Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up revisiting how Scene 218 appears in DC's script and moving on to revisit how Scene 219 is scripted:

Wrapping up DC's script's version of Scene 218 and moving beyond a bit, starting off with today's quote -

Page 101/Scene 218 - Quentin: 'The room had a heavy iron door --'

- coming up, followed in the script by:

ORGAN ROOM 219    INT - FOYER - NIGHT                                219        as they ENTER, the house is in darkness.  Quentin        crosses to switch on a lamp.  It doesn't work.  Alex        tries another.  It doesn't work either.                              ALEX                  Perfect.  No lights.                              TRACY                  There are candles in there.

And that's the end of Scene 219.

And, even though the dialogue was reworked, it's interesting that in the rewrite of Scene 218, the only things that were dropped were the references to Quentin choking. Who knows why - especially given the film makes a point of that with Quentin mumbling in his sleep that he can't breath and Tracy trying to wake him but being unable to? But, considering Quentin doesn't consider himself to be Charles, it does make sense that in the rewrite Quentin no longer refers to things in his dream as happening to him but happening to Charles.

And as for the sound Quentin can't identify, we'll hold off on discussing that until we get to Scene 228.

On to Scene 220 tomorrow...

  And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was June 29th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Not that I know for certain that the following two stills I've never posted before were taken on April 5th when Scene 219 was apparently filmed, but there is some circumstantial evidence. For one, the window/door behind Nancy Barrett could easily be in the Organ Room, where DC switched Scene 219 to take place - and two, as can be seen in the color version, Nancy is wearing the same turtleneck that Claire wears though much of the end of the film.

First up, this B&W version -

(Click here for a 740X866 version)

- and then this color version -

- which appears on page 177 of The DS Movie Book.

(I could have sworn I have a second B&W still from this photo session, but I couldn't locate it today. But if I do come across it, I will share it.)

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Jumping back a bit to revisiting some comments regarding Scene 217:

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...

Just catching up with this thread... that's a very cool capture of Carlotta hiding in the Tower, several entries back now.  I wish they had styled her hair to look really "wild" but for whatever reason she looks as composed as if she had just gotten up from her escritoire to check the day's menu.

Of course it takes A LOT to rile the hair of someone as hardcore as Miss Carlotta Drake...

That's for sure!! 

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 220 is scripted:

Moving on to Scene 220:

220    INT - CORRIDOR - NIGHT                             220        as the four of them proceed down the hall toward the        stairway, each holds a candelabra.  They stop at the        foot of the stairs.  As Quentin looks up:

And that's when today's quote -

Page 102/Scene 220 - Quentin: 'I have a terrible feeling that if I relax my will for just one second, it'll be all over...'

- comes up.

  And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was June 30th this time around.

And wrapping up Scene 220:

GROUP - HIGH ANGLE

And that's when today's quote -

Page 102/Scene 220 - Alex: 'We'll go up there, Quentin. You and Tracy stay as far away from that tower room as possible.'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

Quentin nods.  As Alex and Claire start up the stairs,        Quentin and Tracy EXIT THE SHOT toward the basement.

End of scene and (mystery) sequence. Tomorrow we'll get back to material that's actually in the film. Well, sort off to begin with. But more on that tomorrow...

  And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 1st this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

An important post definitely worth revisiting with regard to Scenes 218 through 220:

Until I came across the following the other day I'd completely forgotten that with regard to Scene 218 Darren had written this back in 2016:

A few notes I can share... scenes 218-220 were indeed shot- ...

It was cut out of even Dan Curtis's director's cut, though, most likely just to tighten things up a bit.  The dialogue from this scene between Alex and Quentin was edited down and plays over the shot of Carlotta in the tower in the director's cut, and yes it exists.  It was replaced with the solo Selby "find Carlotta" voice over to help make sense of the chopped up ending in the short version.

...

So, if one day we do get to see the restored 129 minute version, it will be fascinating to see what dialogue was originally edited down and played over Scene 217 rather than the Quentin voiceover that we're familiar with. And it's worth noting that DC pulled a similar trick when it comes to Quentin's dream because dialogue from what was the original Scene 67 in Grayson's script (before the piano sequence replaced it in DC's script), which was reworked to become Scene 101 in DC's script, plays in the dream.

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Another post worth revisiting that associated with Scene 220:

Today's -

- and tomorrow's graphics have been newly created with a slight crop of this -

- which still, which I had last time around but I didn't know if it was associated with Scene 220 until Darren Gross explained that it was back in December of 2016:

... I have one photo of Quentin close-up with the candelabra, and you can tell from the background that they are at the bottom of the staircase, about to separate.

... There are so many stills of Quentin with candles that sometimes it's hard to know which are simply publicity poses and which are for actual scenes. For example, back in '09 I used this for the seance -

- in the original slideshow for NoDS even though I was pretty sure it wasn't from the seance, but I cropped and enlarged it so it would look like it could be.

...and Yes, that photo you posted of the Quentin with candles on the previous page IS the shot I was talking about ...

...

   And given the posting date of the post we're revisiting, you may have already figured out that when it comes to "today's and tomorrow's graphics," they were for June 30th and July1st.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

...

And back in Reply #15 I'd shared two versions of this still -

... Not all 130 are there, but I know there were to be 130 because the newspaper also published this:

...

Also, because the quality of the newspaper version is terrible, here's a somewhat cropped but much better version of that photo of Quentin:

- which may also be associated with Scene 220, but it may simply be a generic publicity still...

But speaking of Quentin holding a candelabra in a still, a couple such stills will be upcoming once we reach Scene 229, one of which is very rare...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 221 is scripted:

Moving on to start the next sequence as scripted:

221    INT - BASEMENT - NIGHT                             221        as Quentin and Tracy come TOWARD CAMERA, Quentin stops        and looks around, sensing something. 221    CONTD                                       CONTD  221                              TRACY                  What?                              QUENTIN                  Something familiar about this --        Quentin opens a door which leads to a storage room,        as Tracy opens a small, heavy wooden door further        down the corridor.

...

Though that's not the way things play in the film - and we'll get into that in the next post...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting what actually happens in Scene 221:

Scene 221 does indeed begin with Quentin and Tracy descending into the basement and coming toward camera. But before we actually see them, we see their shadows -

- on the wall - and both Tracy and Quentin stop and look around, but there's no hint that Quentin stops because he senses something - in fact, the dialogue in Scene 221 is completely different from what's scripted because after they look around a few seconds, Tracy actually remarks -

"Oh, it's cold down here."

- to which Quentin replies -

"Yeah. We've got to be 50 feet below the house."

- to which Tracy then nods in agreement - and after they move on and begin to make their way -

- under some boards, they looks around a bit more -

- until Quentin nods to his left and says -

"I'm going to look in there."

- and after Quentin moves off to his left, Tracy begins to proceed forward until -

 - she comes to a room -

- (however, there's no need for her to open the door because it's already open) ...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the subtitles/closed captioning deals with the unscripted dialogue from Scene 221:

...

Scene 221 does indeed begin with Quentin and Tracy descending into the basement and coming toward camera. But before we actually see them, we see their shadows (which I can't resist mentioning that its another great shot where --

- DC uses shadow) - but soon after they come into view both Tracy and Quentin stop and look around, but there's no hint that Quentin stops because he senses something - in fact, the dialogue in Scene 221 is completely different from what's scripted because after they look around a few seconds, both the closed captioning and the subtitles show that Tracy actually remarks -

- though the subtitles jump ahead to the beginning of Quentin's reply, which continues in the subtitles as -

- and appears in its entirety -

- in the closed captioning - to which Tracy then nods in agreement - and after they move on and begin to make their way under some boards, they look around a bit more until Quentin nods to his left and both the subtitles and the closed captioning show him saying -

- and after Quentin moves off to his left, Tracy begins to proceed forward until she comes to a room, however, there's no need for her to open the door because it's already open.

More of the sequence to come...

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[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting stills associated with Scene 221:

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(Click here for a 840X552 version)

The Lobby Card that I shared back in Reply #78:

...

(Click here for a 930X738 version)

...

The still version -

(Click here for a 700X476 version)

 - a majorly cropped version of which appears on the cover of The DS Movie Book.

And an alternate version -

(Click here for a 700X476 version)

- that so far as I know has never been officially published anywhere.

And there's also various versions of this -

... the actual still of that photo, which I'd completely forgotten I owned, so here's a scan of that because it's the best version of the still:

- which I've also shared in Reply #22...

...

   And you will recall that B&W still (which must have been taken during rehearsal given David Selby is wearing a coat that he obviously doesn't wear in the film) is #22 in the NoDS Editor's Portfolio.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

 Revisiting how Scene 222 is scripted:

...

222    INT - SMALL - BASEMENT ROOM - NIGHT                222        as the door opens, Tracy ENTERS with her candelabra.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 103/Scene 222 - Tracy: 'There's nothing in here.'

- comes up, followed in the script by:

Suddenly there is an unexplainable gust of wind.  As        the candleabra is blown out, the small heavy door        slams shut.  Tracy screams.

...

  And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 2nd this time around.

And yes, the script spells candelabra incorrectly.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how things actually play in Scene 222:

...

...Scene 222, after we see Tracy completely -

- enter the room (and I love how she's shot from below), things switch to Quentin as he reaches the room he wants to look in and he -

- opens the door - and then after Tracy looks around her room and then delivers today's

"There's nothing in here."

- quote, the flames of the candles are indeed blown -

- out, she drops the candelabra -

- and she mutters -

"Shi..."

- as she soon sees the door -

- slam shut - however, unlike what's scripted, she doesn't scream. And more on her actual reaction when we deal with Scene 223...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Backtracking a bit, it just suddenly dawned on me that this still that was published in the long out of business Boston Herald Advertiser on August 1, 1971 -

...

...

- isn't a part of the NoDS Editor's Portfolio. And the fact that newspaper published a still that wasn't a part of it is quite unusual because as far as I've seen it was the case that a still chosen from the set of stills provided in the portfolio was what was used for every other individual still (as well as ones accompanying promotional articles) that was published that weekend in newspapers to promote the opening of the film on the 4th. It was also the case on subsequent weekends in August in other parts of the country. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that the Boston Herald Advertiser was provided with a still that wasn't when other newspapers seemingly weren't. I mean not even the Boston Globe, which was and still is a much more prestigious newspaper, was provided with a still that isn't a part of the portfolio because they published this:

...

Interesting that Sudden Terror (and not hoDS) also played with NoDS in Boston

...

But I guess prestige had nothing to do with it. And at this point it may forever remain a mystery as to why the Boston Herald Advertiser was provided with might be called an "exclusive" still. It's just too bad that the quality of how the still was published was so terrible...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the subtitles/closed captioning, or lack thereof, for Scene 222:

...

... I have to mention about the way this sequence was shot is that I love how -

- Tracy is shot from below as she enters the room.

But anyway, after Tracy looks around her room, she delivers her scripted line, "There's nothing in here." - and that is acknowledged exactly in both the subtitles and the closed captioning - then after the flames of the candles are indeed blown out by the unexplainable gust of wind, she drops the candelabra and mutters an unscripted -

...

"Shi..."

...

- that neither the subtitles nor the closed captioning acknowledges, which is why I have to (and it's interesting that apparently it was fine to say "Son of a bitch" twice in the film but not to completely say "Shit") - as she soon sees the door slam shut ...

...