http://www.collinwood.net - Dark Shadows Journal Online

* David Selby Interview

David Selby was the actor behind Quentin Collins, a breakthrough character who led Dark Shadows to the height of its popularity in its later years. We talk with him about the show, its legacy and life in the spotlight...

Cheers

Stuart

DS fan Ed Shoulta, who broke the news of Don's passing to me, attended the funeral service this afternoon and has written a very moving piece about it, which I've added to my site.  Scant consolation, but I'm really glad that DS fans had such a fine representative for Don's farewell.

Sad news I received this morning:

"C. Donald Briscoe, 64, of Memphis, retired actor, died Sunday at his home. Services will be at 1 p.m. today at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial in Memorial Park. He was a member of Coleman Avenue Church of Christ. He leaves a sister, Bonny Jenkins of Memphis."

That's really cool -  I like the line-up of the cast at the end lots, along with the pacing of the images.  I had a go at something similar a year or so ago...

I'd love to see a bonafide update version of the DS title sequence - one of the (many) disappointments of the pilot project was that they never got to create any graphics...  Seeing a modern version of those could have been amazing.

Well, I loved it.  I think it's extreme and perhaps a little challenging to the DS status quo, but I think that's healthy.  I just think it's a pity that such a vivid take on the format can only make it into print hiding under faux names and sly sidesteps.

I suppose how much acceptance it would have found as a bonafide DS novel is moot, but as a part of an ongoing series of books, I would hope that readers can embrace these sort of deviations from the norm as not only welcome but necessary.

BTW, did anyone else spot the glitch where one of the characters slipped into their copyright-challenged alter-ego?

See, I'd disagree with that - I find a lot of the best periods of the show very fairytale...  Not in a twee Disney sense, but more in a dark, dangerous Brothers Grimm way.  I think 1897 in particular has that quality of slightly morbid whimsy, wonder and grand horror a great deal.

How that translates into the pilot is a bit more difficult to explain, but it's definitely there, and from the clips shown, it really seems to work.  On the surface it doesn't sound too faithful to the original, but I think it's a much closer sibling to it than the 1991 series was.

It really has that quality of a haunted neverland.  The stylised colours and lighting really bring out the claustrophobia and enclosed sense of the original show...  not literal claustrophobia, but a dramatic feeling of it.  It's like the environment reflects how desperately these people are trapped by their own secrets and history.

http://www.collinwood.net - Dark Shadows Journal Online

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* Mark Sobel Interview

The 1991 series director recalls period angst and end of season pressures in an exclusive discussion!

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Cheers

Stuart