Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 111/Scene 242 - Quentin: 'Come on, Alex, it's going to take more than three hours.'

- and/or Wednesday's second quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'Not with me leading the way --'

- check out -

And moving along with more of Scene 242, beginning with today's first quote -

- this post and to learn about the differences in the dialogue...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The interesting thing about the still associated with Scene 242 is that the printed version seems to show less than versions published in books and magazines and that's the opposite of the norm.

Here's a small scan of my printed version of the still -

- but here's a version which shows more at both the top and bottom and which looks like it was published in a book -

(Click here for a 689X865 version)

- (I have no idea which book because I came across the scan on the Internet and it wasn't credited to anything and I've never come across the book on my own) - and here's a version that was published in the Nov. '71 issue of 16 Magazine as part of its Sneek Peek at NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS! article -

 - and while it's cropped at the top, it shows more on the left side and much more at the bottom, including that cable, which I suspect is why the printed still cuts off where it does at the bottom so that we don't see it...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Thank heavens for his final scenes in the film Quentin is wearing one of his favorite denim shirts -

- after all, when it comes to shirts we wouldn't want our last moments with him marred by him wearing the one he wears in the deleted Gallery scene in which the portraits of Angelique are discussed and in the dining room sequence -

- or the shirt he wears in the deleted picnic sequence -

- as well as when he informs Carlotta he wants his painting materials moved from the Tower Room to the Gallery -

- or even the turtleneck he wears when he first arrives at Collinwood or the one he wears when he first explores the estate and ends up at the Jenkins' cottage. Heaven Forbid!!

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

But Quentin isn't the only one who would seem to have a favorite type of top, and not only a favorite type, but a specific top - and that would be Claire. Apparently she loves her cranberry print blouse because she wears it when we first see her in her car when she spots Quentin at the cemetery -

- and, of course, subsequently in the scene at the cottage -

- and after her return from her and Alex' trip to New York -

- and now in Scene 242 -

- in which it's once again paired with the same skirt - apparently that's her travelling ensemble, whereas paired with the slacks is just a casual day driving about and at home. 

One has to wonder if she might have worn that same blouse when she went with Tracy to Gregory's boutique? But thanks to DC's decision not to shoot any of that, we'll never know...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'You know, I didn't tell you how really worried I was.'

- and/or Thursday's second quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 -  Quentin: 'You didn't have to.'

- check out -

And moving along with yet more of Scene 242, as scripted, or not:

- this post and to learn about the differences in the dialogue, including unscripted additions, and the differences in descriptions and the directions...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'No, no. That's not what I mean. I was afraid the exorcism didn't work.'

- and/or Friday's second quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 -  Quentin: 'Why?'

- and/or Saturday's quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'Because I had a funny feeling that it was really you who was keeping her spirit alive.'

- check out -

And wrapping up Scene 242, with both scripted and unscripted material, beginning with yesterday's first quote:

- this post and to learn about the differences in the dialogue, including more unscripted additions, and the differences in the descriptions and the directions...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

While looking up something entirely different I discovered another subtitles goof. Here's how the section really plays -

... And as for Quentin's final lines in the scene, what he actually says is "Well, I'm glad you were wrong" just before he turns away -

- from Alex and then adds "Have the lobsters ready --" - to which Alex answers with an unscripted -

"Females."

...

- but the DVD/Blu-ray says -

- "You bet"?? How did they get "You bet" from "Females"?!    But then they had an interpretation all their own when it came to that line/subtitle in Scene 85, and the VHS had the same odd interpretation - though what's quite interesting this time around is that the VHS subtitle is correct -

- but apparently ours is not to come up with the rationale that figures out any of it...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 112/Scene 243 - Tracy: 'What are you doing?'

- and/or Sunday's second quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Quentin: 'I have to pick up my canvases --'

- check out -

Setting up the current scene:

- this post...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 112/Scene 243 - Quentin: 'I'll only be a minute.'

- and/or Monday's second quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Tracy: 'Hurry.'

- check out -

Wrapping up Scene 243 as scripted and not:

- this post and to learn about the differences when it comes to the dialogue, including even more unscripted additions, and the differences in the descriptions and the directions...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Quentin's dropped line from the section of Scene 243 that I linked to in the above post was featured in the original NoDS slideshow -

NoDS: Scene #243 - Quentin: 'Hey, come on, Trace, it'll only
take a minute.'

- and the reason it was originally included in that slideshow is because, as with others in the past, it's featured in the Fest's 1999 Movie Calendar.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 114/Scene 252 - Tracy: 'Quentin? What's taking so long?'

- check out -

Moving through several scenes without any or with little scripted dialogue until we reach the current scene:

- this post - however, check out -

Now, as for what is different with the dialogue, the descriptions and the directions:

 this post to learn about the differences when it comes to the dialogue, including yet even more unscripted additions, and the differences in the descriptions and the directions...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

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

Page 114/Scene 254 - Tracy: 'Oh, no...oh, God, no!'

- check out -

And wrapping up the script:

- this post - however, also check out -

And now what's different about Scenes 253 and 254 and beyond:

- this post to learn about the differences when it comes to the dialogue, including even yet more unscripted additions, and the differences in the descriptions and the directions...

And I say this frequently, but it never fails to surprise how even after over 50 years and having watched the film countless times I continue to see or at least pay attention to things that I never really paid attention to before. And in the case of Scene 254 it's how I noticed this time around that the table where the seance was held and the candelabra atop it are still in place:

Though, of course, the seance sequence isn't in the film, so overlooking making that connection might not be surprising. Plus, as I've also said frequently, I tend to pay close attention to the characters and less so their surroundings. So, in that shot no doubt in the past most of my attention has been paid watching Tracy in the doorway to the bedroom and not what's in the foreground of the shot...

Also, I have to say that when I noriced the table I was surprised by how small it is. Whenever I'd pictured the seance in my mind I also pictured the characters sitting at a much larger table. I'm not sure why - though part of it may be because of how in hoDS' Scene 218 in the Gallery they're seated at a larger rectangular table:

And while I did see the recovered seance sequence when Darren showed it at the 2004 Tarrytown Fest, it's probably needless to say that the size of the table was hardly what I was paying attention to...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Two rare stills associated with Scene 254:

First:

(Click here for a 700X476 version)

And:

(Click here for a 620X810 version)

And to my knowledge, neither of these have been officially published. Although, on the Internet I have come across this cropped B&W version of the first -

(Click here for a 1054X773 version)

- which certainly looks like it was scanned from a book or magazine - but because, as usual, a source is not cited, I have no idea what to say about it...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Just because the slideshow reached the end of the film that doesn't mean that nothing new will be posted to this topic. Over the course of the past year there were several times when I forgot about materials I have as well as discovered new materials. So a lot of that sort of stuff will be posted at the appropriate time now that the slideshow has started from the beginning again. Plus, I want to compare and contrast certain aspects of the different versions of the film that are available on VHS, DVD/Blu-ray, and Amazon Prime/iTunes. Also, we'll probably revisit some things that were posted but were posted at times other than when their associated scenes came up in the slideshow. And remember that if something comes up in the slideshow that you're not sure about, you can always go back in the topic to the posts that provided explanations for them...

Though nothing new will be coming until after the slideshow deals with the never shot Hippy sequence...

 

[Uncle Roger]

I wonder if that was the original ending. The closing shot of Tracy is certainly in sync with a lot of the other downbeat horror endings that were common at the time, such as Count Yorga. But the screen crawl announcing the deaths of Claire and Alex seems to undercut the impact of the earlier bit. Someone should have been kept alive in case there was ever a sequel.