10° FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE CINEMA GIOVANI
Retrospective - US Indipendents Of The Sixties
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Country: USA
Year: 1969
Duration: 90'
A man with a weird behaviour kills Barbara's brother in the cemetery where their father is buried. She flees inside a seemingly abandoned house. Here the girl runs into a partially mangled open cadaver, and then into a young black man, Ben, who drives off the assailants who have meanwhile laid siege to the house. Five other persons join them. There are two couples and the daughter of the older couple who has gotten sick after being bitten by one of the assailants. The radio explains what is happening. A space probe returning from Venus has caused the apparent return of people who had died over the last few days. These people feed on human flesh. Only Ben survives the siege of the house by the living dead. However, he is killed by vigilantes who have mistaken him for one of the creatures they were hunting.
Biography
film director
George A. Romero
George A. Romero was born in New York in 1940, and began making amateur films at an early age. He followed courses in painting and sculpture at the Carnegie-Mellon Institute, and worked as a director and actor in Pittsburgh theaters. He later founded "The Latent Image", a production and distribution company with which he made commercials and industrial films. In 1968 he debuted as a director with Night of the Living Dead, which was filmed with improvised actors and short funds. The film was a great public success in the United States and in Europe. After Jack's Wife and There's Always Vanilla, both made in 1972, and The Crazies (1973), he made Dawn of the Dead in 1985, in part thanks to Dario Argento's support. The film was an ideal continuation of Night of the Living Dead, the second episode of a trilogy about the living dead, which ended with Day of the Dead in 1985. But before making this last episode, Romero directed Martin (1976), and Creepshow (1982), a film in episodes that draws inspiration from horror comic books like E.C. horror comics and whose screenplay was written by Stephen King. After Monkey Shines (1988), he directed The Facts in the Case of Valdemar, based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, the first episode of the film Two Evil Eyes (1990). The second episode, Il Gatto Nero, also based on a Poe story, was directed by Dario Argento. Romero later worked with Stephen King on Dark Half (1992). His latest feature film, Bruiser, was made in 2000 and was presented at last year's Torino Film Festival.
FILMOGRAFIA
Night of the Living Dead (La notte dei morti viventi, 1968), The Affair (1969), Jack's Wife (La stagione della strega, 1972), There's always Vanilla (1972), The Crazies (La città verrà distrutta all'alba, 1973), Martin (Vampyr, 1978), Dawn of the Dead (Zombi, 1978), Knightriders (I cavalieri, 1981), Creepshow (id., 1982), Tales from the Darkside (serie tv, 1984), Day of the Dead (Il giorno degli zombi, 1985), Monkey Shines (Monkey Shines - Esperimento nel terrore, 1988), Two Evil Eyes (Due occhi diabolici, 1990), Dark Half (La metà oscura, 1993), Bruiser (2000).
Cast
& Credits
Regia, fotografia e montaggio: George A. Romero.
Screenplay: John A. Russo, George A. Romero.
Special effects: Regis Survinski, Toni Pantanello.
Music: Gary Zeller.
Cast: Duane Jones (Ben), Judith O'Dea (Barbara), Russell Streiner (John), Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper), Keuth Wayne (Tom), Judith Ridley (Judy), Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper).
Production company: Russell Streiner, Karl Hardman.
Screenplay: John A. Russo, George A. Romero.
Special effects: Regis Survinski, Toni Pantanello.
Music: Gary Zeller.
Cast: Duane Jones (Ben), Judith O'Dea (Barbara), Russell Streiner (John), Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper), Keuth Wayne (Tom), Judith Ridley (Judy), Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper).
Production company: Russell Streiner, Karl Hardman.