Dawn of the Dead ( film)
Dawn of the Dead (also known as George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Zombi internationally) is a 1978 American independent zombie horror film. It was written and directed by George A. Romero and starred David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross. It is the second in Romero's "Dead" series, preceded by Night of the Living Dead, and is followed by three sequels. Unlike its predecessor, this film is more of a polemic, exploring the apocalyptic effects a "zombie epidemic" would have on society, than a straightforward horror film.
David
Emge - Stephen
Ken Foree - Peter
Scott H. Reiniger - Roger
Gaylen
Ross - Francine
David Crawford - Dr. Foster
David
Early - Mr. Berman
Richard France - Dr. Milliard Rausch, Scientist
Howard
Smith - TV Commentator
Daniel Dietrich - Givens
Fred Baker - Police
Commander
James A. Baffico - Wooley (as Jim Baffico)
Rod Stouffer -
Roy Tucker, Young Officer on Roof
Jesse Del Gre - Old Priest
Clayton
McKinnon - Officer in Apartment Project
John Rice - Officer in Apartment
Project
Ted Bank - Officer at Police Dock
Patrick McCloskey - Officer
at Police Dock
Randy Kovitz - Officer at Police Dock
Joseph Pilato - Officer at Police Dock
Pasquale Buba - Motorcycle Raider
with tommy gun
Tom Savini - Blades
Tony Buba - Motorcycle Raider wearing
sombrero
Marty Schiff - Motorcycle Raider - Blades' sidekick
Joe Shelby
- Motorcycle Raider - Van driver #1
Dave Hawkins - Motorcycle Raider
Taso N. Stavrakis - Motorcycle Raider - Sledge / Various Zombies (as Taso Stavrakos)
Tom Kapusta - Motorcycle Raider with seltzer bottle
Nick Tallo - Motorcycle
Raider
Rudy Ricci - Motorcycle Raider, radio operator
Larry Vaira -
Motorcycle Raider
Sharon Ceccatti - Lead Zombie (nurse)
Pam Chatfield
- Lead Zombie
Mike Christopher - Lead Zombie
Clayton Hill - Lead Zombie
wearing white sweater
Jay Stover - Zombie with M-16 rifle
rest of cast
listed alphabetically:
Ralph Langer - Zombie
Robert Langer - Zombie
John Amplas - Martinez (uncredited)
Dave Bartholomew - Zombie (uncredited)
Lee Cummings - Bathing Suit Zombie (uncredited)
Christine Forrest -
TV Producer (uncredited)
Cliff Forrest - Man at WGON - TV ("You all
right?") (uncredited)
J. Clifford Forrest Jr-. Featured elderly zombie
(uncredited)
Roy Frumkes - 1st Pie-In-Face Zombie (uncredited)
Michael
Gornick - Voice of News Reporter on Radio (uncredited)
John Harrison - Screwdriver
Zombie (uncredited)
Jeannie Jefferies - Blond Zombie who attacks Roger in
truck (uncredited)
Jim Krut - Helicopter Zombie (uncredited)
Tommy Lafitte
- Zombie - Miguel (uncredited)
Maxine Lapiduss - Zombie (uncredited)
Lenny Lies - Machete Zombie (uncredited)
Molly McCloskey - Woman at WGON
- TV ("My turn for the coat.") (uncredited)
John Paul - Bald Zombie
(Airport Chart House) (uncredited)
Sukey Raphael - Zombie (uncredited)
George A. Romero - TV Director (uncredited)
Donna Savini - Zombie girl in
airport chart house (uncredited)
Mike Savini - Zombie boy in airport chart
house (uncredited)
Warner Shook - Maintenance Man Zombie who attacks Stephen
in mall basement (uncredited)
Stephen Silverman - Zombie (uncredited)
Robert Williams - Soldier in Apartment Project (uncredited)
Dawn of the Dead was shot over approximately four months from late 1977 to early 1978, and was made on a relatively modest budget (at the time) of about US$500,000. Filming of scenes in the Pittsburgh suburban Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania was done only when the shopping center was closed for business, roughly between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Director Romero was quoted as saying, "Filming in the mall was hell."[4] Tom Savini's zombie make-up effects varied widely from the austere to the elaborate. Most of the "undead" extras received little more than gray make-up slathered on their skin.
Despite limitations imposed by 1970s filmmaking technology, inconvenient late-night filming and budgetary constraints, the film is one of the most financially successful horror films, when one considers production cost versus profit. The film's success was greatly helped by the fact that it was sold on the international market, as it was edited in varied ways to suit each market. For example, Italian producer Dario Argento edited the movie to achieve a story with considerably less character development and a much faster pace compared to Romero's definitive cut, which was peppered with humor and cultural satire.
Many consider it to be the best of Romero's "Dead" films, although Romero himself cites 1985's Day of the Dead as his personal favorite.
A remake of the movie premiered in the United States
on March 19, 2004. The new version departs considerably from the original, though
several major themes, including the primary setting in a shopping mall, remain
essentially the same. The remake is a complete rewrite with no input from Romero
and is considered by fans as a "re-imagining" of the original.
Plot
Following
the scenario set up in the previous movie, Night of the Living Dead, the film
depicts the United States of America (and possibly the entire world) struck by
a plague which reanimates recently deceased human beings whose new primary goal
is to feast on the flesh of the living. The cause of this plague remains adamantly
unexplained. Despite desperate efforts by the US Government and local civil authorities
to control the situation, society has effectively collapsed and the remaining
survivors seek refuge. Although several scenes show rural citizens and military
fighting the zombies effectively, cities, with their high populations and close
quarters, are essentially deathtraps. The chaos is eventually implied to have
spread throughout the country, evident by infrequent television and radio broadcasts.
The film opens in the WGON television studio in Philadelphia, where confusion reigns. Following some exposition, prompted by Stephen and Francine — who are planning to sneak out and steal the studio's traffic helicopter to escape the zombie threat — the plot turns to another of the film's protagonists, Roger, as he and the rest of his SWAT team raid an apartment building (presumably because the residents, mostly Hispanic and Black Caribbeans, are ignoring the martial law imposition of delivering the dead over to National Guardsmen). The immigrants are slaughtered by the SWAT operatives (led by a racist officer) and by their own (hungry) reanimated dead who emerge from the basement, where they were kept by the living residents from being seized by the National Guard.
It is during this time that Roger makes acquaintance with Peter, suggesting they desert their SWAT team and flee the city. Late that night, along with Francine and Stephen, they escape Philadelphia in the TV station's helicopter, with the intention of reaching the safety of the Canadian wilderness. Following some close calls while stopping for fuel, the group happens to come across a shopping mall which becomes their own private sanctuary. To make the mall safe for habitation, they must kill off the mall's zombie infestation and block the large glass doors with trucks to keep the undead gathered outside the mall from entering. During the operation, the impulsive Roger becomes reckless and is bitten, dooming him to death. After clearing the mall of its zombie inhabitants, the four settle in, each indulging their every material desire. Eventually dying from his wounds, Roger is shot by Peter as he begins to reanimate. Time passes, as the undead paw at the mall entrances and society beyond those doors continues to collapse. As the novelty of their materialistic utopia wears thin, they begin to realize their refuge has become their prison. Francine is also roughly four months pregnant, presumably by Stephen (implied in an earlier scene), though her condition was not obvious at first. After Roger dies, there is a jump-cut to what appears to be several months later, as Francine is now heavily pregnant. By this time, all emergency broadcast transmissions from the outside world have ceased entirely.
Their "liberation" comes as a gang of bikers break into the mall and in the process, let in hundreds of the undead creatures. (The inability of humans to cooperate with each other is a greater danger than the undead, a key theme in every Dead film). During their plunder, Stephen foolishly initiates a battle with the bikers. In the end, the only true victors are the ravenous zombies, who feast upon many of the bikers, and Stephen dies from his wounds inflicted by the zombies. When the bikers retreat from the mall as the zombies become too numerous, Stephen reanimates as a zombie. Upon Stephen's reanimation, he leads a large group of the creatures to Francine and Peter, who await Stephen's return. After killing Stephen, Peter and Francine escape to the roof — and to an uncertain but still much more positive future as they fly away in the partially-fueled helicopter, ending the movie. As the credits roll by, there are multiple shots of the mall as it is, once again zombie infested.
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