Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And now getting back to revisiting subtitles/closed captioning:

But first up, because it's been so long since we've seen it, here's a reminder of how Scene 2227 is scripted:

...

227    INT - BASEMENT AT DOOR - NIGHT - NORMAL SOUND     227        as Quentin and Alex, in a last desperate effort        finally yank the door open.  The light pours into        the room as they run in.  The white mist which        envelopes Tracy disappears.  She lies there, her        eyes vacant with shock.  They bend to her as Quentin        cradles her in his arms.                              CLAIRE                  Oh, my God, it was the same                  thing!?        As Tracy begins to come out of it, she begins to sob.                              TRACY                  It was so horrible...she was                  here!...she was here!        Quentin looks around the room.

...

And now the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 227:

It seems like forever since we've gotten into the differences in the subtitles and the closed captioning. But now that we've dealt with the rearrangement of scenes in the shorter versions of the film and various other matters we can get back:

When it comes to Scene 227 we do know that at least some version of Claire's scripted "Oh, my God, it was the same thing!" after she's seen Angelique's attack on Tracy is in the 129 minute version of the film, but given what's still in the film, it may be doubtful that Tracy's scripted "It was so horrible...she was here!...she was here!" is - but regardless of all that, what does appear in the current version of the film is all unscripted - after Quentin has entered the room he kneels down to Tracy and calls her name twice - and that is acknowledged in both the subtitles -

- and the closed captioning -

- but when it comes to the sounds that Tracy makes as she revives, neither the subtitles nor the closed captioning references them - and when Quentin reassures Tracy, the subtitles correctly have -

- but as per usual the closed captioning insists on correcting the grammar -

- and the deep sighs that Tracy lets out after that are also ignored by both the subtitles and the closed captioning.

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Comments with revisiting about this screen capture:

...

...

Only Grayson could manage to look as if she's voguing in a shot where she's playing a dead body.

What a GREAT artist she was!

    But I agree!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the beginning of Scene 242 is scripted:

...

242    EXT - COTTAGE - DAY                               242        Claire and Tracy are at their car as Quentin drives        up.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 110/Scene 242 - Quentin: 'O.K. Everything's taken care of. As of now, all this grandeur is for sale.'

comes up.

And as far as the dialogue goes, what Quentin actually says is "O.K. Everything's taken care of. As of this very moment, all this grandeur's for sale."

And as far as the descriptions and directions go, Quentin actually delivers his lines as he gets out of his car and walks over to Claire and Tracy, who are not at a car but, as can be seen from this advanced look at tomorrow's first capture -

- are sitting at the top of the walk to the cottage.

   And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 24th this time around.

Not too much to say about today's quotes, the first one being -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Claire: 'Don't look so sad. Look at all the money you'll have.'

- followed by today's second quote-

Page 111/Scene 242 - Quentin: 'I'm not going to count on it.'

- coming up.

Obviously the script has moved to page 111 - there are no descriptions and directions to get into - but as far as the dialogue goes, what Claire actually says is "Don't look so sad, Quentin. Think of all the money you'll have", and Quentin actually says "I'm not gonna count on it."

  And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were July 25th this time around.

Moving along with Scene 242:

Alex ENTERS THE SHOT from the house, crossing to them.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'The reservations at the Cape are all set. I told them we'd be there at seven.'

- comes up.

And as far as any difference in the dialogue goes, what Alex actually says as the first part of his lines is "All right now, the reservations at the Cape are all set."

...

   And so far as "today's quote" goes, it was July 26th this time around.

And moving along with more of Scene 242, beginning with today's first quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Quentin: 'Come on, Alex, it's going to take more than three hours.'

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

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'Not with me leading the way --'

- coming up, followed in the script by:

TRACY                (laughing)           You're right -- not with you.           We'll meet you there -- I           don't need anymore excitement --

And as far as any difference in the dialogue goes, Quentin actually responds to Alex with ""Hey, that's only three hours from now" - to which Alex replies "Not with me driving, buddy" - and Tracy actually says "You may be right, I'll tell you that. I've had enough excitement. We'll meet you there" - after which Claire replies with something undecipherable.

And there aren't any descriptions and directions to get into from the script, but Alex picks up his suitcase and says not with him driving -

- as he rushes toward his car - and Tracy and Claire soon follow behind him as Tracy delivers her lines -

- which Alex laughs at - and Quentin brings up the rear -

- as Tracy and Claire disappear toward Quentin and Tracy's car and Alex puts his suitcase in his car.

  And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were July 27th this time around.

More to come...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Starting to revisit the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 242:

When it comes to Scene 242, after Quentin says that all the arrangements to sell the grandeur of Collinwood are taken care of and Claire tells him not to look so sad and that he should think of all the money he'll have, the subtitles correctly show his response as -

- but the closed captioning doesn't even acknowledge Quentin's response - and as you can see the subtitles also jump up to Alex' line about reservations, but for some reason they drop him saying "Alright now" at the start of the line - and the closed captioning also drops it -

- and after that Alex adds, "I told them we'd be there at 7." - and the subtitles have that correctly, but the closed captioning has -

- and to that Quentin replies, "Hey, that's only three hours from now," and the subtitles also get that correctly, but the closed captioning has -

- and both the subtitles and the closed captioning don't acknowledge that Tracy laughs - and and after Alex remarks not with him driving and after everyone begins moving toward the cars, Tracy says, "With you leading us, you may be right, I'll tell you that." - but the subtitles only have -

- and quite oddly the closed captioning only has -

 - and Tracy also says, "I've had enough excitement. We'll meet you there." - and the subtitles acknowledge that fully - but the closed captioning only has -

More to come...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of Scene 242:

And moving along with yet more of Scene 242, as scripted, or not:

As Claire talks to Tracy, Alex gets into the car and        Quentin walks over to him.  They look at each other,        both knowing how lucky they are.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'You know, I didn't tell you how really worried I was.'

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

Page 111/Scene 242 -  Quentin: 'You didn't have to.'

- coming up.

And as far as any differences in the dialogue, the descriptions and the directions go, Alex doesn't get into his car and Quentin has already been walking toward and even going a bit past him - and in an unscripted exchange before today's first quote even comes up in the film, Alex slaps Quentin on the back -

"Hey."

- to get his attention, whereupon Quentin turns to him and Alex points to Quentin's face and then to his own while asking -

"How many stitches?"

- to which Quentin answers as the camera begins a slow truck in on them -

"Six."

 - then Alex asks -

"Could there be a scar?"

 - and Quentin answers -

"Doctor said if I'd of waited any longer, there would have been."

- and after that is when today's first quote comes up, but Alex actually says "You know, I never told you how worried I really was" - and today's second quote is completely dropped in the film as it currently stands, though it does appear in the 129 minute version of the film. And we'll get into why that is when we deal with tomorrow's first quote...

  And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were July 28th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting a still associated with Scene 242:

The interesting thing about the still associated with Scene 242 is that the printed version seems to show less than versions published in books and magazines and that's the opposite of the norm.

Here's a small scan of my printed version of the still -

- but here's a version which shows more at both the top and bottom and which looks like it was published in a book -

(Click here for a 689X865 version)

- (I have no idea which book because I came across the scan on the Internet and it wasn't credited to anything and I've never come across the book on my own) - and here's a version that was published in the Nov. '71 issue of 16 Magazine as part of its Sneek Peek at NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS! article -

 - and while it's cropped at the top, it shows more on the left side and much more at the bottom, including that cable, which I suspect is why the printed still cuts off where it does at the bottom so that we don't see it...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 242:

Picking up Scene 242 with the beginning of an unscripted exchange between Alex and Quentin that starts with Alex stopping Quentin as he makes his way to his car - and both the subtitles -

- and the closed captioning -

- get it correctly - and after Quentin stops and turns to him, Alex asks, "How many stitches?" - and the closed captioning -

- and the subtitles -

- also get that correctly, though the subtitles jump ahead to Quentin's answer, which they get correctly, as does the closed captioning -

More to come...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting even more of the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 242:

Picking up Scene 242's unscripted exchange between Alex and Quentin with Alex then asking if there could be a scar - and the subtitles acknowledge it exactly as Alex delivers it in the film -

- however, the closed captioning has -

- and to that Quentin replies, "Doctor said if I'd of waited any longer, there would have been." - and the subtitles get that almost exactly -

- simply dropping the "of" - though the closed captioning has -

End of the unscripted exchange but more of the scene to come...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And once again because I just love to point out Quentin's apparent love of an assortment of denim shirts, I simply have to revisit this post:

Thank heavens for his final scenes in the film Quentin is wearing one of his favorite denim shirts -

- after all, when it comes to shirts we wouldn't want our last moments with him marred by him wearing the one he wears in the deleted Gallery scene in which the portraits of Angelique are discussed and in the dining room sequence -

- or the shirt he wears in the deleted picnic sequence -

- as well as when he informs Carlotta he wants his painting materials moved from the Tower Room to the Gallery -

- or even the turtleneck he wears when he first arrives at Collinwood or the one he wears when he first explores the estate and ends up at the Jenkins' cottage. Heaven Forbid!!

...

Now, Domingo Rodrigues is credited as the film's Wardrobe Designer, but it's interesting that supposedly Grayson Hall decided Carlotta's wardrobe herself, and it would be even more interesting if any of the other actors did the same, namely David Selby. I have my own theories as to why Quentin wears so many denim shirts, but I would be curious if Selby and/or Rodrigues had the same reasoning...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And we mustn't miss out on revisiting Claire:

But Quentin isn't the only one who would seem to have a favorite type of top, and not only a favorite type, but a specific top - and that would be Claire. Apparently she loves her cranberry print blouse because she wears it when we first see her in her car when she spots Quentin at the cemetery -

- and, of course, subsequently in the scene at the cottage -

- and after her return from her and Alex' trip to New York -

- and now in Scene 242 -

- in which it's once again paired with the same skirt - apparently that's her travelling ensemble, whereas paired with the slacks is just a casual day driving about and at home. 

One has to wonder if she might have worn that same blouse when she went with Tracy to Gregory's boutique? But thanks to DC's decision not to shoot any of that, we'll never know...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Picking up where we left off revisiting in Reply #2044 how Scene 242 is scripted:

And wrapping up Scene 242, with both scripted and unscripted material, beginning with yesterday's first quote:

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'No, no. That's not what I mean. I was afraid the exorcism didn't work.'

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

Page 111/Scene 242 -  Quentin: 'Why?'

- coming up, followed by today's quote -

Page 111/Scene 242 - Alex: 'Because I had a funny feeling that it was really you who was keeping her spirit alive.'

- coming up, followed in the script by:

242    CONTD                                      CONTD  242                              QUENTIN                  Well, thank God you were wrong.                  Listen, have the lobsters ready --        Quentin crosses to his car as Alex pulls out.        Quentin follows.

End of scene as scripted.

And as far as any differences in the dialogue, the descriptions and directions go, just as how Quentin's quote from the 25th was dropped in the film, Alex' quote from yesterday was also dropped, and that was because they refer to the seance that doesn't currently appear in the film, but those quotes do appear in the 129 minute version of the film. As things currently stand, Alex says he was worried and the dialogue moves immediately to Quentin asking why when he's really asking about the seance, not simply about Alex' worries. And as for Quentin's final lines in the scene, what he actually says is "Well, I'm glad you were wrong" just before he turns away -

- from Alex and then adds "Have the lobsters ready --" - to which Alex answers with an unscripted -

"Females."

- and as Quentin makes his way to his car, we hear Claire say an unscripted -

"All right, bye bye."

- and then we hear Alex shout out an unscripted -

"Let's go, honey!"

 - and Claire answers with an unscripted -

"Right."

 - and then Quentin gets in his car -

 - and Alex gets in his car from the passenger side as Claire comes -

 - and Claire gets in the car -

 - and then Quentin and Claire exchange waves as Alex pulls his car away -

   And as far as "yesterday's" quotes go, they were July 29th this time around, and when it comes to "today's quote," it was July 30th this time around.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A post definitely worth revisiting:

One thing to keep in mind in many of the scenes, is that the dialogue in many of the scenes was all adjusted, tweaked, revised slightly on-set, which makes things play a little more naturally, but has been sheer hell from a dialogue re-looping standpoint because there's no document that exists which accounts for all the on-set changes.

I would think something like this section of Scene 242 -

and as Quentin makes his way to his car, we hear Claire say an unscripted -

"All right, bye bye."

- and then we hear Alex shout out an unscripted -

"Let's go, honey!"

 - and Claire answers with an unscripted -

"Right."

- which is not only unscripted but you can't even see the faces of the actors/characters would be impossible to recreate if the sound was missing. It would simply no longer be in the film...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Back to revisiting the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 242:

Picking up where we left off when it comes to Scene 242's subtitles and closed captioning, Alex then delivers his scripted remark as, "You know, I never told you how worried I really was." - and the subtitles get that perfectly - however, the closed captioning has -

- and to that Quentin asks his scripted "Why?" which completely bypasses Quentin's scripted "You didn't have to." and Alex' scripted "No, no. That's not what I mean. I was afraid the exorcism didn't work." because those two lines were cut after the seance sequence was deleted (but that exchange does appear in the 129 minute version of the film) - and the subtitles do acknowledge Quentin asking "Why?" - but the closed captioning does not - and to Quentin's question Alex actually replies with "Because I had this funny feeling that it was really you who were keeping her spirit alive." - however, the closed captioning has -

- and when it comes to the second half of Alex' line, the subtitles have -

- and to that the first part of Quentin's scripted reply is delivered as "Well, I'm glad you were wrong" - but both the subtitles and the closed captioning have it as -

- and when it comes to the follow up to that, the closed captioning correctly has Quentin's "Have the lobsters ready" and Alex' unscripted "Females" -

- but the subtitles have -

More unscripted to come...

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wrapping up the revisiting of the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 242:

Before I get into the last bits of unscripted dialogue for Scene 242, I forgot to mention yesterday that Alex must prefer female lobsters because they have more tail meat. (Males, on the other hand, have more claw meat.)

But be all that as it may, as Quentin makes his way to his car, we hear Claire say an unscripted "All right, bye bye." - and the subtitles acknowledge that -

- but the closed captioning does not - and then we hear Alex shout out an unscripted "Let's go, honey!" - and that's acknowledged by both the closed captioning -

- and the subtitles -

- thought the subtitles also jump ahead and they also misidentify what's next as coming from Tracy when it's actually Claire who says an unscripted "Right." - but by virtue of not identifying who says it, the closed captioning -

- get's it correct - and then Quentin gets in his car and Alex gets in his car from the passenger side as Claire comes and gets in the car, and then Quentin and Claire exchange waves as Alex pulls his car away.

End of Scene 242.

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how Scene 243 is scripted:

...

243    INT - QUENTIN'S CAR - DAY                         243        Through the windshield, Alex can be seen gunning his        car onto the main drive.  Quentin follows.  Finally        Alex, driving faster, EXITS THE SHOT as Quentin        slows down and starts to turn in a different direction.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Tracy: 'What are you doing?'

comes up, followed by today's second quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Quentin: 'I have to pick up my canvases --'

coming up.

...

  And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were July 31st this time around.

Wrapping up Scene 243 as scripted...

For a moment Tracy looks upset.                              QUENTIN                  Hey, come on, Trace, it'll                  only take a minute.        Suddenly, through the windshield Collinwood looms        ahead.  Quentin pulls up to the portico and gets out.

And that's when today's first quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Quentin: 'I'll only be a minute.'

comes up, followed by today's second quote -

Page 112/Scene 243 - Tracy: 'Hurry.'

coming up, followed in the script by:

HOLD ON THIS as he crosses to the door and ENTERS     the house.

End of scene as scripted. ...

  And as far as "today's" quotes go, they were August 1st this time around.