h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Night of the Living Dead: The Movie - A848531
Author: Nylarthotep - U200240

As good today as it was back then.

You've been really busy recently, haven't ya?

'in one of the first instances of a black actor playing a lead in the history of Hollywood' might be worth adding 'where his colour wasn't overtly part of the plot'. It's since been read as a significant movie in Black cinema, as the last shot suggests to some that to the zombie hunters, Ben's race means he automatically represents 'other' even though he's not a zombie.

Not that I studied the film at Uni or anything. Oh no

The film is also significant because of its roles in various other parts of American cinema; it was one of a batch of black and white films that were colourised, tinted to look like it ws made in (very washed-out, almost pastel-shaded) colour instead of black and white; the reason this was possible was because no one had thought to protect Romero's rights by registering the film, so it immediately fell into the public domain (just as 'It's a Wonderful Life had, by then); there were two official sequels 'Dawn of...' and 'Day of...' plus numerous copycat films such as the unconnected 'Return fo the Living Dead' series; Romero himself produced a colour remake of the film (directed by Tom Savini, who'd worked as a stuntman, actor and special effects advisors on the sequels), and he made sure he didn't repeat his mistake of not copyrighting the material; and finally, Romero himself produced a special anniversary edition for which he filmed additional footage (in the style of George Lucas, only with a much lower budget), which the fans generally reviled.

One of the many DVD releases of the film has a superb commentary track where the cast get together and giggle all the way through the film - particularly at Keith Wayne, who seems to spend every second onscreen blinking furiously. They also allege that Marilyn Eastman stole half of the props from the film - "What ever happened to that old lamp?" "Oh, Marilyn took it!" [cue uproarious laughter]

Good entry this!

I have the boxed set of all three movies and might write articles on the other two...though I thought Day of the Dead was weak. Dawn of the dead is the most memorable to my mind.

I'll expand the commentory on Ben's casting.

I have been busy, seems that articles I've had on the drawing board are finally freeing up my creative urges.

Nice entry. I think this sentence needs a little reworking -

In the book the solitary survivor of a mystreious plague which has transformed the population into zombie-like vampires struggles against the odds to evade the creatures after his blood and the parallels between book and film are plain to see.

When I first read it, I thought the creatures were after his blood and parallels!

I've noticed that 'Barbara' has been spelled a number of different ways through the entry, she probably only spells it one way (one might have been a typo though).

Apart from that, a swift check through a spell checker wouldn't go amiss, and into the Guide with it! This is a great entry!

The IMDB has it as "Barbra" but I had it as "Barbara" and decided to go with the former.

I'll rework the sentance in question.

How's that?

Great! I saw it as Babra as well at one point, but it must have been a typo.

I look forward to seeing this in the Edited Guide! (Even though I didn't like the film much )

Bit of an aquired taste isn't it?

I see the film as a classic of the genre, but give me Crouching Tiger or Fellowship of the Ring and a bottle of red any day!

To tell the truth I have a big fear of zombies and forced myself to watch the Romero films in order to get over it.

Knowing how the IMDB isn't always 100% reliable (though for films, they're still the most useful site out there), I just checked the DVD, and it is 'Barbra' - possibly inspired by Ms Streisand, who'd made her movie debut the same year... or perhaps not

Thanks for that, the box is always right.

"Yeah, well, they're dead... they're all messed up."

A great entry. Here's one thing I've read, although it might seem a bit over the top. 1968 Pittsburgh was a city in decline, a city that used to be prosperous due to the steel industry. Some have read Romero's work as being a class-based film, with the living dead " a ravening, restless, superannuated white proletariat rising up, under the effect of a radiation leak, to contaminate all with their condition." (Marina Warner in The Guardian) Make of that what you will.

Plus, the added scenes were treated with disdain because they were *rubbish*.

I know the added scenes leave a lot to be desired, but I have to be impartial in the entry. If it's edited then I fully expect you to start a thread slagging them off! Personally I would have been happy for the zombie to eat that damn priest (the worst Aton La Ve clone ever to appear on celluloid) alive.

The readings of the film are interesting indeed, the radiation was briefly being mentioned as coming from a fallen satellite in the original and I think that it was fully embraced in the remake. Pittsburgh is probably the most blue-collar city in the Eastern US, but the class war theme has never really worked for me with American cinema. I can't help but think that at the time it would have been far too "Commie" to even enter Romero's mind. But it's a valid reading from a left-wing critic in the Guardian all the same.

Just about done round here as well.

Very nice entry on a horror classic!

I agree that Dawn was the best of the bunch, but I liked the grim, gritty feel of Night as well...

There were a few typos that the Subs can pick up and there should probably be some links to Edited Guide entries on Pittsburgh, ect...

But like I said, very nice!



- Jimi X

Great entry!

Off into the Guide with it! (though maybe add a date for the release of re-make)


Tube

OK.

All done here, just waiting for the scouts.

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

At last! Congratulations.

Sweet!