Document of the Dead (1985)

A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.

Director:

Roy Frumkes

Writer:

Roy Frumkes

Stars:

George A. Romero, Susan Tyrrell, Nicole Potter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Tyrrell	...	Narrator (voice)
Nicole Potter	...	Narrator in addendum sequences (voice)
George A. Romero	...	Himself (as George Romero)
Richard P. Rubinstein	...	Himself (as Richard Rubinstein)
Michael Gornick	...	Himself
Carl Augenstein	...	Himself
Tom Savini	...	Himself
Ken Foree	...	Himself
Scott H. Reiniger	...	Himself (as Scott Reiniger)
David Emge	...	Himself
John Amplas	...	Himself
Roy Frumkes	...	Himself
Christine Forrest	...	Herself (as Christine Romero)
Gahan Wilson	...	Himself
Steve Bissette	...	Himself

Storyline

A documentary about George A. Romero's films, with a behind scenes look at Dawn of the Dead.

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Plot Keywords:

making of | independent film | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Definitive Document of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Monroeville Mall - Business Route 22, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 84 min (1989 re-edit) 66 min (original cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Angela Lansbury was initially considered to narrate this film.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Connections

Features Martin (1977)

User Reviews

Not quite 'beautifully created' as they made out...

'Document of the Dead' is an interesting look at the making of 'Dawn of the Dead' and other works of George A. Romero, but despite the subject matter, 'Document...' for me was a little disappointing. Well hyped in the press and by the production crew itself, I couldn't help feel a little sold short by the final package. Admittedly this in part can be explained due to technical difficulties when the film was being made, (see trivia) and we can only guess how much more interesting 'Document...' would have been with those extra 66 shots, but the film has other faults. Sound quality at times was poor, while the voice of narrator Susan Tyrell I found coma inducing, and at times narration was overtly technical to the point of boredom. There was also some repetitive cuts (including a whole rerun of the final credits and time coded footage) that obviously wasn't supposed to be there, though I'm not sure if this was down to the original production team or the video distributor.

Die hard Romero fans will no doubt salivate at the behind the scenes and extra unseen footage, as may curious independent filmmakers and students, but the presentation here will more likely bore unfamiliar, less technically minded audiences. Romero's work, and how he works is in no dispute though, it is fascinatingly interesting. He comes across eloquently while still remaining down to earth and you can't help empathise with his struggle despite his successful track record. Interviews with Tom Savini also help immensely, livening the film with his energy and obvious passion he has for his work.

'Document...' isn't quite the companion to 'Dawn of the Dead' that I was hoping for, but under the circumstances it's understandable, in fact it's a credit to the film makers that it ever got put out there at all! But despite covering some of Romero's other work, Dawn footage is what we were all here for and it's a shame that in the end there just wasn't quite enough.