Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[madscntst]

Great article, thanks MB!   

[Gothick]

Burton mentions Depp Shadows and his personal explanation for why it was perceived as a failure here.  (I haven't played the interview, but there's a post about it today on the Collinsport Historical Society site that summarizes Burton's comments.) 

It's interesting to me because he seems to acknowledge here that the film failed--artistically, at least:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/interview-tim-burton-talks-making-big-eyes-going-digital-the-disturbing-process-of-alice-in-wonderland-more-20141218?page=2

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's no secret by now, but when it comes to the Depp/DS film, I feel pretty much the exact same way that the poster johnbuoy does in the comments section of the article on CHS (so I won't repeat their views here). And it's also no secret that, given all the material that never made it into the final cut of the film, I've laid most, if not all of any possibly perceived problems with the film with the editing. And the blame for that might easily be laid at Burton's feet and his search for the "right tone" - though we know that WB also exerted its influence on the final cut. If only one day we might see a copy of the complete script, it might turn out to be as much of a revelation as the NoDS script is...

Also, as we've discussed at length, it's a misconception that every critic disliked the film because the film received many good reviews. Sadly, though, they're mostly overshadowed because all the press wants to focus on are the negative reviews. Though, and as we've also discussed at length, when it comes to Burton/Depp, that is all too often the case with the press...

[Gothick]

Despite my views on the Depp Shadows confection, I am aware that how it is presented in the mass media (including the interwebs) is very much distorted by the fact that, if it were the 1930s, Burton would have been declared Box Office Poison by now--regardless of the fact that the DS movie MADE MONEY.  In H'wood, spin is all.

I wonder if Depp is getting to the same point in his career. I was surprised at the ferocity of the attacks made on him just because he was mildly drunk delivering a short speech at somebody's gala recently.  I played the video and the reaction seemed really extreme.  Media prudery in full dudgeon--to paraphrase Lord Macaulay (if I'm remembering correctly), the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible.

G.

[Gothick]

This site has more props from the Burton/Depp film for sale:

http://www.propstore.com/movie/dark-shadows/

Angelique's conjure doll is shown on a feature about the sale and I thought that had been sold quite some time ago.  I have no idea how legitimate all of this is.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

@gkfilms just posted/texted this tweet:


gkfilms  ·  2 minutes ago
Happy birthday @ChloeGMoretz #DarkShadows #Hugo #5thWaveMovie


with a nice publicity still from the film. One that I don't think I've ever seen.

Check out: http://t.co/yLftezGlbN/s/EdOv

[MagnusTrask]

I just saw the movie for the first time tonight.  It was used for $2...  It's now hard to imagine 114 pages of comments about it.  It was enjoyable.  It wasn't actually Dark Shadows.  It was a movie that used DS to do something else.  Basically a comedy, not quite a parody.  I said this earlier-- you can't expect Tim Burton not to make a Tim Burton movie.  It was never going to be DS first, and a Tim Burton movie second.   Accusing it of not being true to the original sort of misses the point.  It's like accusing the Star Trek gunfight-at-the-ok-corral episode of not being enough like a real Western...

One laugh: When BC touched the "Operation" game.

[michael c]

the rage and hostility it still engenders almost 3 years later is astonishing...

simply post an image, or even a passing reference, on most of the boards and one can fully expect a nuclear meltdown complete with biblical language like "travesty" and "abomination" and fury about what a "mockery" it made of the material.

I've never seen such childishness. 

[Gerard]

You're so right, Michael C.  When I first saw it in the theater, with dozens of friends (none of whom were fans of the original or even saw it), all of my friends loved the film.  Afterwards, when we went to eat an Olive Garden, they asked me countless questions about the OS.  They were fascinated.  Some saw the movie again in the theater several times.  They started researching DS.  A couple bought the entire series on DVD.  Those unfamiliar with the series were fascinated by the movie.  It brought them into the DS world.  And yet, fans of the OS - well, some of them - got their grundies in a bundle about it.  They wanted another spooky rendition of the OS.  They want all the inconsistencies of the OS.  They don't want reality to be a part of it (I mean, c'mon, Barnabas is released from his coffin and manages to fit into the 20th century within 48 hours, as opposed to a Barnabas struggling with the difficulties of understanding the 20th century).  It would be a struggle for him - and comedic for us - to see him trying to adapt and understand.  The Burton/Depp version of DS was far more realistic than the DC/OS version (and the '91 version). 

Gerard

[michael c]

viewers unfamiliar with the original source material probably saw it as a typical Burton cartoon romp. they had no reference point.

most "fans" like their DS serious with a capital "S".

still the continued anger seems disproportionate.

[Uncle Roger]

I agree completely. There's a large section of fandom that considers anything other than the original series to be blasphemy. The criticism that was levelled most often in regards to the Depp movie is that it should have been more like the TV show. Precisely how like the TV show usually remains unanswered. Translating a 4 1/2 year TV into a 2 hour movie is not an easy thing to do. The film did a reasonably good job at capturing the essence of the characters.

But this was not a movie that was made just for hard core fans. The DS fan base is not large enough (or focused enough) to support that kind of vehicle. If it were, one of the attempts to get a reunion movie together with the original cast might have actually been produced.

This severe reaction is similar to the uproar over the NBC incarnation, magnified by the use of social media. And, when you come right down to it, it is, after all, just a movie.

[michael c]

I wasn't around when the 91 series was happening.

but today most fans seem to hold it in pretty high esteem given it's "seriousness".

I don't see that happening with the movie. it's like picking a scab even mentioning it.


I haven't attended the fest (or "cruise") type activities since it's release but from what I understand it's pretty much verboten.

[The Doctor and K9]

There's a large section of fandom that considers anything other than the original series to be blasphemy.

I have seen the same attitude leveled towards the audio dramas. I remember a lot of fans were incensed when Barnabas was recast, even though it was explained through a plot device. I can understand some people who claim they can't follow audio because it's not visual. We've become a very visually oriented society. But many fans have harshly criticized them without listening to them. I find it oddly ironic that they appear to be more successful in the UK than they are here.  Many of the overseas fans have never seen the OS and are checking it out because of the audio dramas.

[michael c]

I've never come across anything close to the simmering rage directed at the Depp film with the revival or any of the more recent spinoff media...

I've seen attitudes of dislike or indifference but nothing like the lynch mob mentality aimed at the film.

[The Doctor and K9]

I've never come across anything close to the simmering rage directed at the Depp film with the revival or any of the more recent spinoff media...

I've seen attitudes of dislike or indifference but nothing like the lynch mob mentality aimed at the film.

Yes, that's true. I'd have to say indifference is the dominant attitude among those who do not care for the audio series. Indifference and annoyance. I have at least two friends who feel they have to buy them even though they will not listen to them! Why? Because they have to have EVERYTHING DS!! Ok....

Personally, I was only invested in the Depp film because I'd hoped it would be the catalyst for the restoration of NODS. Once I got that, the film, good, bad, or indifferent was just a bonus. Turns out the restoration never happened.

As for the film, I have never seen a film I have loved and hated as much as that one. If you strapped me to a meter, you'd see portions I think are brilliant. I love the talk Barnabas and Victoria have on the balcony as Alice Cooper plays. I hate the "love scene" with Angelique. I love the bits where he's adjusting to the 20th Century. I hate the part where he gets vomited on. I hate all the parts in which he is advertising that he's a vampire. Burton could have at least kept the essence of who Barnabas is, the guy with a "hang-up" hiding the secret. I loved the opening. I love the confrontation with Julia. I hate the oral sex; it cheapens the character. I watched the film many times in the theater and have it on DVD/Blu-ray. I've only watched it a few times at home. That seems to happen whenever I buy a film.... Once I own it and can watch it "ANYTIME" I rarely do!