Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A graphic/Still worth revisiting regarding Scene 230:

And when I'd put together the first graphic that appeared on Saturday -

- I'd used a crop of this fairly rare still -

(Click here for a 700X560 version)

- a small version of which appears on page 181 of the DS Return To Collinwood book...

(Sadly I don't have any stills of John Karlen from the seance. If any exist, I've never come across them. That's why he wasn't featured for Saturday's second quote. But as will be seen in some upcoming graphics, I was able to feature him when it came to those by getting a screen grab from the seance footage in one of the NoDS trailers...)

...

  And as far as "Saturday" goes, it was actually Tuesday, July 9th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And another graphic/Still worth revisiting regarding Scene 230:

And the graphic that appeared yesterday is actually a new one - originally, as I alluded to back at the end of June, I'd cropped a still that is actually associated with Scene 220 because I wasn't sure of that fact and used it simply because there's a candle in it -

- but this time around I made this new graphic -

- with this pretty rare still -

(Click here for a 700X1042 version)

- which I've gotten a copy of in only the last year, and which appears on the back cover of the movies soundtrack CD -

- along with other cropped to head shots versions of some other stills that will look familiar because I've shared the original versions...

...

  And you've probably already figured it out given the date of the post being revisited, but so far as "yesterday" goes, it was also July 10th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Continuing the seance sequence by revisiting how Scenes 231 & 232 are scripted:

...

DISSOLVE TO: 231    INT - TOWER ROOM - NIGHT                          231        as CAMERA begins a LONG, CONTINUOUS TRUCK through the        doorway to: 231    CONTD                                      CONTD  231        INT - TOWER STAIRS - NIGHT - CONTINUE TRUCKING        INT - THIRD FLOOR STAIRS - NIGHT - CONTINUE TRUCKING

End of scene 231 - but much more to come in the sequence...

Picking up the seance sequence where we left off:

232    INT - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT                        232        as CAMERA CONTINUES TO TRUCK DOWN THE CORRIDOR        toward the gallery, the SOUND OF QUENTIN'S VOICE        can be heard.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 107/Scene 232 - Quentin (O.S.): 'We want to help whoever is in this house. That is all...we know you are troubled...'

comes up.

End of scene 232 - but still much more to come in the sequence...

   And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 11th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting what went into the making of another graphic:

... yesterday's graphic, which was new, was a bit of a cheat. Because the script says -

232    INT - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT                        232        as CAMERA CONTINUES TO TRUCK DOWN THE CORRIDOR        toward the gallery, the SOUND OF QUENTIN'S VOICE        can be heard.

- I wanted to find at least a shot at night of the Gallery entrance from the corridor. Unfortunately, there aren't any such shots in NoDS as the film currently stands. However, there is one in hoDS (when Todd comes out of his room to make his escape to go to Carolyn), so I used it -

- rather than repeating the graphic I normally use when -

- I don't have a still or can't finagle something from a part of the scene that actually is in the film. That graphic had already popped up for the seance as the second one on Saturday and it's going to show up again tomorrow, so I wanted to see if I could figure out something else so that it wouldn't show up three times in this same sequence...

...

   And as far as "yesterday's graphic" goes, it was the one for July 11th.


 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the beginning of Scene 233 is scripted:

...

233    INT - GALLERY - NIGHT                             233        as CAMERA TRUCKS, revealing them, it begins to CRANE        UP, ending with a HIGH WIDE ANGLE.                              QUENTIN                  Let us try to help you.        He suddenly stops and looks TOWARD CAMERA.  They        all look at him.  HOLD FOR A MOMENT.                              ALEX                       (softly)                  Is she here?--        As Quentin casts his eyes around the room, he nods        his head, "yes."

And that's when today's quote -

Page 107/Scene 233 - Quentin: 'I know you're here, Angelique. I know you're with us. Now you must listen. You must leave us alone. We know you were not a witch, that your death was unjust. We have found your bodies...yours and Charles'. We have buried them in holy ground.'

comes up.

And so we come to what's quite possibly the most confusing bit of dialogue in the film. If Angelique wasn't a witch, how does one explain so many things in the film? But that's a discussion best left until after we deal with the whole script because we've yet to get to something that's more than a bit confusing if Ang lacks supernatural powers...

   And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 12th this time around.

Picking up Scene 233 where we left off:

TRUCK IN ON Quentin as he REACTS to something near        the top of the room, directly above the table.  They        follow his gaze as ever so faintly a mist begins to        form and take shape.  HOLD until we see the faint        outline of the face of Angelique.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 107/Scene 233 - Angelique's voice: 'Come with me.'

comes up.

And in DC's script, right after the descriptions and directions and before Angelique's line, DC added:

QUENTIN'S P.O.V. - CLOUD OF ANGELIQUE

   And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 13th this time around.

...

233A            233    CONTD                                      CONTD  233         THEIR P.O.V. - NOTHING        They all look at him as he REACTS.  They do not hear        or see it.                              ALEX                  What do you hear?

And that's when today's quote -

Page 108/Scene 233 - Quentin (ignoring him): 'I am not Charles Collins. You do not love me. Let go of me. Your spirit is free to leave this house, never to return here where you have had such unhappiness. You and Charles must go...'

comes up.

DC also added a notation between the words "house" and "never" that the camera would begin a slow zoom to Quentin's close-up.

   And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 14th this time around.

Continuing along with Scene 233:

Finally, the face starts to fade.

Continuing along with Scene 233 after Angelique speaks to Quentin (with some of DC's additions added):

And that's when today's quote -

Page 108/Scene 233 - Quentin: 'Join each other in a world where there is no death or hatred. Go with my love. Go forever -- go -- go -- go.'

comes up.

But things are far from over. In fact, they're really just about to begin when the next quote/capture comes up...

   And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 15th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   When it come to the graphics I made for those Quentin quotes, I used a screen capture from a clip of the seance that appears in the rare 2 minute trailer (and I believe the reason it's rare is because I've read in a few places that it was the European trailer). But I'm going to hold off highlighting one of those graphics/that clip because I made other graphics for other days from that same clip and we have yet to reach those moments while revisiting the script.

However, something I will share is that if I hadn't fallen behind in keeping up with this topi I probably would have replaced two of the four Quentin graphics with new ones because during the past year I came across an extremely rare still of Quentin from the seance. The copy that I came across seems that it was very likely published in a book or magazine article, but I have no way of actually knowing where it came from because, which is so often the case, whoever shared it didn't include a source. But wherever it came from, here it is exactly as I found it when I did a Google search for NoDS on the Internet:

Unfortunately, I don't know if it's still available on the Internet because when I did a Google search just before posting this to give credit for where I found it, the NoDS slideshow it had been a part of didn't come up in the search as it had originally. But if it's no longer available there, at least it's now available here.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the end of Scene 233 is scripted:

Continuing Scene 233:

Just as the mist is about to vanish completely, the        moment is shattered by the SOUND of the Music Room        shutters flying open and the SHRIEK OF CARLOTTA'S        ANGUISHED VOICE.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 108/Scene 233 - Carlotta (O.S.): 'No! You must not send her away!'

comes up.

But if the clips we've seen from the seance are any indication, more than likely Carlotta isn't simply heard off screen because the clip of Carlotta screaming "No!" is in at least two of the NoDS trailers.

And Grayson has a note in her script that at this point Carlotta is wild and crazed with the fear of losing Angelique.

   And as far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 16th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how this graphic was done:

When I'd put together today's graphic -

...

- I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I used a screen capture from this -

- versions of which appear in two of the NoDS trailers.

And here's a version of the clip slowed down to 25% of the speed -

- to get a better look at it...

...

...

   And as far as "today's graphic" goes, it was the one for July 16th.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the start of Scene 234 is scripted:

Moving on the next scene in the seance sequence:

234    WHIP PAN to Carlotta, who stands in the Music     234        Balcony high on the back wall of the gallery.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 108/Scene 234 - Carlotta: 'I will not let you!'

comes up.

But if the clips we've seen from the seance are any indication, more than likely in the film the camera whip pans to Carlotta before the script indicates.

And Grayson has a note in her script that at this point Carlotta is feeling rage.

   And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 17th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting this graphic:

When I'd put together today's graphic -

- I used a crop of this -

(Click here for a 700X557 version)

- rare still...

...

   And as far as "today's graphic" goes, it was the one for July 17th.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A post definitely worth revisiting:

The staging of the Carlotta seance appearance is also handled slightly differently.  The final version opts to show the gallery balcony windows slowly open and she is visible listening to the last few lines of the seance.  When she begins to shout though, it cuts to the fast-zoom in to her face.  Interesting that they chose to go that way.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of how Scene 234 is scripted:

Continuing Scene 234:

QUENTIN - CLOSE-UP        as his eyes roll back and he topples from the chair.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 108/Scene 234 - Tracy (O.S.): 'Quentin!'

comes up, followed in the script by:

WIDEN as the three of them jump to his side.

And that's when today's second quote -

Page 108/Scene 234 - Carlotta (still hysterical): 'Get out of this house! Take him with you if you must, but get out!'

comes up.

And along with Grayson having another note in her script saying that at this point Carlotta is feeling rage, she crosses "must" out of Carlotta's dialogue and replaces it with "have to". Sacrilege in the DS universe to ever drop an instance of saying "must" - but if it does play that way in the 129 minute version of the film, I suppose we'll just have to learn to live with it. 

And if Alex does indeed jump to Quentin's side in the 129 minute version, it will be interesting because for some reason I've only seen stills of Claire and Tracy at Quentin's side.

   And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were July 18th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Another post of Darren's that's definitely worth revisiting:

And if Alex does indeed jump to Quentin's side in the 129 minute version, it will be interesting because for some reason I've only seen stills of Claire and Tracy at Quentin's side.

You are correct.  As filmed, Claire and Tracy jump to Quentin's aide, while Alex stand up to confront Carlotta then chases after her when she runs off.

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

When it comes to the graphic for Quentin that I made for July 18th, I also used a screen capture from a clip of the seance that appears in the 2 minute trailer. But it's the second of three graphics I made with screen captures from that clip, so I'm going to hold off highlighting those graphics/that clip until after all the moments featured in the clip have been revisited in the script.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Another rarity worth revisiting:

...

- and as I'm sure you'll recall, it was published as part of Flip's Curse of Dark Shadows article - and that's the only place I've ever seen it...

...