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Case Number 03624
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection Four
MPI // 1967 // 883 Minutes // Not Rated
The ChargeAlluring tales of Gothic mystery and supernatural intrigue. Opening StatementThe enormously popular ABC-TV soap opera, which ran from 1966-1971, is slowly making its way onto DVD courtesy of MPI Home Video. Starting with the episode that first featured Barnabas Collins (episode 211), eight sets have been released so far, of which this is the fourth. Facts of the CaseBarnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) is a 175-year-old vampire who lives in his estate Collinwood. Well, it was his estate; now his relatives live there, thinking he's a cousin who happens to resemble the "original" Barnabas. In this set of forty episodes, Barnabas is working with Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) on a series of treatments that will cure him of his vampirism. On the side, Barnabas is trying to transform Victoria Winters, the governess of his cousin David, into the perfect image of his late fiancée, Josette. The EvidenceFrom my research; click on links in the Accomplices section for more detailed information. Dark Shadows made its television debut in July 1966. Surprisingly, these early shows did not feature Barnabas Collins. The initial focus was on a secret Roger Collins had concealed about his past and on Victoria's adjustment to life at Collinwood. Facing cancellation and noticing that supernatural elements had provided a brief ratings spike, creator Dan Curtis added Barnabas to the story. Originally intended to last just a few episodes, the character connected with audiences and the show's ratings began to soar. The show remained a hit until mid 1971, when Barnabas was no longer the focus of the program. Two films were spawned from the series, both directed by Curtis: House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971). Both are practically unseen today and the latter film has a poor reputation, due to the massive cuts made by MGM at the insistence of then-studio head James Aubrey (Night wasn't the only victim; Blake Edwards' Wild Rovers and The Carey Treatment were also butchered; to date only Wild Rovers has been restored; there is hope of MGM restoring Night). If you like the series, check out the films. Anyway, back to the show itself. It is first and foremost a soap opera. But unlike a typical soap opera, Dark Shadows had the ingredients to survive and retain a cult following over 36 years later. The first thing Curtis and his crew remembered was to create strong, well-developed characters. A lot of soaps tend to rely too much on plot and less on character and that's a reason why even the good soaps start to fade after a brief period. Also, by adding the Gothic element and the device of traveling through time, Curtis had created the impossible: a timeless soap opera that remains fresh. The other ingredient that made Dark Shadows work was the acting, unusually strong and effective for a soap opera. Jonathan Frid, a Canadian actor making his American TV debut, has a difficult challenge: how to make this vampire both menacing and sympathetic. The results are obvious because Barnabas became a phenomenon, spawning posters, dolls, trading cards, and even albums. He never veers towards overacting, despite his stage origins. He keeps an even keel and understands when to display the correct emotion at the right moment. It's brilliant work. If Frid managed to stay restrained, Grayson Hall, an Academy Award nominee
for The Night of the Iguana, tended to
lean toward overacting, even in quiet moments. Her performance is acceptable by
soap standards, but considering this isn't your average soap, a lot less would
have been better. The show is well cast down the line. Louis Edmonds lends the
right amount of tactfulness and sharpness to his role of Roger Collins. Joan
Bennett is properly dignified as Elizabeth, the now-owner of Collinwood. This collection features all forty episodes that aired in October and November of 1967. Spread out over four discs (two weeks of episodes per disc), all episodes are rated from a scale of zero to five fangs. Episodes marked # refer to 16mm kineoscope used in place of lost master: Episode 331 Episode 332 Episode 333 Episode 334 Episode 335# Episode 336 Episode 337 Episode 338 Episode 339 Episode 340 Episode 341# Episode 342 Episode 343 Episode 344# Episode 345 Episode 346 Episode 347 Episode 348 Episode 349 Episode 350 Episode 351# Episode 352# Episode 353 Episode 354 Episode 355 Episode 356 Episode 357 Episode 358 Episode 359 Episode 360 Episode 361 Episode 362 Episode 363 Episode 364 Episode 365 Episode 366 Episode 367 Episode 368/369 # Episode 370 Episode 371 Staying faithful to the original aspect ratio, MPI gives us a full frame transfer. A note about the circumstances surrounding the transfer: a disclaimer was included on the back of the case that states: Please Note: Every possible effort has been made to produce the highest quality DVD release. Due to the age of the original elements, some audio and video imperfections may be experienced. I praise them for their honesty. Dark Shadows was one of the first shows to use videotape. Also, as Lara Parker discusses in her interview, the show was often taped shortly before its airing. So as a result of those circumstances, the photography and staging has some major errors, both visual and visceral. In addition, some of the original videotape masters have been lost forever, so 16mm black and white kineoscopes of the lost episodes were used instead. So how does it look? In short, the transfer is very uneven. Some scenes look fantastic, as new as their televised premiere. Others, however, don't look quite so good, the kineoscopes looking particularly rough. Also, given the quasi-live atmosphere of the tapings, some shots are out of focus, others are incorrectly framed, and there are some things that you aren't supposed to see (my favorite being the camera nudging Grayson Hall's hip). Given all that, MPI has done a fine job under the circumstances. The sound suffers under the same problems as the video portion. All forty episodes are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and results are, again, very uneven. Mistakes are present (a crewmember coughs, some mike feedback) and the sound on the kineoscopes is very poor, requiring adjustment with your sound system. The sound is better on the videotaped episodes, but again, you're going to be fiddling with your speakers. Still, considering the circumstances, you can't fault MPI. The extras are this collection's a real gem. Producer Robert Costello,
make-up artist Dick Smith, head writer Sam Hall, and actress Lara Parker are
interviewed, one per disc. Closing StatementAn expensive set with a $69.99 retail price, you will have to make the decision on whether or not you want to add Dark Shadows: DVD Collection Four to your DVD library. I encourage you to at least rent it, or at least check out the reruns on Sci-Fi Channel. The deliberate pace will turn off some, but if you are the patient type, there are many rewards. The VerdictMPI is given a special citation for doing the best restoration job they possibly could considering the dubious quality of the source material. Case dismissed! Similar Decisions
• The White Shadow: The Complete Second Season Give us your feedback!Did we give Dark Shadows: DVD Collection Four a fair trial? yes / no Share your thoughts on this review in the Jury Room |
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