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8
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
An
epidemic is spreading across the world... The dead are returning
to life and attacking the living. Society crumbles under the
pressure and it's every man for himself, so a group of four
people band together and seek safe haven. They find such a place
in, of all places, the Monroeville mall just outside of Pittsburgh.
There, they hole up and establish their own mini-civilization,
but their carefree utopia is soon to be challenged, and not
just by the zombies....
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead
(1968) became a sleeper hit, and a sequel would seem inevitable.
However, it wasn't until Italian writer/director Dario Argento,
inspired by a recent viewing of the film, approached Romero
with such an idea that it ever got off the ground. Emboldened
by Argento's promise of financing and European distribution,
Romero created a script that was equal parts horror, satire
and social commentary. Viewers wowed by the documentary-like
shocks of Night of the Living Dead
were (and continue to be) perplexed by the playful approach
Romero adopted here, but it has gone on to become one of the
most acclaimed horror films of all time and a benchmark by which
other films of its type are judged. Romero's intent here is
to show how the threat of the zombies has become, in a sense,
minimized —
the slow moving, shambling ghouls are relentlessly subjected
to barbs and sight gags, while the human characters prove to
be the real danger.
The socially conscious writer/director has
pointed out how even the smallest, most menial of tasks are
screwed up on a daily basis in "normal times," so his point
was to show how, realistically speaking, "we" would become our
own worst enemy were the shit ever to really hit the fan. Making
a scary movie was thus the furthest thing from Romero's mind,
and he has even remarked on his surprise whenever people claim
to have been frightened by the end result!
The usual Romero trademarks are abundantly
evident in Dawn: realistic dialogue,
fine acting, solid characterization and brilliant editing. The
film gets an extra boost from the Italian rock group Goblin,
brought on board by Argento to score the picture following their
success scoring Deep Red (1975) and
Suspiria (1976). Though Romero opted
to reject a lot of their music in favor of his preferred use
of library tracks, Goblin's presence is still felt in the film
and their music adds to the atmosphere tremendously. The contribution
of Tom Savini, cast as a sleazy motorcycle-riding hood and responsible
for the film's copious makeup effects, also cannot go without
mention. Though his "blue faced ghouls" are often decried by
the film's detractors, the recently deceased ghouls look pretty
credible for the most part. If Savini was able to improve the
zombie look in Day of the Dead (1985),
time, money and a bigger crew were certainly on his side. His
various "gore effects" (chunks of flesh torn out, bodies dismembered,
etc.) still retain their visceral impact and are something of
a litmus test in the first half hour.
While it may not be Romero's finest film
— I
would give that honor to 1976's Martin
— Dawn
of the Dead
is a classic of its kind and, compared to the recent remake,
its sharp observations on American culture remain as timely
as ever.
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Anchor
Bay's DiviMax release of Dawn of the Dead
is something of a sneak preview of their upcoming 3-disc special
edition. Without getting in to the details of that eagerly anticipated
release, this DiviMax release will surely tide over the fans who
simply cannot wait for "the real McCoy." The 1.85:1/16x9 transfer
looks and sounds excellent. Colors are strong and vivid, print
damage is virtually nonexistent, and the image is very sharp.
There is the option of a 5.1 or mono soundtrack, and depending
on where you stand on remixing the soundtracks for mono movies,
you know which one you'll be listening to.
Extras aren't copious, but again, there's the
3-disc set to contend with yet. The newly recorded commentary
with Romero, his wife Christine and Tom Savini is delightful —
the participants remember the shooting as if it were yesterday,
and discuss little bits of trivia and insight into the film's
themes as it unfolds. There's also an assortment of trailers,
still and poster art, and a couple of amusing hidden Easter eggs
featuring interviews with Christine Romero and Savini. Happy hunting!
4/14/04 |
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