A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.

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Michael Felix (felixmic13@hotmail.com) from Camarillo, California
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A great film if you fall into one of three catagories: a) Horror movie fan, b) more specifically, a George Romero fan, or c) a film student. Basically what this movie boils down to is a look into the world of horror film production. It follows the development of the movie Dawn of the Dead from pre- to post-production. Provides a fascinating look into how exactly a film is shot and put together into its final form. I had heard of this film's existence shortly after I became a rabid Romero fan, and when I bought I was expecting a great supplement to the classic film. I have to admit I was a little disappointed after first viewing. While the movie concentrates on Dawn out of all of Romero's movies, I was left wanting more.

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neil peter huthnance (nhuthnm@ozdocs.net.au) from Sydney, Australia
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Given the avowed intentions of George Romero as an independent filmmaker, we can see his zombie epics as no mere tilting at windmills. Rather, Romero can be seen as a reflexive artist: his metaphorical depiction in these films of the constraints on attaining a fulfilling life run parallel to the difficulties he faced in the production process. This documentary charts the trajectory of Romero's career through a period in which access to the means of film production, he acknowledges, has become less possible for like minded independents trying to get a start in the film industry. These struggles are symptomatic of how globalisation has helped foster the libertarian survivalist mentality of "the player", dependent upon multi-skilling, movement and market "freedom" from government regulation and civility/citizenship (or loyalty to and/or lifetime employment by one studio/company). "Day of the Dead" depicts the destructive restlessness of soldiers and 1 mad scientist trapped in a bunker. With no government to sanction their role, they become increasingly mercenary/asocial. Rebellion against regulation is celebrated in the caricatures of BIG GOVERNMENT as Nazis or "the Evil Empire" in 2 of the biggest flagships for these changes; the Indiana Jones and "Star Wars" films produced by major studios. Their return of the "hero" cultivates reliance upon adaptive individual resources ("Han SOLO" indeed!) and changes in consciousness rather than social structures...the teachings of Anthony Robbins echo Yoda. Since the period in which this documentary was made, changes in media cross- ownership have led to films of popular computer and video games. It seems Romero has finally had to follow the trends by making "Resident Evil", if only to finance the concluding installment of his zombie series.

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Scarecrow-88 from United States
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Here is a really interesting relic before the DVD documentary become a standard of today, focusing primarily on the set of the making of DAWN OF THE DEAD. Nicole Potter's uninspired narration sounds as if she preferred being elsewhere, but there's some fascinating anecdotes provided by Romero regarding the filmmaking process and seeing live stuff(not to mention interviews)from '78 is like discovering buried treasure if you are a DAWN OF THE DEAD fanatic as I am. We get to see a specific and arduous special effect set up for the Romero/Savini collaboration, TWO EVIL EYES. We get to hear about how Savini was supposed to direct GRAVEYARD SHIFT for New World. We get to see Romero in the editing room, cutting and splicing scenes of DAWN OF THE DEAD. The documentary is rather rough around the edges and raw..this is before future documentaries were better produced and structured. The interviews are what makes DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD a must-see curio for zombie/Romero fans. Romero has always been free and easy when talking about his method behind filmmaking which makes DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD essential viewing for his devoted followers. Major emphasis is also given to MARTIN and, obviously, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. While this documentary is a bit uneven(perhaps due to its unfortunate history), I'm happy it simply exists period and that I had a chance to see it.

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MisterWhiplash from United States
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The thing that intrigues me the most about Romero is aside from his down-to-earth attitudes when it comes to film-making and the film-making process, he has pretty much no ego. This is a man who has directed four of the most popular horror films ever made- Night of the Living Dead and its sequels Dawn (my favorite), Day, and now Land, and he doesn't seem to take as much credit for it as he should or a lessor director would. What's also fascinating about the documentary here is that it focuses on two things- Romero's style in his films (here shown as Night, Dawn, and the great vampire film Martin), and the making of 'Dawn', and in the making of Dawn one realizes why he has not much to be very big about- a lot of what goes into the film is improvisation, the work of the actors, and Tom Savini's masterpiece of comic-book/over-stylized violence and zombies. The director of this documentary goes in depth with the style that swarms over Night and Martin, and Romero goes into detail in interviews about his own process, how he writes, directs, and edits, and what seems complicated on the screen really is not.

Basically, if you love the horror genre, or even just Romero's films, it's very worthwhile to check this out, even when some of the narration becomes obvious (or if you would rather watch the films instead of hearing exposition on them). The history of Dawn is fascinating if only as a time capsule, of when malls were in their beginning stages, when make-up wasn't as sophisticated (though maybe not as unique) as today, and when the level of violence in his films was almost unfathomable in those days of post-Vietnam America. It's sort of sad in a way to hear about Romero's problems with making the films he wants to make, as he talks of the problems being a "maverick" in the Hollywood system, but that's how it might always be. But just to see these images, and to see the process and how it unfolds (especially a behind-the-scenes look at one special effect and its length and depth in Two Evil Eyes) is enough to recommend it- it's available with the Dawn of the Dead box-set on DVD, but it also is on TV every now and again. Grade: A

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Warren Hawkes from Melbourne, Australia
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'Document of the Dead' is an interesting look at the making of 'Dawn of the Dead' and other works of George A. Romero, but despite the subject matter, 'Document...' for me was a little disappointing. Well hyped in the press and by the production crew itself, I couldn't help feel a little sold short by the final package. Admittedly this in part can be explained due to technical difficulties when the film was being made, (see trivia) and we can only guess how much more interesting 'Document...' would have been with those extra 66 shots, but the film has other faults. Sound quality at times was poor, while the voice of narrator Susan Tyrell I found coma inducing, and at times narration was overtly technical to the point of boredom. There was also some repetitive cuts (including a whole rerun of the final credits and time coded footage) that obviously wasn't supposed to be there, though I'm not sure if this was down to the original production team or the video distributor.

Die hard Romero fans will no doubt salivate at the behind the scenes and extra unseen footage, as may curious independent filmmakers and students, but the presentation here will more likely bore unfamiliar, less technically minded audiences. Romero's work, and how he works is in no dispute though, it is fascinatingly interesting. He comes across eloquently while still remaining down to earth and you can't help empathise with his struggle despite his successful track record. Interviews with Tom Savini also help immensely, livening the film with his energy and obvious passion he has for his work.

'Document...' isn't quite the companion to 'Dawn of the Dead' that I was hoping for, but under the circumstances it's understandable, in fact it's a credit to the film makers that it ever got put out there at all! But despite covering some of Romero's other work, Dawn footage is what we were all here for and it's a shame that in the end there just wasn't quite enough.

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caspian1978 from Boston, MA
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Fans of the Dead Trilogy have to at least seen this flick twice let alone own a copy in their video library. It is a wonderful look in the early to mid career of George Romero and his work in the art of Horror Movie Making. We take a deep look into not only Pittsburgh, where Romero lived and worked, but Romero himself and the journey into Night of the Living Dead, and the many films to follow. I enjoyed this film for the simple reason that it was shot on film and for a very low budget. It added to the realness of the story and the struggle of an Independent Film Maker and his journey into creating a film that will last for generations.

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Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
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Well, the one thing I learned from this documentary is that George A. Romero smokes a lot and that he apparently can't give an interview without holding a cigarette in his fingers, whether it's lit or not. Apart from that, this documentary doesn't feature any groundbreaking news or memorable information. I guess that, as usually the case with footage like this, it's a lot more fun to make it than to actually watch it as an extra feature on the DVD. Roy Frumkes probably had the time of his life following and interviewing horror idols like George Romero, Ken Foree and Tom Savini (especially since he was still a student at the time) but for other viewers it's not that interesting. The introduction is rather ingenious, as it shows a comical sketch of the Marx-brothers mocking Pittsburgh (the place where all Romero's movies are set) and than it's just a whole lot of interviews and sequences from "Night", "Dawn" and the modern vampire movie "Martin". The documentary explains how Romero was influenced by the news events of that time and that he's a truly gifted filmmaker with a sixth sense for imaginative camera angles. Stuff we all knew already, in other words. There's some nice trivia about the mall where "Dawn of the Dead" was shot, like for instance, filming was interrupted during the month of December because of the Christmas decoration that couldn't feature in the film. The parts with Tom Savini are also a lot of fun to watch, because he clearly loves his job and was offered a lot of creative freedom by Romero for his zombie make-up in "Dawn". There surely are worse ways to spend 60 minutes of your life, but overall this documentary is not really worth bothering for.

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poe426 from USA
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It was a remarkable thing to see DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD when it first turned up on video tape: here was an on-location look at the making of a horror classic- incredible stuff! And it still is, after all these years. The bonus scenes included on the new(est) DVD release are must-see, as well: there are extended interviews with Romero and Savini and commentary by Frumkes himself. Watching it takes me back to those Golden Days of Yore, when DAWN OF THE DEAD first exploded across Movie Screens. It's nigh impossible to convey to Latecomers just how shocking (and Original and Imaginative) DAWN OF THE DEAD was Back Then. There'd been nothing like it, and we were ALL blown away. (I'd seen it the first time while suffering from pneumonia: as I left the hospital and staggered up the street toward the bus stop, I spotted a marquee a block away: DAWN OF THE DEAD. I decided that, if I were going to die of pneumonia, at least I could die watching a horror movie. I made it to the theater, bought a ticket, and wobbled down the aisle to the middle of the sixth row. The next thing I knew, heads were exploding and great dripping chunks of human flesh were being ripped from screaming victims by man-eating zombies. It was overwhelming. I made it home and promptly had the only hallucinations I've ever had in my life- of zombies piling out of a van I was driving to attack the traffic cop who'd pulled me over. To say that it was quite an experience is an understatement. I went back to see it at the next opportunity and for years it was the one movie I suggested whenever it turned up at a Midnight showing. It remains, to this day, one of my all-time favorite movies.) (I was so smitten that I sat down and wrote a "sequel," which I titled DAY OF THE DEAD, and sent it off to George Romero in Pittsburgh. For legal reasons, I was told, there was nothing he could do with the script, but it was fun writing it and I've since written scores of stories for Neil Fawcette's HOMEPAGE OF THE DEAD- including a series entitled THE UNDEAD- and shot my own Romero-inspired zombie movie, THE LIVING DEAD.) It was also exciting to see a documentary about the MAKING of DAWN OF THE DEAD. On one of the dvds, there's a home movie that someone shot showing a gag that never appeared in the final film: someone shoots a zombie in the eye with a crossbow. The effect looks good to me, but it's never appeared in any version of the movie I've ever seen. Tom Savini, in one interview that appears on the latest DVD, states that the word "zombie" doesn't really describe the creatures in the DEAD movies (although Ken Foree's character is the one who calls them zombies in DAWN OF THE DEAD, when the motorcycle gang invades the mall). I would suggest "the undead." Regardless, zombies will never die.

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Mr-Fusion from United States
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I came into "Document of the Dead" expecting more about "Dawn of the Dead, to be completely honest. This being an extra on the "Dawn of the Dead" DVD set, and titled like a play on words (say, documenting the dead) it seemed like an on-set making-of showing the actual production. It does have such footage, and said material is the centerpiece of the documentary, but it's part of a larger examination of George Romero's career.

Understandably, we kick things off with a look at Romero's name-making movie, "Night of the Living Dead", specifically to highlight the director's shooting and cutting style. Same thing for his next movie, "Martin".

And then we get to "Dawn", which featured candid interviews with the cast and crew (Foree, Emgee, Reiniger, Savini) and plenty of unseen additional footage of the mall (paydirt). Even some time-lapse photography covering the process of turning an extra from human to full- on zombie. It's during this stage of the film that such challenges as distribution rights (for independent films), taking on the MPAA, and various cost factors are discussed, which does shed plenty of light on what goes into making a non-Hollywood movie (at least as of 1978). They also go into Romero's editing style, using one of his Calgon commercials from the '60s to show how he cut his teeth.

But that's the last of the archival footage, as "Document" abruptly cuts to behind-the-scenes material of Romero's new film ('89), "Two Evil Eyes". Admittedly, I was in it for "Dawn", so my attention started to go. A better segue might've also helped, but there you go.

6/10

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Grann-Bach (Grann-Bach@jubii.dk) from Denmark
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Having just finished watching this for the third(and most likely last) time, I can sadly clearly see why I gave up on it around the half-way point the first time; as the credits rolled, I realized that I did not feel entertained or even informed... I merely felt relieved. Add to that the version I watched was only just over an hour in length, not the 90 minutes that this page lists it as, and you can tell that I, personally, was quite underwhelmed by this feature. The presentation felt flat; it really wasn't very engaging or fascinating, in spite of the movie it revolves around being both of those and more. The editing wasn't very tight, nor does it try anything interesting, but rather goes through the motions. However, I think what really slayed this was the idolization of Romero; he is compared to Hitchcock, his style is mercilessly praised and his films, shots and cuts are analyzed to mean far more and be far more planned and thought out than they actually are. Imagine the dichotomy when Romero himself, in his interviews, comes off as a down-to-Earth, nice, pleasant guy who just happens to rock at making horror movies and manages to inject satire and social commentary without it coming across as forced. These clips, as well as Tom Savini's presence(in which he confirms the viewer's first impression of Romero) are what make this watchable. Pacing is non-existent. The voice-over narration sounds as if the speaker is bored out of her mind, but I don't know what they had access to as far as that goes, so I'll cut them some slack on that. In any case, the pseudo-intellectual analysis and shameless praise is far more distracting. I respect Romero... I think he has created one heck of a horror trilogy. He's clearly talented and smart, but the way he's spoken of in this simply comes off as some excited, easily impressionable kids expressing their fandom without having the sense to openly admit that that's what it is. I recommend this to fans of Romero and Dawn of the Dead... just be aware of and prepared for the unintended hyperbole and the lackluster production. 5/10

While editing the movie, the creators discovered that 10% of the negative from the original footage, including 66 shots, had disappeared. When the filmmakers didn't get a response from the New York school of visual arts, director Roy Frumkes resorted to contacting a psychic therapist (Nancy Orlen Weber) to see if she could help. Though she suspected most of the missing film had been maliciously destroyed, she did pick up on the fact one small roll of film had been misplaced at the Technicolor laboratory. It was not until years later a can of film resurfaced, where it had been stored under the wrong title was the film finally edited and put on the market.
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Footage from Dawn of the Dead (1978) contains dialogue not found in the theatrical cut or the director's cut.
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independent film|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Australia:M / USA:Not Rated