Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When it comes to unscripted lines in Scene 33, we've already seen Quentin say -

"Quite a collection."

- when he first enters the Gallery - and after learning Quentin's painting are "very abstract," we've seen Carlotta say -

"You're a painter."

- before she delivers her scripted remark, "How interesting." And I still find this interesting -

...

... Though it's interesting that rather than add, "You're a painter," to her script, Grayson added Carlotta's remark as "Oh you paint?". ...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The late 1600's? Then who built the old house? Fred Flintstone Collins?

Good question.    Though it would seem to only have bearing if NoDS is a direct sequel to hoDS and that's a big IF. We don't even know if an Old House even exists in NoDS because it's never referenced. But as I've said before, perhaps in the universe of the films it was Joshua and not Isaac Collins who founded Collinsport in the late 1600s? We have no clue. And the only connection there might seem to be between NoDS and hoDS is a Mrs. Stoddard existed in both. But was she the same Mrs. Stoddard or is the one of NoDS a PT Mrs. Stoddard? IF it's supposed to be one and the same woman, well, that leads to all sorts of questions that there just don't seem to be answers to, like, upon Mrs. Stoddard's death, why does Quentin inherit Collinwood and not David? - and just how do Carlotta and Gerard get to be a part of Colinwood? And those are just two - I could certainly ask others - and other fans have...

[Gothick]

That's a very cool still from Screen World. Love the expression on the Divine One's face. So delectably cat-like.

G.

[Uncle Roger]

One theory that I kinda like is that David did inherit Collinwood but decided that he didn't want to live there because of all the assorted drama and trauma. So the estate went to the next living relative. But how close a relative could he be when he needs directions to find the house?
Then there's the Carlotta question. The script goes out of its way to establish that she's been the housekeeper for years and that her mother held the job before her. So how does Mrs. Johnson fit in? Or does she? And isn't Carlotta dressed rather formally to be doing household chores?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

• And Carlotta caresses the locket in the still, yet she never does so in this section of the actual scene.

As may have been noticed, Carlotta actually doesn't fondle the locket until after attention is paid to Angelique's portrait -

- and before she leaves the room. Though as I've said before, on first view it's much too early in the film for anyone to figure out the significance of that gesture...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

After Carlotta leaves the room and before today's quote from Scene 33 comes up, off screen Tracy muses an unscripted -

"That's our housekeeper. She makes me feel like she
invited us here."

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before moving on to new things, I'd like to point out that NoDS played in several different areas of the country throughout August of '71. Obviously it played in my area both the weeks of August 4-10 and August 25-31. But thanks to our very own KMR we know that it also played in MI the week pf August 4-10. And thanks to a sample of newspapers once auctioned off on the Heritage Auctions Web site, it's known that NoDS played in Memphis, TN and surrounding areas the week of August 11-17. And thanks to a posting of a NoDS newspaper ad on Pinterest, it's known that it played in and around Philadelphia, PA as well as parts of NJ the week of August 18-24. And thanks to an interview with Grayson and Sam Hall that appeared in the San Francisco Examiner that was also posted to Pinterest (in two parts: part 1, part 2) it's known that NoDS played in the San Francisco, CA area the week of August 25-31.

Since posting that I've come across other newspaper ads, including this one:

A few things of interest -

• Unlike every other newspaper ad that I had seen up to coming across that one, it is not a design that appears in the NoDS Pressbook - apparently they pieced it together on their own to fit the print space.
• It's interesting that they put the Horror of Frankenstein part of the ad over the right side of the NoDS ad with Collinwood showing through it.
• Like Massachusetts, apparently NoDS played in Pennsylvania at different periods of time. As I've posted, NoDS played in Massachusetts the week of August 4-10 and the week of 25-31. And as is mentioned in the above quote, NoDS played in Pennsylvania (and parts of New Jersey) the week of August 18-24. But thanks to the ad I've posted above, it also played in Pennsylvania the week of September 1-7, which is the reason why I'm posting the ad today. (The Lincoln Drive-in was located in Trevose, PA.)

And speaking of that first week in Pennsylvania (and parts of New Jersey), I have this ad:

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before we move on to today's Scene 38, I want to revisit Scene 35, the one in which the figure is seen -

...

...

- hanging in the tree. Now, you may recall this post -

Before we move on entirely from Angelique's hanging...

- however, Darren Gross explained how those still came about -

...

The shot of the skeleton hanging from the tree was just on-set goofing around. I have the contact sheets from this shoot, and it's not supposed to be Angelique- it's Charles's skeleton and is dressed in his rotted shirt- that's why there's that shot of Selby standing next to it, as it's his character.  They were shooting publicity shots of Selby, and the crew just ties a rope to the skeleton and pulls it up off the ground to get the shots with Selby, then afterwards a few shots of it by itself in the tree.  I was thrilled to find that contact sheet, as it always appeared to be some shot of Angelique's body rotted to nothing and hanging there, and intriguing, but impossible scene to match to any of the scripts.

...

- and another version of the skeleton photo that I meant to post is the colorized version that 16 Magazine shared -

- which was misidentified as being Angelique's remains...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

At the outset of Scene 38 Tracy asks an unscripted -

"Darling, what's the matter?"

- on screen before actually crossing over from behind Quentin to deliver today's quote.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Today's quote actually ends Scene 38 in the film because Tracy's line that comes up in the script after it is moved to and delivered earlier in the sequence. And Scene 39 doesn't appear in the film as it currently stands, only in the 128 minute version. But this post is going to deal with the beginning of Scene 39 for two reasons. First, when I posted the excerpt of the script back in 2016 I neglected to include dialogue that Grayson added to her script:

39     HIGH ANGLE                                        39           __________/ I brought some white wine        as |Carlotta| ENTERS with the tray.  Tracy crosses        to the table, Quentin still stands at the window.    I hope                                                  you  like it

And that leads to reason two because the VHS version of the end of Scene 38 plays like this -

- and the DVD/Blu-ray version plays similarly -

- however, the HD version available on Amazon Video and iTunes plays like this (and I've included the subtitles to further emphasize it) -

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And getting back to Grayson's script, she has a notation that Carlotta should start to serve, and the notation does go on a bit from there, but, unfortunately, it's hard to decipher all of her handwriting, so we'll leave it at that.

Since then I have been able to decipher it:

QUENTIN - CLOSE-UP        He is still trying to understand what it was he        saw.                                                          I should                              TRACY (O.S.)            start to                  Come on, darling ... it looks      serve - I                  delicious.                          stop her                                                        with a look                                              DISSOLVE TO:   that she                                                              useless 40     INT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT                      40

And wow, if Carlotta actually does give her a look like that, she's really starting off practically right from the outset to show her disdain for Tracy. And it's interesting that even though all of that end of Scene 39 is cut in the 94 and 97 minute versions of the film, there's still a dissolve to Scene 40...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before things move on to today's Scene 40 in the slideshow, I want to share one last thing associated with the Gallery sequence, and that's this still -

(Click here for a 700X1028 version)

 - which I'd forgotten I have - though a somewhat cropped version appears on page 184 of The DS Movie Book and a greatly cropped version is the inside back cover image for the Movie Soundtracks' CD case -

- and for some reason the details of the window are blown out of both print versions, which is unfortunate because the details of that Gallery window are stunning.

And it's interesting that in this still, unlike in the one I shared in Reply #779, Quentin isn't wearing his jacket and instead has it thrown over his shoulder similarly to how he has it in the film.

And additionally, seeing this still makes me question just where does Carlotta serve that salad? I suppose it's on that round table behind Quentin and Tracy (the same table on which the seance is held). But with that lamp on it, it doesn't seem like there would be all that much room for food and wine - though I suppose the angle from which the still is taken could be deceiving...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When I checked for something regarding how today's quote in the slideshow plays in the film I discovered that back in 2016 not only didn't I feature some unscripted dialogue related to yesterday's quotes, I didn't even acknowledge that there is unscripted dialogue associated with them!  Bad MB! 

So to remedy that, after Quentin actually asks Tracy, "Are you gonna be happy here?," she actually replies, "Well, I think I am if you are...," Quentin replies to that with an unscripted -

"I guess I will be."

- However, given that reply is as clear as day on the VHS and the closed captioning indicates as much -

- for some very odd reason, the subtitles for the DVD/Blu-ray releases and the HD version on Amazon Video and iTunes have Quentin saying -

- Who knows?! But then that isn't the only instance where either the closed captioning or the subtitles, or even both, get something wrong. 

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

The way that the section of Scene 40 that today's quote actually plays out in the film is that after Quentin adjusts his head back on his pillow, he puts his right arm behind his head and he actually says "I don't know why," Tracy replies with an unscripted -

"HMM?"

- (and something that's interesting about that is the closed captioning acknowledges that she does that -

- but the subtitles on the DVD/Blu-ray releases and the HD version on Amazon Video and iTunes don't) - and then Quentin actually continues with "I almost feel like I've come home again," to which Tracy actually replies with an unscripted -

"Well, that's good."

 

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before moving on to get into anything having to do with Scene 46, I want to revisit a few things about Scenes 41 - 45:

DISSOLVE TO: 41     EXT - FRONT OF COLLINWOOD - NIGHT - WIDE ANGLE    41        It is much later.  The house is completely dark.        The only sound is the GENTLE MOANING OF THE WIND.        Suddenly the strange light we saw in the opening        sequence begins to emanate from the Tower Room.        CAMERA starts a SLOW ZOOM IN 42     INT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT                      42        Quentin and Tracy are asleep.  The curtains billow        gently at the windows.  CAMERA STARTS A SLOW TRUCK        IN on Quentin as he begins to stir restlessly in        his sleep.  Finally he rolls over on his back.  His        eyes are wide open and he seems to be listening        intently to some unheard sound.  Slowly he starts        to rise from the bed as CAMERA TRUCKS back revealing        Tracy still sound asleep.  Quentin, now out of the        bed and moving as if in a trance, puts on his robe        and quietly EXITS the room. 43     INT - CORRIDOR - OUTSIDE MASTER BEDROOM - LOW     43        ANGLE        as Quentin ENTERS the shot PAN with him as he        starts toward the stairway to the third floor. 44     EXT - COLLINWOOD - NIGHT                          44        SHOT favors the windows of the Tower Room, they        still glow faintly from the light within.        HOLD on this for a moment as Quentin suddenly        appears near the windows and then moves out of 44     CONTD                                     CONTD   44        sight toward another part of the room.  RACK        FOCUS to EXTREME CLOSE-UP of Gerard, who has        been standing there watching, his eyes blazing        with hatred.                                              DISSOLVE TO: 45     INT - MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT                      45        Tracy, alone in the bed, stirs, half awake.  She        reaches out for Quentin, awakens a little more,        sees he is gone.  Then she falls back to sleep.

I suspect a shot that appears as the opening of the 1 minute NoDS trailer that's from the back of the house (and not the front) and which shows a zoom in on Collinwood's tower with a light moving across the windows -

- may have been Scene 41. Trouble is that scene probably only appeared in the 150 minute rough cut of the film that was only screened for production personnel because, as Darren Gross wrote on his Restoration Web site, it's footage that was not recovered when the 129 minute version of the film was found. In fact nothing from Scenes 41 - 45 was recovered:

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- FRONT OF COLLINWOOD-NIGHT. The Tower begins to glow. INT. MASTER BEDROOM- Quentin rises in a trance and leaves. INT. CORRIDOR-NIGHT. Quentin walks towards stairway. EXT.COLLINWOOD-NIGHT. Quentin appears in tower window. GERARD watches.

And the main reason I don't think it matters that the shot is from the back (and not the front) is that there are other shots of Collinwood where it was scripted to be from a certain angle but in the film it's actually from a different angle.

And it's really quite unfortunate that Scene 44 didn't survive beyond the rough cut because it helps a great deal to explain Gerard's motivation in the film. But then, we all know how little character motivations mattered to DC when it comes to the two DS films. 

It's also interesting that DC indicates in his script that he wanted Scene 45 to take place in the film after Quentin appears near the windows in Scene 44 and before the part of Scene 44 in which Gerard is seen in extreme close-up with hatred in his eyes. That probably would have been more effective. But it doesn't really matter because in the end none of it got into the film...