Only Shadows In My Mind by David Lambert (All reviews)
5/27/2002
"My Name is Victoria Winters..."
At the time I had received my review copy of this set, I had never seen the series before. At all. Never. Ever. Not a single second of a single show.
Oh, I'd heard of it, of course. And my wife was a giant fan of the remake series, launched in 1991 (on the day the US Gulf War started, no less!) and starring Ben Cross, and which was cancelled after only 12 episodes.
Ah, but the original version lasted much longer than 12 episodes. 100 times as long in fact, with 1225 episodes and 2 feature films! It wasn't always as well liked, however. Not knowing this, or anything about the series' history, I turned to the web page of the DVD's producer, MPI Home Video, for a history lesson (http://www.mpimedia.com/darkshadows/history/hist1.html):
"Dark Shadows debuted on ABC, June 27, 1966, as the first Gothic daytime drama. The program was the creation of producer Dan Curtis, who would later gain critical acclaim with the monumental television mini-series The Winds Of War and War And Remembrance.
Dark Shadows' original plot centered on a young woman named Victoria Winters, who became governess to a 10-year-old boy in Collinsport, Maine, a small and stormy fishing village. She was employed by the wealthy Collins family, who resided in a mysterious old mansion overlooking the ocean. Veteran motion picture actress Joan Bennett was featured in the role of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, matriarch of the Collins family and mistress of the great house called Collinwood.
After several months on the air, the show was failing to attract a large enough audience with its traditional Gothic suspense formula. In a dramatic effort to save the show from cancellation, Dan Curtis decided to introduce one of the most unusual characters in daytime television history.
In April of 1967, Shakespearean actor Jonathan Frid joined the cast as Barnabas Collins, a 175-year-old vampire. Frid's portrayal of Barnabas was a surprise success when he added humanity to his characterization and made Barnabas a tragic figure."
This piece of the series' history is part-and-parcel of the episodes contained in the first collection, so I will end the description there. More changes occurred later on, spurring the series to even higher successes.
The DVDs: "DVD Collection 1"
The four DVDs in this collection start with a 15-minute recap of the events of the first 209 episodes in the series. This recap was evidently created by MPI for the home video debut of the series on VHS back in 1989, which - like the DVDs - started with the events in episode 210, leading directly arrival of the character Barnabas (played by Jonathan Frid) in episode 211. It is a very effective catch-up, wasting nothing but (so far as I can tell) leaving out nothing vital. It is, however, a bit confusing when you are unfamiliar with the characters. I recommend you watch the recap twice, just to be on the safe side.
Each dual-layer DVD in the set includes 10 episodes that clock in at roughly 21-22 minutes in length, plus one extra "feature" per disc (the recap on Disc 1 and the bonus interviews, one on each of the other discs), that clocks in at no more than 15 minutes in length. Consequently, there are approximately 3.75 hours of material on each disc. Disc 1 is marked as being approximately 4 hours. Overall, MPI gives you over 15 hours of features and supplements on this set.
The material is arranged on the discs as one long feature, with each episode of Dark Shadows being its own chapter on the disc. There are no bookmarks within each episode: the teaser, opening credits, each act, and the closing credits are all one 21-22 minute long chapter.
I don't consider myself a regular fan of horror, or shows of a gothic nature. I must say, however, that I was captivated with this series by the finish of the second episode in the set, and by the end of the second disc I was thoroughly hooked!
The Packaging:
The 4-disc set comes in a black-colored Alpha Quadruple DVD Case, which I have pictures of in the screenshots section. For those of you who have M*A*S*H Season 1, it is the same case but with room for one more disc. A booklet is enclosed which has a listing of the episodes contained on each disc, along with the episode's original airdate and a brief synopsis of each episode. I found the synopsis text to be quite spoiler-filled, so if you're new to the show you might avoid reading ahead!
The cover design of Barnabas' eyes glowering at you over the roof of Collinwood is repeated on the booklet and on all four discs. It is a nice shot, but I hope that on the next set MPI can find something different, to mix it up a bit! The back of the booklet has a handsome picture of Frid-as-Barnabas, coming down the stairs and with his signature cane in hand. Fans of the show will adore this shot, I'm certain of it!
Menu Design & Navigation:
I must say, somewhere in the DVD authoring section of MPI there exists a gem of a person, or group of people, who designed the effectively supernatural menu screens for these discs! After an unfortunately non-skippable MPI logo (which I felt from the first stays on screen too long, and which was multiplied by the number of times I tried to explore these discs), we are treated to a very nice scroll of woods going by right-to-left, under an eerie sky. There is a nice effect that we are the ones traveling here, as in an arcade game. We soon arrive at Collinwood estate, under a full moon, where the screen stops and we are treated to ghostly images in the fog of various Barnabas faces as appropriately spooky music plays in the background. When the user scrolls around to different episodes, located at the bottom of the screen, the original airdate of that episode appears under the show number. Upon choosing any of the episodes, we suddenly find ourselves zooming to a lonely lit window in the Collinwood upper floor, as it fills the screen with a "whoosh", all fades to white...
As I state above, each disc is treated as one long feature, with each episode as a chapter. There is no need for a "Play All" feature, as the design naturally incorporates this concept. Picking the first item on each disc (the recap on the first disc, or the first episode on each of discs 2-4) will let you watch the entire disc in one sitting, or stop anywhere you choose. Picking back up again is as simple as recalling which episode you last saw, and going to the next one down. If you need help recalling, the synopses in the booklet are sufficiently descriptive to remind you. At the end of discs 2-4, you will automatically be taken to the bonus interviews located on each disc (see extras for details).
These discs are simple, without alternate tracks or much in the way of extras, so nothing more in the way of navigation is required on this set. A good job, with loads of appropriate style!
Video
The show is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, preserving the original format of the series, and these shows were shot in black-and-white, and are presented here that way.
MPI is up-front with the purchasers of this set, with a disclaimer about the video and audio quality on the bottom of the back of the box. There is an even more extensive note in the booklet, which states: "Note: The Dark Shadows episodes in this collection are mastered from the best possible sources. However, due to the technology at the time of production and the age of the original elements, certain video and audio imperfections exist that cannot be eliminated. Additionally, the videotape master for episode 211 has been lost and a filmed kinescope copy has been utilized."
Well, I won't dwell on this for very long. I will agree that the material is not as good-looking as it must have been when it first aired. It is scratched up and full of artifacts. There are occasional dropouts and fuzziness. Sometimes, especially in the kinescope print for episode 211 (the one where Barnabas first arrives), the grayscale images are washed out and a bit faded.
The show was shot 35 years ago, as a daytime soap opera in the late afternoon, on a very low budget. There was no money for retakes, and the cheesiness shows up from time-to-time. Example: in the recap, toward the end, Willie Loomis is taking a beating at The Blue Whale, and when he is knocked into the bar you can see the entire counter move back with his impact. It's obviously a lightweight object, and not nailed down at all.
However, the special effects were simple but somewhat innovative for it's time, given the budget they had. Dry ice is everywhere, and The X-Files has nothing on the flashlight use. And use of fireplaces/candlelight haloes and flares as well. I believe I even see use of what was called the Arriflex handheld camera, a precursor to today's Steadicam shots. It gives it that "you-are-there" point-of-view look in some scenes. You are constantly aware, though, of the "soap opera" look and feel of the show, despite the gothic nature of the material.
All in all, however, the entire set is VERY watchable. The resulting video is better than I expected, and the manner in which it has aged is consistent with the old-time horror movies we've all watched in the dark on the late-late show. It adds to the fun, rather than detracting from it.
Audio
The audio elements turned out to be in fine shape for Dark Shadows. Despite the disclaimers on the box and in the booklet, there were very few dropouts (one big one I noticed in a spot which didn't make a difference, as nothing was missed). A few pops and crackles occur, sounding not difference from a vinyl record in a way, but I'm not sure if this is a DVD mastering problem; it could have been part of the original recordings back in the spring and summer of '67.
Although the sound is less-than-perfect, it is only barely less-than, and can't be criticized. The set uses, of course, the original mono setup, so those of you with 5.1 sets should not look forward to any remix. None is used, none is required, and none is desired. This is the way the show was meant to be heard.
The only supplements on these discs are the "bonus interviews" contained at the end of three of the volumes. Disc 2 is with Jonathan "Barnabas" Frid. Disc 3 is with Kathryn Leigh "Maggie" Scott. Disc 4 is with John "Willie Loomis" Karlen. Not having previously been a fan of the series, I found the interviews to be somewhat interesting, but the biggest fault I find with them is that they only present the answers the actors give, cutting from response-to-response. We never hear the questions they are asked, and it gives the entire thing a disjointed feel. Also, they are a tad spoiler-filled, but not nearly so much as the booklet provided in the set, and much, much less so than the show history site MPI provides.
Old fans of this series will very likely be bitterly disappointed that more supplements aren't provided in this set. There is no doubt that much more material exists than is provided. I expect part of the reason for being so thin on supplements is that MPI hopes that fans will instead purchase separately their DVD entitled "Dark Shadows - Special Edition", which you can find out more about at its TVShowsOnDVD listing here: (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releaseinfo.cfm?ReleaseID=421).
Summary
Fans of the series will be pleased to own this at home in the best form it's ever been, despite the lack of in-depth extras. But the appeal of this set is not limited just to existing fans of Dark Shadows.
I GREATLY urge everyone who was interested enough to read this review to go out and buy Dark Shadows DVD Collection 1. I've never seen the series before, and if you haven't either then don't let that stop you! Track it down and own it; you should be able to find this set "on the street" for less than US$50. The show is very creepy, despite the cheesiness of the production values, and perhaps enhanced by the scratched-up original black-and-white elements. The storylines are intriguing, and the acting is top-notch.
I had a blast, and so did my wife, and we simply cannot wait for July. Why? Because MPI's website states "New releases are planned bi-monthly." Wow, what an aggressive release schedule! I will be polishing my cross and crossing my fingers, hoping that I am allowed to perform the review for DVD Collection 2 at the end of July.
