I waded through all the extras on Second Sight's new ultimate 'Dawn of the Dead' boxset (it's only my 6th copy of the movie
)...
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Director: George A. Romero
Country: United States
Length: 127 minutes
Type: Drama, Horror, Zombie
Seconds Sight's new 7-disc blu-ray set arrived and I decided to revisit the new transfer of the extended preview "Cannes Cut", or as it used be marketed, "The Director's Cut". It's how I first saw this film on DVD (being the most prevalent version) back when I naively thought the term "Director's Cut" always meant better, longer and definitive. I've since seen the actual preferred cut of director
George A. Romero several times, which is the shorter "US Theatrical Cut" and it's my favourite too. I last watched
'Dawn of the Dead' back in March, in the even shorter
Dario Argento "Zombi" cut, which is different but inferior. The "Cannes Cut" is about 12-minutes longer than the "US Theatrical Cut" but none of the extra footage feels obviously missing in the shorter version. The material is mostly lots of nice extra nuggets of dialogue but nothing essential and it does slacken the pace. Plus the unfinished library music augmented score isn't as good as the full
Goblin soundtrack. I noticed that some pieces which are used seriously, are the same as used in 1975's
'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' ironically. The new 4K transfer from the negative looks great and at a glance, looks far superior to earlier flawed HD transfers.
Considering the recent pandemic experience, when panic-buying caused supermarket shelves to be cleared front-to-back when society was still fully functioning, DotD's depiction of the chaos and looting that would take place when the actual end of the world is nigh, looks entirely believable. The four main actors are so damn good, totally naturalistic, although some of the smaller supporting performances in the opening act are variable. That and the cheap grey/blue makeup on all but the "hero" zombies, are the only things that prevent this from being a perfect movie. I can forgive those little flaws because it was a super low-budget film, so corners had to be cut to allow the money to be spent on scale and action. The zombie makeup might not look great but when there are hundreds of them in frame it really increases the horror. Also, the zombies still looking recognisably so human, arguably adds something emotional, sad and empathetic that other more realistic, gory and monstrous looking zombies lack.
Tom Savini's up-close makeup, stunts and squibs are fantastic though and really fun. Romero's inventive documentary style editing gives the film so much energy. I could rewatch 'Dawn of the Dead' anytime.
Document of the Dead (1980)
'Document of the Dead' was originally conceived as a teaching aid about independent production. This gives it a wonderfully analytical, conversational, serious and dry (in a good way) style very unlike other contemporaneous "behind the scenes" pieces, or retrospective documentaries. It pays particular attention to
George A. Romero's filming style, editing, ethos and the logistics of low-budget production. Romero talks openly and expansively, cigarette in hand and clips from
'Martin' and
'Night of the Living Dead' are brought in to enhance the arguments. Opening with a clip from the
Marx Brothers' 'A Night in Casablanca' made me well disposed toward the documentary from the get go. There have been two extended re-releases of 'Document of the Dead' adding after-the-fact traditional sit down interviews. They're informative but they dilute the unique fresh style of this original 66-minute film. It's a shame that the new Second Sight boxset only has 'Document of the Dead' in DVD quality, when an HD transfer of the 16mm has been done.
The Dead Will Walk: The Making of Dawn of the Dead (2004)
This isn't anything like as interesting as the original cut of
'Document of the Dead' presentation wise, it's just your standard talking-heads documentary about 'Dawn of the Dead'. But the information and anecdotes within are wonderful. You can really tell what a blast everybody had working on the film and how much they loved Director
George A. Romero and wanted to give him their all, not caring about food, sleep, or money. The discussion of the wrangling with the censors to get it released uncut were the most fascinating. It ultimately got released without an official rating but with a disclaimer that basically said "this is unrated because of violence, it's not because its a porno"
.
Zombies and Bikers (2020)
Unlike other making-of documentaries that would seek to get interviews with the principle cast and top crew members,
'Zombies and Bikers' shines the spotlight on the regular people who played key zombies, the bike gangers who appeared in
'Dawn of the Dead' and film crew who were happy to appear as both. Everyone gives the impression of George A. Romero being the kind of lovely guy they'd all go to hell and back for.
Memories of Monroeville (2020)
Tom Savini and a few other members of the
'Dawn of the Dead' crew take us on a tour of the Monroeville mall as it is today. Fortunately it hasn't changed too much in three decades so you can still recognise the details and locations. Their anecdotes and continuing comradery convey how much fun they had making the film.
Raising the Dead: The Production Logistics (2020)
Production crew from
'Dawn of the Dead' talk through logistics, lighting design, budgets, makeup etc. If you're into the movie, this is fascinating stuff to hear and informative for people interested in making movies.