Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Something I've often wondered about Scene 115 is after Carlotta enters the Gallery she makes a beeline for the liquor on the sideboard, opens the ice bucket, takes out ice, and puts it in a glass before Quentin calls out her name and she turns to him, but just who is it that she's making that drink for?

One might presume it's for Quentin, but neither the film nor the script gives any indication who it's for. Not even the notes Grayson made in her script for the scene give a clue because regarding that section all she wrote is "Busy making a drink." But wouldn't it be a hoot if she's making that drink for herself?! Imagine if she really does just breeze into the Gallery, completely ignoring that her employers are in there, and starts to make a drink for herself with their liquor. But then Carlotta does often act as if she owns Collinwood. Tracy even makes a remark to that effect in Scene 33, part of the first sequence that takes place in the Gallery. When it comes to Carlotta the "help" definitely doesn't know their place!! 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Here's another example of a music cue that rightfully doesn't play as part of a scene on the VHS/Laser but does in every other release of the film. We dealt with one such cue back when Scene 103 came up in its intended place as scripted. And this time around we're dealing with the opening of Scene 117:

Here we have the Laser version:

And here we have the Blu-ray to represent every other version:

The cue heard on the Blu-ray and others other than the VHS/Laser is obviously a segue from the end of Scene 116 (which only appears in the 129 minute version of the film - all other versions go from Scene 115 to Scene 117, as can be seen in the Laser and Blu-ray clips) -

Beginning the next scene:

116    INT - GALLERY - DAY                               116        It's the following morning.  Quentin is at easel,        relaxing, sipping a cup of coffee, as Tracy ENTERS.        Quentin stops, holds out his arms.  Tracy runs to        them.                              QUENTIN                  Good morning!                       (pointing outside)                  The world is ours, the gentleman                  said.                              TRACY                  Ours.  We'll celebrate.  I'll drive                  into Collinsport and get the biggest                  steak anyone has ever bought.  We'll                  charcoal it ourselves.                              QUENTIN                  And eat it ourselves.                              TRACY                  I'll make my famed Caesar salad...                  which is the only one I can make --                              QUENTIN                  And we shall open the best wine.        She turns, sees that Angelique's portrait is gone. 116    CONTD                                     CONTD    116

And that's when today's quote -

Page 56/Scene 116 - Tracy: 'What happened to her?'

- comes up.

...

Wrapping up Scene 116, beginning with yesterday's quote, Quentin's response to Tracy's question:

Page 56/Scene 116 - Quentin: 'Angelique? She's been retired. After years of honorable service.'

- coming up, followed in the script by:

TRACY  Why?

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 56/Scene 116 - Quentin: 'Mostly so Alex will forget our non-existent ghost. Hey, let me paint --'

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

Page 56/Scene 116 - Tracy: 'Paint on...paint on...I love you...'

- coming up, followed by the script concluding the scene with:

She EXITS.  He smiles and begins painting.

...

- to the opening of Scene 117...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace VHS video with Laser video)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Near the outset of Scene 117, after Carlotta brings Angelique's portrait back into the Gallery and Quentin tells her, "I said I didn't want to see that again," Carlotta replies, "It belongs in this room." - and the subtitles do reflect both those lines - however, when it comes to Carlotta's line, the closed captioning has -

- and something that's interesting about that is her line was originally scripted to be "But it belongs here, Mr. Collins." - and this is hardly the only instance where something that's different in the closed captioning from what's actually said in the film is more similar to what was originally scripted...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When it comes to Quentin insisting to Carlotta, "'You know damn well what I'm referring to. Her," in Scene 117, the closed captioning refers to what Quentin says in its entirety, but the subtitles -

- drops the "damn well" for some reason...

 

[Annie]

Happy anniversary and many more yrs .🧁😊

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In Scene 117, when it comes to Carlotta's explanation, she begins by asking Quentin, "Do you remember that little girl you thought you saw at the window the other day?" - and the closed captioning has exactly that - but the subtitles has -

- dropping the opening "Do." Now, yes, one can still put a question mark at the end of the sentence and say "You remember that little girl you thought you saw at the window the other day?" as a question. But starting off the sentence with "Do" definitely makes it a question. So to drop that particular word is definitely the oddest word to drop. And only the person who did the subtitles knows why they made that questionable choice...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In Scene 117, when Carlotta reveals to Quentin, "I am the reincarnation of Sarah Castle. That little girl was me. I was part of everything you're now remembering," the subtitles acknowledge that perfectly - however, for some odd reason, the closed captioning changes "reincarnation" to -

- and "incarnation" and reincarnation" are not interchangeable, so what's done in the closed captioning is actually very odd...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Perhaps the strangest thing I find about the subtitles on the DVD/Blu-ray is that they're supposed to be SDH subtitles, which means by definition they're subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, which assumes the viewers using them can't only not hear the dialogue but also important non-dialogue information so they also highlight important sounds such as sound effects, music, etc., but the subtitles rarely if ever do that. On the other hand, the closed captioning often does. The most recent example of that was back in Reply #879 for Scene 109 when the closed captioning acknowledged the sound the Greenhouse's glass ceiling makes before it comes crashing down. And now when it comes to Scene 119 the closed captioning acknowledged the sound of approaching footsteps that soon prompt Sarah to hide under the table -

- but of course, the subtitles do not acknowledge that sound...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

As Laura, Rev. Strack and Gabriel enter the Gallery in Scene 119, Laura points out, "Gabriel, you must make a decision" (a "MUST" quote!!  ), and the subtitles reflect that exactly - however, the closed captioning has -

- with "we" instead of "you" for a reason known only to the person who wrote it...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In Scene 119, after Laura brings up that a decision must be made, as we've seen in the slideshow, Gabriel is scripted to say -

Page 59/Scene 119 - Gabriel: 'You've already made it for me.
Why else would the good Reverend Strack be here?'

- but I like how for the first part he actually says, "I think you've already made that for me." - I don't know if it was Chris Pennock's or someone else's idea to add the "I think," but it was an excellent move because it softens Gabriel's line. It changes it from a statement of fact to an assumption, and that works much better because, given the way the scene plays out, it's made clear that Rev. Strack and Laura want Gabriel to give his permission for their plans (even though, as Laura states flatly, they will carry out things without him)...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Sorry about today's graphic in the slideshow appearing so late - it wasn't named correctly. But considering this is the second time around for the slideshow, I have no idea why that wasn't caught the first time around. 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

After Laura questions whether Gabriel wants a mob with firebrands outside the house and Rev Strack promises it will come to that, and soon, Rev. Strack brings up "The strange death of Reverend Herridge so soon after his sermon denouncing her --" - and the subtitles reflect that exactly - however, the closed captioning has -

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Despite that we hear claps of thunder earlier in Scene 119, the first time the closed captioning acknowledges one is after Rev. Strack says "This evil must be driven from the land before it destroys us all." (another "MUST" quote!!  )  -

- and before Gabriel agrees "You're right. There is no other way." - and of course there's no acknowledgement of the thunder by the subtitles because, as I've said, for some strange reason given they're supposed to be SDH subtitles, they rarely if ever highlight any sounds...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And when it comes to the loudest clap of thunder at the end of Scene 121 and into the beginning of Scene 124 (Scenes 122 & 123 are not in the film), the closed captioning reflects the sound -

- unlike the subtitles...

And in a similar situation to what I showed in Reply #1584 when it came to Laura's remark as she, Strack and Gabriel enter the Gallery, when it comes to Angelique descending the stairs, you can see above that she's barely seen when it comes to how my VCR decoded the text to acknowledging the thunder, whereas when it came to the text that was decoded with the TV from which I shot video, acknowledging the thunder remained on view until Angelique had indeed come into view -

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

For Scene 124 part of Carlotta's narration is "They were all afraid to touch her. I suddenly knew I would never see her again." - and the subtitles completely reflect that - however, the closed captioning has -

- with "all" and "suddenly" missing for some reason...

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)