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DAWN |
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DEAD |
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| REVIEWED BY ANTHONY BROWN OF 'SFX' MAGAZINE MAY 1997 |
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| WHATEVER THE SLEEVE MIGHT SAY, THIS ISN'T THE DIRECTORS CUT OF ROMERO'S ZOMBIE CLASSIC. BUT THEN AGAIN SUCH A THING NEVER EXISTED. THERE WAS A US RELEASE CUT, AND A PRODUCER'S CUT SENT TO JAPAN, NOT TO MENTION VARIOUS CENSORED CUTS SHOWN ON TV, BUT THIS LOOKS TO BE THE WORK-IN-PROGRESS ROMERO PRODUCED FOR SCREENING AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL. AS SUCH, IT'S ONE OF THE TWO DIFINATIVE VERSIONS AVAILABLE - AND ALTHOUGH THE EDITING ISN'T AS TIGHT AS THE VERSION ROMERO EVENTUALLY RELEASED IN THE US, THE EXTRA MOMENTS DO ADD TO THE FLAVOUR. |
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| THERE ARE A FEW SPECIFIC REFERENCES TO THE BLACK-AND-WHITE CLASSIC NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, BUT ON THE WHOLE, DAWN OF THE DEAD STANDS ON ITS OWN. THE OPENING NEWSROOM SCENES DON'T SO MUCH ESTABLISH THE SITUATION AS LEAVE YOU TO GUESS IT, WITH FRAGMENTARY NEWS REPORTS DESCRIBING THE COLLAPSE OF CIVILISATION, HALF-BAKED THEORIES AS TO THE VIRAL ORIGINS OF THE ZOMBIE PLAGUE AND THE GOVERNMENT'S BULL-HEADED ATTEMPTS TO RETAIN CONTROL. THIS WHOLE ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE LASTS A GOOD HALF-HOUR, AS THE TWO PAIRS OF CENTRAL CHARACTERS ARE INTRODUCED AT THE NEWSROOM AND DURING A SWAT RAID ON A TENEMENT WHERE THE OCCUPANTS ARE REFUSING TO GIVE UP THEIR DEAD. |
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| IT'S CHARACTERISTIC THAT THE FIRST BURST OF VIOLENCE SEES HUMANS AS THE AGGRESSORS. INDEED, TO THE INTELLECTUALISM OF THE QUIET EARTH THAN A GRATUITOUS GORE-FEST. THERE'S DISMEMBERMENT, CANNIBALISM AND GUT-TEARING, TRUE, BUT FOR THE BULK OF THE PROCEEDINGS THE VIOLENCE IS EITHER OFF SCREEN OR IMPLIED, OR ON SCREEN AND CARTOONISH. IT'S ONLY IN THE FINAL REELS THAT THE ZOMBIES CEASE BEING A JOKE AND THE VIOLENCE BECOMES QUITE SICKENING. |
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| BUT IT DOES HAVE ITS FLAWS - MAINLY THE PATHETIC EXAMPLE OF '70s WOMANHOOD WITH WHICH GAYLEEN ROSS HAS TO COPE (APPARENTLY SHE'S A SKILLED HAIRDRESSER SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE'S A WOMAN). BUT ON BALANCE THE UNKNOWN CAST PERFORM WELL, AND WHILE DAWN OF THE DEAD DOESN'T HAVE ANY REAL PACING, THAT'S NOT A FAILING IN A FILM OF THIS LENGTH. EVENTS JUST UNFOLD, LIKE LIFE, WITH A COUPLE OF HUMAN-ON-HUMAN CONFLICTS BOOKENDING THA MAIN PLOT AS THE MAIN CAST CLEAR THE ZOMBIES FROM THE MALL AND CREATE THEIR OWN LITTLE WORLD. |
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| WITHOUT GETTING TOO SOCIOLOGICAL, THE MALL SETTING IS PRETTY EFFECTIVE SWIPE AT THE CONSUMER SOCIETY, AND THE TACKINESS OF THE SCORE, PSEUDO-MUZAK STOCK TRACKS AND '70s DISCO FROM THE GOBLINS, HELPS EMPHASISE JUST HOW CHEAP CIVILISATION'S BECOME. USELESS TRINKETS, FROM JEWELRY THROUGH TELEVISIONS WHICH CAN'T RECEIVE ANYTHING NOW THE STATIONS ARE OFF THE AIR, ARE SWEPT UP BY LOOTERS AS JOLLY MUZAK PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND, STRESSING THAT LIFE WAS PRETTY EMPTY EVEN BEFORE THE ZOMBIE INVASION. |
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| DAWN OF THE DEAD IS ONE OF THOSE FILMS THAT PLAYS TO THE UNCONVERTED. IT MIGHT NOT CONVINCE MARY WHITEHOUSE THAT GORE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GRATUITOUS, BUT IT SHOULD CERTAINLY PERSUADE ANYONE WITH AN OPEN MIND. WHAT A GREAT FILM! |
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| MY PERSONAL COMMENTS ON THIS REVIEW: |
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| THE 'EXAMPLE OF '70s WOMANHOOD BECAUSE GAYLEEN ROSS CUTS HER BOYFRIEND'S HAIR ONCE AS GOOD AS ANY OLD PERSON I DO NOT AGREE WITH. YOU NEED YOUR HAIRCUT, IT IS BASIC SOCIAL FACT THAT THE FEMALE HALF ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE MORE OF A SENSE OF PERSONAL STYLE AND GROOMING. ALSO, ROGER WAS DEAD BY THEN AND PETER WAS OFF MAKING LAST MINUTE ALTERATIONS TO STUFF ABOUT THE PLACE, COLLECTING AMMO ETC, SO OBVIOUSLY THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON WHO CAN DO IT, FRAN! |
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| HOWEVER, OVERALL I FEEL THAT THE TONE OF THE FILM AND THE VIEWS EXPRESSED AND SO ON HAVE BEEN PICKED UP ON QUITE WELL BY A NON-DEAD FAN. BUT THE POINT HAS BEEN MISSED SLIGHTLY. STILL, A GOOD REVIEW WITH THE FILM RECEIVING A GRADE OF AN 'A MINUS.' |
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