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Document of the Dead

  • 19801980
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
914
YOUR RATING
George A. Romero in Document of the Dead (1980)
  • Documentary
  • Horror
A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
914
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Roy Frumkes
  • Writer
    • Roy Frumkes
  • Stars
    • George A. Romero
    • Susan Tyrrell(voice)
    • Nicole Potter(voice)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Roy Frumkes
  • Writer
    • Roy Frumkes
  • Stars
    • George A. Romero
    • Susan Tyrrell(voice)
    • Nicole Potter(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos10

    George A. Romero in Document of the Dead (1980)
    George A. Romero in Document of the Dead (1980)
    George A. Romero in Document of the Dead (1980)
    Richard P. Rubinstein in Document of the Dead (1980)
    Roy Frumkes and Tom Savini in Document of the Dead (1980)
    George A. Romero in Document of the Dead (1980)
    Ken Foree and Michael Gornick in Document of the Dead (1980)
    Document of the Dead (1980)
    Document of the Dead (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    George A. Romero
    George A. Romero
    • Selfas Self
    • (as George Romero)
    Susan Tyrrell
    Susan Tyrrell
    • Narratoras Narrator
    • (voice)
    Nicole Potter
    Nicole Potter
    • Narrator in addendum sequencesas Narrator in addendum sequences
    • (voice)
    Richard P. Rubinstein
    Richard P. Rubinstein
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Richard Rubinstein)
    Michael Gornick
    Michael Gornick
    • Selfas Self
    Carl Augenstein
    • Selfas Self
    Tom Savini
    Tom Savini
    • Selfas Self
    Ken Foree
    Ken Foree
    • Selfas Self
    Scott H. Reiniger
    Scott H. Reiniger
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Scott Reiniger)
    David Emge
    David Emge
    • Selfas Self
    John Amplas
    John Amplas
    • Selfas Self
    Roy Frumkes
    Roy Frumkes
    • Selfas Self
    Christine Forrest
    Christine Forrest
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Christine Romero)
    Gahan Wilson
    • Selfas Self
    Steve Bissette
    • Selfas Self
    Joe Kane
    • Selfas Self
    • (as The Phantom of the Movies)
    Gregory Lamberson
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Greg Lamberson)
    Ben Barenholtz
    Ben Barenholtz
    • Selfas Self
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Roy Frumkes
    • Writer
      • Roy Frumkes
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While editing the movie, the creators discovered that 10% of the negative from the original footage, including 66 shots, had disappeared. When the filmmakers didn't get a response from the New York school of visual arts, director Roy Frumkes resorted to contacting a psychic therapist (Nancy Orlen Weber) to see if she could help. Though she suspected most of the missing film had been maliciously destroyed, she did pick up on the fact one small roll of film had been misplaced at the Technicolor laboratory. It was not until years later a can of film resurfaced, where it had been stored under the wrong title was the film finally edited and put on the market.
    • Quotes

      Roy Frumkes: [about "Day of the dead] Is this the end?

      George A. Romero: The zombies are developing, and I'm getting dumber by the minute.

    • Crazy credits
      Footage from the George Romero movies Night of the Living Dead, Martin, and Dawn of the Dead is played as the closing credits roll.
    • Alternate versions
      Originally a 66 minute feature, it has since been expanded two times. First, in 1989, when an 84 minute version was released, featuring new interviews from the set of Two Evil Eyes. Then, in 2012, it was released as The Definitive Document of the Dead, with a 102 minute runtime, featuring new footage filmed through 2006.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Dead Will Walk (2004)

    User reviews17

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Good interviews, but could have been better produced
    Having just finished watching this for the third(and most likely last) time, I can sadly clearly see why I gave up on it around the half-way point the first time; as the credits rolled, I realized that I did not feel entertained or even informed... I merely felt relieved. Add to that the version I watched was only just over an hour in length, not the 90 minutes that this page lists it as, and you can tell that I, personally, was quite underwhelmed by this feature. The presentation felt flat; it really wasn't very engaging or fascinating, in spite of the movie it revolves around being both of those and more. The editing wasn't very tight, nor does it try anything interesting, but rather goes through the motions. However, I think what really slayed this was the idolization of Romero; he is compared to Hitchcock, his style is mercilessly praised and his films, shots and cuts are analyzed to mean far more and be far more planned and thought out than they actually are. Imagine the dichotomy when Romero himself, in his interviews, comes off as a down-to-Earth, nice, pleasant guy who just happens to rock at making horror movies and manages to inject satire and social commentary without it coming across as forced. These clips, as well as Tom Savini's presence(in which he confirms the viewer's first impression of Romero) are what make this watchable. Pacing is non-existent. The voice-over narration sounds as if the speaker is bored out of her mind, but I don't know what they had access to as far as that goes, so I'll cut them some slack on that. In any case, the pseudo-intellectual analysis and shameless praise is far more distracting. I respect Romero... I think he has created one heck of a horror trilogy. He's clearly talented and smart, but the way he's spoken of in this simply comes off as some excited, easily impressionable kids expressing their fandom without having the sense to openly admit that that's what it is. I recommend this to fans of Romero and Dawn of the Dead... just be aware of and prepared for the unintended hyperbole and the lackluster production. 5/10
    helpful•3
    1
    • TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
    • Oct 10, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 21, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Definitive Document of the Dead
    • Filming locations
      • Monroeville Mall - Business Route 22, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • School of Visual Arts, New York
      • Roy Frumkes Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $35,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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