DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
George A. Romero's second, and most popular, zombie flesh-eater story is
something that really shouldn't work. The pacing is odd, the video and sound quality is sometimes poor, and the
library music is weird and often feels twenty years older than the movie
itself. The living dead make-up just seems to be grey or blue paint for a large
proportion of the shambling extras. And the blood is, at best, a watery orange mixture. Yet in
spite all of these weird problems and oddities it endures, continuing on
like its rotten antagonists. It was re-cut in Italy on release, and of course remade in the
2000s, but the original version remains a cult classic whichever edition you
see. Let's begin the dissection and take a look at what makes this strangely fresh
cadaver tick; all the little things that make it so influential.
The opening mayhem, and most of the action in the first act, is entirely not well paced. The hysteria in the news room scenes, and the tenement building shoot out sequence, serve to introduce our characters. But they don't do it with a lot of finesse, it all just happens amongst the chaos. It's the clunkiest part of the story, although as a result there's a genuine feeling of social break down. Even if that's the whole idea, from a narrative perspective it's can be to engage with on a first viewing. There are some truly memorable moments of death and destruction, and it has a certain sense of urgency. It throws the audience into a grim new reality, one that is never cinematic or slick. But this is actually a positive aspect of the whole film.
Some may also find the early bit part actors distracting. Like the lunatic SWAT member Wooley, or the deserting cops escaping the city by boat. Particularly the one who asks about cigarettes, and gets more screen time in the extended 'Cannes' cut. Sometimes it feels like they've wandered in from a Zucker Brothers movie. Once everything hits full speed the narrative begins to flow properly, but these are the moments that would probably turn off new viewers unwilling to stick with it. You've go to stick with it. You'll soon come to love all these weird line deliveries and odd moments. This isn't a big Hollywood production, and that's part of the charm. The version released by Dario Argento for non-English speaking audiences cuts a lot of this out, and the results are a weaker experience.
The bulk of the plot is about four survivors hiding in a shopping centre. It's a classic siege situation and also a survival fantasy, in which our heroes are set up with everything they could ask for. Until it becomes a gilded cage of course. They can have anything and shoot as money ghouls as they want, but in the end the existential dread is going to come calling. The consumer dream turned nightmare, along with zombies as mindless shoppers, are not subtle images. But it is all very entertaining. Of the three films in the trilogy, this is the one that pokes fun at the real world. Instead of delivering its themes in a far harsher tone. It asks us, how would we choose to live in an apocalypse? How long does tinned meat last, and how would you cope without television?
Of the big four, Ken Foree as Peter gives the best performance. He also delivers all the coolest lines about the plague ridden world they gang are hiding from. The other actors are passable, but have their little highlights throughout. The leading lady this time, Fran (Gaylen Ross), is one step along from the catatonic wreck in Night of the Living Dead, existing in a middle ground before the arrival of Day of the Dead's no nonsense lead. However, she also gets the most character development of the three. Some of the cast do better zombies than their living selves, which is also where the best make-up comes into play. Of course, the brain-dead congregation waiting just outside also gets a lot of screen time as you'd expect.
The washed out crowds of generic zombies are not great, and there are sometimes too many close-ups of face paint. But a few stars given more attention look a lot better, like the plaid wearing eye injury victim early on. He's on the poster for a reason. Still, those given personal touches rather than detailed appliances are still memorable. You can spot a core group in many scenes. I always liked the wild-eyed fellow in the tank top; trying to navigate an escalator when the mall power comes on. Elsewhere the Tom Savini effects are fun, if not unrefined. The reverse machete shot, dummies being hit by trucks and grenades, and all the fishing wire head-shots are classic gags. There are also enough dismembered body parts and spilled intestines to get the horror tone across.
In terms of big set pieces, there are plenty to enjoy. The gang's plan to clean out the building and deny entry to those trouble making corpses is one of the best parts, particularly once the entire mall is theirs for the taking. Again it's the kind of scene that asks the viewer how they would do it all given the chance. The fun and games also segues nicely into the most eerie parts of the film, where the personal problems start to surface. These varying flavours of horror keep it all fresh when the running time in each cut varies between long and extra long. Sometimes it's the bloody kind; the fear of being eaten alive or killed by your own family. Sometimes it's the more cerebral kind; where life as you know it is over, and all sense of ambition and hope could be lost.
For such a one note subject matter, groaning flesh-eaters, it's a film with a great mixture of elements. Which is what makes it so satisfying. Every aspect of this premise is explored to some degree. Of course it helps that the mood is never totally downbeat during the whole thing, as exemplified by the zombie walk music 'The Gonk', all the shots of mannequins, the helicopter death, and the insane looter finale. It's a classic that covers all kinds of material. There are some ropey effects and a few rough film-making edges, but these are just part of a bigger story which throws everything into the experience. It provides plenty of iconic moments, chopped heads, overt satire, and lots of twisted humour. The outcome remains the most watchable movie in an apparently undying genre.
5/5
