Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And you may recall -

You may wonder, if I said I've never come across a still from Scene 150, then why did I make a graphic for that scene -

- using this still:

Well, that's because Scene 150 says Angelique "lies on the cot," which indeed she is doing in the still, so even if it's not specifically associated with Scene 150, it comes damn close. And she may not be "holding out her arms" to Quentin, but as we've seen numerous times already, even when it comes to stills definitely known to be associated with specific scenes, they often depict characters in ways other than how the script describes them. Plus, I love that still.

And as a bonus, here's a very rarely seen alternate shot:

- and -

And speaking of something that's very rarely seen, I almost forgot to share the color version of the first still from above:

(Click here for a 1600X2000 version)

I absolutely love that color version...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

... Scene 149 ... Scene 153. Though one of the missing scenes does appear between them in the 129 minute version...

And if the one that appears is Scene 150, then that must mean that the two that don't are Scenes 151 & 152 - and that was confirmed by Darren on his Restoration Web site:

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

...

INT.CARD ROOM. Tracy dials the phone. INT.COTTAGE. Phone rings in the empty cottage.

Also, you may have noticed that on the call sheet I shared again back in Reply #920 Scene 151 is listed for April 5, 1971...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I just realized that I forgot to mention that Scenes 142 & 143 (INT.2ND FLOOR CORRIDOR. Quentin stops at stairs leading to the tower, looks up. HIGH ANGLE. Quentin runs from the house.) are listed in the "ADVANCE SCHEDULE:" section of that call sheet as being slated to shoot on April 6, 1971. Though as I already mentioned, it's unknown how much more of Scene 142 might be in the 129 minute version of the film...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And here's another example of a music cue that rightfully doesn't play as part of a scene on the VHS but does in every other release of the film. We've already dealt with two such cues: one at the end of Scene 103 when Scene 104 was cut in the 94 and 97 minute versions of the film but does appear in the 129 minute version, and another at the opening of Scene 117 when Scene 116 was cut in the 94 and 97 minute versions of the film but does appear in the 129 minute version. And this time around we're dealing with the opening of Scene 153:

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 150 (which only appears in the 129 minute version of the film - all other versions go from Scene 149 to Scene 153, as can be seen in the Laser and Blu-ray clips) -

Moving on to the next three scenes:

150    INT - TOWER ROOM - NIGHT                           150        Quentin stands leaning with his back against the        door.  PAN WITH HIM as he crosses to Charles' un-        finished painting which is now on his easel.  It is        obvious that he has progressed the painting himself        in the original style.  He picks up his brush, does        something, then looks O.S.; he smiles.  SLOWLY PAN        in the direction of his gaze to reveal the strangely        opalescent Angelique, who lies on the cot, holding        out her arms to him.        QUENTIN - MEDIUM ANGLE        PAN WITH HIM as he crosses to her.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 71/Scene 150 - Quentin: 'How could I have ever thought you were a dream?'

- comes up...

...

- to the opening of Scene 153...

 

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

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   I hadn't played those two videos back-to-back until today and didn't notice that each sound of the door slamming shut is slightly different. I wonder if that's because the copy of the film used for the Blu-ray/DVD (and all the other versions) was remastered and the copy for the VHS/Laser wasn't? Presumably the sound is the actual sound of the real door slamming and not an effect that was added. But who knows? If it was added, perhaps when the music cue was removed for the 94 minute version a slightly different effect replaced the one originally used? Though the sound of the door slamming near the end of Scene 149 occurs a short while before Scene 153 comes up so one would think removing the music cue at the beginning of Scene 153 wouldn't affect the door's sound in Scene 149 at all. But again, who knows? It's just yet another interesting thing about the different versions...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Yesterday I forgot to share the full music cue that should play and likely does play over Scene 150 and into the opening of Scene 153 in the 129 minute version. On the Movie Soundtracks CD it's entitled "Quentin's Daydreaming (Quentin's Theme)," no doubt because it first comes up in the film during Scenes 33 through 38 while he muses, has a vision, and recovers. So, here it is to help get a better idea of how Scene 150 plays in the 129 minute version and how the music cue transitions to Scene 153:

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

In Scene 153, after Carlotta learns that someting is wrong but Tracy tells her to never mind about it, Carlotta persists by asking, "What is it, Mrs. Collins?" - and the subtitles reflect that - but the closed captioning simply has -

- without the "Mrs. Collins" part for some reason - and before Carlotta can complete her presumptuous opinion that Tracy doesn't seem very happy whereas Quentin does, Tracy cuts her off by flaring, "I don't think that's any of your business." - and the subtitles also reflect that - but strangely the closed captioning has -

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Here is the way Scene 164 was scripted to take place (which is why a quote from it doesn't appear in the slideshow) -

And once again moving on to the next four scenes as scripted:

... 164    INT - SECOND FLOOR LANDING - DAY                   164        as Carlotta comes TOWARD CAMERA.  She suddenly stops,        seeing Tracy descending the steps O.S.        TRACY - CARLOTTA'S P.O.V.        as she comes downstairs, the keys in her hand, and        is about to turn toward the gallery.  She suddenly        catches Carlotta out of the corner of her eye.  She        stops and looks at her.        CARLOTTA - TRACY'S P.O.V.        Carlotta stares back at her, then crosses to the        stairs and descends to the first floor without saying        a word.        INT - SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR - DAY        Ignoring the brief moment with Carlotta, Tracy quickly        moves to the gallery. ...

 - but as we know Carlotta does not simply stare at Tracy and then descend the stairs with saying a word - she does indeed speak - and what she says is acknowledged by the subtitles -

- and the closed captioning -

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Two other things to recall.

First up:

One last still associated with Scene 159 - an extremely rare alternate B&W version of Tracy uncovering the painting:

(Click here for a 800X624 version)

...

I actually prefer that one to the widely circulated version. At times choices made as to which stills to widely circulate and which not to are quite interesting...

And then there's the actual scene that the unscripted bit of dialogue in Reply #939 comes from:

...

I've always thought it's one of the best scenes in the film...

The post says it all...

 

[B.Collins]

i will always want to see the uncut version since the one we have to me makes no sense since it's edited so badly.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

... each sound of the door slamming shut is slightly different. ...

This got me wondering about Scene 169, and sure enough:

Here we have the VHS version:

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

And I'll never understand why some sound effects are acknowledged while other aren't. The closed captioning acknowledges the footsteps heard in Scene 119 -

...

...

- even though the supposed SDH subtitles don't - the closed captioning even acknowledges the supposed sound of footsteps in Scene 149 -

...

...

- even though the SDH subtitles don't (thought at least in that instance it's questionable as to whether there's a sound of footsteps or not) - yet when it comes to the very prominent sounds of both Quentin's footsteps and the door closing in Scene 169, as well as the door slamming in Scene 149, neither the closed captioning nor the subtitles acknowledge them. But maybe because the door closings are seen on screen the thinking was there was no need to acknowledge those sounds because they could be presumed, and the same with Quentin's footsteps on the stairs, whereas with Scenes 119 and 149 the sounds came from off screen. Who knows?

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Briefly referring back to Reply #580, a few people have asked why, now that I have new video capturing  hardware/software, I used screen captures in that post from the video I'd shot off of a TV screen rather than capturing new video? Well, sadly the answer is simple: as hard as I tried, I couldn't come across any sort of video player software that seems to display closed captions embedded in a VHS tape or video capturing software that records closed captioning embedded in a VHS tape along with recording the video. If my failure to find any of that is any indication, apparently closed captioning on VHS tapes only displays on TVs that support closed captioning...

Well, guess what - all of that is no longer the case. While I was cleaning out a closet to get rid of some things I came across an old VHS/DVD player/recorder that I'd completely forgotten about because I haven't used it since the fall of 2010 because it recorded TV programs to VHS or DVD (I'd used rewritable ones) and not a hard drive and back then I'd gotten a DVR that recorded to a hard drive, which is a hell of a lot more convenient, not to mention efficient. After I rediscovered it, I wondered if it was possible to make videos with it of the closed captioning on VHS tapes, and lo and behold, when I experimented recording NoDS, the closed captioning did indeed display on the recording. So, I'm in the process of making a video of the NoDS VHS with closed captioning playing and not only will I be posting all future closed captioning screen captures using that video, but I'll be replacing all the screen captures I've already posted.

Why does closed captioning record from the player I rediscovered and not with any other one I'd experimented with in the past? Who knows? But it's better late than never to learn what I have. It works and that's all that matters. 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   This is getting more fascinating by the moment because I peeked to see where the recording was up to and noticed that the closed captioning for the scene I came in on (Scene 132) is a bit different from what played on my TV. I'd always presumed, wrongly as it turns out, that there was one closed captioning version and only one on a VHS tape. Who knew there can be more than one? 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I've had the chance to compare the first 45 minutes of video shot off of the TV to the video made using the player I rediscovered today and the only difference in the closed captioning that I've come across is that difference I mentioned earlier:

Previous post:

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...

...

Today's video:

In fact, not only has that been the only difference I've come across, but outside of the fact that each video uses a different font so the closed captioning on each displays in a slightly different spot on screen, with that one exception of difference, each video's closed captioning has been identical so far as the wording goes and so far as which words appear on each line. And the fact that everything else has been so identical is what makes that one exception so very, Very, VERY STRANGE...

(You also might notice that the new video made directly from the VHS tape shows more of the frame, particularly at the top, than is displayed on the TV I used to shoot the phone video.)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, I've checked the entire film and the only place the closed captioning differs is that one example above. How wild is it that I just happened to peek in at the recording at the exact time it came up? Otherwise there's a really good chance it wouldn't have been until I get around to replacing the closed captioning screen captures for Scene 132 (whenever that might be) that I would have realized the full "Charles Collins" should have come up and in that one instance I've pointed out a discrepancy with the closed captioning that shouldn't be. And the really interesting thing about the discrepancy is that for me it only comes up on the TV that I shot the video off of. Today I tried a different TV using its own closed captioning feature and the full "Charles Collins" also came up on it. Apparently there must be some sort of glitch with the first TV's decoder.

And well, at least this all seems to prove my presumption that there actually is only one form of close captioning on a VHS...