DOD

THE FLICK: More than any of his other 1970’s behind-the-camera contemporaries, George Romero resented the label “horror film director.” And while many might find this attitude ungrateful, it’s exactly what made his films so distinct. After the slow-building success of “Night of the Living Dead,” and with a couple of interesting experiments like “The Crazies” and “Martin” behind him, Romero finally revisited the zombies he’d created with “Dawn of the Dead.” As a sequel, “Dawn” is a direct narrative continuation of the ’69 storyline despite the fact that ten years had passed between movies. But the tone of the film is a complete 180 from the nostalgically paced scares of the first film. Not only had Romero evolved as a filmmaker but society had changed as well, making itself an easy target for the director’s scathing satire of consumer-driven excess. Although their origin is still unexplained, the undead are gaining strength in numbers, forcing what’s left of the human population to scatter in a desperate flight for self-preservation. Four of these refugees (played by David Emgee, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross...perhaps the best group of unknowns Romero ever assembled) luck into an abandoned shopping mall full of things they need – guns, food, supplies – and things they don’t – fancy clothes, expensive watches, and bags of money. After waging war on the resident zombies (“This was an important place in their life,” one character says), the group emerges bloodied but victorious. It’s only then that they begin to question what they were fighting for. And if they were on the right side. Yes, “Dawn” made its mark as a splatter film, something that is bound to disqualify it as a serious work in the eyes of many. But Romero makes sure his themes and characters get equal time, setting up the audience with exploitation-style thrills and chills only to hit them with some equally hardcore metaphors when they’re not looking. The gore-hounds would have to wait until “Day of the Dead” for more realistic bloodletting and zombie peutrification. Here, Tom Savini’s gruesome effects are used just as often for comic relief. For all his frustrations as being creatively pigeonholed, George Romero backed-in to certainly the best work of his career and perhaps the most intelligent horror film of all time. The images of grey-skinned zombies stumbling through a man-made world of fountains, escalators and rubber plants set to a warped Musak soundtrack encapsulates the brilliance of “Dawn of the Dead” in a way that is all too familiar. The undead are still with us...because they are us. THE FEATURES: While a fancy box-set is still in the works, Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing this one-disc special edition to capitalize on the attention from the re-make opening this Friday. For those that don’t feel like waiting or are more interested in the film than a boatload of extras, this Divimax transfer of the film is a thing of beauty. 16 X 9 enhanced and sporting a new digital sound-mix, this “theatrical cut” is the best representation of “Dawn” to date. (While the longer director’s cut adds some nice moments, it takes away too much momentum). And there are some extras to be had. A big one is the newly recorded commentary from Romero, his wife and production partner Christine, and Tom Savini. Skewing more to the philosophic side of things, moderator Perry Martin asks the kinds of questions you’d like to hear and keeps the conversation focused as much as possible. Production details pop-up (the casting process, securing the unusual location, convincing the National Guard to hunt down zombies with local rednecks) although you do have to sit through a good share of “family tree” moments when it comes to the undead extras. Well worth listening, though, even if you’ve already heard an earlier “Dawn” commentary. Two theatrical trailers, three TV spots, nine radio commercials, two easter eggs and a still gallery complete the special edition. FINAL SCORE: It’s shocking (and a little bit sad) how well “Dawn” stands up as entertainment and social commentary. Romero never again had such success with his “big ideas on a small budget” filmmaking method (although, as revealed in the commentary track, he might get another shot at zombie glory soon).