Happy 50th Anniversary, Night of Dark Shadows

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the subtitles/closed captioning for Scene 56:

...

Both the subtitles and the closed captioning get the following right, but it's interesting how they choose to spell it -

- with the subtitles choosing "Oh, Lord," but the closed captioning choosing "O Lord," like a prayer, which is really what Strack is delivering - and when Strack refers to Angelique's relationship to Gabriel he says, "...beloved wife to Gabriel..." - and the closed captioning gets that correct - however, the subtitles have -

- with "of" instead of "to" - and even though there are times when one or the other or both the subtitles and closed captioning don't acknowledge laughing, in each their own way both do in the instance when Laura suddenly bursts out laughing -

...

 

[Uncle Roger]

I think that it would have been hilarious if someone bumped into the Angelique Collins tombstone and revealed it's Styrofoam original. Perhaps clashing with the tone of the rest of the movie but I know that I would have had that bit on repeat and repeat.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the two different versions of the Lobby Card for the cemetery scene:

... I suspect all DS fans and certainly all NoDS fans are aware of the 11X14 sets of Lobby Cards for NoDS (and hoDS), but I wonder if all those fans realize that there's also an 8X10 set for each film with the same photos? Although, the photos are somewhat cropped for the 8X10 sets.

The 8X10 sets were displayed in theater lobbys that didn't accommodate the 11X14 sets. ...

11X14 #5

...

(Click here for a 930X738 version)

...

8X10 #5:

(Click here for a 930X737 version)

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Though I have to say, which is more often the case than not, I prefer the still version -

(Click here for a 1000X680 (version)

- which I don't honestly believe has ever been officially published anywhere, and this is the first time I'm sharing it. Notice how it shows more on almost all sides, though for some reason the raindrops don't show up as much. It's also not as foggy. Makes one wonder if the Lobby Card versions were doctored...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Oops...

... I'd forgotten this:

So chances are that cemetery still was probably one of the first official stills released to promote the film. And that probably explains why it appeared in so many magazines during the prerelease publicity. Though of course they could have also released stills from the funeral sequence featuring Thayer David, Diana Millay, Christopher Pennock, Clarice Blackburn and Monica Rich because stills of them in various combinations most certainly do exist. But apparently the extras portraying pallbearers and mourners was the mood MGM wanted to go with...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more still related to the funeral sequence:

The first of the funeral:

And the last for this post is a photo that used to appear on Craig Hamrick's darkshadowsonline.com site, but when I went there yesterday intending to get the URL to link to the page rather than post the photo itself, I discovered the photo is no longer being used there. I guess it fell by the wayside after the site was redesigned. But thankfully I'd saved a copy:

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And revisiting these three:

(Click here for a 530X700 version)

(Click here for a 700X560 version)

This final one appears on page 108 of the The DS Companion.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting yet more from the funeral sequence:

the

...

... yet another rare still from Scene 56 ...:

...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how the beginning of Scene 59 is scripted:

Setting up the current scene:

59     INT - JENKINS'S COTTAGE - DAY        Alex, Claire and Quentin are having a drink.

And that's when yesterday's quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Alex: 'Imagine! Running down the Master of Collinwood.'

comes up, followed by today's quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Quentin: 'On his first day, too...before he's even put out the rules of the manor.'

coming up.

And as far as differences in the dialogue go, because Scene 58 was completely reworked in the film, Scene 59 begins differently. For one, those two quoted lines were completely dropped. For two, two lines from a bit later in the scene become the first two lines delivered. And for three, the dropped lines are then replaced by two completely new lines. But I'm not going to get into any of that just yet because the actual first line of the scene in the film is tomorrow's quote in the slideshow...

And so far as any differences in the descriptions and directions go, as can be seen in the following capture -

- in the film there's actually an exterior scene establishing the Jenkins' cottage before Scene 59 begins - and when Scene 59 begins, before anyone says anything, Alex, Quentin and Claire are seen having a good laugh, as can be seen -

- in the above capture.

And while there are no differences at this point between the ways Scene 59 appears in DC's and Grayson Hall's scripts, DC's script does have two notations at the outset of the scene. He writes that a typewriter, etc. should be there in the cottage (and as can be seen in the following capture -

- there is indeed one located under the painting and on a desk behind where Quentin is sitting), and then he mentions something that will come into play later in the rewoked section of Scene 59, so I'll hold off mentioning it until then...

   And as far as "yesterday's quote" goes, it was September 27th this time around, and "today's quote" was September 28th.

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Continuing to revisit Scene 59 as scripted:

...

Quentin is looking at a painting over the mantel.        It is one he gave them for a wedding present.

And that's when today's quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Quentin: 'I see you still have that.'

comes up.

And as far as what's different with that bit of dialogue, Quentin actually says "I see you've still got that crazy eye of mine" - and as mentioned yesterday, it's actually the first line of dialogue in the scene.

And so far as any differences in the descriptions and directions go, as can be seen in today's capture -

- (as well as several others that have been posted recently), the painting is not over the mantel but is actually on the wall behind Quentin so, in actuality, as can be seen in the following capture -

- Quentin has to turn around to look at it before he can comment about it to Alex.

And it's an interesting bit of trivia that Quentin gave them the painting as a wedding present. Too bad that's not actually brought in any of the dialogue.

...

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

And continuing with more of Scene 59 as scripted we have today's quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Alex: 'A place of honor, old buddy -- wherever we go -- so how's life in the castle? Have you seen Miss Drake smile yet?'

- however, it doesn't play at all like that in the film.

So, as far as the differences with that bit of dialogue go, at first Alex actually says "Yes sir, buddy -- wherever we go, that goes" - to which Quentin replies with an unscripted "Oh" - and then the first scripted line of dialogue for the scene is reworked for Claire when she says "Imagine finding the Master of Collinwood roaming around a cemetery" - and then Quentin's dropped dialogue is reworked when he says "Hey, Alex - they've got tombstones in that place that are over 300 years old" - and it's not until after that that Alex actually asks "Tell me, how's life at the old castle? Uh - have you seen Miss Drake smile yet?" - to which Quentin replies with an unscripted "Once."

And considering there aren't any descriptions or directions in Alex' quote, nothing could possibly be different from the script with regard to descriptions and directions. However, as can be seen in the following capture -

- Claire puts her hand on Quentin's knee when she remarks about finding him in the cemetery - but then, considering it's an unscripted remark, that action couldn't have been scripted, now could it? 

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

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting both the start of the subtitles/closed captioning and a bit of unscripted dialogue from Scene 59:

As I wrote back in 2016, the beginning of Scene 59 is different in the film from the way it's scripted -

...

- and there are several changes and additions along the way. For instance, ... after Quentin brings up the "crazy eye of mine" painting, neither the closed captioning nor the subtitles get Alex' response completely correct because what Alex actually says is "Yes sir, buddy -- wherever we go, that goes," but the closed captioning -

- doesn't even acknowledge the "Yes sir, buddy" part, and the subtitles -

- get that part wrong, which is yet another example that perhaps the person who did the subtitles needed to have their hearing checked - and in a bit of unscripted dialogue, Quentin responds with an -

"Oh."

- which neither the closed captioning nor the subtitles acknowledge...

...

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen capture)

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting the one and only still I have from Scene 59:

... I want to share this still that relates to how Scene 59 actually opens:

(Click here for a 700X514 version)

In fact, it looks practically exactly like how the scene opens -

... and when Scene 59 begins, before anyone says anything, Alex, Quentin and Claire are seen having a good laugh, as can be seen -

- in the above capture.

- except from a different angle...

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting how more of Scene 59 is scripted:

And catching up with more of Scene 59 we have Sunday's quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Claire: 'She had no reason to smile at you, Alex. (turning to Quentin) The first time he meets her he asks if the place is haunted.'

- followed by yesterday's first quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Quentin (smiling): 'Is it?'

- followed by yesterday's second quote -

Page 22/Scene 59 - Claire: 'Not according to her.'

- followed by the first part of today's quote -

Pages 22/Scene 59 - Alex: (having fun with it) 'We'll go to the Blue Whale Bar some night. There's a Cap'n Russel that will tell you a (MORE)'

59     CONTD                                               CONTD       59

- followed by the second part of today's quote -

Pages 23/Scene 59 - Alex (Contd): 'different story. Seems there's a beautiful young servant girl who roams the halls of Collinwood.'

And as far as the differences with the dialogue go, Claire gives an unscripted laugh before she tells Alex that Carlotta had no reason to smile at him - and when it comes to today's quote, Alex actually says "Yeah, well, one these nights, uh, we're gonna to go to the Blue Whale and I'm gonna introduce you to a Captain Russel who'll tell you a different story. Seems there's a young beautiful servant girl who roams the halls of Collinwood."

And considering that once again there aren't any descriptions or directions, nothing could possibly be different from the script with regard to descriptions and directions.

But before we close this post, two points about what's said. Quentin is quite serious when he asks if Collinwood is haunted. And, of course, the audience knows why that is even if Alex and Claire don't. And more interestingly, is it that the young beautiful servant girl seen roaming Collinwood is Sarah Castle? It seems unlikely anyone would refer to Angelique as a 'servant girl, beautiful or otherwise. So, if it is Sarah, in what capacity is she seen?[spoiler]One would presume it can't be Sarah's ghost because she has been reincarnated as Carlotta. And while Quentin will soon have a memory of seeing Sarah in the window of her 1810 bedroom when it was also Carlotta who was in the window at the same time, Quentin, as the reincarnation of Charles, was also a part of the events that Sarah lived through. But presumably the people who might have seen Sarah at Collinwood would have no such connection to Sarah or Carlotta, so how would they come to see Sarah?[/spoiler]Some interesting points to ponder...

  And so far as "Sunday's quote" goes, it was October 1st this time around, and when it comes to "yesterday's" quote, it was October 2nd, and when it comes to "today's quote," is indeed today's, October 3rd's.

 

[Uncle Roger]

Was Captain Russell ever meant to appear in any version of the NODS script? I wonder if the character was the inspiration for the Christopher Lee character in the Johnny Depp movie.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Revisiting more of the subtitles/closed captioning and unscripted dialogue from Scene 59:

Despite the fact that today's quote in the slideshow goes from Alex talking about Quentin's painting to Alex asking if he's seen Carlotta smile, in the film those two subjects are actually separated by other dialogue - what comes up first is a reworking of what was actually scripted to be the first line of dialogue in the scene, with Claire musing, "Imagine finding the Master of Collinwood roaming around a cemetery." - and the subtitles get that correct, but the closed captioning has -

- with "the" instead of "a" - ...

...

... after ... Quentin jumps in with an unscripted -

"Hey, Alex - they've got tombstones in that place that are over
300 years old."

...

... - and when it comes to the subtitles they get it correct -

...

...

... - though for some reason the closed captioning drops the "Hey, Alex" part -

- and after that Alex asks, "Tell me, how's life at the old castle? Uh - have you seen Miss Drake smile yet?" - though for some reason the closed captioning drops the "Tell me" part -

- and instead of "have you seen Miss Drake smile yet?" the closed captioning reads -

- (but interestingly, the subtitles has everything correct) - and to Alex' question Quentin replies with an unscripted -

"Once."

...

...

- which both the subtitles and the closed captioning get correctly...

...

... - and before Claire points out,  "She had no reason to smile at you, Alex," Claire gives out an unscripted -

(Laughs)

...

(ADMIN: Edited to replace TV video screen captures)

 

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Was Captain Russell ever meant to appear in any version of the NODS script? I wonder if the character was the inspiration for the Christopher Lee character in the Johnny Depp movie.

If Captain Russell made an actual appearance in some early version of the NoDS, I've never come across it. Though, of course, that doesn't mean that it couldn't have existed. But be that as it may, that doesn't mean that the reference to Captain Russell in NoDS didn't inspire Christopher Lee's Captain Clarney in the 2012 DS - it could very well have. One thing we definitely know is that John August researched previous versions of DS for inspiration for his script. I mean, there's no denying that Burke Devlin's actions in the pre-Barn eps influenced much of Angelique's actions in the 2012 DS.