Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Production!!

Thank you for those thoughts, Penny.  Of course what people think about DS matters to you.  How can it not?

More than any other television show I have ever been engaged with, DS speaks to my heart.  Collinwood was my refuge at the most difficult, awkward moment in my life.  I actually don't mind the laughter since I often laugh along as well, but I do mind the perception that "it was so awful" or "so boring, how could you watch it."

I don't have any answers, but I want you to know that I can sympathize with the discomfort all of this makes you feel. 

hugs, Uncle Gothick

I just want to chime in and say that I totally get it, Penny.  And I think you have helped sum up a few of my concerns as well.  But I want to add my own additional thoughts:

Let's look at Planet of the Apes.  After the Burton film, it took a decade before it got another treatment.  Same with Disney's Haunted Mansion...  After the disastrous first film (which this version of DS really harkens back to for me in terms of tone), it took a decade before they would even grant another go at it.  For a whole decade, the idea of giving respect to the property was unthinkable...  Until Guillermo Del Toro came on board.  And we probably won't see that film until 2014 - 11 years after the release of the first movie.  Either way, this version of the show is going to define Dark Shadows for a considerable amount of time.  If it flops, it will be redefined for, at least, a decade and remain a virtually untouchable property.  If it does well, it could become what the public thinks about when they think of DS...  And I wouldn't have a problem with that if it weren't for a certain type of humor which has made its way into the script... because that is not what anyone would consider to be inherent in the Dark Shadows tradition.  And I feel it detracts from the elements we all feel are the core. 

We'll see how it all plays out in the final product.  Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised.   

Behind the scenes footage (not sure of how many spoilers, frankly I didn't watch more than a few seconds, just incase)

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/dark-shadows/b-roll-i

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/dark-shadows/b-roll-ii  [same footage linked in Reply #4028 --admin]

i get everyone's concerns...

but i guess part of my thing is that i long ago stopped caring about the "public perception"of the series. it doesn't mean anything in terms of my affection for it. i love it, if other people think it's stupid it doesn't matter to me. i no longer think it's worth getting upset or defensive about. who cares?

at best the people in my life think of my DS preoccupation as a charming eccentricity. at worst a troublesome obsession.

so now we have a big-budget movie rather than a shoe-string soap. it will be what it will be but even if the film was "serious" and viewers went back and checked out the OS they're still going to see rubber bats on strings and thayer david's head popping out of a hole in a table. they might find it charming...as i did...or they might find it ridiculous. it doesn't matter to me.

i'm all for having a thriving fanbase but the OS is VERY MUCH an acquired taste and an enormous commitment of time. i'm not sure the film will change that much either way.

and to relate this to that other 1960's "cult" series...

no matter how many serious, big-budget movies that the 'star trek' franchise has thrown out there the "public perception" of it is still very much geek central.

just the other night it was a late-night punchline(again)...the host(i forget which one)announced that president obama was a fan of 'star trek'...which is why he's "trending so well with virgins between the ages of 45 and 60". zwing!

Behind the scenes footage

Very cool!!!

but even if the film was "serious" and viewers went back and checked out the OS they're still going to see rubber bats on strings and thayer david's head popping out of a hole in a table. they might find it charming...as i did...or they might find it ridiculous. ...

i'm all for having a thriving fanbase but the OS is VERY MUCH an acquired taste and an enormous commitment of time. i'm not sure the film will change that much either way.

no matter how many serious, big-budget movies that the 'star trek' franchise has thrown out there the "public perception" of it is still very much geek central.

All of which is very true. And when it comes to the original DS, as others have said, the general public's perception is already that it's a cheesy and campy soap opera, and I seriously doubt that even if this new film was to be perfectly serious, that would change.    In fact, the general audience would probably be wondering why the film was so serious. 

And as for checking out the original series, people are either going to do that or they're not - and they're either going to like it or they're not - but the new film isn't going to make a bit of difference when it comes to whether they like it or they don't. They're are plenty of people who loved the mostly serious take that the '91 DS did, but they still think the original is cheesy and campy. That's just going to be a rule of perception with many people forever. And probably the more years that pass by, the more of a perception it's going to become because the more the special effects and acting styles will look dated to new viewers.

But don't get me wrong, I love the original DS. And I think I've proven that over and over again on this forum. But I'm not blind to the fact that the original, as michael c said, is very much an acquired taste. And that's a fact that always will be true regardless of how the show may be reimagined in this new film or what sort of take any version in the future might decide upon.

11 days 13 hours 18 minutes 56 seconds until the day the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is released(ET)!!

I think it takes a certain temperament to appreciate the OS.  It is even more firmly rooted in Sixties culture than was Star Trek--the budget was much lower and it is much more theatrical, on every level.

I have a friend who likes a lot of the same movies and TV shows that I do, and he can't get into DS.  He always finds it "too slow."  He's only about six years younger than me.

I am rather curious as to what impact the new movie will have on the public's image of Barnabas.  To me at least he comes off as a goofy freak in the clips.  Frid's Barnabas was such a haunting figure of mystery... those eyes ... that voice.  There was this sense of an inner sorrow that could never find solace.  Even with the Ben Cross interpretation, there was this tragic sense of wounded dignity that fed his anger and, at times, arrogance.  In the original 1967 Barnabas narrative, in the Maggie kidnapping storyline, Barnabas really did seem hyper-insane in a number of those scenes where he was trying to harrow the girl into becoming "my Josette."  It was some of the scariest stuff ever seen on television IMO.

Depp's performance makes me think of inspired lunacy on the scale of Dieter from Sprockets on SNL.  I wrote to a friend yesterday that having seen the clips, it would seem that the entire movie had to be tilted towards the absurd in order to accommodate the craziness of Depp's take on Barnabas and, in a sense, provide a frame or a context for it.  Sort of the way you would redecorate a room in your house before hanging some really unusual painting in it. 

I do think that Pfeiffer does a fabulous job of provided a much needed counterpoint of realism that somehow helps to make what Depp does work, in the context of the movie--to judge from the scenes posted yesterday.

cheers, G.

Eva Green will be the lead guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday May 2 according to The Late Night TV Page - Talk Show Guest Listings http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html
This site also has advance guest lists for four of the major daytime talk shows including Ellen and could be useful in the coming weeks.

Kimmel is apparently having a DS bonanza, because Chloe Moretz will guest (along with Kristen Stewart, vampire overload, lol!) on May 7, and Johnny on May 8. Chloe will also be on Letterman on the 3rd.

http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html#LS

Frid's Barnabas was such a haunting figure of mystery... those eyes ... that voice.

Whether it was Frid's innate talent or classical training (or a combination of both), he accomplished so much with nuanced expressiveness in the face/eyes and use of his voice. In the latter especially, he could move from sorrow to growling rage in a second (Astredo could do the same, suave to fury in the blink of an eye and all in the voice). Frid's Barnabas had gravitas.

Hmm, well the new clips are certainly better than the trailers and promos.  I enjoyed some aspects of the new clips and could feel a bit of actual DS going on in between the foolishness.  Still, I don't care for the comedy.  It puts a damper on it for me.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer guys and gals.  I really wish I could share the enthusiasm many of you are showing for the film.  Instead, I feel a mix of trepidation and curiosity.  I do think the new clips are better than the trailers, so maybe there's some hope for this grumpy old fangirl.

All I ask of any fan is to give it a try.  Jonthan Frid in poor health did this for us. He made a cameo for us.  I feel that should be honored. I am not trying to guilt anyone; however, that is how I see it.

There's no doubt that Jonathan Frid is going to be a tough act to follow...he made Barnabas such an iconic, complex character. I never felt that Ben Cross really did justice to the role, there was just something off putting about the way he portrayed Barnabas. I am glad that others can appreciate Cross' interpertation of the role. But I never felt for him the way I did for Jonathan. I can't put my finger on it but he just left me cold.

I never saw the 2004 pilot so I can't comment about Alec Newman.

I don't expect an exact replica of Frid's Barnabas but I do hope there will be something about Depp's Barnabas
that will make me appreciate his own take of such a legendary character.

I can understand why some might be off put by the humor in the trailers, but until the movie comes out, I want to withhold any critical judgments. I'm a lot more excited about DS the film than I was when rumors it was going to be made as a feature film came out...I realize I might end up disappointed, we all may well end up being. But we don't have much longer to wait to find out one way or another.

Frid's Barnabas had gravitas.

In abundance!  Alas, while Depp is a good actor, he lacks the gravitas that actors like Frid, Karloff, and Lee had/have.

I agree that the original series is an acquired taste.  Some friends of mine tried to mainline the OS in preparation for the new film and they didn't make it very far, not because they felt it was bad, but because they thought the pacing was too slow.  One of them actually griped that she wanted Willie "to just go away because all he does is stay in bed and whine."  I assured her that Willie is a very compelling character and that he will become integral to the upcoming plotline.  She and her BF are having a tough time slogging through.  I suggested the MPI edited release "The Vampire's Curse."  I haven't watched it, so I'm not sure how it plays but it might be better for them. 

Also, I'm not opposed to SOME humor.  The classic series and the '91 series contained funny elements and characters.  However, there's a big difference in the type, purpose, and amount of humor found in the earlier incarnations.  There's humor to be found in Three Stooges shorts, Thin Man mysteries, and even in Hammer Dracula films BUT humor is used VERY differently and for different reasons in each of those.  Burton's take strikes me more as Austin Powers meets Edward Gorey meets The Brady Bunch Movie which is way off-base for something called Dark Shadows.  Eh, it is what it is I s'pose.

I will watch it Taeylor, and I will give it a chance. I'm excited to see the classic series actors in it.  Despite how I feel about what I've seen of the film, I'm thrilled that Jonathan Frid appeared in it.

 PS - Thanks for the hugs Uncle G!

Today I was talking to a SUPERNATURAL fandom friend who will not watch the original but is psyched about the movie and cannot wait. He is going to the late showing.  I told him about DS years ago but he didn't like it.

In this world there is all kinds of different "tastes" and we now have all kind of different incarnations of DS that gives every viewer out there something different to sink their teeth into (couldn't resist) with each new interpretation.

And Penny I was not being hateful. I truly understand how you feel. I just wish everyone would at least go see it that is in fandom.  Do they want DS to be around years from now?  DS has really been perpetuated for years but what if it isn't perpetuated on will DS continue to live 46 years from now?  When I say  that I mean conventions, movies merchandise etc. I have friends who wrote and wrote into stations to carry DS/ who begged MPI to release the whole series.  I just want DS fandom to be around long after I am dust.

I had to totally open my mind up when I first watched the original because 1991 was my intro and now I would consider them both for the most part equal in my heart; the only thing that exceeds the original (for me) is that the Revival was my first visual taste of DS.  I had listened to the record at my Grandmother's as a child and the music scared me. 

Of course my Aunt and I watched vampires being staked when I was 8 and it was bloody!  What movie it was I have no idea; however, it was fond memory. I have always been drawn to the SPN.

I hope I make sense. I am really sick.

That makes me so happy Penny because I know some people in fandom who will not even bother to go see the movie! I find it sad that he did this for them and they are boycotting it.

i'll add this although i know i'll get into trouble...

while we all tend to get sentimental about the series' high points...joan bennett for instance and jonathan's "haunting" and "nuanced" and "complex" performance... there are many times when the series was just plain bad.

for me most of 1968 was DS at it's absolute camp worst. monsters coming out of woodwork. robert rodan's boring, thuggish adam. don briscoe's eye-bugging, tongue-wagging tom jennings in vampire mode. for me it's almost unwatchable.

for me this was not dan curtis' purity of vision but a cash in. it's a hot mess. even frid himself took a back seat to this nonsense.