Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[KMR]

Carlotta certainly has an ... interesting ... wardrobe for a housekeeper!

And I've always wondered how close she came to damaging the silver and/or the countertop ... 😁

[KMR]

(Remembering the damage sustained by the floor in the first floor hallway during the filming of House. And which was pointed out once in a tour, I seem to recall.)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

How often do I say that no matter how many times you see something there may still be new things to notice? Well, here's yet another example because I never noticed until this time around how elegant the lighting in Collinwood's (Lyndhurst's) Pantry isn't:

I mean, a bare bulb? Not even a shade of any sort? Could they spare the expense? Not to mention why in heaven's name do they need the room to be lighted by the unrestrained glare of a bare bulb?

Though one likely reason why I've finally noticed it is that the wider DVD/Blu-ray transfer shows much more of the light fixture than the VHS/Laser did:

But why it took me all these years since the DVD/Blu-ray was released is anyone's guess. Well, except considering the main focus of my attention is usually on Gerard and Carlotta - plus before the fixture comes into view Gerard exits the room from the opposite side of where the light fixture hangs. All that plus the fixture is only on screen for about 2 seconds. (And actually, I wonder why DC even moved the camera because it's not like the move was necessary to show either Gerard exiting or Carlotta moving to the counter. But then ours is not to try to fathom DC's thinking...) Though in my defense this time around was the first time I broke the scene down into frames, which is something that makes it easier to pick the best frames for the subtitles and closed captioning, especially when it comes to the VHS/Laser because if the camera is moving, that part of a shot is likely to be blurred when it comes to that transfer.

 

[KMR]

Wow, what an amazing detail, MB! I literally LOL'd even before I got to your words below the photo! 😄😆

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Carlotta certainly has an ... interesting ... wardrobe for a housekeeper!

I can't remember where, but I seem to recall reading something (official - not just a post on the Internet) that said Grayson picked out or at least helped to pick out all of Carlotta's clothes.

And I've always wondered how close she came to damaging the silver and/or the countertop ... 😁

Let's hope not. But yeah, she does slam that try down forcefully...

 

[Uncle Roger]

I don't recall where I read this now but Grayson rather gleefully described her NODS wardrobe as having no more goddam tweed.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wow, what an amazing detail, MB! I literally LOL'd even before I got to your words below the photo! 😄😆

Yeah, it is funny in an I can't believe they (meaning Lyndhurst) left the light like that way - but it was also tacky. Who knows what the reason was? 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 52 is scripted:

...

52     EXT - STABLES - DAY                               52        The two dogs are playing in the stable yard as        Quentin ENTERS under the archway.  Suddenly the        dogs become hostile.  Quentin stops, frowns,        then keeps walking.  The dogs wait for a moment        and then start slowly for him.  They are snarling        viciously as Gerard appears in the doorway.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 18/Scene 52 - Gerard: 'Inside, boys! Inside!'

- comes up, followed by the script explaining:

The dogs hesitate for a moment but then turn        and run inside.  Quentin crosses to the door.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 18/Scene 52 - Quentin: 'I'd keep them chained if I were you.'

- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:

Gerard does not agree or disagree but just starts        inside.                  You're Gerard Stiles. 52     CONTD                                     CONTD   52                              GERARD                  That's right.        Quentin starts into the stable.                              QUENTIN                  I'm Mr. Collins.

End of scene. However, ... everything is so different in the film ...

So, unlike how the script says that we see the dogs playing and when Quentin arrives, they become vicious and slowly make a move toward Quentin before Gerard stops them, as can be seen in the following capture, in the film Scene 52 starts off with shots of Gerard repairing brickwork -

- and as Gerard does this, off camera we hear Quentin ... introduces himself ... - and it isn't until the next camera shot that we see that Gerard is up on some scaffolding repairing brickwork near the roof of a part of the stable building, the dogs are quietly standing near the base of the ladder, and Quentin has just entered the stable yard, as can all be seen in the next capture -

- and after that point Gerard ... moves to the ladder, ... begins to climb down, and Quentin walks over to the bottom of the ladder as the dogs simply look over at him as he approaches, turn their attention to Gerard coming down the ladder and reaching the bottom by jumping down the last few steps, and then growl just the slightest bit as Gerard turns to Quentin and then turns to lead Quentin to the stable. And that's it - nothing really happening with the dogs at all. And there's probably a really good reason for that, as well as why Gerard is actually seen doing brickwork rather than simply appearing at the doorway to the stable. But I'm going to hold off getting into all that until after we reach Scenes 105 & 106 in the script...

And there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written up to this point.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A question worth revisiting:

Hmmm - I wonder which is 'Flash Weiner' -

- and which is 'Boy Powers'? We'll probably never know...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Starting to deal with the subtitles and the closed captioning for the mostly unscripted dialogue for Scene 52:

Both the subtitles and the closed captioning acknowledge that the scene actually begins with Quentin calling out to Gerard -

- and then both the subtitles and the closed captioning acknowledge that Quentin introduces himself, which is scripted to end the scene, but actually comes up next -

More to come...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up the subtitles and the closed captioning with the next batch of unscripted dialogue for Scene 52:

After Quentin introduces himself, the closed captioning shows that Gerard begins to respond by saying -

 - as do the subtitles -

- though in his stuttering the subtitles also show that Gerard begins his next sentence with an "I" that the closed captioning -

 - doesn't acknowledge.

End of dialogue for the scene.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 53 is scripted:

...

53     INT - STABLE - DAY                                53        There are four horses in their stalls.  Gerard        stands looking at them as Quentin crosses to him.

And that's when yesterday's first quote -

Page 19/Scene 53 - Gerard: 'You ride well?'

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

Page 19/Scene 53 - Quentin: 'I used to. When I was a kid. But it's been a long time. You better give me an easy one.'

- coming up, followed by the script continuing with:

Gerard takes a saddle from the rack and crosses to        a large black stallion.  He begins to saddle him        up.  Suddenly, he is friendly.                              GERARD                  You ought to be able to handle                  this one.        Quentin crosses to the horse and looks him over.                              QUENTIN                  Good-looking.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 19/Scene 53 - Gerard: 'His name's Ulysses. Just give him his head and you'll think you're in a rocking chair.'

- comes up, followed by the script continuing with:

QUENTIN                  I'll do my best.        He puts his foot in the stirrup and swings up        into the saddle.  He adjusts the reins and is        about to start forward.                              GERARD                  I saw your wife today.        Quentin looks down at him. 53     CONTD                                     CONTD   53                              QUENTIN                  Yes.        A long pause.                              GERARD                  She rides, doesn't she?                              QUENTIN                  She does.  But she won't today.                  I'll be back in a few hours.        He spurs the horse forward.  HOLD ON Gerard as        Quentin EXITS THE SHOT.

End of scene. Though, ..., the first half of the scene doesn't appear in the film as it stands now. However, if I understand things correctly, some version of the first half does appear in DC's original cut. But what's in the film at this point begins with Quentin putting his foot in the stirrup.

...

... we have no way of knowing what differences there might be when it comes to the directions and descriptions in the first half of the scene. However, so far as what is in the film, everything plays basically as scripted, although, it all takes place outside in the stable yard, not inside the stable - and when Gerard hears that Quentin's wife rides, he gets a smile on his face and then a look as if he'll be up to something.

And there are still no differences between the way DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts are written up to this point. However, in DC's script he has a notation in the first half of the scene that indicates that when Gerard is saddling the horse the saddle would be seen in the foreground as the camera shot then moves to Gerard in close-up.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Starting to deal with the subtitles and the closed captioning for the unscripted dialogue for the beginning of Scene 53 as it currently stands:

As Quentin inserts his foot in a stirrup, he actually says an unscripted, "Good-looking, Phllips," to the horse - however, both the subtitles and the closed captioning have -

 - and after Quentin is mounted and the horse moves a bit, Quentin tells him -

- which the closed captioning acknowledges, but the subtitles do not - and he tells the horse -

 - as he's about to start off, and which both the subtitles and the closed captioning acknowledge correctly.

More to come...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And now getting into the subtitles and the closed captioning for the scripted part of Scene 53:

After Quentin has mounted the horse and is about to leave the stable, suddenly Gerard actually says with a stutter, "I saw your w- -wife today." (though we currently have no idea of that because Scene 48, in which Gerard sees Tracy, is only in the 129 minute version) - and the closed captioning reflects that -

- but the subtitles do not -

- though the subtitles also include Quentin's response to which Gerard actually asks with a stutter, "Sh- -she rides, doesn't she?" - but neither the subtitles nor the closed captioning reflects the stutter -

More to come...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up the subtitles and the closed captioning for the scripted part of Scene 53:

Apparently Quentin doesn't completely hear Gerard's question, so he actually asks, "What'd you say?" - but both the subtitles and the closed captioning have -

- though the subtitles also include Gerard repeating his question, but he actually stutters, "I,I,I said, 'She,She rides, doesn't she?'" - and the closed captioning also gets it wrong -

- and Quentin's answer to that is to first say a reworked version of what's scripted: "Yes, she does." - followed by an unscripted, "Come on," to the horse as he pulls the reins to start out - and then to conclude with a reworked version of the second part of what's scripted: "But not today." - and the subtitles reflect all of that -

- but the closed captioning doesn't acknowledge the "Come on" at all.

End of dialogue for the scene.