Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 216 is scripted and thoughts on whether or not it's in the film:

What's unfortunate when it comes to Scene 216 is that it's neither on the unrecovered list nor on the recovered list. So who knows? Though if I were to be dangerous enough to hazard a guess as to whether or not it appears in the 129 minute version of the film, I would say no based on the fact that it's very much a character oriented scene and we all know what little regard DC had for those. And if it isn't in the film, it really is a shame because a lot of things that need to be said between Quentin and Tracy are said. But what would DC care about that? 

But anyway, judge for yourself:

...

216    EXT - RIVER ROAD - NIGHT                           216        Quentin and Tracy are alone together for the first        time since the drowning.  Alex and Claire can be seen        in the B.G. waiting for them.  Tracy still sobs as        he holds her, comforting her.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Quentin: 'I'm sorry Trace. I'm sorry for everything that's happened.'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

Holding her, he kisses her eyes, her lips as they try        to comfort each other.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Tracy: 'Oh, please, Quentin...please don't go back in that house.'

- comes up.

...

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was June 20th this time around, and when it comes to "today's quote," it was June 21st.

...

He looks at her, trying to find a way to explain it.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Quentin (softly): 'Tracy, try to understand the way I feel. I have such a tenuous hold on myself that --'

- comes up, followed by today's quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Tracy (interrupting): 'But you're all right now. You're all right.'

- coming up.

...

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was June 22nd this time around, and when it comes to "today's quote," it was June 23rd.

...beginning with yesterday's quote, Quentin's response to Tracy's latest lines -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Quentin: 'But I don't know how long I'll stay this way. There's only one way to end it. We've got to go back in there and face it down --'

- coming up, followed in the script by:

She nods.  HOLD ON THIS as the two of them cross toward        Alex and Claire.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Tracy: 'What about Carlotta?'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

As Alex and Claire cross to meet them.

And that's when today's second quote -

Page 100/Scene 216 - Alex: 'I don't think we'll find her.'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

They all start up toward the house.

...given the voiceover that is added to the next scene in the current version of the film, something *may* have changed with this scene, or the voiceover *may* have been added because Scene 216 was dropped. But one thing is certain, the closing dialogue in Scene 216 and the added voiceover in Scene 217 can't both exist in the 129 minute version of the film because they contradict. But more on that when we deal with Scene 217...

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was June 24th this time around, and when it comes to "today's" quotes, they were June 25th.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the still used for the graphics for June 20th through the 25th:

The current series of graphics -

- have been created with a crop of this -

- which appears on page 161 of the DS Almanac Millennium Edition, which is the only place I've ever seen it shared. I've never come across the actual still anywhere...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting another behind the scenes still:

A behind the scenes candid which could also be associated with the shooting of Scenes 206 - 215, current Scene 216, or even upcoming Scenes 217 - 218 (though there's some mystery as to whether or not Scene 218 was ever shot - but more on that when we get to it):

(Click here for a 620X780 version)

I've never seen any source cited for this. It could also be one taken by Yvonne David (who, BTW, was the head of wardrobe on the film), or it could be someone entirely different. If it is someone different, I have my suspicion as to who it might be - but more on that in a future post associated with Scene 217...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 217 is scripted:

Moving on to the next scene, which is something of a rarity in this section of the script because it does actually appear in the current version of the film, though not entirely as scripted:

217    INT - TOWER ROOM - NIGHT                           217        The room is in darkness and through the window, as if        someone is watching, the four of them can be seen        approaching the house.  Then RACK FOCUS to Carlotta        in the EXTREME F.G. as she stands there looking down        at them.  As they EXIT THE SHOT below, Carlotta turns        away in thought.  TIGHTEN TO CARLOTTA'S EXTREME CLOSE-        UP.

And obviously, when it comes to the scene as scripted, there's no sort of dialogue whatsoever. However, in the film as it currently stands, a Quentin voiceover was added after the marathon editing session, and it plays as follows:



"Alex..."

"...you know there's only one way we're going to end
all of this..."

"...We've got to go back in there and find Carlotta..."



"...because she's the one who's keeping the spirit alive --"

Which would seem to be a reworking of Quentin's "There's only one way to end it. We've got to go back in there and face it down --" from Scene 216. But because the reworking puts finding Carlotta front and center, it obviously flies in the face of the part of Scene 216 in which Tracy asks about Carlotta and Alex says he doesn't think they'll find her.

And speaking of Carlotta, Grayson's script has notes for Scene 217. She writes that Carlotta feels TRAPPED and PANIC - that she and Angelique have fought - that Carlotta is a little wild looking - and that there's desperate fear. She also wrote one other thing, but sadly the words go off the edge of the page, so it's impossible to figure out.

  Actually, what Grayson wrote that goes off the edge of the page is that the desperate fear is that they'll take Angelique away...

 

[patrickm]

I saw on one of the DS facebook pages that a huge 150 year old tree behind Lyndhurst mansion crashed during a bad storm a few days ago. There were a couple of pictures and it looked like it just missed the back porch but was basically a big pile of branches and couldnt get any perspective on that particular tree. (For me, just looked like a flashback of all the tree damage that we incurred after returning home from the Fest when Hurricane Charley hit.) Anyway, was wondering , was this tree is any scenes of either movie.  Ive been to Lyndhurst a bunch of times but other than the trail that got close to the river, I never spent much time behind the house. Im certainly not as knowledgeable on specific scenes in both movies either as you are MB.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 217:

So when it comes to Scene 217's unscripted voiceover, both the subtitles and the closed captioning acknowledge it correctly, beginning with -

 - followed by the subtitles having -

- and the closed captioning having-

More to come...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up revisiting the subtitles for Scene 217:

And picking up where we left off with Scene 217's unscripted voiceover, both the subtitles have -

- and the closed captioning has -

 - and then the subtitles have -

- and the closed captioning has -

- and finally the subtitles have -

- and the closed captioning has -

More on all this after we deal with Scenes 218 through 220...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting another post related to Scenes 216 & 217:

I forgot to mention that when Quentin's "There's only one way to end it. We've got to go back in there and face it down --" from Scene 216 came up on the 1999 Movie Calendar for December 8th, rather than use it for that day's installment of the original NoDS slideshow, I featured part of the unscripted voiceover that currently plays over Scene 217 because, as I mentioned, the voiceover would appear to be a reworked version of Quentin's lines:

NoDS: Scene #217 - Quentin: 'There's only one way we're
going to end this. We've got to go back in there and find
Carlotta because she's the one who's keeping the spirit
alive --'

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more behind the scenes photos:

... I held off posting the following two because they were taken outside "Collinwood," even if it's the opposite side of the house from what we see in Scene 217.

Now, I'm not sure who took those two photos. However, back in the '90s I came across a now defunct Web site that someone set up with photos he'd taken back in 1971 while he'd been lucky enough to be allowed at Lyndhurst while NoDS was shooting on the grounds. I saved a copy of his site for my own personal use. Eventually I moved the site onto a CD for safe keeping and to clear up disk space on the computer I had at the time. And I know it's going to come as no surprise to anyone that I have no idea where that CD is now because I have a terrible habit of not labeling CDs (that would be too easy). However, the CD is very likely packed away with other CDs with other things on them for "safe keeping," but I never seem to find the time to dig them out and check through them. One day...

But be all that as it may, I've since come across this photo of the guy posing with Kate Jackson:

(Click here for a 900X785 version)

And one thing I definitely remember about the site is that the guy who set it up was a big Kate Jackson fan. And if I recall correctly, she appeared in almost every photo that he'd shared on the site. And that leads me to a strong suspicion that perhaps, even though it seems as if his original site is now defunct, he's created another site where many of his NoDS photos are on display.

Check out this Gallery from that site:

KATE JACKSON GALLERY FOUR
(Scroll down about halfway for 6 photos:

• The second photo on line 33.
• The third photo on line 34.
• The first photo on line 35.
• The first photo on line 36.
• And the third and fourth photos on line 37.)

...

MB, I checked with my BFF Helen Samaras and she confirmed that it is indeed Richard Levantino. I can't say if that's his website though. He was and is a huge Lara Parker fan. I don't think that I ever heard him mention Kate. He used to post here on the forum many years ago. I believe that he was known as MM#7.

There are other posts regarding the photos and Richard Levantino, but I'm just revisiting those two. To get the full picture go back and reread starting with the first post here (Reply #675)..

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

There were a couple of pictures and it looked like it just missed the back porch but was basically a big pile of branches and couldnt get any perspective on that particular tree.

I tried to see if there was anything more specific on the Internet about the fallen tree, but all I could come up with were those two photos, which seem to have first been shared on Lyndhurst's Instagram account:

(Click here for a 1080X1080 version)	(Click here for a 1080X1080 version

On the other hand, I would say the fallen tree should have definitely appeared in NoDS as part of the hanging of Angelique. It may have been seen from multiple angles, but I strongly suspect it was probably best seen when the camera angle was from behind the tress to the house, and it may have even been the tree in which the hanging was staged, as seen in this still -

(Click here for a 1000X750 version)

- and this screen capture -

As for hoDS, parts of the same tree may have also been seen in that film in the sequence in which Barnabas goes for a walk in the daylight with Maggie, but the bottom portion of it shows up more prominently in the shot of Julia atop the tower.

[patrickm]

Thanks MB. Those are great pics. I dont know if Ive ever seen them before. Anyways, if that is the tree - which it looks like it is, Lyndhurst was extremely lucky it didnt hit the house.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting a version of Scene 218:

And just when you thought we've seen all the alternate versions of scenes that appear in Grayson's script, up pops Scene 218. And we're going to deal with her script's version before DC's script's version ...:

218    EXT - COLLINWOOD PORTICO - NIGHT                   218        as Quentin, Tracy, Alex and Claire stand near the        front door, getting ready to go in.  Alex is about        to open the front door, when Quentin stops him.                              QUENTIN                  Alex, all the way up here I've                  been thinking --                              ALEX                  About what?                              QUENTIN                  One of those dreams that I had...                  I think it's important...        Alex looks at him.                              QUENTIN                  Gabriel and two men locked                  Charles Collins in a small dark                  room.  The thing that was so                  terrifying about it was that                  when I woke up I felt I was                  choking to death...I couldn't                  breathe.                              TRACY                  I remember that!                              QUENTIN                  There was something else about                  that room, too.  Because when                  they threw me in,my head hit                  some kind of a wooden object.                  Before I could see what it was,                  they slammed the door and bolted                  it.  Then I heard that sound.                              ALEX                  What sound? 218    CONTD                                       CONTD  218                              QUENTIN                  That's it, I don't know.                  I can't even describe it.                  But I do know I've heard it                  before.                              ALEX                  O.K.  What do we look for?                              QUENTIN                  The door was a heavy iron door --

End of scene as it appears in Grayson's script...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting DC's script's version of Scene 218:

And now we begin DC's script's version of Scene 218, which begins with the same opening, but quickly changes:

218    EXT - COLLINWOOD PORTICO - NIGHT                   218        as Quentin, Tracy, Alex and Claire stand near the        front door, getting ready to go in.  Alex is about        to open the front door, when Quentin stops him.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 101/Scene 218 - Quentin: 'Alex, there's something in there we've got to find.'

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

Page 101/Scene 218 - Alex: 'What are you talking about?'

- coming up.

And when it comes to this scene - actually, when it comes to the next entire sequence of Scenes 218 though 220, it's apparently a mystery as to whether or not they were ever shot. Darren Gross wrote on his NoDS Restoration Web site that not only wasn't the sequence part of the recovered footage, but even though the scenes were "blocked in the director's notes, it is unknown whether this sequence was actually shot. Not a single still photo from this sequence has yet turned up." And that's the reason for the weird graphics - they cover both bases of either the scenes were never shot or it's simply a fact that I don't have any stills from them...

   And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were June 26th.

And here's a post featuring two of the weird graphics -

What's up with today's weird graphics?

All will be revealed once we get into Scene 218...

- and also, revisiting a follow-up post regarding whether or not the scenes were shot -

... when it comes to the next entire sequence of Scenes 218 though 220, it's apparently a mystery as to whether or not they were ever shot. Darren Gross wrote on his NoDS Restoration Web site that not only wasn't the sequence part of the recovered footage, but even though the scenes were "blocked in the director's notes, it is unknown whether this sequence was actually shot. Not a single still photo from this sequence has yet turned up." ...

That was then, but almost a month later new info was posted:

A few notes I can share... scenes 218-220 were indeed shot- they're included in a daily shooting report I have. ...

And what's also interesting is that the call sheet that I came across earlier this year and have been referencing also lists Scenes 219-220. Apparently they were also shot on April 5th:

(Click here for a 880X910 version)

Of course, just because a scene is listed on a call sheet and/or a shooting schedule doesn't 100% mean it would be shot because there are cases of that with regard to the shooting of hoDS where scenes listed never were actually shot. But in this case there is paperwork confirming they were shot...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Anyways, if that is the tree - which it looks like it is, Lyndhurst was extremely lucky it didnt hit the house.

Indeed.

Today I got the chance to go though the screen captures I'd posted back in 2021 from when the Westminster Dog Show was held at Lyndhurst, and the following ones show how the trees in the back of the house looked more recently:

First up, from the perspective of the front of the house -

(Click here for a 1814X1018 version)


(Click here for a 1814X1018 version)

- and then from the back -

(Click here for a 1814X1018 version)


(Click here for a 1814X1018 version)

In the first two captures it does seem as if the tree on the left, which is the tree Angelique's hanging was staged in, is the one that fell - but if the tree on the left in the last two fell to its right, it's also a possibility. Short of some fan going to Lyndhurst to see for themselves and reporting back, I suppose we may not know for sure which tree fell until we see updated shots of the house/grounds...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of DC's script's version of Scene 218:

Picking up where we left off with DC's script's version of Scene 218, starting off with yesterday's first quote -

Page 101/Scene 218 - Quentin: 'In a dream I had, Gabriel threw Charles into a small dark room. I remember that when he hit the floor, he fell over something wooden. Before I could see what it was, Gabriel bolted the door.'

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

Page 101/Scene 218 - Alex: 'Do you remember anything else?'

- coming up, followed by today's first quote -

Page 101/Scene 218 - Quentin: 'No - only a sound, and I can't even describe it, but I know I've heard it before.'

- coming up, followed by today's second quote -

Page 101/Scene 218 - Alex: 'Well, where do we start?'

- coming up.

   And as far as "yesterday's" quotes go, they were June 27th this time around, and when it comes to "today's" quotes, they were June 28th.