Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A quick internet search didn't come up with any connection between Charles Moore and Flip. But he was a highly respected photojournalist, who took some iconic photos of Martin Luther King and others in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. It appears that he moved in the same circles as Ben Martin. Perhaps that led to the NODS job.

Very interesting. And that probably explains a lot. Thanks for the info. 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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]

If you want to learn about or refresh your memory concerning the background of the yesterday's quote -

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

- and/or 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...'

- and/or today's second quote -

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

- check out -

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:

- this post to also learn about how none of what's been quoted above appears in the film (DC took an axe to so much Sarah material) and what it was replaced with, and about the differences in the directions and the descriptions...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before we move on entirely from Angelique's hanging, I have three more stills that I want to share that are sort of related but aren't really.

First up is a still of presumably Angelique's skeleton, with but a small remnant of her clothes, still hanging in the tree -

(Click here for a 548X700 version)

- and interestingly enough, versions of it showed up in magazines: 16 had a colorized version with the caption, 'The remains of "Angelique"', and Famous Monsters of Filmland captioned it with, 'Condemned to die, Angelique is hanged on high from a tree on the Collinwood estate, and there the elements disintegrate her body till nothing is left but her skeleton.' But the problem with all that is that at no time in the film do we see Angelique's skeleton hanging in the tree. Whenever we see Angelique hanging, it's her full body, fully clothed.

Now, could DC have shot footage of the skeleton but then simply didn't use it? Who knows?

But be that as it may, two other stills featuring the skeleton also exist, both candid shots with David Selby posing with it. There was a glimpse of one that was linked to in Reply #437 -

(Click here for a 1000X1332 version)

- because it appears on page 141 of the DS Almanac 30th Anniversary Tribute (and that version shows a bit more than the copy of the still that I have) - and then there's this rare one -

(Click here for a 1000X1522 version)

- Enjoy if you've never seen them...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If you want to learn about or refresh your memory concerning the background of today's first quote -

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

- and/or 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.'

- check out -

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):

- this post to also learn about the differences in the dialogue, the directions and the descriptions, and about the notations in DC's and Grayson's scripts...

[Uncle Roger]

Great stuff, MB!! I do have a question about something that appears on one of the posters. Angelique is hanging from the tree, presumably dead. Her arms are outstretched towards a shirtless man who is facing towards her. Is that supposed to be Quentin or Charles? I don't recall any scene like that in the film. Nor do I recall any stills depicting it. Is this something that was cut or never filmed? Or something that the MGM art department created for the poster?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If you want to learn about or refresh your memory concerning the background of today's quote -

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

- check out -

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

- this post and to learn about the differences in the dialogue, and about a note in DC's script...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If you want to learn about or refresh your memory concerning the background of today's quote -

Page 66/Scene 132 - Carlotta: 'If you truly believe that, Mr. Collins, then I suggest you leave Collinwood as soon as possible. ... If you can.'

- check out -

Wrapping up Scene 132, picking up with today's quote, as Carlotta's response to Quentin's insistence that he will always love Tracy -

- this post and to learn about the differences in the dialogue, the directions and the descriptions, and comments about some of Carlotta's great facial expressions...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I do have a question about something that appears on one of the posters. Angelique is hanging from the tree, presumably dead. Her arms are outstretched towards a shirtless man who is facing towards her. Is that supposed to be Quentin or Charles? I don't recall any scene like that in the film. Nor do I recall any stills depicting it. Is this something that was cut or never filmed? Or something that the MGM art department created for the poster?

I'm pretty sure it was the latter. And apparently it was a well-liked bit of artwork because, not only did various sizes of it appear in the different newspaper ads in the NoDS Pressbook (as one can see below in the collection of ads that I'd shared in Reply #20, a shorter version of the 1 column ad that I'd shared in Reply #69, and one small ad that features it as the only artwork) (There are others, including one that I'd posted in Reply #68, but I think everyone gets the idea) -

(Click here for a 1099X2524 version)

- (and this copy of the B Poster that I also shared in Reply #20) -

(Click here for a 740X1100 version)

- but it was also used in various foreign promotional materials, like the Italian psters and a portion of the Mexican lobby cards -

(Click here for a 1152X1600 version)

- (I'm pretty sure I have another example of its foreign use but for the life of me I couldn't find where I'd saved it...)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Considering the subject of the Mexican lobby cards has come up, I figure I might as well share them. Here's a photo provided for an online auction of them:

(Click here for a 1000X770 version)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

If you want to learn about or refresh your memory concerning the background of today's quote -

Page 66/Scene 134 - Tracy: 'I'm a genius with butchers. Of course, he thinks me quite mad...and very rich. The steaks are a masterpiece.'

- check out -

As you've probably already discerned from today's graphic, we're getting into more material that doesn't appear in the film as it currently stands (or in the 97 minute version). However, the scenes we'll be dealing with today are not on Darren Gross' list of scenes that weren't recovered, so chances are they do appear in the 129 minute version:

- this post and to learn why I'm using the same still for the graphic for Scene 134 as I did for Scene 116...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Since I shared the Mexican lobby cards yesterday, and considering I also shared the Italian poster yesterday, I might as well share the Italian lobby cards today:

(Click here for a 1000X709 version)

I do wish, though, if they felt they had to colorize the B&W stills, they would have checked to see what the correct colors should have been. But, well...

[Uncle Roger]

Mexico is notorious for that kind of stuff. I have a couple from Speedway and they feature Nancy Sinatra in an outfit that she did not wear in the movie, a bikini that was not standard attire for the IRS agent that she's playing. It's also been recolored. The bikini is white but appears as an odd shade of green on the lobby card. Her other outfits have been recolored as well. Seemd pretty random.