NOTLD Revisited

[bassman]

Your number one problem? Trusting imdb as a credible source.

[C5NOTLD]

The Venus Probe was just a theory. Not a distinctive cause. It was a cause in the original film. Not only was it talked about during the news broadcasts, but also used as the reason in early press releases that went out on the film. And the Autopsy Of The Dead DVD's interview with Bill Hinzman covers this when he said that they sat around a table trying to come up with a reason for the dead to return and he was the one who suggested the venus probe as the cause which they agreed upon. It was a real NASA probe at the time the film was made - the original newsreel for NASA's Venus Probe is in Autopsy Of The Dead. No doubt Romero changed his mind and made the cause more mysterious and vague in later films but in NOTLD, it was caused by the venus probe radiation. When you are the boss, you can change your mind. I always liked Dawn's explaination - when there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth. .

[Gemini]

It was a cause in the original film. Not only was it talked about during the news broadcasts, but also used as the reason in early press releases that went out on the film. And the Autopsy Of The Dead DVD's interview with Bill Hinzman covers this when he said that they sat around a table trying to come up with a reason for the dead to return and he was the one who suggested the venus probe as the cause which they agreed upon. It was a real NASA probe at the time the film was made - the original newsreel for NASA's Venus Probe is in Autopsy Of The Dead. No doubt Romero changed his mind and made the cause more mysterious and vague in later films but in NOTLD, it was caused by the venus probe radiation. When you are the boss, you can change your mind. I always liked Dawn's explaination - when there is no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth. . Exactly. GAR tried to take it back. But the explanation was already out.

[bassman]

Hinzman can say whatever he wants, but it's not definite in the film. It's mentioned as a possibility, but never stated as concrete information. Besides....Hinzman also thought Night30 was a good idea.

[EvilNed]

Hinzman seems to be the kind of person who takes credit for pretty much everything. I saw an interview with him where he claims he told George to shoot this and shoot this so it'd work in the editing room. For some reason, I can't help but think his memories are taking him on a bit of a ride. Then again, he was there, I wasn't. But I still don't trust him.

[Precinct13]

It was a cause in the original film. Not only was it talked about during the news broadcasts, but also used as the reason in early press releases that went out on the film. Never heard about those, and as such I'm just staying with what I'm filtering through the actual movie - which never bothers to pinpoint to an actual definite cause, as far as I'm concerned. It's not a biggie anway, and not something to start a fight about or anything - that Romero keeps his cause hidden behind his super-size glasses is hardly the number 1 cause that I'm attracted to the Dead films. And likely not yours or anybody elses.

[Trin]

The Venus probe and subsequent radiation fallout is definitively shown as the reason for the plague. It is only the omission of this theory in subsequent Dead films that make the cause cloudy. I would say "definitely stated" as the cause is more accurate. Shown implies proof that the movie viewers see. Night doesn't give us proof. Night gives us a newscaster attempting to assign cause to a rapidly developing story with barely a quote from a scientist to back up the assertion. The omission in later movies is not really a contradiction in my mind. It could just be that they all knew about it, accepted it, and didn't bother talking about it. I realized again what I love about these films - the deadly seriousness and apocalyptic fashion Romero treats the genre he created. That is fantastic. People think Land with the butcher zombie using a hatchet is a joke, but Night had more instances of zombies using tools than any of the other films. The rock to take out the car window, rocks to take out the truck's headlights, and most dramatically, the garden spade used to kill, etc. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Land is worthy. The anti-intelligent zombie crowd is only one anti-Land faction. I, for one, am not particularly anti-intelligent-zombie, nor am I particularly anti-Big-Daddy. I used to be - but several pro-Land debaters on these forums showed me that the intelligent zombie angle wasn't that objectionable. For me, the plot holes killed Land. And bad plot makes a Dead movie unworthy. The only weakness, perhaps only seen after several decades of hindsight, is how easily the ghouls are destroyed. The end shows a crack team of sherifs combing through rural areas rather effortlessly. Maybe the manic sprinting zombies of Dawn 04 was a necessary progression to preserve the menace? Looking at it as Night alone - prior to Dawn/Day - they never meant to paint the menace as apocalyptic. It was one night, one small area, cleaned up by morning. It made sense. But the interesting part is that Dawn did such a good job showing how the fall of everything could follow on the heels of the rural town handling the problem. Showing the urban areas overrun in the first scenes was just brilliant in how it integrated as an extension of the events of Night, without contradicting them. Day picked up nicely. They were in a better situation, but still were low on food, ammo, etc. Land... well, again, here's where things make less sense. I didn't see much menace left from the zombies, with Dead Reckoning rolling through towns and nothing outside the walled city but empty streets. In the end this is the best Dead movie, for its simplicity, continuity, and the basic fact that it invented the genre. This is the canon. This is the Dead holy grail. If for no other reason than it's the first. That's just really hard to argue against.

[C5NOTLD]

Hinzman seems to be the kind of person who takes credit for pretty much everything. I saw an interview with him where he claims he told George to shoot this and shoot this so it'd work in the editing room. For some reason, I can't help but think his memories are taking him on a bit of a ride. Then again, he was there, I wasn't. But I still don't trust him. His memories are actually very good and detailed - such as which camera was used for which film/portion of the film,etc. Working as Romero's DP on The Crazies, I could easily see him offering shots. That is part of the DP's job and they were very close friends (Romero was his best man at his wedding). Hinzman's definitely not afraid to say I don't know or I don't remember. And one remarkable aspect of The Latent Image years besides the high level of talent was how much teamwork was involved among the members. The teamwork on NOTLD was extraordinary and is one of the primary reasons it turned out the way it did in addition to Romero's editing skill. Most independent filmmakers today could really learn a lesson from teamwork like that. So for him to be offering suggestions is very conceivable. Let's face it, the lighting supervisor on NOTLD suggested the music box shot, which had always been assumed was designed by Romero. So suggestions were flying around the set which is why it was such a great creative atmosphere to be a part of. And why we have such a special film to enjoy 40+ yrs later. .

[DubiousComforts]

The Venus Probe is the best, most likely explanation for the dead rising in NIGHT. This type of space exploration was a current event in the mid-60s, and while it's not shown to be the definitive proven cause, it is far more than just "speculation" or "coincidence" if you're keen on going by what's shown in the film. It's also absolutely the only theory advanced in the story. According to Chuck Craig who wrote the actual news reports, there were no alternative explanations filmed, as has been claimed by both Romero and Russo to have been excised by the distributor after the fact. The final TV news report even mentions the radiation levels "increasing" as a means to show the protagonist's situation becoming more bleak. The real reason the film doesn't establish the Venus Probe as the definitive cause for the phenomenon is to demonstrate the ineptitude of the authorities and news media who can't seem to agree on anything. It was only years later that the filmmakers began downplaying the radiation angle; they didn't seem to appreciate that the entire premise of their work (now being touted as a "horror classic") rested on a bad B-movie sci-fi plot. Regarding Bill Hinzman "taking credit for everything," nothing can be further from the truth. His exact comments regarding NIGHT: "It all boils down to just one person and that's George Romero. He's the nerve center of that film. A lot of us contributed, but it took him to put it together and you can't deny him that."

[Wyldwraith]

Re: The Venus Probe: Agree that it was definitively stated as cause, but the fact that the remainder of the franchise stuck doggedly to "the cause is a mystery" doesn't "cloud" the issue, it highlights the direction/intent of continuity in GAR's mind. After all, look at Day. A movie whose basic premise was a bunch of holed-up eggheads trying to get a handle on the Undead Phenomena. If the acknowledging of the Radiation Cause was so widespread as to be beyond any discussion by researchers working on this problem, why no research directed towards the creation of decontamination procedures? (For one thing.) Re: Land/Tool Use/Intelligent Zombies: The problem (at least for me) is not that GAR decided to, and then implemented a franchise-wide trend that depicts the "evolution" of intelligent zombies. The problem is the piss-poor implementation of this plot element. Bub was a great starting point, and had GAR continued in that vein I think Land might've turned out much better. Unfortunately, rather than wrack his brain for ways to showcase how this gradual increase in zombie intelligence, Romero took the easy way out and tried to make Big Daddy a sympathetic character/symbol of the disenfranchised masses pushed beyond reason. To pull this off (in however half-assed a manner), Romero leaped FAR beyond the simple and direct basic reasoning that gave Bub such appeal/made him such a fascinating character, and chose to focus on never before depicted levels of zombie skill, focus and adaptation. So very much more I could say about this, but don't want to launch yet another condemnation of the Navy Seal Zombie Horde's stealthy crossing of the undefended river.

[Gemini]

The final TV news report even mentions the radiation levels "increasing" as a means to show the protagonist's situation becoming more bleak. The real reason the film doesn't establish the Venus Probe as the definitive cause for the phenomenon is to demonstrate the ineptitude of the authorities and news media who can't seem to agree on anything. It was only years later that the filmmakers began downplaying the radiation angle; they didn't seem to appreciate that the entire premise of their work (now being touted as a "horror classic") rested on a bad B-movie sci-fi plot. Agree 100%. The explanation for the outbreak was given at the time Romero conceived the first Dead film. The question is, as fans, do we lean on the initial explanation or buy into Romero's subsequent and intentional clouding of the issue?

[Phenia Films]

REVISTED: EVANS CITY CEMETERY

[Dave_Dunwoody]

Looking forward to visiting the cemetery for the first time this September.

[DubiousComforts]

Looking forward to visiting the cemetery for the first time this September. Why not visit in October instead when you'll also be able to attend The Living Dead Festival and visit all the filming locations instead of just the cemetery?

[EvilNed]

I think I'll have to take back my comments on Hinzman. I trust you guys are better versed in that subject than I am, and I must've just got the wrong idea. It must be the Zombie Nosh talking, and I apologize!