Wrapping up Scene 227 and moving beyond:
Now he pulls out a beautiful, old PARCHMENT ENVELOPE.
He looks at it for a long beat, as if trying to make a decision, then half holds it out to her.
VICKI For me?
He nods. She frowns with curiosity, takes it.
228 INSERT - ENVELOPE
In black ink, almost as if written with a quill pen ... in a fine Spencerian hand:
“Miss Victoria Winters”
(CONTINUED)
225 CONTINUED:
It is sealed with a distinctive RED WAX CREST.
229 BACK TO SCENE
As Vicki carefully opens it, Willie, watching her closely, self-consciously puts a hand to his bruises.
She takes out the folded note, begins to read it. As she does, the SOUND of BARNABAS' VOICE:
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And that's when the first part of today's quote -
Page 101/Scene 229 - Barnabas' Voice: '"My dearest Victoria ...'
- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:
230 INSERT - LETTER
The same beautiful, sweeping hand.
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And that's when the second part of today's quote -
Page 101/Scene 230 - Barnabas' Voice (CONT'D): 'How fitting it would be, if you, who so closely resemble the woman whose beauty graced this home so many years ago,'
- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:
231 CLOSE - VICKI
And TIGHTENING TO HER as she continues to read.
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And that's when the third part of today's quote -
Page 101/Scene 231 - Barnabas' Voice (CONT'D): '... could honor me by being my first guest for dinner, this evening at eight. (and) Although my new home is not yet as beautiful as when Josette first saw it, the hospitality will be just as heart felt. Your obedient servant, Barnabas Collins"'
- comes up, followed by the script concluding Scene 231 with:
And as for the dialogue, in the pilot it's exactly as written in the script.
However, when it comes to the direction and descriptions, things are quite a bit different in the pilot. Willie doesn't need to pull out the envelope because he's had it out the entire time (in fact, when he waved to Vicki and David, he waved to them with it) - and Willie doesn't look at it for a long beat, as if trying to make a decision, because he simply just holds it out to Vicki - and while Willie does watch Vicki as she opens the envelope, he doesn't self-consciously put a hand to his bruises - and we actually see the insert of the letter right after Vicki opens/unfolds it, but we don't hear Barnabas' voice narrating the letter until after we've seen the insert - and we see Vicki's face for the entire time that Barnabas narrates the letter - and the camera doesn't push in a bit closer until Barnabas begins narrating the second half of the third part of today's quote (the part after the "(and)" that begins with "Although").
Tomorrow we'll continue the sequence with Scene 232...