Document of the Dead

1980

Action / Documentary / Horror

Plot summary


Uploaded by: OTTO

Director

Top cast

George A. Romero Photo
George A. Romero as Himself
Tom Savini Photo
Tom Savini as Himself
Ken Foree Photo
Ken Foree as Himself
Groucho Marx Photo
Groucho Marx as Ronald Kornblow
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
682.80 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 42 min
P/S ...
1.22 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 42 min
P/S ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by nogodnomasters4 / 10

ROMERO EGO-FEST

This is a George Romero ego-fest and not a documentary of zombie films. This "movie" consists of director cuts, interviews, and behind the scenes at a handful of Romereo's works including non-zombie films. It mentions a handful of movies that his work has spawned, but never mentions there were zombie movies and zombie fans before his classic film. Romero is another Hitchcock and every frame of his film is a masterpiece. Even his kid agrees. This film would normally be a special feature of another film.

Guide: F-bomb and Nudity.

Reviewed by Woodyanders8 / 10

Very thorough and informative making of documentary

I saw the 1989 cut of this doc, which offers a really engrossing and illuminating look at George Romero's creative process, with a noted emphasis on the shooting of "Dawn of the Dead" at the Monroe Shopping Mall. Romero himself comes across as a real amiable and easygoing guy who gives everyone on the cast and crew alike a chance to shine. Moreover, we find out that "Dawn" was shot from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. in the morning at the mall, Romero shot two endings for the film, Tom Savini came up with a few gore gags that weren't in the script (for example, the zombie janitor who gets killed with a screwdriver was Savini's idea),and production for the movie had to be shut down in December due to the Christmas holiday season. In addition, Romero's tight editing style, penchant for using lots of sound, and talent for precise compositions are addressed in detail. On top of this, there's a visit to the set of "Two Evil Eyes" in which a seemingly simple splatter set piece winds up taking all day to effectively pull off. Susan Tyrell handles her narrator duties with admirable earnestness. Essential viewing for fans of both "Dawn" and Romero alike.

Reviewed by TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews5 / 10

Good interviews, but could have been better produced

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

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