appears to be a photo of a scene that took place at Collinwood with Roger, Elizabeth, Dr. Fisher, Mrs. Johnson and Julia listening to someone (presumably the sheriff) telling them something, which presumably took place after the scenes at the sheriff's station because Julia is wearing the same clothes as she does throughout the first several scenes of the ep.
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Thanks for the explanation, MB. Presumably the deleted scenes involving "the room" had to do with the Laura Collins storyline?
I have to say I love today's capture. It reminds me of a scene in the Marx Brother classic A Night at the Opera where an outraged Margaret Dumont declares "Well, I never!" to which a raffish Grouche ripostes: "I bet you have!"
G.
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WOW. Is there any way we could get MORE shots of Michael T. Weiss showing off his gorgeous hairy chest???
A fan in need,
G.
-
Hmm...gorgeous, sure. Hairy, I'm not seeing it.
-
Oh la la!! Lydia, you just need to look more closely! [ghost_wink]
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G, it's no coincidence that a quote from that scene made it onto my list. [ghost_tongue2]
-
Oh la la!! Lydia, you just need to look more closely!
I see hair. But not terribly much, and not terribly widespread. Surely there is a minimum threshold for "hairy".
-
Have you never seen the '91 Series?
-
Yes, I've seen the '91 series, and commented on it in the Watching Project. My comment here was about the capture that was given. I don't remember noticing additional hair on Joe during the series, but as you know, I'm very unobservant.
-
WOW. Is there any way we could get MORE shots of Michael T. Weiss showing off his gorgeous hairy chest???
Unfortunately for Weiss' chest fans, today's capture is about as close as the slideshow will ever get to seeing it again. But here's yesterday's capture:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0530ds91_0.jpg)
And[spoiler]Here are two screen captures from Howling IV The original Nightmare - a must own DVD for Weiss' chest fans. [ghost_cheesy]
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/Howl-1.jpg)
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/Howl-2.jpg)
(And the only reason it's spoilered is because it isn't DS, so it's actually OT for this topic. But I doubt too many of Weiss' fans will be too upset about that. [ghost_grin])[/spoiler]
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Gods, what a beauty.
Feeling faint, G.
-
And updating for the "spoilers" ... yeah, spoil me baby!!!
In that second shot, Weiss' chest is practically on the level of soft-core pornography! Or is it my imagination that's supplying the porn.
Va-va-VOOOOMMM!
G.
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In that second shot, Weiss' chest is practically on the level of soft-core pornography! Or is it my imagination that's supplying the porn.
No you're right Steve...well in my mind anyway. LOL ;) Yummy!
Wenchily yours,
Heather
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I suppose it's fortuitous that Joanna Going is featured in today's screen capture because apparently today is her 48th birthday. There are all sorts of Tweets on Twitter wishing her a Happy Birthday - and mentioning the '91 DS.
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I love today's photo of Natalie and Vicki. Natalie's scenes come close to topping Julia's. And her wardrobe! I don't know what the design department was thinking, but I keep wondering if someone was winking at us and hinting that Natalie was a "Countess" because she had been running a top-class bordello in Paris and one of the aristocratic customers decided to marry her and make her respectable. She certainly dresses like a very high-end Madam but more from Balzac's time than the 1780s/90s. Just my thoughts... Barbara Steele complained in that video interview a couple of years ago that she didn't like doing DS because DC did not allow her to play Julia with nearly the degree of eccentricity she felt the character needed... she clearly WAY made up for lost time with Natalie!
G.
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MB, I am LOL at your delightful transcriptions of Angelique's dialogue in today's snapshot! If only I knew the software to produce a clip that had a giant fake ear codswalloping the saucy Witch in the middle of one of these speeches. For some reason, they had her bellowing "EAR me!" every five minutes in one episode, or so it seemed.
It sort of goes with Hallie's plaintively bleating "WHUUUU are YUUUU?" in the original series...
Thanks for a much needed laugh... (I'm experiencing the closest thing to the Summer from Hell in recent memory, so every little bit helps).
G.
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I can take credit for the screen capture.
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0810ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #7 - Angelique: 'You think so, Barnabas, then you 'ear me, and
'ear me well - this will never be over. Never!'
But I can't take credit for the quote or how it's transcribed because Midnite selected all the quotes for Ep #7. [ghost_smiley]
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Barbara Steele ... SUBLIME!
Shots such as tonight's remind me why I would love to own a properly rendered edition of this series in my own library.
G.
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I'm finally back from Irene-imposed exile. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate not having Internet access? [ghost_angry]
But anyway, here is the capture/quote in question:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0827ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #8 - Natalie (to Victoria): 'You always seem to know more than
you are telling. What is it that you know this time?'
And today's capture/quote is finally up. [ghost_smiley] (Now to catch up on 101 other things...)
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Thanks so much for the photo, MB. I am sorry to hear you had difficulties from the storm.
gratefully, G.
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Whoa... that is one weird-ass Tarot card Natalie's just turned over.
If anyone cares, there never was any card in any Tarot deck (known to Tarot historians, at least) called "the Wicked Woman." I have theorized that that may have been Natalie's personal name for one of the known cards, possibly one of the Queens.
AND no Tarot deck that has survived from the period of the late 18th century bears artwork remotely resembling what Natalie's got in her very own Wicked Deck of Cards. Again, as a presumably wealthy French aristocrat (or successful bordello manageress...lol) she may have chosen to commission an artist to create a deck just for her, with some cards bearing imagery she herself had devised. I think I like this explanation the best of all.
G.
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IT'S ME!!!
-
I knew it all along! [ghost_grin]
-
Something odd is going on and I can't access the database to add the info for next quote, which is why only the capture is currently displaying...
-
I finally got through. [ghost_smiley]
-
If you mean the "Josette and I will dance on your grave" quote, that was great--thanks! Hope you got some sleep. [ghost_closedeyes]
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That would be the quote. [ghost_smiley] And Midnite is the one to deserve the thanks because she picked out all the quotes for Ep #9. [thumb]
And our motto is: We don't need no stinkin' sleep! [ghost_wink]
-
I'm afraid that sounds just like my motto. [ghost_smiley]
-
Did Matt Hall write episode 9? There's some REALLY juicy dialogue in here.
G.
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He did, Gothick! It's to Matt Hall's credit that he could get in as many good lines as he did despite the action moving at breakneck speed. I especially liked Ben's final words over Angelique's unmarked grave too.
-
I especially liked Ben's final words over Angelique's unmarked grave too.
It's such a beautiful prayer, isn't it?
"Angelique, daughter of the devil, may the worms grow fat on your flesh. And may you know as much suffering in Hell as you have caused here on Earth."
And spitting on the grave before saying "Amen" is a nice touch.
[hall2_grin]
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Trask Dude, those are some majorly scary eyebrows you've got there! I swear those things always remind me of smooshed caterpillars! Ugh!!!
If Trask were going to torture me, all that would be necessary would be to have his leering face topped by those hideous eyebrow-creaturings come leeringly closer and closer to my own face. This is the stuff of which nightmares are made!
I wonder what it sounded like when the director was coaching Thinnes. "Roy, you're not far enough over the top yet. We need you as far off the ground as you can get! You're still holding back! Don't hold back!!"
On the other hand, today's photo from NoDS reminds me why I start bouncing up and down in my seat every time I remember that we are finally approaching a release date for this very, VERY long awaited project! If Warners is as good as their word (I'm not laying bets, gentlemen), the DS films (possibly with the 2004 pilot as an extra?) will come out shortly before Halloween of 2012. Yay!
G.
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I wonder what it sounded like when the director was coaching Thinnes. "Roy, you're not far enough over the top yet. We need you as far off the ground as you can get! You're still holding back! Don't hold back!!"
You joke - but I remember reading an article in TV Guide that described how an unhappy DC, who was ghost directing certain moments in the finale, kept admonishing Thinnes and forcing him to redo his parts of the bricking up of Trask sequence because Thinnes wasn't being big enough in his performance in DC's estimation.
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I'd never heard about that TV guide article/interview, MB. Why am I not surprised? It helps explain Thinnes' performance in this--I've seen him in many films over the years and this is the ONLY place I can ever recall him indulging in this kind of showboating.
It seems as if DC also criticized Barbara Steele's performance in a rather tactless way when they were working on the series, given some remarks she made in the video interview with her released, I think it was on the Nightmare Castle disc, last year?
G.
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When yesterday's and today's Watching Project eps (Eps #98 and #99) ran on the Sci-Fi Channel back in '95, MPI ran a promo during them for the '91 Series' VHS tapes. This copy came of the promo ran June 6, 1995, and I figured people following this slideshow might enjoy seeing it again or for the first time - especially those who've never seen Jim Fyfe outside of the '91 Series:
[video]http://www.dsboards.com/1991/91series-MPI_Fyfe_Promo.swf
(To control the play of the video, right-click on it and use the controls.)
[/video]
And no doubt quotes from some of the extra footage from the finale will be featured in the slideshow for December. [hall2_wink]
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Just adore today's shot of the Countess in high dudgeon. I don't recall that scene, but it's clearly a great moment in the series.
G.
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I don't recall that scene
While questioning Natalie during Victoria's trial, Peter asks what motive Angelique would have had for doing all the terrible things that have happened, to which Natalie offers that Angelique was in love with Barnabas. Trask immediately objects, asking the judge that if Angelique was in love with Barnabas, why would she want to kill him? To which Natalie remarks:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/1122ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #11 - Natalie: 'Monsieur Trask, I can see that you know very little
of jealous women. Or for that matter, women at all.'
And the courtroom breaks out in laughter, much to Trask's chagrin.
It's Midnite's favorite quote from Ep #11, which is the reason why she's included it in her selection of quotes. [hall2_wink] I love it as well - along with today's quote. But more on that tomorrow...
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After Peter tries once again to establish that Angelique is responsible for everything. Trask objects that the testimony is slandering a dead woman and questions whether Peter expects them to believe that Angelique is still striking from beyond the grave. After Peter confirms that indeed he does, a very much alive Angelique appears in the courtroom, prompting Ben to repeatedly scream that she's dead. And playing the moment to the hilt, Angelique feigns being terribly hurt by what has been being said about her, concluding by saying:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/1123ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #11 - Angelique: 'Of course I am not dead. Do I look dead?'
Not that the moment is meant to be funny - nor is it even unintentional funny - but the way Lysette Anthony delivers the line so innocently never fails to make me laugh because the situation itself is so absurd and can only happen on a show like DS. And I just love the look Angelique gives Ben after she delivers the line:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages/AfterQuote1123.jpg)
It's like she's saying to him that there's never going to be a way Ben or anyone else will trump her. And that prompts poor Ben to begin to hysterically screaming that she's a witch and to lunge for her, which prompts the judge to have him dragged from courtroom, as depicted in today's quote.
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Julia: 'I feel strangely relieved.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]After Maggie returns to Julia with a wet cloth to cool Julia's forehead, Maggie asks Julia how she feels. Julia replies that she feels strange, like... And Maggie finishes her sentence by saying, "the seance." Julia agrees. And when Maggie asks if she feels anything else, Julia replies with the quoted line. Maggie smiles and tells Julia to rest and she'll take her back to Collinwood later. She then wipes Julia's forehead again and is about to get up from the bed when Julia reaches out to her and asks Maggie to watch her. Maggie readily agrees, and Julia thanks her. The scene then progresses as it originally did with Maggie going back to the sink and the reveal that Angelique is now inside Maggie.[/spoiler]
This is the first of three featured quotes from the additional footage added to the finale...
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Barnabas: 'Ben...my loyal friend. Thank you.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]After Barnabas and Ben have joined Joshua in the cemetery and Joshua has assured Barnabas that Miss Winters will be freed, Barnabas turns to Ben and delivers the quoted line as they hug. Filled with emotion, Ben nods and then hands Barnabas a large pouch. Barnabas turns back to Joshua, sighs, and tells Joshua that he is ready. Joshua has an extremely troubled expression on his face as Barnabas walks to the entrance to the mausoleum. After a moment Joshua, clearly pained and hesitant, turns to face Barnabas - and from there the scene continues as was originally shown.[/spoiler]
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Quote:[spoiler]Ep #12 (Extended) - Sarah: 'Miss Winters... They are going to hurt Miss Winters.'[/spoiler]
Context:[spoiler]Barnabas is standing in the drawing room of the Old House and suddenly, as thunder echoes around him, drops the brandy snifter he's holding. Willie, who is also in the room, asks Barnabas what's the matter. After replying with but one word - 'Sarah' - Barnabas turns to see Sarah has appeared just beyond the doorway to the room. Sarah then delivers the quoted line and walks off. Barnabas runs in her direction while Willie reacts with, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' As Barnabas sees that Sarah is gone, Willie asks him what Sarah means. Having turned to him, Barnabas informs Willie that he must go to Collinwood immediately because Victoria is going to die. He then rushes from the room leaving a terrified Willie standing there.[/spoiler]
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Not that this has anything to do with what was restored by MPI for the '91 Series' finale VHS, but there was more shot for that ep than appears in the restored footage. As the following capture from behind the scenes footage that was shot by a long gone entertainment program named Preview shows, Carolyn/Barbara Blackburn did indeed shoot material for the ep even though none of it was included in either the NBC or MPI versions:
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/Cut-12.jpg)
But what's really worth noting when it comes to that capture is that Maggie, who was possessed by Angelique, was supposed to suddenly scream "NO!" at some point after Victoria reappeared and then Maggie was supposed to collapse in Roger's arms. And, of course, none of that is in either version of the ep. [santa_sad]
And while we're on the subject of behind the scenes footage, a piece on the show that was done for Inside Edition included rehearsal footage from the opening scene of the ep in which Maggie was attempting to exorcise Angelique from Julia.
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/Rehearse-12.jpg)
(And am I seeing things - or is that one of the infamous afghans from the original show trying to make a cameo appearance in the finale? (Look closely at the bottom right corner of the capture.) Though if it is, sadly I don't believe it ever actually made it on camera...)
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MB, it's fascinating that you have such an exhaustive knowledge of the production history of this series, and such a rich store of rare material relating to it.
Thanks for the work you and Midnite did on this project. I found it much more interesting than I had expected, and certainly more engaging than watching the actual series (from 1991) has ever proved...
G.
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I really do not mean to offend anyone but I find today's capture a total scream! I laugh every time I look at that picture.
What I'm hearing in my mind is Fyfe telling Cross: "Ben, no matter how hard you work at shredding this tired scenery, there's no way you're going to get an Emmy for Dark Shadows." (Actually I hear "there's no way you're going to win the Sarah Siddons Award for Dramatic Excellence" because he looks so impossibly dramatic in that scene!)
Thanks for keeping these slideshows going, MB. They are often a little highlight of my day.
G.
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Isn't today's capture a scene that was stolen, almost line for line, in the Depp Shadows? I saw a clip that I"m sure had this line in it, and the set-up was nearly identical although of course, the Tim Burton version looked about 500 times better.
G.
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Isn't today's capture a scene that was stolen, almost line for line, in the Depp Shadows? I saw a clip that I"m sure had this line in it, and the set-up was nearly identical although of course, the Tim Burton version looked about 500 times better.
Except for taking place on a terrace, the scenes aren't all that similar. Check out footage:
The '91 DS:[spoiler]http://www.dsboards.com/DS91-6.swf
[/spoiler]
The 2012 DS:[spoiler]http://www.dsboards.com/DS12-8.swf
[/spoiler]
(You may need to right-click on the image and uncheck/check "play" to start it. And you may need to uncheck "play" to stop it.)
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I know it was only last year that I posted about this, but I can never say enough about how much I enjoy this moment in Ep #11:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/1123ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #11 - Angelique: 'Of course I am not dead. Do I look dead?'
Not that the moment is meant to be funny - nor is it even unintentional funny - but the way Lysette Anthony delivers the line so innocently never fails to make me laugh because the situation itself is so absurd and can only happen on a show like DS.
[hall2_grin]
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I had to go back and re-read the early posts in this thread about this deleted sequence.
It's too bad the 1991 series did not include this material in the broadcast cut, AND continue with this kind of layered narrative--it would have been far better if it had. Just my opinion, of course.
When you look at this scene, and then you look at the content of the final episode, after all the interference from the NBC suits had botched things up so badly--well, its' hard not to feel regret for what might have been--and I write that, as is well known, from the perspective of someone who is not a fan of this redaction of DS.
G.
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Feeling intense excitement knowing that the epic shot of Michael Weiss' bare chest is coming up, I came to this thread for the spiritual refreshment I always receive from the revelation of such Sublime Beauty. Why, a feeling of such deep religious devotion comes over me it's all I can do not to drop to my knees.
And I had forgotten that those delectable shots of Weiss in The Howling IV were here as well. Hubba Hubba! (ancient Sumerian expression of profound religious awe)
G.
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Until I actually paid attention to today's capture, I'd completely forgotten what great moments Julia/Barbara Steele has during the costume party sequences in Ep #6.
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages/0622ds91_0.jpg)
Work that fan, Julia!! [ghost_grin]
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What a wonderful portrait of her. I love Barbara's work in this scene, and as you know, for me she was one of the very few bright spots about this series.
G.
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Just curious, is today's 1991 shot of Barnabas and Vicki (maybe at the Old House, but I'm not sure?) from additional footage not in the original broadcast?
G.
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No that was in the original broadcast. It's from the scene in which Barnabas first brings Vicki to Josette's room to show her Josette's portrait.
A good way to know whether or not something was from the original broadcast or restored is that it's indicated as being "extended," as with the most recent and actually last bit restored to the pilot:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0130ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #1 (Extended) - Carolyn: 'It'd be, uh, kind of tough to
leave, you know, right now.'
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I've finally gotten the chance to get back to this. The captures/quotes in question:
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0510ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Victoria (referring to the woman and child in the painting):
'Do you know who this is?'
(http://www.dsboards.com/91quoteimages_A/0511ds91_0.jpg)
Ep #4 - Roger: 'Miss Winters. This room... and everything in it...
doesn't exist anymore.'
come from scenes in Ep #4 that were actually scripted for the pilot, presumably as a followup to the scene in which David scared Victoria with a tarantula in a cigar box in his desk. The scenes were never included in the pilot but, thankfully, like the scene in reply #54, they were rescued and became a part of Ep #4.
Considering that these two captures have come up in the slideshow again, it's a perfect opportunity for me to mention that I keep forgetting to explain that the scene in Roger's studio and the previous scene in Ep #4 in the classroom between David and Vicki in which he shows her the painting in his desk (which does not make an appearance in the slideshow) were originally scripted to appear in the pilot between the scene in which Julia plans to give Daphne an injection but then decides it can wait and the scene in which Willie comes to deliver an invitation to Vicki from Barnabas while Vicki and David are out in the courtyard.
Actually, even with the restoration of scenes on the MPI tape there are still scenes that do not appear in the pilot. Plus, just as with the '04 pilot, some scenes were juggled around. So, maybe one of these days we'll do something to show how the pilot for this series was originally intended to play...
Another interesting thing about Ep #4 is that though Wayne Tippet's name appears in the credits, Dr. Fisher is nowhere to be seen - though he is referenced in the scene at the sheriff's station when Deputy Harker informs the sheriff that Dr. Fisher and the coroner have taken Prof. Woodard's body to the hospital. The only thing that seems to exist from Tippet's part in Ep #4 appears to be a photo of a scene that took place at Collinwood with Roger, Elizabeth, Dr. Fisher, Mrs. Johnson and Julia listening to someone (presumably the sheriff) telling them something, which presumably took place after the scenes at the sheriff's station because Julia is wearing the same clothes as she does throughout the first several scenes of the ep.
And speaking of that photo, another photo from that scene with Dr. Fisher, a color photo, was published as part of the "Dark Shadows In Primetime" chapter in the PomPress book "Return To Collinwood".
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I can't recall whether this link was posted in the past--a fan compiled all the 1991 DS deleted scenes together into this YT video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGbleX9eqHI
It opens with a Roger/Liz scene, discussing David.
G.
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Here's an interesting review of the DVD issue of DS 91, written by retired film editor David Ice and posted on Amazon.
G.
After reading all the comments about this DVD set, I was very curious to see for myself. I am a retired sound editor (I worked for years on M*A*S*H and over 65 feature films) and was intimately involved in post production for television for many years. I would like to add my own comments.
First of all, the letterbox anamorphic 16x9 transfer is a construct for this DVD release. The series was shot, in 1990-91, in the 4x3 aspect ratio. However, all framing was composed for "TV Safe" which is the safe title area. If you crop a TV Safe picture vertically, you get 16x9 almost exactly. What you get on this transfer is what was considered essential during prime photography. Uncropped vertical picture area is just icing on the cake. What you see is what Dan Curtis and MGM deemed absolutely essential. Credits are presented in the 4x3 aspect ration, but if you watch closely there are title and credit elements that push the far boundries of TV Safe, which is why they are presented that way rather can cut off any copyright notices, studio ownership warnings, etc.
In terms of the day for night photography, I double checked the DVD off of my off-the-air SVHS recordings, which I recorded during the original broadcast. They are very, very close.
One must bear in mind that the broadcast technology of the time requred the studios to turn over a 35mm low contrast positive composite print of the show, which was transferred to NTSC video standard. The dynamic range of the telecine and broadcast bandwidth was much more limited than they are now. Simply compare, say, current episodes of CSI and Dark Shadows....and Dark Shadows almost looks like high-key sitcom lighting! For example, the scene where Daphne Collins walks through Collinsport just before Barnabas' first attack is so brightly lit it's comical--but this was the norm for TELEVISION filming at the time, not theatrical. The excellent day-for-night filming on House of Dark Shadows would not transfer over to a broadcast without significant print re-timing for broadcast standards. Nowdays, with HDTV and digital broadcasting, the dynamic range is much larger and almost feature film latitude. But in the 90's the broadcast spectrum was limited and both sound and color dynamics had to be intensely limited. (If you want another comparison, look at an original episode of Bonanza...the colors are almost exclusively pastel (no bright reds, greens, blues) because color broadcast simply could not handle intense primary colors.)
Another thing to remember about the film grain, etc., is that the series was shot and designed for the average 25 to 30" television of the time period. Higher speed film (and dubious Metrocolor processing!) was used to speed production and cut costs. Day for night filming was used because 1) it was cheaper and 2) far less time consuming than filming endless "magic hour" shots at dusk. With a vampire series, it would be utterly impractical to do endless night shoots plus daytime soundstage work (when do the actors and crew sleep?) so shooting day-for-night and timing the print slightly dark blue was a necessary cheat.
Yes, MGM could have timed the print darker for the DVD...but that would have necessitated reprinting/retiming nearly 50,000 feet of 35mm film, probably off a faded, scratched negative that had not been archivally preserved. (Few TV shows ever are!)
And we must realize that Dark Shadows is a niche market...we're not talking Desperate Housewives here...in terms of thousands of DVD units sold.
So all things considered, I'm glad we've got a reasonably timed/fairly accurate color/fairly scratch-free answer print to watch--in all probability, the same physical film that was originally broadcast on NBC. I'm encouraged that any elements were preserved at all--especially the stereo soundtrack. You would be appalled at how many "classic" television shows exist now only in 16mm versions, their original 35mm elements long gone.
I will agree that some DVD extras would have been worthwhile, and perhaps that will come in time. But considering that this transfer is clear enough to see the dirt on the opticals I'm convinced that this is the best transfer we could hope for, barring a full-blown digital restoration.
David Ice
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In terms of the day for night photography, I double checked the DVD off of my off-the-air SVHS recordings, which I recorded during the original broadcast. They are very, very close.
Considering the mayor differences between the screen caps I've posted from my original recordings and/or the MPI VHS and from the DVDs, his idea of "very, very close" and mine are, well, very, very different! [snow_undecided]
For example, the scene where Daphne Collins walks through Collinsport just before Barnabas' first attack is so brightly lit it's comical--but this was the norm for TELEVISION filming at the time, not theatrical.
And again, the lighting in that scene as it was broadcast on NBC/exists on the MPI VHS does not look so brightly lit as to be comical. On the other hand, the DVD version is most definitely so brightly lit as to look comical.
But in any case, thank you, Gothick, for sharing the review. [snow_smiley]