Review of DS Revival Series DVD as seen in 2006 Videoscope

[Midnite]

This superb and timely review of the '91 series DVD (Happy 15th Anniversary!) was just published in Videoscope #57, available later this week at your local Barnes & Noble, Borders, Virgin Megastores, Tower, etc., is posted here with permission of the author.


Dark Shadows: The Revival (1991)
2 1/2 antennas
D: Dan Curtis, others. Ben Cross, Jean Simmons, Joanna Going, Barbara
Steele, Roy Thinnes, Jim Fyfe, Michael Weiss, Joseph Gordon Levitt,
Julianna McCarthy.
592 minutes. DVD
Sony Home Entertainment

     This is the short lived but superbly Hammer-esque revival of the legendary Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows. A wonderful produced show in it's own right, Dark Shadows: The Revival, like the late Mr. Dangerfield,  can't get no respect! Sony's abysmal presentation of the series' 13 episodes makes a 4 antenna production get a mere 2 1/2.

     The dissing of the Dark Shadows revival began the night it's first episode aired on NBC, which was also the first night of the first Gulf War. NBC pre-empted the show for several weeks to cover the war. With no announcements whatsoever, they ran the show at 1AM, then shook their heads in disbelief when no one watched!!!! By the time Dark Shadows aired in it's normal timeslot, several weeks later, most people didn't even know  it was on!

     So NBC changed it's timeslot, again with no announcement! When it didn't immediately become NBC's #1 show, they cancelled it. Thousands of Dark Shadows fans held vigils at NBC affiliates all over the country. They were ignored, and one of the most promising horror series in years was gone after 13 episodes.

     It was a wonderful series. Unlike the stagebound, videotaped original, Dark Shadows: The Revival was shot on film in a real mansion. Cross played Barnabas Collins with the same tragic aura that Jonathan Frid displayed in the 1960s. But the younger, sexier Cross gave Barnabas an erotic intensity that Frid could never have conveyed. When Barnabas Collins feasted upon blood in the 1990s, the results were truly orgasmic, for both the vampire and the victim.

     Collinsport Maine in 1991 was a scary place! The residents actually ran through the storms that were, in the 1960s, only seen through windows. The thunder, lightning and howling winds were real, and terrifying.

     Former horror movie queen Steele played the lovelorn Dr. Julia Hoffman in 1991, who tries to cure Barnabas of vampirism while loving him from afar. Steele was about 53 when the series was shot. Still youthful and beautiful, she gave Julia a seriousness, and a sexiness, that the frumpy, over the top Grayson Hall failed to convey in the 60s. Going's Victoria Winters was no dummy, unlike Alexandra Moltke's earlier portrayal of the character. While Moltke's recurring line was "I don't understand! Help! Save Me!", Going's Victoria strong and savvy. But still vulnerable.

     Dark Shadows: The Revival took a wonderfully fun, sometimes cheesy but innovative show from 1960s daytime TV and gave it all the blood and thunder we saw in the best of the early Hammer Films.

     NBC, in their foolishness, destroyed it. And now, Sony Home Entertainment does the same.

     Sony's first blunder was to repeat NBC's mistake of burying the series. Dark Shadows: The Revival has been released on disc with no fanfare, no publicity. On Dark Shadows message boards, fans have been asking when/if the series will be released. You know the publicity department is not on the ball if the show's hardcore fans are not sure if it's even available!

     The second, and perhaps greatest mistake on the part of Sony is the presentation. The three discs that comprise this set are letterboxed. Why? The series was shot full screen for God's sake. This is a TV show, not a film. The purpose of letterbox bars is to preserve a director's visual images when a film is seen on the small screen. In this case, the letterbox bars DISTORT that image!! Worse, the show's opening and closing titles are boxed on all four sides! This makes the credits hard to read and is  annoying. What was Sony thinking?

     There are no extras. On other discs, Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis made himself readily available for interviews. MPI home video had produced a very good behind the scenes doc on this series, Dark Shadows Resurrected. Surely there's material that Sony could have included on the discs, especially since the set costs $30.00!!! Sony was so cheap in their presentation, they didn't even include the sub-title options one finds on their other discs. Sony took Dark Shadows: The Revival, and threw it away.

     What makes this all the sadder is not only the superb quality of the series, but the vibrant colors and sound found in each episode. The print quality is incredible! This has got to be one of the biggest missed opportunities in the history of DVD!

     Sony, you are sitting on a potential goldmine. Recall these discs at once. Consider rereleasing Dark Shadows: The Revival next year, but do it right. Present it as it was shot, full screen. Give us those much needed extras.

     After 15 years, it's time to give Dark Shadows: The Revival the respect it deserves.

-----------------------------David Nahmod

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[Misa]

I wish that Sony would read and listen to this review. A little publicity goes a long way. Why can't they do a good job on this release, and make people who never heard of the show aware of it? The way they released the show doesns't warrant the price they are charging.

I remember the original commercials for this show were great. if they televised them again to advertise the DVD their sales would go up. I thing the cover art also hurts sales, because it looks cheesy.

Come on Sony release a version with good artwork in fullscreen with extras and advertise it!

Misa

[nedstuart]

Too bad they did not do any better with the release then they did. I am glad I still have my MPI videos since this release was botched. On a side note my father and I are going to be going to LA in April 2006 and one of the things we will be doing is attending a concert in the living room of Greystone Mansion. I am really looking forward to that trip. This will be the first time to the west coast for us.  I will have to give you guy's all the details when we get back.

[Darren Gross]

Think the DVD set is bad with no extras and incorrect widescreen framing?

It gets worse.

In a stunning screw-up by a usually top-notch tech services department, the telecine department inadvertently 'corrected' all the filtered day-for-night photography.

So, any of the exterior scenes of Barnabas outside Vicki's window or wooing Daphne, or Daphne attacking David all take place DURING THE DAY in broad, sunny daylight!

The blue filters and muted tones used in the day for night photography were corrected in the telecine color timing to look bright and rich and colorful, but unfortunately that isn't how these scenes are supposed to look.

Unless I'm mistaken and vampires are supposed to run around sub-dappled lawns.

[PennyDreadful]

   It's ridiculous.  Why even bother to release it this way?

Misa, I remeber seeing those commercials for the '91 series and getting totally hyped about the revival!

Some I recall were the ones where the voiceover says, "Something this good only happens TWICE in a lifetime."
Or the Christmas one where Daphne (I think) is on the bed singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..." and the camera pans to Barnabas' hand with the ring and the cane... then up to his mouth and he hisses, showing the fangs!  LOL!  I taped a bunch of the commercials when they were first on.  I'll have to dig that out sometime.

[Misa]

Penny, thanks for the info on the commerials. I didn't see the commercial with Daphne singing. It sounds truly silly, and I can't imagine what the makers of this commercial were aiming at. Iit would be very funny to see it now, but at the time I think it might have turned potential viewers off.

Does anyone know if their is any contact information for Sony to let them know how much they goofed on this DVD?

Misa

[PennyDreadful]

Misa- Yes, it was a very silly commercial.  Very goofy for a DS promo.  I laughed when I saw it, but it was pretty weird and I thought viewers might get the wrong idea about the show.  The more serious commercials were pretty good.

  IIRC, there was another one that was much lamer than the Christmas one.  It was towards the end of the revival series.  NBC must have been trying to boost ratings by playing it up as if the show were a campy melodrama.  I think it was during the 1790 storyline. The promo had this ridiculous over-the-top music and voiceover - just way melodramatic, and the voiceover & music all sounded rather tongue in cheek.  The whole commercial reeked of some desperate attempt to get ratings by making it look as if the show were some kind of camp-fest.  I found that one worse than the Christmas one, which at least was sort of semi-amusing.  *sigh*  For whatever faults it had, I kind of miss the '91 DS in a way.  It would have been interesting to have seen where they would have gone with it. 

[Jackie]

     It was a wonderful series. Unlike the stagebound, videotaped original, Dark Shadows: The Revival was shot on film in a real mansion. Cross played Barnabas Collins with the same tragic aura that Jonathan Frid displayed in the 1960s. But the younger, sexier Cross gave Barnabas an erotic intensity that Frid could never have conveyed. When Barnabas Collins feasted upon blood in the 1990s, the results were truly orgasmic, for both the vampire and the victim.

     Collinsport Maine in 1991 was a scary place! The residents actually ran through the storms that were, in the 1960s, only seen through windows. The thunder, lightning and howling winds were real, and terrifying.

     Former horror movie queen Steele played the lovelorn Dr. Julia Hoffman in 1991, who tries to cure Barnabas of vampirism while loving him from afar. Steele was about 53 when the series was shot. Still youthful and beautiful, she gave Julia a seriousness, and a sexiness, that the frumpy, over the top Grayson Hall failed to convey in the 60s. Going's Victoria Winters was no dummy, unlike Alexandra Moltke's earlier portrayal of the character. While Moltke's recurring line was "I don't understand! Help! Save Me!", Going's Victoria strong and savvy. But still vulnerable.

OH hogwash!! Did this reviewer see DS the series when it first came out!?  "Cross gave Barnabas an erotic intensity that Frid could never have conveyed".  I saw Cross do "Barnabas" and although they had him very sensual during the biting scenes, he did not have the finase of JF's Barnabas!!  In the 60's they had censors that the 90's didn't have when it came to sensual implications!  Plus JF wasn't the same age as all the SYT on the series so it would be hard to viewers to see him as a sex object.  I didn't mind watching Ben Cross as Barnabas as much as I minded watching Steele as Hoffman.  Sorry but she didn't do it for this viewer!!  GH had that character pegged as campy and overexaggerated as she played it.

See, I can't stop comparing the two.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I didn't see the commercial with Daphne singing. It sounds truly silly, and I can't imagine what the makers of this commercial were aiming at. Iit would be very funny to see it now, but at the time I think it might have turned potential viewers off.

Actually, the promo didn't feature Daphne/Rebecca Staab - it was merely some nubile woman on a bed:

However, it was obvious from the get go that the promo was very much tongue in cheek. Also, it only ran for 4 days (12/22/90-12/25/90). And considering it was only 1of 9 different promos that were running at the time - including one that was an entire minute long - I'm pretty sure the vast majority of NBC's viewership already had an excellent idea of what type of series the '91 DS was going to be.

On the other hand...

The promo had this ridiculous over-the-top music and voiceover - just way melodramatic, and the voiceover & music all sounded rather tongue in cheek. The whole commercial reeked of some desperate attempt to get ratings by making it look as if the show were some kind of camp-fest. I found that one worse than the Christmas one, which at least was sort of semi-amusing.

...whoever it was in NBC's promo department that was responsible for that particular promo should have been shot. It was absolutely dreadful - and it most definitely sent the wrong message in a way that the two-front-teeth promo never did or even could have. 

I taped a bunch of the commercials when they were first on.

GMTA, PD. Back in '01 in honor of the series' 10th anniversary, I had created a Web site which featured downloadable videos of both of the promos mentioned here as well as several others. The initial promotional campaign for the '91 series was absolutely amazing - particularly the 2 minute long theatrical style trailer that NBC produced (I still get shivers whenever I watch that one). I was able to share the promos because back in '90/'91 I'd made a VHS tape of the more than two dozen promos NBC aired along with the various pieces the entertainment/talk shows did in the runup to the '91 series' debut. The tape runs for over 90 minutes, and I keep telling myself that one of these days I should transfer it to a DVD to better preserve it. If I ever do get around to that, I'd be happy to hand out copies to anyone who might be interested. 

[victoriawinters]

Plus JF wasn't the same age as all the SYT on the series so it would be hard to viewers to see him as a sex object.

I think this is not the way I'd view Frid at all.  He was and is very sexy.  Why else did he grace the cover of so many teen magazines of the day?  Just because you're "over the hill" doesn't mean you aren't viewed as sexy by the masses.  

Both Jonathan Frid and Ben Cross brought their unique interpretation of Barnabas to the table.  They are both fine actors and each deserve their praise for their contributions to the Dark Shadows franchise.  

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Think the DVD set is bad with no extras and incorrect widescreen framing?

It gets worse.

In a stunning screw-up by a usually top-notch tech services department, the telecine department inadvertently 'corrected' all the filtered day-for-night photography.

OMG - I didn't realize that. But then, I didn't buy the DVD release. And the more I hear about how dreadfully it was botched, the less inclined I am to ever buy it.  :-


Speaking of widescreen framing, one of my Christmas gifts to myself was picking up the first two seasons of The Pretender on DVD. Season 1 was released in 1.33:1 full frame format, but when I began watching Season 2 this week I was surprised to see that it's in 1.78:1 widescreen, just like the '91 DS DVD set. However, unlike the '91 DS, apparently The Pretender must have shot Season 2 and onward in widescreen format even though it was never broadcast on NBC that way. And also unlike the '91 DS DVD set, the only part of the series that's cropped to conform to the widescreen format is the credits - exactly the opposite of the way things were done with the '91 DS DVD set. (I'm presuming the credits were cropped to avoid producing an all new widescreen version of them, having to frame them with vertical black bars to the left and right, or to avoid how jarring it would be for them to suddenly jump to full screen.)

Here are two examples. First up, the credits:

original broadcast


DVD

But look how much more there is to the actual episode footage:

original broadcast


DVD

If only the '91 DS DVDs could have worked out that way. But alas...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I remeber seeing those commercials for the '91 series and getting totally hyped about the revival!

Some I recall were the ones where the voiceover says, "Something this good only happens TWICE in a lifetime."

Oops - I forgot to mention that one of my favorite tag lines from the '91 series promos was "Experience the passion like never before" which was immediately followed by a clip of Barnabas saying "as it was meant to be." And as blasphemous as some might think it, I totally believe that when it came to Barnabas and Vicki in the '91 series, their relationship was far more passionate than it ever was or ever could have been on the original. And I definitely recall female friends of mine who I could never get interested in the original series telling me that the scenes between Barn and Vicki on the '91 show gave them goosebumps, which, I'm sure, is exactly what the show was going for. 

[Nancy]

Oops - I forgot to mention that one of my favorite tag lines from the '91 series promos was "Experience the passion like never before" which was immediately followed by a clip of Barnabas saying "as it was meant to be." And as blasphemous as some might think it, I totally believe that when it came to Barnabas and Vicki in the '91 series, their relationship was far more passionate than it ever was or ever could have been on the original. And I definitely recall female friends of mine who I could never get interested in the original series telling me that the scenes between Barn and Vicki on the '91 show gave them goosebumps, which, I'm sure, is exactly what the show was going for. 

I can see that. There were one or two scenes between barn and vicki on the original that hinted things could be wild between them.

nancy

[Charles_Ellis]

Grayson "frumpy"??  I think not!  David Nahmod seems to forget that Grayson hated the wardrobe she had to wear on the show as Julia (she once referred to those suits as 'goddamned tweed') and offscreen she prided herself in being stylish.  Plus, she deliberately played up the camp element, as she couldn't take the stories seriously. The Frid-Hall chemistry was a big factor in the rise in the show's popularity in 1967-68.  I don't know if the same would've happened between Cross and Steele had the '91 show continued, but who knows?  The mere fact that Grayson Hall still has a loyal fan base 20 years after her passing proves the power of this gifted actress

[Gothick]

MB, many thanks to you and other fans for sharing the amusing details about those 1990 promos.  Since I was living in China at the time, I missed all of it.  My first exposure to that show was a tape of the first two nights my Dad had made for me and carefully put away to give me upon my return to the US in the Summer of 1991.

It's too bad that the people who put out the DVD (I keep losing track--is it Universal?) didn't add all this stuff to the release.

Regarding aspect ratios, I recall a fan who seemed very knowledgeable (I think he had connections to the production team) telling me that Babylon 5 was filmed from the get-go in 35 mm "wide screen" format.  I'm thinking that show started off in, what, 1995?

Best, Steve