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I really like the audio's (the full cast over the readings) but does anyone here know how they compare with the original TV series? I've seen the boxset a few times in Forbidden Planet and have been tempted ... but at £40 (last time I looked, about a year ago) that's a lot of temptation .. So ... anyone actually seen the originals? Worth getting?
"omnia audite, omnia videte, nil dicite; omnia edite, omnia bibite, nil prodigite; nunquam aliquid, nisi pro vobis, inhonorati facite"
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ChrisJW wrote:So ... anyone actually seen the originals? Worth getting? Well, there are many box sets, so you'd be getting into some serious investment. Remember, DS was on five days a week for several years. 1,245 1/2-hour episodes, according to wikipedia. All of them are on DVD, except for the pre-Barnabas ones, and I believe they're starting to come out now. That being said, I recently rented some of the DVDs from netflix, to see how I enjoyed them after all this time (I watched most of them when they were broadcast, I was a serious fan from near the beginning), and it was enjoyable for a while, but it was kind of slow going. As a friend (another fan, we used to discuss the show while running laps in gym every morning) commented at the time, there were usually only real plot developments on Friday (cliffhanger) and Monday (resolution). The other days were devoted to characters discussing what had just happened. Watching this every day was very involving, because you wanted to know what would happen next. Watching it on DVD was fun nostalgia for a bit, but I got bored with it, though I love the show as much as ever. I would advise renting, to see how you like it. There used to be a video called "The Introduction of Barnabas Collins" or some such, with several episodes edited together to make more of a narrative. If that's on DVD, check it out. It will give you a taste of what the show was like.
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It just occurred to me that you might be looking at the 1991 remake, which is available in a single boxed set. It was a hour-long, high-budget prime-time remake, starring Ben Cross. It's interesting, in some ways, but it misses everything that made the show great. I didn't even watch all of the episodes, and I'm (obviously) a fan. Stick with the original, and the audios.
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It does sound like the one I was looking at was the later version - the box certainly wouldn't have held over 1000 episodes unless they were ripped! :D Thanks for that, anyway, it's certainly given me a bit of pause for thought, and I suspect the renting idea could be the way to go - certainly seems on heck of an investment in money and time to give it a whirl. Cheers!
"omnia audite, omnia videte, nil dicite; omnia edite, omnia bibite, nil prodigite; nunquam aliquid, nisi pro vobis, inhonorati facite"
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I have been a DS fan since the mid 70s. How do the audios compare to the TV show? That's a very complicated question. First of all you have to realize several things. To many people, DS is the Barnabas show. I don't agree with that, but it's a perception that's common. With that in mind, realize that Barnabas does not come into the series until episode 210. That would be MPI volume 1 for the proper series, but don't pick up the Collectors series by accident. While I love that story, the first 9 months is more like a gothic novel depicting Victoria Winters arrival at Collinwood and the search for her past. It's more typical soap opera. Angelique shows up about 160 episodes or so after Barnabas, and Quentin, about 150-200 episdoes after that! If you are a Quentin fan, you might want to start with the story that introduces him as a ghost. He's got quite a convoluted history that's twisted like a pretzel thru time travel. The Quentin's Ghost story leads into the 1897 time travel arc. That has classic Quentin/Barnabas/Angelique. Willie does not figure into that plot at all, but John Karlen is there as Carl Collins. I am not at home now, so I can't look up the MPI volume number for these stories, but if there is interest, respond to this post and I'll look it up later.
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All of them are on DVD, except for the pre-Barnabas ones, and I believe they're starting to come out now.
Every episode is out now, except of course 1219, which is lost. In the tradition of Doctor Who, the audio track is on a DVD with various stills. The PreBarnabas series sold to club members over a year ago and finished it's general public release just recently. It's sold in 6 volumes of 35 eps a piece
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Is there any chance Big Finish could cut some sort of deal with MPI to supply the dvd's to the UK? A lot of the sets available on the internet come from America and I'm sick of getting shafted by customs and the Post Office charging their own surcharge as well.
Geoff
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waldo wrote:It just occurred to me that you might be looking at the 1991 remake, which is available in a single boxed set. It was a hour-long, high-budget prime-time remake, starring Ben Cross. It's interesting, in some ways, but it misses everything that made the show great. I didn't even watch all of the episodes, and I'm (obviously) a fan. Stick with the original, and the audios. Interesting because the Ben Cross remake is the only version I've seen anything of - it's frequently broadcast on satellite (Sky) channels here in the UK. It intrigued me, and I'm tempted to pick it up on DVD sometime. More importantly for Big Finish it could tempt me towards trying some of the Big Finish audios. But I'm very unlikely to view the original US version for reasons of cost and time. Also as overseas DVDs they're not available to rent in the UK, unlike for example the 1990s remake which has been released in Region 2 format.
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Actually, all of the original Dark Shadows episodes are now on DVD, following the recent release of the 6th 'The Beginning' box set. My TV was so excited by the prospect of watching this box set that it died of excitement, and while I sort out all the various joys of whether to go LCD or plasma, this box set sit lonely and forlorn...
To describe the original TV series as slow moving may be a little kind. However, I love the show and I go into a very forgiving mind-set while watching it, so personally I have no problem with the pace. In fact, I'd only just started buying it on DVD when 'The Beginning' sets started coming out, so finally I'll be able to get back onto the Barnabas years...
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TheDoctorandK9 wrote:Angelique shows up about 160 episodes or so after Barnabas, and Quentin, about 150-200 episdoes after that! If you are a Quentin fan, you might want to start with the story that introduces him as a ghost. He's got quite a convoluted history that's twisted like a pretzel thru time travel. The Quentin's Ghost story leads into the 1897 time travel arc. That has classic Quentin/Barnabas/Angelique. I was hooked from earlier than that, but I remember when Quentin was introduced, and he quickly became one of my favorite characters (along with Angelique and Professor Stokes). That whole sequence (Quentin's ghost and 1897) was great, as was the later 1840 storyline, where there was also a lot of Quentin (different Quentin, I know) and Angelique.
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cidervampire wrote:Is there any chance Big Finish could cut some sort of deal with MPI to supply the dvd's to the UK? A lot of the sets available on the internet come from America and I'm sick of getting shafted by customs and the Post Office charging their own surcharge as well. Seconded. If Big Finish could sell the sets, that would be absolutely fantastic! I've been wondering about ordering some from Amazon.com for a while, but the shipping and customs charges have been putting me off.
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I'm pleasantly surprised that quite a few people know the TV series. Right - next time I'm near a Forbidden Planet I can foresee my credit card taking some damage ...
"omnia audite, omnia videte, nil dicite; omnia edite, omnia bibite, nil prodigite; nunquam aliquid, nisi pro vobis, inhonorati facite"
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ChrisJW wrote:I'm pleasantly surprised that quite a few people know the TV series. It was actually a very successful show at the time (after Barnabas was introduced -- before that it was nearly canceled). Jonathan Frid and David Selby were on the cover of teen magazines, Barnabas was mentioned in the Fantastic Four comic book, and so on. From what I understand, it was canceled because it was expensive to produce (compared to a game show, which is what replaced it), and because the audience was mostly teenagers, not housewives (the target daytime audience in those days). Nowadays, teenagers have a lot of disposable income, but not then (at least that was the perception -- and I certainly didn't have much :-) ).
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waldo wrote:
It was actually a very successful show at the time
Yes it was. Was there any show in the US, much less a soap opera, from that period that could boast about the level of merchandizing that DS produced? Paperback Library produced 35 books, 36 if you count the novelization of the movie House of Dark Shadows. There were 32 novels, a joke book, a picture album, and a horror anthology. There was a comic book that managed to continue for about 5 years after the show went off the air. The DS soundtrack album is one of the most successful TV scores of all time. Quentin's Theme was a hit single. There were model kits, 2 games, 2 puzzles, "GROOVY HORROR HEADS"(YUCK) etc.etc etc. Even Star Trek did not have this level of success during its run. There were a few tie ins and comics, but it wasn't until the 80s that they surpassed the number of original novels DS had between '66 and '72. The Man from UNCLE had over 20 books, but I don't believe they even approached 30 books. I think that's the closest competition for DS in the 60s. There has never been anything like DS in the US. Most soaps come and go, or stay for many years, but they don't get the attention DS did. The show was written up in many high profile magazines. I was only 6 in '69 when it was at its height. I was not allowed to watch it, but I remember my friends all raving about it.
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I adore the 1991 remake. I've watched the DVD about five times.
I have the whole lot of 32 box sets of the original series imported from the US, and I don't want to think how much it has cost me in total. I've really enjoyed watching them, though. If anyone has the time and money to invest in such a huge collection, I highly recommend them.
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Really enjoying the original series. Up to box 16 now but unfortunately there is a fault with the last disk and I can't play the 2nd half. I picked it up cheap over a year back from a US website so I doubt if I can get a replacement. Would it be breaking any rules or copyright if I asked if some kind soul could do me a copy of this disk seeing as I own it already?
Geoff
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