It was translated into more than 25 languages and released across Europe, Canada and Australia. [53], Despite the controversy, five years after the premiere Paul McCullough of Take One observed that Night of the Living Dead was the "most profitable horror film ever ... produced outside the walls of a major studio". We then took those selections and augmented them electronically". Something that was forever, something that was really at the heart of it. Ben runs back to the house on his own, and has to break down the door when Harry does not let him back in. At the suggestion of Bill Hinzman (the actor who played the zombie which first attacks Barbra in the graveyard and kills her brother Johnny at the beginning of the original film), composers Todd Goodman and Stephen Catanzarite composed an opera Night of the Living Dead based on the film. Stephen Paul Miller, for instance, witnessed "a revival of fifties schlock shock ... and the army general's television discussion of military operations in the film echoes the often inevitable calling-in of the army in fifties horror films". [33] One example offered by O'Dea concerns a scene where Barbra tells Ben about Johnny's death: The sequence where Ben is breaking up the table to block the entrance and I'm on the couch and start telling him the story of what happened [to Johnny] it's all ad-libbed. They wanted to capitalize on the film industry's "thirst for the bizarre", according to Romero. On these the zombies will capitalize. Barbra manages to get away and takes refuge in what seems to be an abandoned farm house. We lived at the farmhouse, so we were always into raps about the implication and the meaning, so some of that crept in. Following its theatrical premiere in Pittsburgh on October 1, 1968, Night of the Living Dead eventually grossed US$12 million domestically and US$18 million internationally, earning more than 250 times its budget and making it one of the most profitable film productions ever made at the time. [12], Although the film is regarded as one of the launching pads for the modern zombie movie, the screenplay itself never uses the word. … Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. Directed by George A. Romero. I said we got to start at the beginning and tweak it up a little bit. Siblings Barbara and Johnny drive to a rural Pennsylvania cemetery to place a cross with flowers on their father's grave. [46] Critics saw the influence of the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s in Romero's directorial style. The magazine quoted Romero as saying, "I didn't want to touch Night of the Living Dead". [36] The cemetery chapel was under warrant for demolition; however, Gary R. Steiner led a successful effort to raise $50,000 to restore the building, and the chapel is currently undergoing renovations. The voice cast includes Tony Todd as Ben, Danielle Harris as Barbra, Joseph Pilato as Harry Cooper, Alona Tal as Helen Cooper, Bill Moseley as Johnny, Tom Sizemore as Chief McClellan and newcomers Erin Braswell as Judy and Michael Diskint as Tom. After evolving through multiple drafts, Russo and Romero's final script primarily drew influence from Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend. [140] The opera was awarded the American Prize for Theater Composition in 2014. The Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry in 1999 with other films deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Their car radio goes off the air due to technical difficulties. The franchise predominantly centers on different groups of people attempting to survive during the outbreak and evolution of a zombie apocalypse. George A. Romero interview, quoted at "George A. Romero Bio", Special Features, sfn error: no target: CITEREFDillardWaller1988 (, "Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry", November 16, 1999, at. In 2008, recording group 400 Lonely Things released the album Tonight of the Living Dead, "an instrumental album composed entirely of ambient music and sound effects sampled from Romero's 1968 horror classic". Was this review helpful to you? [113] Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated premiered theatrically on October 10, 2009, in Ramsey, New Jersey[114] at the Zombie Encounter and Film Festival. The film was very well acted by an unknown cast at the time, does not look cheap and nasty, despite it being shot on a budget and in black and white. Duane Jones was a very well educated man [and he] simply refused to do the role as it was written. As the world is overrun by zombies, a small group of scientists and military personnel dwelling in an underground bunker in Florida must determine whether they should educate, eliminate or escape the undead horde. But try to remember. I mean, Richard starts his book with one man left; everybody in the world has become a vampire. . A second version of the script featured a young man who runs away from home and discovers rotting human corpses that aliens use for food scattered across a meadow. Nearly Fifty years after it was made, Night Of The Living Dead has stood the test of time, and is still going strong, gaining popularity and new fans all around the world . [91] This release also features a workprint edit of the film under the title of Night of Anubis, in addition to various bonus materials. Barbra (played by Judith O’Dea) and Johnny Eastman supervised the special effects, wardrobe and makeup. There's this global change and there's one guy holding out saying, wait a minute, I'm still a human. [100] According to Legend Films founder Barry Sandrew, Night of the Living Dead is the first entirely live action 2-D film to be converted to 3-D.[101], In 1999, co-writer John A. Russo released a modified version called Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition. It's hard to remember what sort of effect this movie might have had on you when you were six or seven. [89] Dimension Extreme released a restored print of the film on DVD. "It has been established that persons who have recently died have been returning to life and committing acts of murder. [23], Co-written as a horror comedy by John Russo and George A. Romero under the title Monster Flick,[24] an early screenplay draft concerned the exploits of adolescent aliens who visit Earth and befriend human teenagers. [89] On October 3, 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment released a standard 1080p version of the film on Blu-ray in the United States, however, this was a transfer of an existing release print, and not a restoration. Unlike Savini's 1990 film, Broadstreet's project was not affiliated with Romero. Sound tech R. Lococo's choices worked well, as film historian Sumiko Higashi believes that the music "signifies the nature of events that await". "A Point of Little Hope: Hippie Horror Films and the Politics of Ambivalence". [84] The original film is available to view or download for free on various websites, such as the Internet Archive and YouTube. Released shortly prior to the adoption of the Motion Picture Association of America rating system, the film attracted widespread controversy and negative reviews upon its initial release for its explicit violence and gore, but it soon garnered a cult following and acclaim among critics, and has appeared on lists of the greatest films ever made by such outlets as Empire, The New York Times and Total Film. [89] In 2002, Elite Entertainment released a special edition DVD featuring the original cut. Russo came up with the concept that they would be the recently dead only, because they could not afford to bring long-dead people out of their graves. Night of the living dead looks awesome on blu ray, the sound quality is excellent and the transfer is great too. [118][119] This same restoration was released on Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection on February 13, 2018.[91]. [34], The lead role was originally written for someone of Caucasian descent, but upon casting African-American actor Duane Jones, Romero intentionally did not alter the script to reflect this. In a certain sense he's wrong but on the other hand, you've got to respect him for taking that position. Karl Hardman attributed the edits to lead actor Duane Jones: The script had been written with the character Ben as a rather simple truck driver. Copperman novel. [23][27][28] Discussing the creation of Night of the Living Dead, Romero remarked, "I had written a short story, which I basically had ripped off from a Richard Matheson novel called I Am Legend. Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. [30], Official film adaptations of Matheson's novel appeared in 1964 as The Last Man on Earth, in 1971 as The Omega Man, and the 2007 release I Am Legend. [122], Since its release, some critics and film historians have interpreted Night of the Living Dead as a subversive film that critiques 1960s American society, international Cold War politics and domestic racism. The initial budget was $6,000[21] with the 10 members of the production company, investing $600 each for a share of the profits. "[79], Night of the Living Dead entered the public domain in the United States because the original theatrical distributor, the Walter Reade Organization, failed to place a copyright indication on the prints,[80] and at that time, United States copyright law held that public dissemination required copyright notice to maintain a copyright. Join them. [141] The film has also effectively redefined the use of the term "zombie". [33] Romero admitted that "none of us wanted to do that. [94][95] Another colorized version appeared in 1997 from Anchor Bay Entertainment with grey-skinned zombies. Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute. With Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman. Richard Weaver, Films and Filming "You get what you pay for in Night of the Living Dead, a horror film that has the power to literally horrify. A group of people hide in a farm house and try to stay alive and survive the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. . According to Hardman, "We knew that we could not raise enough money to shoot a film on a par with the classic horror films with which we had all grown up. [3] In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying. Sabu! team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall. [20] He and Streiner contacted Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman, president and vice president respectively of a Pittsburgh-based industrial film firm called Hardman Associates, Inc. Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. A sardonic hardware store clerk is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead so he can return home. The blood, for example, was Bosco Chocolate Syrup drizzled over cast members' bodies. Matheson was not impressed by Romero's interpretation, feeling that "It was ... kind of cornball",[31] though he later said, "George Romero's a nice guy, though. The additions are neither clearly identified nor even listed. [124], On September 15, 2009, it was announced that Simon West was producing a 3D animated retelling of the original movie, originally titled Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D and later re-titled Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn. Despite raising funds for the film on Indiegogo in 2014, the film has yet to go into production as of May 2020. "[147] Film historian Sumiko Higashi concurs, arguing that Night of the Living Dead was a film about the horrors of the Vietnam era. [123] Broadstreet's film was followed in 2012 by the prequel Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation. [20] Upon completion of post-production, Image Ten found it difficult to secure a distributor willing to show the film with the gruesome scenes intact. Elliot Stein of The Village Voice saw the film as an ardent critique of American involvement in the Vietnam War, arguing that it "was not set in Transylvania, but Pennsylvania – this was Middle America at war, and the zombie carnage seemed a grotesque echo of the conflict then raging in Vietnam. When the unburied dead return to life and seek human victims, seven refugees seek shelter in a house in the Pennsylvanian countryside, but the group is at odds as to how they should deal with the situation. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute. A man named Ben arrives, secures the farmhouse by boarding the windows and doors, and drives away the ghouls with a lever-action rifle he finds in the closet and with fire, which he previously discovered the ghouls fear. At that age, kids take the events on the screen seriously, and they identify fiercely with the hero. [25] In a 1997 interview with the BBC's Forbidden Weekend, Romero explained that the script developed into a three-part short story. With Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles, McKee Anderson. [56][57][58] The MPAA film rating system was not in place until November 1968, so even young children were able to purchase tickets. Wood asserts that the zombies represent capitalists, and "cannibalism represents the ultimate in possessiveness, hence the logical end of human relations under capitalism". She is soon joined by Ben who stopped at the house in need of gas. Night of the Living Dead là một bộ phim kinh điển của thể loại zombie. Awoken by their gunfire and sirens, Ben emerges from the cellar, but is shot and killed when they mistake him for a ghoul. Night of the Living Deed is the first E.J. [98] In 2009, Legend Films coproduced a colorized 3D version of the film with PassmoreLab, a company that converts 2-D film into 3-D format. "Inner-City Exhibition and the Genre Film: Distributing. "[48] According to film historian Carl Royer, Romero "employs chiaroscuro (film noir style) lighting to emphasize humanity's nightmare alienation from itself. Copperman is the pen name for author Jeff Cohen E.J. Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times "Courage has abounded in the making of this film and the risks have yielded high dividends." 9 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. Premiere Details", "Danielle Harris to Topline 'Night of the Living Dead: Origins, "Exclusive: First Look at Night of the Living Dead: Origins", "BD Horror News – Awesome First Look at 'Night of the Living Dead: Origins, "Exclusive: First Look at Tony Todd as Ben – Night of the Living Dead: Origins | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central", "Director Talks Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead", "Apocalypse is Trending: 'Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection", "Night of the Living Dead getting another remake", "Shambling Forward – Night of the Living Dead: Rebirth nearing May 2015 wrap date", "Another Night of the Living Dead Remake in 2012", "George A. Romero thought Night of the Living Dead would be a 'one-off, "The Dead Zones: 'George A. Romero' at the American Museum of the Moving Image", The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Dead On: The Life and Cinema of George A. Romero, Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray Special Edition Release, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, X-Men: Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Night_of_the_Living_Dead&oldid=1014488303, United States National Film Registry films, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from March 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Discovery of TV/Preparing to Escape/Tom & Judy", "Truck on Fire/Ben Attacks Harry/Leg of Leg*", "Helen's Death*/Dawn/Posse in the Fields/Ben Awakes". 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