Birth of the Living Dead

source: Birth of the Living Dead

Nothing fancy here, just talking heads explaining a story. This could have been a youtube doc or a dvd extra, but if you're a fan, it's nice.

(Classic movie quote) - "They're coming for you, Barbara!" To fully appreciate and enjoy this documentary (that takes an in-depth look at the 1968 zombie-flick "Night Of The Living Dead" and the vast impact that it has had on the zombie genre ever since), I think one really needs to watch said-movie first in order to remain interested in this DVD's content. Through interviews (with, among others, a 73-year-old George Romero), as well as vintage film clips and stills galore, the viewer gets a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this classic, low-budget horror film (whose costs totalled $114,000) that was solely responsible for rebooting the tired zombie-movie genre, and, to date, has earned itself over $30 million. Naturally, there are people out there who want to read hidden, political messages into this film's gruesome, little story, especially since its protagonist was a black man who, at one point, actually resorted to slapping the face of a white woman. For the most part - I did not feel, in any way, let down by this 76-minute documentary. In its generally good-natured way, it certainly delivered the goods on a truly haywire movie that literally terrified me silly when I first saw it on late-night TV as an impressionable kid.

Like it or not, George A. Romero truly is the father of today's horror cinema. The original "Dead" trilogy – NIGHT, DAWN, and DAY – accomplish that simple truth in unveiling a very human metaphor wrapped in the grisly package of blood-letting entertainment. And why not celebrate the man and his accomplishments? Perhaps dig deep into the motives and industry tales of movie-making. Perhaps that is what Rob Kuhns set out to do with his BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD documentary. Unfortunately, the data unearthed in BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD could have been a solid DVD featurette. Instead, an additional 40 minutes of repetitiveness was added, dragging the film down as a lumbering, undead walker. To its credit, BIRTH sets the stage of 1968 America, when NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was released, quite well providing key insights to the civil rights movement as well as to the fact that NIGHT stars an African American. Likewise, the documentary gets right into how – and why – the film was made and some of the issues and trickery Romero and his crew employed during production and editing; Romero himself is presented as both jolly and candid. Then the film rinses and repeats. And repeats. And, oh, did you forget that NIGHT starred an African American? Well hold on tight, you'll be reminded in just a few short minutes as horror film director Larry Fessenden will tell you how great the original film is and repeat the lines verbatim for the camera. Granted, the docu's subject is NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, but that topic alone screams out for accompaniment. There was absolutely no mention of the 1990 remake, nor the 2004 remake of DAWN. And obviously the most apparent of Romero's offspring – THE WALKING DEAD – is only shown as a background image. Kuhns showed the historical relevance of NIGHT, but only provided the merest taste of its social impact, a taste that was sorely missed.

It's 1968. Pittsburgh filmmaker George Romero introduces the world to the flesh eating zombie. He started working for Fred Rogers on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Then Romero recounts how he gathered a group of people to develop and film the classic horror. It's a real indie at a time when indies had no money. It's a documentary and it's nice to have Romero tell his story. None of it is too surprising. It's like Romero doing the commentary for his movie. It's also a great underdog story of independent filmmaking. I could do without the modern influences and less of the talking heads dissecting the movie moves. I rather have more stories about the making of and the stories of the people around the movie. The social commentaries are fine but it's rehashing old territories. It takes up a lot of movie. I like the part after they finished the movie and I love the stories of the little kids watching the movie.

BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD is a fun tribute documentary exploring the making of George Romero's low budget horror classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, exploring the things it was influenced by as well as the genre it influenced. The main disappointment is that none of the cast or crew involved with the making of the film provide comment other than Romero himself, but the director is such an engaging personality that it doesn't matter. Plus, plenty of modern filmmaking-related figures are happy to talk about the movie too. This documentary works so well because it explores the political context surrounding the film's making. Riots, the Vietnam War, race relations, and gun violence all play their part and are discussed here. It's the type of documentary that makes you look at the film in a new light, and the bits about the casting of Duane Jones in a non race-related role are particularly interesting. I find that when documentaries like this are made with such obvious love and enthusiasm for the subject matter they're impossible to dislike in turn.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was the very first movie I ever bought (on Beta, for $50) and when I took it home to watch it- alone-, it spooked me so bad that I had to call up a buddy and have him come over to watch it with me. (And that was AFTER I'd seen it several times in theaters- at a midnight showing and on a double bill with the remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.) It remains, to this day, one of my all-time favorite films. Like the boxing documentary CHAMPIONS FOREVER, BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD delves into the turbulence of the 1960s that might've played a part in the overall FEEL of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. (And it's an even more valid approach to a fright film in THIS day and age, with the Middle Class literally having been CONSUMED by The Greedy Politicians and Lawyers who own and run this company- er, country...)I've long wondered why someone- the original creators themselves, for instance- hasn't made a movie about the making of a horror classic like NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The behind-the-scenes contretemps (as chronicled in many a book and article and behind-the-scenes commentary over the years) would no doubt make for an interesting (and funny) film. Hell, I'd even settle for an audio autobiography by Romero: he has the easy-going conversational style that would make for a fascinating evening's listening. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD still resonates with power because of its uncompromising integrity. Elvis Mitchell sums it up nicely in BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD: "It's completely terrifying- and the perfect ending." The bonus features on the DVD should've been incorporated into the documentary itself: an extended interview with Romero, a Monroeville Mall zombie walk with the late Bill Hinzman, and the audio from the June 6, 1970 Museum of Modern Art Q&A with Romero.

I love this film. Made in 2014, it covers all of George A. Romero's career. Everyone from him, Fred Rogers (aka "Mister Rogers"), Andy Griffith to Martin Luther King. It is hilarious and interesting to say the least. A must-see for the horror genre; especially George Romero.

Birth of the Living Dead (2013) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Did we really need yet another documentary about NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD? Probably not but this one here is so entertaining and gives us some fresh looks on the subject that fans of the George Romero classic will certainly want to check it out. Director Rob Kuhns interviews Romero who touches on familiar subjects like his early career, how the story came up and the impact the film had once it was released. Where the documentary sets itself apart is that it focuses in on some of the more political moments in the film including what was going on in the world at the time. Vietnam and the Civil Rights are certainly discussed here. You might be saying that we've heard these stories before and that's true but this documentary manages to throw out some good information and even better is that we get some professional critics who discuss the impact of the film and their memories of seeing it as children. Elvis Mitchell has some great stories about the first time he watched the film and there's some great stuff dealing with how the distributor pretty much threw this film into kid matinées. There's even a great sequence where people discuss how everything zombie wise pretty much goes back to this film and Romero. Even more interesting is the talk of the lead black actor and the type of movies Sidney Poitier was doing at this thing. I really wish Romero would have commented on this part of the subject but he doesn't. With that said, this is certainly a highly entertaining documentary, although it does run a bit short at just 75-minutes.

This oddly short documentary gives us a history lesson on the iconic groundbreaking Night Of The Living Dead (1968) Though the interviews are mostly with Romero that is no issue for me as the man always delivers intelligent concise points on whatever he's talking about. The documentary covers the films origins through its production and to the legacy that it created. Truly the movie was genre defining and a lot of what we see today on stage and screen wouldn't exist without its presence. What this feature covers extensively as well is the race issues touched upon in the film and that were raging through America during the 1960's. This though nothing not seen before is informative and hard hitting. Short, sweet and competently made this is a decent effort and a must watch for fans of Romeros work. The Good: Romero interviews are excellent Well constructed The Bad: Tad short Things I Learnt From This Documentary: The guts and intestines being eaten by the zombies were real!