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The Cutting Room FloorPage Six: Tracy & Gerard | |
[First Encounter] [The Stable] [Truck Stop Romance] [Page Bottom]
| Just what was the deal with Tracy and Gerard? What were his motivations for kidnapping her? What were the reasons behind his obsession for her? ... What! You can't answer these questions? Well, there's a very good reason for that - even though the original Night of Dark Shadows script contains all the answers, nearly every scene that dealt with these matters ended up being deleted from the film. |
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| In the following scene, which was scripted to take place between the scene depicting Tracy waking Quentin up on their first morning at Collinwood and the one involving Gerard and Carlotta in the kitchen, Tracy and Gerard share their first encounter. When the script had last shown Gerard, he was intensely angry at having witnessed Quentin's mysterious first visit to the Tower Room (where, unknown to the audience, Gerard had been replaced in Angelique's "affections"), so upon spotting Quentin's attractive wife, it's more than likely that Gerard was given a few ideas on just how he might retaliate. |
Night of Dark ShadowsScript ExcerptTracy stands near the window sipping a cup of coffee as she leafs through an old book. CAMERA starts a SLOW TRUCK IN ON HER. As we get closer, we see that she senses something. She turns and looks out the window. EXT - GROUNDS - DAY - HER P.O.V. Standing amoungst the trees, staring up at her, is Gerard. With him are two vicious-looking black dogs, both straining at their leashes. ZOOM IN TO HIS CLOSE-UP. TRACY - CLOSE-UP as she reacts and turns away from his gaze. It is obvious that he has upset her. CARLOTTA - MEDIUM ANGLE as she ENTERS the room carrying a tray with fresh coffee she sees Tracy by the window. Is anything wrong, Mrs. Collins? There's someone down there just staring up at me. Who is it, Carlotta? There's no one there. There was a man. With two black dogs.
CARLOTTA Oh - I see -- Well, it was just that those dogs ...
CARLOTTA
TRACY (embarrassed) |
| Of course, it is after Gerard's scene with his aunt in the Collinwood kitchen that he has his first meeting with Quentin at the Stable. During their exchange, Gerard quite pointedly mentions having seen Quentin's wife, and the look on his face as Quentin departs definitely betrays his more than passing interest in her. |
| Tracy's second encounter with Gerard was scripted to take place at the Stable on the day after Quentin's attack on him, immediately following her scene with Quentin in the Dining Room where she suggested they contact a doctor (See Page Five), and just prior to Alex's glimpse of Angelique at the greenhouse: | ||||||
Night of Dark ShadowsScript ExcerptGerard is up on a scaffold fixing the roof as Tracy crosses the courtyard, walks under the scaffolding and ENTERS the stable without seeing him. CUT TO: INT - STABLE - DAY as she ENTERS there is a sudden snarling as the two black dogs appear and start menacingly toward her. Stay away now...stay away...
I'll saddle your horse.
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After Tracy's fateful third encounter with Gerard at the Jenkins' cottage, the wounded Gerard drives his truck down the road with the captive Tracy inside. After pulling the truck to the side of the road, Gerard, blood dripping down his face, smiles lustfully. Tracy cringes in apprehension and tries to open the door to make an escape, but Gerard grabs her, causing her to cry out in terror. She struggles to break free, but he puts his hand over her mouth as again a lustful smile crosses his face. End of sequence as the action shifts to Quentin running across the lawns - right? WRONG! In the version of Night of Dark Shadows that ran in New England theaters in August 1971, there was quite a bit more that transpired in the truck between these two before Tracy was finally able to signal Quentin by pushing the truck's horn. And once again the footage, which made it clear that Gerard had more than a kiss on his mind, was trimmed because it was deemed too sexually suggestive for adolescent eyes. (Download a transcript.) |
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