Even though this posting is OT, I find four connections with DS. I'll try to remember to number them.

Whilst looking up something unrelated on imdb.com, I discovered that a new film version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" has completed filming in England and is awaiting release. U.S. distribution rights have not been acquired as yet. Dorian is played by the actor who plays Prince Caspian in the second "Chronicles of Narnia" movie (which I haven't seen). He seems a good choice, but I had always envisioned Ryan Philippe in the role, and Mr. Philippe was in fact attached to a production for several years, he may even have been a co-producer, but for some reason that film never made it beyond the planning stages.

As many DS followers now, the Quentin portrait (1) by Charles Delaware Tate was inspired by the novella "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. (And longtime readers of this forum will remember how many times I've posted about this ... )

Colin Firth plays Lord Henry, and the character of Alan Campbell, the "John Karlen" role of the Dan Curtis TV version (2), will be played by Douglas Henshall, who was in "Angels and Insects" (a role that gave him quite a bit of exposure).

The film will be a new take on the story that sounds interesting if not 100 percent faithful to the novel (alas!). There is even a character named "Angélique" (3) ... hmmm ...

And there's yet another link to DS. Sybil Vane is played by Rachel Hurd-Wood, who played Wendy in the recent movie version of "Peter Pan" directed by P.J. Hogan, who directed the 2004 Dark Shadows revival pilot. (4)

Read more about the new "Picture of Dorian Gray" in good-ol' "Fangoria":  http://fangoriaonline.com/home/news/9-film-news/1247-first-cast-and-filmmaker-comments-dorian-gray.html

And keep your fingers crossed that the film gets a U.S. release!

"The Man In the Iron Mask" (1939), directed by James Whale, and starring Joan Bennett, aired on TCM this evening. I missed the beginning but luckily recorded it with my DVR and wish I had been able to post in advance that it was going to be on.

I had never seen this and it was really quite well done. Joan Bennett was onscreen through most of it, playing Maria Theresa, the Spanish princess sent to France to marry Louis XIV, played wonderfully by an actor I had never heard of, Louis Hayward (who actually had a dual role, and made both distinct). My take on Ms. Bennett was that she looked lovely and couldn't be faulted for her acting except that her performance seemed to lack some depth of characterization. Yet I'd prefer that to some stagey sort of acting that you often find from this era (and much later ...).

Sadly this isn't available on DVD except in what appears to be an overpriced pirated version taken from VHS. As someone with an interest in Dumas as well as an interest in DS alum Bennett, I hope it will come out on DVD some day. Perhaps it will also re-air on TCM before long.

I think it was the very last storyline on DS that showed some inspiration from the Emily Bronte novel "Wuthering Heights", with Bramwell and Catherine. So those who like that storyline (I'm one of them) may be interested to know that an umpteenth version of "Wuthering Heights" premieres Sunday night on "Masterpiece" on PBS.

It's hard to find out much about this ITV production since it hasn't aired on British television yet.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/wutheringheights/index.html

The few comments I've been able to track down include one that the Heathcliff is too pretty (I'd agree from the publicity shot), the beginning is confusing, and that it's not romantic enough. That last may actually be a good thing, though. I don't think the novel is about romance. It's more about obsession, abuse, and revenge.

It will have to be better than the BBC's last atrocious stab at WH a few years ago.

Interestingly, this one was filmed at the same location as the less-than-successful version with Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes. I thought Fiennes made a compelling Heathcliffe, and the score in that movie was haunting and memorable.

I finally had my new DVD player replaced (they had to take it apart at BestBuy to get my DVD out) and I've had a chance to watch the first two discs of Collection 23 (1840 storyline) again. Sometimes I had background noise in my apartment - furnace blowing hot air, or I was running water in the kitchen, etc. - so I'm not sure if more than one episode was affected by this because I could easily have missed it. From what others have said, I think more than one episode may have had this annoying background music. But the one episode I now know for sure that did is #1115. The annoying background music occurs during several scenes set in the drawing room, but not in other scenes. I first noticed it in the scene with Gabriel and Gerard, when [spoiler]Gabriel reveals that he knows that Gerard Stiles' real name is "Ivan Miller," and he more or less blackmails Gerard into agreeing to kill Samantha.[/spoiler] Then Samantha walks into the drawing room. There were a couple more scenes in the drawing room later in the episode, and they also had the music. This time when I heard it, it seemed to be vocal music. It really could have been from the 1970s era - which makes me wonder if this is the same episode where I heard the music the first time.

I'm beginning to feel a little deja vu here, like maybe this topic has been brought up before (and maybe even by me ...). It would have to have been some years ago and I've forgotten in the meantime. But deja vu is tricky, so maybe not.

Thanks for both of your responses. At least I know I'm not the only one who heard this.

I will post again when I can replay the DVD and find out exactly at what point this music occurs.
I'm unable to check into this now because my brand-new (three months) DVD player has a problem. It won't open, and it won't play, it says "tray error," and it has a DS DVD inside that I can't get out!

I can't imagine how the music could have happened. 

Your idea that it happened during the initial filming would make sense, but I don't think the music sounded like it could have come from the 1970s.  It was more recent music.

Could there have been some music playing in the sound booth when the sound track was being edited for the DVDs, which was then picked up?  I don't recall hearing this on my VHS of these episodes, but I don't have those with me now so I can't check them.

- Philippe

It's been a couple of years since I recall a posting about DS's influence on our lives. I wrote a long piece about the kinds of correspondences that come up in daily life that continually remind me of DS.

In the ensuing couple of years, those correspondences have become fewer and farther between. I supposed I've had too many other weighty concerns on my mind.

But here are a few things that came up just this past week that reminded me of this subject.

In my work, I deal with old books, and last week I came across several volumes of "Theater World," an annual, from the 1960s. There were a couple of names I wanted to look up in the index, one of them being Jonathan Frid. And sure enough, I found him in two of the volumes, 1963-64 and 1966-1967. (I made detailed notes of everything but am not sure where those notes are.) I was surprised to see Mr. Frid listed as an understudy in two plays on Broadway and performing in yet another in 1963-64; I hadn't remembered hearing of these plays before. In the second volume he was listed twice, I think, and there was a picture of him playing Caliban in "The Tempest." This made me think about how Jonathan Frid must have been a noted presence on the Broadway stage not long before he joined the cast of "Dark Shadows." Given that, many New Yorkers would have recognized him when he came on the scene as Barnabas. An interesting thought!

Another book that crossed my desk only a couple of days ago caught my eye because it dealt with the Roma, or gypsy people. The title is "In Sara's Tents" by Walter Starkie, and I decided to purchase the book myself since it looked so interesting. The book concerns the annual piligrimage of the Roma to the town of St.-Maries de la Mer, Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, where they gather to honor Saint Sara. The festival takes place for three days in May when the reliques of "Sarah-la-Kali" ("Sarah the Black" in the Romany language), in legend the Egyptian maid to Mary Magdalene, who supposedly sailed to southern France, are on view and believed to have healing powers. The book also discusses gypsy beliefs and practices of witchcraft, and vampirism. Magda could surely tell us more!

Yet a third book that I saw only yesterday was a small book about the Maine coastline. I debated about setting that one aside for personal perusal, but decided I couldn't take the time with all these personal interests.

Another thing that reminded me of DS a while back that I don't think I've mentioned here before is that I discovered that a cousin of my great-great grandfather (same last name as ours) served as a gendarme à cheval (mounted police) in Gros Morne, Martinique. Of course, "Martinique" caught my eye at once. I'd like to research more about his life since all I know is that he was born in the same town in northeastern France as my direct family line, his wife was a Bouet, and he died in Martinique at the 1866 at the age of 47 (the same age as my own great-grandfather's death, which slightly concerns me personally ... ). My preliminary search for information showed that there was cholera epidemic in the Caribbean that may have touched Martinique at that time. My cousin may have more information since I found this in his database.

A few years ago I was looking through the Family Tree charts of the Collins family in one of the Pomegranate Press books and thinking how remote in time some of their ancestors were. About that time I also saw the 1840 storyline with its flashbacks to events in 1692. I remember how long ago that seemed, and it was as if it must have been a dark distant period lived in frightful shadows. I guess DS made it seem that way, but I no longer view that time period as such since I've researched so much of my own family in the 1600s and even much earlier. I didn't get my interest in historical and genealogical research from DS, but I sometimes like to think that my work in this area might have been useful around Collinwood!

- Philippe Cordier

I came across this review of the entire original DS series recently while surfing the web. The review is actually several years old and it may have been posted here or mentioned years ago. My apologies if I am then posting old information, but the review is interesting enough to merit reading for anyone who might have missed it.  And it's from a website which in my opinion provides very thorough and accurate information as well as in-depth and informative reviews.

The article was posted as a review of Collection 12, but it really covers the entire range of the series, with some choice (and often telling) comments on some of the acting and some good insights and compliments to the series overall.  I'll include a few quotes below, but the entire article is much longer.

http://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/darkshadows12.php

(Edited / See The Evidence [paras. 3 through 8] and Closing Statement [¶ 2] --admin)

Some Thoughts on Lysette Anthony's "Angèlique"

A woman with no ladylike guiles or pretensions, this Angèlique is a sex kitten and a hellcat. And though her pride is no doubt bruised at Barnabas' rebuffs, her reaction isn't one of normal jealousy but of psychosis. One does not see a blush of embarrassment on her cheek but only rage. I was reminded of the Glenn Close character in "Fatal Attraction."

Angèlique has beauty, but at no point does she evoke my sympathy or empathy. She is completely lacking any aspect of charm or grace. No one would ever be in doubt of her low social status as evinced by her manner.

This is an effective portrayal; but I wish there had been more nuance to draw us in to the character as well as repel us.

- Philippe