Vampires.com is offering up a look back at the 1991 revival series of Dark Shadows, which had cast Ben Cross (currently Spock’s father, Sarek, in the JJ Abrams Star Trek films). In an excerpt from the piece, writer Dave MacDowell Blue notes, “Amid all the debate and anticipation surrounding the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film version, the previous revival of Dark Shadows ends up forgotten. It premiered in 1991, an hour-long weekly show in primetime on the NBC network. That alone changed a great deal. Whereas the original was a daily half-hour, the new program had to cope with a different dynamic. In effect, each episode had to some extent be stand alone. More, the plotlines ended up telescoped. What had covered months of storytelling now became the stuff of two or three, sometimes only one episode. Indeed a large part of the initial pilot reworked ideas and sometimes who scenes (shot by shot) from the 1970s feature House of Dark Shadows.
“Ben Cross, an Englishman, played Barnabas Collins. His love interest, Victoria Winters (who, again, spoke the first line in the series) was played by Joanna Going. In one of the first major twists, Victoria became the explicit reincarnation of the woman Barnabas had lost in the 1790s, Josette. This had never been the case in the original series. In fact, rather than being born again, the original series had Josette as a ghost. All of Barnabas’ efforts to recreate his Josette had come across as a sign of insanity. Not so here. Likewise a subtle but important change came out in the character of Angelique (Lysette Anthony, later to play a vampire for laughs in Dracula Dead and Loving It). Lara Parker had always portrayed her as a woman genuinely in love, pushed to what she believed justifiable lengths out of her own rage and jealousy. The new Angelique came across as utterly evil, a stalker with satanic powers a la Fatal Attraction.”
For the rest of the review, click HERE.
diabolus
March 22, 2012
This review spot on. It actually gives me hope for the Burton vision even though it has so many comedic elements. I guess taken on its own (as it should be), the Burton-Depp shadows could be fun and/or interesting. It will never be the DS of our memories. Perhaps this is a bit heartbreaking for those of us that grew up on the show and crave to re-enter that particular world in a big and exciting way — but that world can never be recreated. It will always live in our hearts — always — cherished memories of Collinwood. And nothing can take that away. P.S. I have always been curious about the WB version. I imagined it failed in some ways to recapture the “original magic” and gloriously succeeded in others.
Toby
March 22, 2012
Definitely did not care for Lisette Anthony’s portrayal of Angelique — and although the French accent is more accurate to the character — I am not a fan of that accent. It just got on my nerves.
Lara Parker just OWNED that role, so, while I’m not saying its impossible to successfully recast that role — the casting director had better audition a LOT of actresses because those are big shoes to fill to get the right portrayal…
Plus, Lara Parker was and IS gorgeous…one of a kind!