The Cutting Room Floor

Page Seven: Alex's Investigation

[Two Sides Of Angelique] [Alex's Warning] [Page Bottom]

The original draft of the Night of Dark Shadows script calls for Alex to play an active role in both uncovering the history of Angelique and Charles as well as explaining the truth behind Quentin's "visions", as can be seen in the following two scenes:

Two Sides Of Angelique:

In the final edit of Night of Dark Shadows, the scene of Quentin and Carlotta in Sarah's room appears between the scenes of Quentin's discovery of Angelique's unfinished portrait in the tower room, and that of Quentin, Tracy and the Jenkins in the dining room. However, the script called for an entirely different scene to appear between those two scenes: a gathering of the Collins and Jenkins couples in the gallery during which they discuss the two very different portraits of Angelique.

Gallery Portrait

Tower Portrait

Night of Dark Shadows

Script Excerpt

INT - GALLERY - NIGHT

Tracy, Claire, Alex are looking at the half-finished portrait as Quentin stares at the portrait of Angelique on the wall.

ALEX
Fascinating. So evil here and so prim over there. The double life of Angelique Collins.

CLAIRE
Here he goes. Another plot for another book -

ALEX
I've been doing some research.

QUENTIN
What did you find out?

ALEX
The servant-girl legend is just that. And after seeing this, my vote goes to her. She'd make some ghost.

QUENTIN - CLOSE UP

CLAIRE (O.S.)
Poor Angelique Collins. He's going to start and she'll have no more secrets.

TRACY (O.S.)
Do we have to have a ghost, Alex?

BACK TO SCENE

QUENTIN
Alex always makes up his own legends, anyway, I'm not half as curious about Angelique Collins as I am about Charles. He is quite good, you know.

He looks at the portrait again.

ALEX
Is?

They all laugh.

Alex's Warning:

Immediately following the scene outside the greenhouse in which Tracy begins to reveal to Alex the events of the previous night, there was to have been a scene where Alex explains to Quentin what he has learned about events in the 1810 Collinwood residents' lives. His discovery of this information provides the motive for Angelique's attempt to kill Alex in the greenhouse. As the story now plays, that motive is somewhat left to the audience's imagination.

Night of Dark Shadows

Script Excerpt

INT - LIBRARY - DAY

as Quentin listens to Alex, a look of disbelief on his face.

ALEX
Yes, she disappeared. Now don't look at me that way. I got there only seconds after. And she was gone. Then the whole place fell on my head.

QUENTIN
What are you trying to tell me?

ALEX
I think it was Angelique.

QUENTIN
OK, come on. So you saw a girl --

ALEX
No, man, it's true. That's why I was coming here -- to tell you what I found out. Now, obviously, I've become a threat to her.

Quentin looks at him, just shaking his head. Alex looks at his reference books, puts his hand on them.

ALEX
Right from your own library -- According to these, Angelique Collins was married to a man named Gabriel -- but was really in love with his brother, your favorite painter, Charles. It broke the family apart. Any of this familiar to you?

QUENTIN
Why should it be?

ALEX
Because of those little scenes of yours.

QUENTIN
Oh, Alex -- they don't mean a thing.

ALEX
Yesterday you said you wanted to talk about them.

QUENTIN
Well, now I don't.

ALEX
Why? Because of last night?

QUENTIN
Alex -- I told you I just thought Gerard was a burglar.

ALEX
Then why were you screaming, "She's mine, brother. She's mine"?
(Note: That refers to a line of dialogue that was cut from the sequence of Quentin strangling Gerard on the stairs.)

Quentin just stares at him. He has no answer.

I think you were acting out one of those daydreams. You were Charles and you thought Gerard was Brother Gabriel. You were fighting over...

QUENTIN
Angelique, of course.

ALEX
Quentin, what were you doing in the tower at two in the morning?

TRUCK IN ON CLOSE-UP OF QUENTIN. He hesitates. He is not going to tell him about the "dream".

QUENTIN
I was working.

ALEX
By candlelight? You spend a lot of time in that room.

QUENTIN
What in God's name are you trying to get at?

ALEX
You're going to laugh at it...but I think you're drawn to that room. I'm afraid you're being taken over by Angelique.

QUENTIN
You're right. I am laughing.

ALEX
Well, don't.

TRUCK IN on Quentin.

There is no doubt that Charles despised his wife Laura. The book says she died of drowning and then he disappeared forever. But suppose he killed her?

Quentin looks at him as if he is crazy.

QUENTIN
I guess according to that logic then I'll try to kill Tracy -- right?

ALEX
It's possible.

QUENTIN
Well -- but I don't despise Tracy.

ALEX
I think you will -- if you can't keep from going to that room.

QUENTIN
Alex, you have gone all the way. Now you're telling me I can't stay out of a room. I have never known you to be so wrong before. No matter what happened last night, I am in complete control of myself --

ALEX
Well, if you are, then humor your old buddy and stay away from there.

QUENTIN
All right, Alex! Enough!...I'll think about it. But you do something for me --

Alex looks at him.

Don't give Tracy any of your crazy theories.

ALEX
You've got a deal.

Incidently, before Tracy joins Quentin in the gallery, Alex and Tracy do discuss how Quentin's behavior is changing. And while he does not reveal his suspicions, Alex does, however, encourage Tracy to find some way to check out the tower room. Both are unaware that Carlotta is watching them, and it is her suspicions regarding their talk that further infuriate and motivate Carlotta when she learns Quentin will no longer be painting in the tower room.

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