Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting Strack's dream voiceover versus his rant in the actual hanging scene:

... Strack's dream voiceover ... it's different from how Strack's condemnation plays during the actual hanging:

The dream:

STRACK
Angelique Collins, you have been
condemned as a witch and you must
die as a witch. Let your soul be
returned to the pits of darkness
forevermore. For thou knowest we
do what we must for thy sake, in
thy name. Amen. Prepare yourself
for eternity, witch. Let the devil take
his own!

The hanging (edited down to being more similar to the dream voiceover):

STRACK
Angelique Collins, you have been
condemned as a witch and you must
die. But your spirit will not live after
you for your earthly remains will
hang her until your spirit returns to
the pits of darkness forevermore.
...
For thou knowest that we do what we
must for thy sake, in thy name.
Amen. Prepare yourself for eternity,
witch. Let the devil take his own!

Interestingly enough, the "Angelique Collins, you have been condemned as a witch and you must die as a witch. Let your soul be returned to the pits of darkness forevermore" part of the dream's voice over is the way it's written in the script for the hanging, but it's actually delivered as "Angelique Collins, you have been condemned as a witch and you must die. But your spirit will not live after you for your earthly remains will hang her until your spirit returns to the pits of darkness forevermore."

And unfortunately, if Darren has shown what actually plays in the 129 minute version in the place that the dream currently appears - if it is indeed the dream or some portion thereof - I'm not sure because I'm pretty certain I've never seen it if it was shown because I would remember because it's a big question I have regarding the 129 minute version...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting these videos of Angelique's hanging:

Here are two of the three things that I said would be coming in a future post. Thanks to the fact that several of the NoDS trailers/TV spots contain material missing from the 94 minute version of the film (and also from the 97 minute version - but we won't be dealing with that stuff for a while yet) I've been able to make two videos of material that was cut from Angelique's hanging. However, first up here's how Angelique's hanging appears in the 94 minute version of the film:

Now how Angelique was intended to be seen dropping from the platform, as the rope goes taut her body jerks around, and as one of Strack's henchmen reaches to grab the rope:

And here's how Angelique was intended to be see as the henchmen pull her body up (which is what Charles sees when he turns back):

Enjoy!  Especially when who knows when we might actually see either sequence in a restored 129 minute version...

(ADMIN: Edited to add videos and remove animated GIFs)

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more stills:

Here are the next two. First up, a still -

(Click here for a 700X479 version)

- that I first saw a (cropped) B&W version on page 26 of the movies soundtrack's booklet, and then a cropped color version showed up on page 183 of the The DS Movie Book.

And then, getting back into rare stuff, there's this -

(Click here for a 782X526 version)

- which is part of the NoDS Herald, a four page booklet that was made available to theaters via the NoDS Pressbook for them to distribute in various locations to promote the film...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

An interesting situation to revisit:

Before I share the next thing that I want to, I should mention that The DS Movie Book is filled with actual stills from both film. So, one would presume all the photos shared are stills. But then there's this first thing that I want to share today, presumably a still that appears on page 254 of The DS Movie Book of Sarah screaming in the window of her bedroom:

And on the Internet there's a color version that purports to be the same still, and it might very well be an actual still:

(Click here for a 853X480 version)

However it comes across much more like a screen capture because one could take a screen capture from the NoDS DVD/Blu-ray that would look exactly like it. But the interesting thing there is the NoDS DVD/Blu-ray wasn't released until 2012, whereas The DS Movie Book was published in 1998. And in 1998 the only readily available version of NoDS was the one with the 4X3 aspect ratio that was released on VHS. There wasn't even any 16X9 version being shown anywhere on television. So, if it was a 16X9 screen capture rather than a still, it's fascinating to wonder where it came from and how it was taken...

But be all that as it may, as I'd posted back in 2016, I'd never realized until getting captures for that year's NoDS slideshow the three versions that we see in the film of Sarah screaming at the window:

• Quentin's "memory" in Scene 75
• In Scene 80 when Quentin recalls back what he saw
• And when Charles sees Sarah in Scene 129

are not only all different in some way or other, but they're actually three completely different takes of Sarah screaming. Check these new video versions:

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting yet more stills:

Now I want to share a still of the hanging Angelique that has an interesting history in the PomPress books -

(Click here for a 700X476 version)

- because it's appeared in two different books. A fairly cropped B&W version first showed up on page 141 of the DS Almanac 30th Anniversary Tribute, and then 3 years later a somewhat less cropped color version showed up on page 183 of The DS Movie Book. It may actually be the only still to appear in two different PomPress books, though once in B&W and then in color.

And while were on the subject of Angelique's hanging, it's really quite interesting how the action itself appears so briefly in the way the film currently stands. When it comes to her body falling from the platform, all that's seen is what I've already revisited in the first video clip in Reply #1651. Whereas, what was intended to be seen and is seen in the 97 and 129 minute versions of the film, as well as one of the trailers is what I've already revisited in the second video clip in Reply #1651. And then there's the footage of Angelique body being pulled up, which, again, only appears in the 97 and 129 minute versions of the film, as well as some on the trailers. One can't help but wonder what Lara Parker thought after she'd been harnessed up for that shot only to have it completely missing from the 94 minute version of the film?

And Angelique's body being pulled up isn't the only thing that's missing because once her body is high up in the tree, the henchmen tie the rope off and her body swings as the tree branch creaks. Shortly Charles turns away and moves toward the house. The other household members and Strack soon follow, which, after Charles turns away from having seen Sarah screaming in her window, is where the 94 minute version picks up as one of the henchmen moves to the bottom of one of the ladders and begins to climb up.

Thankfully, though, a still of Charles having turned away and making his way to the house does exist -

(Click here for a 1000X750 version)

- a somewhat washed out version of which appears on page 186 of DS Return To Collinwood, though at least that version shows more all around than the version I'm sharing here.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And a final still related to the hanging:

And the last of what I'm sharing that's directly related to the flashback is this still -

(Click here for a 547X700 version)

- a cropped version of which appeared in the NoDS Herald with the caption "Condemned as a witch and adulteress, Angelique hangs from a rotting tree branch, mute testimony of Man's treachery." (Hmmm - not so sure how rotting the branch was. How would it have supported her weight - especially when she initially fell from the platform?), a heavily cropped version of which was part of Famous Monsters of Filmland's NoDS article (a PDF of which The Doctor and K9 shared in Reply #132), and a heavily lightened (so that it could be printed over) version of which was shared on page 15 of the movies soundtrack's booklet.

And I've mentioned this before, but quite obviously it was used as a basis for part of the artwork for the A version of the NoDS poster:

(Click here for a 800X818 version)

And speaking of the A poster's artwork, I've often suspected that perhaps the image of Angelique hanging that appears in the mouth of Angelique's rotting face -

- might have been somewhat inspired by this shot in the film of Angelique hanging -

- or perhaps a still similar to it. (When it comes to stills, I've often wondered if the depiction of Angelique's ghost in the artwork is also based on a still? If so, regrettably I've never come across it. But we do know that the part of the artwork depicting Charles and Angelique making out was definitely inspired by a still, as I pointed out back in Reply #202)

And speaking of that shot of Angelique handing, it appears in the film as a "subconscious memory" Quentin has in Scene 77. But given that, as I explained in Reply #478, footage of Angelique's body swinging as the tree branch creaks doesn't appear in the 94 minute version of the film, I'm wondering if that same footage is part of what was cut from the flashback? It's been over 50 years since I saw the 97 minute version, so my mind is a bit hazy on the exact details of what was seen. And even when it comes to having seen the recovered footage at the 2004 Fest, I don't recall the exact details of what was shown of the hanging sequence. But that shot does have the same sort of coloring that was used for the flashback...

   Reply #478 was revisited today as the previous post, Reply #1654. And you will recall that the still of Angelique's hanging body is #2 in the NoDS Editor's Portfolio.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Some slightly associated stills:

Now I'm sharing the next three stills simply because they were shot while the hanging platform was located in the tree. And look who they're of, yes, Nancy Barrett. Apparently either she or the photographer or both loved to take photos of her around locations that may have been the sites where production was about to take place, where it was taking place, or where it had recently taken place...

Here's the first -

(Click here for a 700X383 version)

- and the second -

(Click here for a 1000X1080 version)

- and the third -

- which you may recall also appears on the back covers of the NoDS DVD and Blu-ray packaging:

(Click here for a 1000X1411 version)

(Click here for a 1000X1163 version)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up revisiting how Scene 131 is scripted and moving to revisit how the beginning of Scene 132 is scripted:

And now after what seems like ages, let's get back to the script and continue with what's left of what's listed in the script as Scene 131 and also move past that scene:

DISSOLVE TO:        EXT - COLLINWOOD GROUNDS - EVENING - HIGH ANGLE        as the small figure of Sarah ENTERS from the veranda.        She walks to a spot below where the body hangs.  As        she looks up at it, start a SLOW ZOOM IN TO HER        CLOSE-UP.  Her eyes are filled with tears.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 64/Scene 131 - Sarah: 'I will always remember...always...always...'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

MRS. CASTLE (O.S.)                  Sarah...Sarah...please come inside. 131    CONTD                                     CONTD   131        HIGH ANGLE FROM THE TREE.  With Angelique in F.G.,        we see Mrs. Castle cross from the veranda to Sarah.        Taking her gently by the hand, she leads her back        to the house.  HOLD ON THE SCENE, as the rain begins        to fall.  THE SOUND OF MRS. CASTLE and SARAH'S VOICE        is heard O.S.                              MRS. CASTLE (O.S.)                  You mustn't be unhappy, Sarah.  You                  must try to forget.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 65/Scene 131 - Sarah (O.S.): 'I'm not unhappy, mama, because she'll be back...some day Angelique will be back...'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

DISSOLVE TO: 132    INT - GALLERY - DAY - 1971                        132        CARLOTTA - CLOSE-UP        She is staring blankly as she finishes Sarah's speech.

And that's when today's second quote -

Page 65/Scene 132 - Carlotta: '...and I will help her.'

- comes up.

And when it comes to differences in the dialogue, right off the bat none of what's been quoted here appears in the film, so there's no way to know if it might have been different - and for one when it comes to Mrs. Castle's dialogue, she adds a third "Sarah" as she comes out to get her, and none of it is delivered off screen - and for two, her telling Sarah that she mustn't be unhappy and she must try to forget is also dropped in the film - but the interesting thing there is that in the film it looks like she may be telling Sarah all that after she reaches and embraces Sarah but it's just that the sound for it isn't in the film, so chances are if it was in the film, it wouldn't have been delivered off screen - and chances are the same holds true for Sarah's response that she's not unhappy because she knows Angelique will be back - and the interesting thing about that line from Sarah is that it's replaced with a new iteration of Angelique's vow: "But I will have him again...you will help me, Sarah... You will know when the time comes...for it is your love that will keep me alive..."

And when it comes to the differences in the directions and the descriptions, as I said earlier I have a suspicion that what's marked in the script as the beginning of Scene 131 should actually be Scene 130 and where the switch to the evening scene takes place, that should actually be the start of Scene 131 - but no matter, at the outset of the evening scene we do not see Sarah enter from the veranda, walk to a spot below where Angelique hangs, or look up at her body - nor is there a slow zoom in to her close-up where we see her eyes are filled with tears because things begin with Sarah already standing under Angelique and then Mrs. Castle comes to get her - and after telling her to come inside, she wraps her arms around Sarah's shoulders, and after Sarah takes one more look at Angelique's hanging figure, Mrs. Castle, with her arms still around Sarah's shoulders, leads Sarah away - there's no taking of Sarah by the hand - and there is no rain that begins to fall - and considering that Carlotta's line from Scene 132 is dropped, that Scene begins differently in the film, but more on that next time...

And Scene 131 marks the end of Sarah's material in the script. And as we've seen, a great deal of her stuff was possibly never shot, worked around, or simply left on the cutting room floor. And apparently it's all because DC didn't think Monica Rich brought enough to her performances. But who knows...

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was March 31st's this time around, and "today's" quotes were April 1st's this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

First up, revisiting how the unscripted repeat at the end of Scene 131 of Angelique's vow plays in the subtitles:

...

And when it comes to differences in the dialogue, right off the bat none of what's been quoted here appears in the film, so there's no way to know if it might have been different - and for one when it comes to Mrs. Castle's dialogue, she adds a third "Sarah" as she comes out to get her, and none of it is delivered off screen - and for two, her telling Sarah that she mustn't be unhappy and she must try to forget is also dropped in the film - but the interesting thing there is that in the film it looks like she may be telling Sarah all that after she reaches and embraces Sarah but it's just that the sound for it isn't in the film, so chances are if it was in the film, it wouldn't have been delivered off screen - and chances are the same holds true for Sarah's response that she's not unhappy because she knows Angelique will be back - and the interesting thing about that line from Sarah is that it's replaced with a new iteration of Angelique's vow: "But I will have him again...you will help me, Sarah... You will know when the time comes...for it is your love that will keep me alive..."

...

And that iteration of Angelique's vow is fully acknowledged in both the subtitles -

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And secondly, revisiting how the unscripted repeat at the end of Scene 131 of Angelique's vow plays in the closed captioning (with new screen captures):

...

- and the closed captioning -

- acknowledge that...

...

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of how Scene 132 is scripted:

Picking up now with the film's actual start of Scene 132 with Quentin's reaction to Carlotta's story (and using DC's script):

He looks at her.                              QUENTIN                  Then her spirit is still alive in                  this house.                              CARLOTTA                  For certain of us, yes, Mr. Collins                  -- for me...for you.        He walks away, stares out the window.  Finally he        turns to her.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 65/Scene 132 - Quentin: 'But I am not Charles Collins.'

- comes up, followed by today's second quote -

Page 65/Scene 132 - Carlotta: 'You may not accept it now, but soon you will. And it is then that you will come to realize something else...that there is no longer a place in this house for Mrs. Collins.'

- coming up.

And when it comes to differences in the dialogue, while Quentin's lines are delivered nearly exactly as scripted (the only change is from "I am" to "I'm"), in Carlotta's unquoted line she drops addressing Quentin with "Mr. Collins" - and what Carlotta actually says in her quoted lines is "You will come to accept it...after a time. And then you will realize something else...there is no longer any place in this house for Mrs. Collins."

And when it comes to the differences in the directions and the descriptions, as can be seen in the following capture, when we first see Quentin -

- he is indeed looking at Carlotta, with almost the same forlorn expression on his face that we saw back in Scene 117, but soon he moves his eyes away and then, after walking over to his painting, he turns back to her, and it is then that he says how Angelique's spirit is still alive in the house - and I absolutely love the expression on Carlotta's face when she says -

- that it's true for both of them (though let's not forget Gerard, who, uh, "satisfied" Angelique's "needs" () before Quentin showed up - but then, Gerard obviously is forgotten in that department now that Quentin is on the scene) - and as we can see from 1) DC crossing out that after Quentin goes to stare out the window, he turns back to Carlotta, and from 2) today's first capture in the slideshow -

- that doesn't happen and Quentin states that he's not Charles with his back still to Carlotta - and there's no mention in the script that after Carlotta says Quentin will accept that he's Charles with time, she walks over to him to tell him that after he accepts it he will realize there's no longer a place for Tracy - but can I just say that some of the expressions on Carlotta's face -

- as she leads up to that are simply priceless!!

And last but certainly not least, let's deal with the notations in both DC's and Grayson's scripts:

When it comes to DC, first up he has a note that the camera will pan with Quentin and lose Carlotta as Quentin gears up and delivers the line that Angelique's spirit is still alive in the house, but while the camera does indeed pan with Quentin, losing Carlotta in the process would be sort of hard to do when, as we can certainly tell from the first capture above, Carlotta isn't even in the shot - she doesn't appear in the shot until Quentin just about reaches his painting, so in reality, Carlotta is gained in the pan, not lost. And DC's second note says that Carlotta will cross into the shot after Quentin says that Angelique's spirit is still alive in the house - but, again, that would be sort of hard to do when she's already in the shot before Quentin says that. And DC's third note is that Quentin will turn back to us before he says he's not Charles - but obviously that doesn't happen either. The one note that does actually take place in the film is DC's fourth, where he says that Carlotta will cross to Quentin before she reveals that he'll realize that there's no place in the house for Tracy.

And when it comes to Grayson, it's too bad that Scene 132 doesn't begin with her finishing Sarah's speech because Grayson's first three notes deal with 1) Carlotta holding the open locket (recall that back in Scene 117 Grayson had a note that just before she begins relating the events of "that last day" Carlotta is on the verge of opening the locket) as, as Sarah, Carlotta says she will help Angelique come back, 2) taking out the lock of hair (though for Scene 117 Carlotta had supposedly taken the lock of hair from a book, so who knows?) while Quentin and she discuss how Angelique's spirit is still alive in the house, and 3) looking at the hair and then putting it away. Though, of course, it's clear from the captures above that in the film Carlotta hasn't taken the locket out of her hand for even one instant, so those notes do at least partly relate to how Grayson actually plays Scene 132. But when it comes to Grayson's fourth note that is not the case because she indicates that Carlotta will hang Angelique's picture back up while she tells Quentin that he will come to accept that he is Charles, but obviously that doesn't happen. Though Grayson goes on to note that Carlotta feels that she's won, and that is certainly the case, at least when it comes to cluing Quentin in to what's really happening to him. And finally, just as DC does, Grayson also notes where Carlotta will cross to Quentin to tell him that he'll realize that there's no place in the house for Tracy.

   And so far as "today's" quotes go, they were April 2nd's this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting this still:

Here's a rare still associated with Scene 132 -

(Click here for a 700X488 version)

- and not surprisingly it's taken from a different angle from the way the moment is shot in the film. But then, shooting from behind Quentin works for great dramatic effect in a film - taking a photo that doesn't show a face at all, not so much.

And something I've been neglecting to mention is that a somewhat cropped B&W version of this still appears on page 219 of the The DS Movie Book.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oops, I just realized that once again I forgot to make a timely post about these two scenes that Darren Gross posted about on his Restoration Web site:

With regard to Scene 120 -

The following is a list of scenes that are still lost and which are not present in the 129 min version recovered in 1999.

...

EXT.BACK LAWN SEEN THROUGH GALLERY WINDOW. Strack's henchmen wait.

And with regard to Scene 122:

...

INT.CORRIDOR. Henchmen join Strack, Gabriel and Laura and head upstairs.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Something that's interesting though hardly surprising given how subtitles and especially the closed captioning seem to have minds of there own. I posted the following when I only had access to the video I'd shot off of a TV:

And when it comes to Scene 132 and Quentin insists to Carlotta, "But I'm not Charles Collins," the subtitles reflect that - however the closed captioning has -

- with "Collins" dropped for some reason...

...

But once I was able to get direct video with my VCR decoding Scene 132, this is how that line in the closed captioning displayed -

- correctly.

OKaaaay...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting some more of how Scene 132 is scripted:

And Grayson Hall and David Selby continue to be so fantastic in this scene. As today's quote -

Page 66/Scene 132 - Quentin (flaring): 'I love Tracy! I always will love Tracy! Nothing can change that.'

- comes up, just look at those faces and their body language:

Though what Quentin actually says is "I love Tracy! I'll always love Tracy! And nothing can change that."

And as we can see in today's capture, just as a note in DC's script indicates that Quentin turns to Carlotta as he delivers today's quote, that is exactly what happens in the film.

   And so far as "today's" quote and capture go, they were April 3rd's this time around.