The
first Dark Shadows
entry into the DVD arena is undoubtedly a mixed bag, though
viewers who can overlook its technical and creative flaws
should find plenty of interest. While much of its material
is culled from previous VHS releases, the DVD format offers
a sufficient number of unique features to justify its purchase.
The meat of the disc is to be found in its documentaries,
all of which are previously released. Dark Shadows: Behind
the Scenes is a fascinating hour-long programme, consisting
of a broad selection of vintage and original cast interviews,
backed to series highlights.Easily
the strongest feature on the disc, complimented with the addition
of rare home movie footage and trailers, it succeeds at placing
the Dark Shadows
phenomenon firmly in context, though feels distinctly light
on hard facts, lacking a needed authority on its subject matter.
...
...
In Inside the Shadows, creator Dan Curtis makes a leisurely,
but modestly diverting commentary on the show, with some overlong
archive excerpts. Finally, series star Nancy Barrett takes
viewers On Location, for a tour of series filming locations.
While this segment is well-researched and nicely composed,
it fails to fully ignite, emerging as a quaint aside, though
nothing essential.
Elsewhere, there is an original episode of the series with
its dubbed Spanish language soundtrack (though sadly no choice
of alternative English audio); some movie trailers; and finally,
Dark Shadows: Nightmares and Dreams, which compiles
some of the show's imaginative dream excursions, but through
non-existent presentation only succeeds in making them dull
and tedious.
As a bonus from the material available on VHS, there are some
nice extras, in the form of a scratchy copy of a previously
lost commercial for a Dark Shadows board game, recorded
on the Collinwood set with Jonathan Frid; a series of 1980s
Dark Shadows PBS pledge spots again featuring Frid;
an exemplary Picture Gallery, featuring beautiful rare pictures
and sound cues; and finally a few text-only features, which
seem notable only for their staggering pointlessness.
Where the disk genuinely fails is in its lack of overall cohesion
and variable picture quality. While certain segments look
excellent, others fail with smeary overcompressed pictures,
particularly in the On Location segment. This chapter
is also prone to compatibility issues on certain players,
though I experienced no problems on mine.
In spite of the technical problems, this emerges as a worthy
package offering a broad range of content and excellent value
for money. While it would be churlish to criticise this at
length, a more focused approach and a desire not to shoehorn
in excessive material at the cost of picture quality, would
help make future releases more essential viewing. Hopefully
future Dark Shadows DVDs can address these teething
troubles, allowing their presentation to match the content.
As times, less can definitely be more.
Order
this DVD from Amazon.com
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