House of Dark Shadows (1970) / Night of Dark Shadows (1971)

[hagios]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Terrific trailer. I haven't seen that trailer in decades. A lot of that footage was cut out of
the film.

For what it's worth, I've always thought Dan Curtis made a mistake in how he cut the final
release print. James Aubrey -- the predatory head of MGM who slashed and burned so many
director's cuts -- told Curtis that if he didn't shorten the film then Aubrey would do it himself.
So Curtis cut much of the supernatural story. Instead he emphasized the car chase and the
fist fight on the bridge etc in the final third, because he thought action would sell the film
better to audiences. I wish he'd done the opposite, kept in as much as possible of Angelique
and the supernatural story and trimmed the action. The published script makes the
supernatural story very clear, although Curtis may not have shot it precisely as written.

I saw Night of Dark Shadows the day after it opened in the New York City area. I went in
the morning and stayed all day until my parents picked me up late at night. I saw the film
five times in a row. It had the scenes where the guard dog frightens Tracy, where Quentin
gives Tracy a breast massage, more cleavage from Angelique, and other bits and pieces.
By the following weekend Aubrey had shortened it. Those scenes were missing when I went
back to see the film. Today that version would be rated a hard R.

I've been wanting to see the full-length version for forty years.

Yeah, I hope one day will be able to get those scenes cut by the late, great Dan Curtis!

[Richard--W]

hagios, I wasn't finished editing my post when you quoted! Go back and read it again.

[babybreese]

I also saw the longer cut of the film,
forced my mom to take me to the drive in to see it.
She was aware of the TV show.

When Quentin gives his massage, my mom got very uncomfortable ( me too ) leaned over and whispered in my 12 yr old ear
"Real People Do Not Act That Way in Real Life"

Frustrating how this film was & remains hobbled.

[Killer Meteor]

The sound appears to be out-of-sync on House.

[oddbox83]

I believe that's just the dubbing of the day.

[Killer Meteor]

Good point, it does sound post-synced extensively.

[BarnabasFan]

I was watching the Dark Shadows Reunion 2020 on YouTube. Ansel Faraj mentioned that the long lost version of Night of Dark Shadows is being constructed by Warner Archives. He said if we write them and give them a bit of a shove to have them release it.....it would help.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by BarnabasFan

I was watching the Dark Shadows Reunion 2020 on YouTube. Ansel Faraj mentioned that the long lost version of Night of Dark Shadows is being constructed by Warner Archives. He said if we write them and give them a bit of a shove to have them release it.....it would help.

After reading your post I spoke with a Dark Shadows insider. He said it isn't happening.
Night of Dark Shadows is NOT being reconstructed. He wishes it were true and so do I.

[jacksparrow900]

I'm pretty sure that the film has already been reconstructed years ago and it was up to Warner's to release it. Back in 1999 I was at a Dark Shadows event and David Selby said at the time that they were re recording dialogue for the film since some of the footage they couldn't find the original audio.

[Richard--W]

jacksparrow900, shortly after the re-recording sessions the original dialog tracks turned
up along with the music cues. These are in the possession of the man who undertook the
project in the first place. I just spoke to him. He has been unable to persuade Warner
Brothers to restore the footage and reconstruct the director's cut.

[oddbox83]

I don't care if it's Warner, Shout or someone else, I just want to see the longer version restored! It's cruel to have the footage found and just languish unseen.

[BluLobsta]

One of my favorite series when I was a kid. Good ole' Barnabas. I used to ride my bike on my way home across the lawn at Carey Mansion where they filmed the exterior shots.

[BarnabasFan]

After reading some of the recent posts about the re-constructing of NODS, I had hoped it was true. I'm sure some of you have more of an inside track than I do. I was excited at the prospect. I hope it wasn't just talk. I'm looking forward to the day it gets the re-construction it so badly needs.

I'm thankful that we have at least this version on Blu-ray. I'll bet the lost footage will really make this film better than it already is. I can't wait!!

[HonestJohn]

Originally Posted by BluLobsta

One of my favorite series when I was a kid. Good ole' Barnabas. I used to ride my bike on my way home across the lawn at Carey Mansion where they filmed the exterior shots.

Same here. We're probably around the same age. Got to meet him very briefly at a Grand Opening of Channel Lumber in NJ back in 1969. Adam West was also one of the stars they had come in, I think Julie Newmar was there as well. All were in full costume. Good times.....

[BluLobsta]

Originally Posted by HonestJohn

Same here. We're probably around the same age. Got to meet him very briefly at a Grand Opening of Channel Lumber in NJ back in 1969. Adam West was also one of the stars they had come in, I think Julie Newmar was there as well. All were in full costume. Good times.....

Yeah, tail end of the boomer generation. Nice! That sounds really cool. I remember them well. Julie Newmar purring as Catwoman. Really fun shows back then

[FrancisP]

I have never been interested in NODS and never will be. The problem is that I know the backstory. The original plotline was a final confrontation between Barnabas and Angelique.

That sounded so interesting as there were several storylines involving Barnabas and Angelique. The first was they were bitter enemies as when she first appeared on the show in modern times. The final storyline had Angelique helping Barnabas defeat a evil force and Barnabas discovering he loved Angelique.

That storyline went went out the door as Jonathan Frid refused to return as Barnabas Collins. He said he was afraid of typecasting but he was already typecast. My personal opinion is that he was not enamored with Curtis in HODS and didn't want to go through it again.

[oddbox83]

I don't think it's anything more than he was sick of playing the fangs and seeing his fellow cast members get to play all sorts of character parts while he didn't. Hence him doing Bramwell in the last storyline, it was a way to keep Frid in the cast.

How can you not be interested, though? Dark Shadows was more than just Frid. It's got a great cast from the show. The film might not make any sense in it's butchered version but surely fans would still want to see it? Especially if the final cut that Curtis' submitted* finally gets restored.

*I think we should call this the "middle" version. The version Curtis cut on studio orders after his initial "long" version (still lost as I believe) but before the studio mangled it.

[cannon1]

Frid actually covered it in the great, very late interview viewable on Emmy TV legends. He didn't like how Curtis had turned Barnabas (back into) the big heavy again with 'blood everywhere', etc. and knew with another installment he only expected more of the same, so decided flatly he wouldn't do it. Among other things he said Dan never liked him anyway, and had a fit when he went up and told him he wouldn't be in NODS. Then I once read a supposed quote from a festival where he said he 'should have done it'...sooo

[DePalma1984]

Originally Posted by cannon1

Frid actually covered it in the great, very late interview viewable on Emmy TV legends.

Would that be this interview?
https://interviews.televisionacademy.../jonathan-frid

[cannon1]

Originally Posted by DePalma1984

Would that be this interview?
https://interviews.televisionacademy.../jonathan-frid

Yes it would! Very informative, and glad it was conducted. That site is a wealth of long, very in depth interviews with giants in front of and behind the camera, many of which have since passed over the last 20 years. I've never seen interviews like this before and for those that want it, they are fabulous!