George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn

[ravenus]

I guess especially after George's passing away this set is going to go up on several people's wishlists, I thought we could do with a separate thread to discuss the films and this release.



Official Blurb

George A. Romero Betweeen Night and Dawn

George Romero's name may be synonymous with the living dead subgenre, but his filmography is far richer and more varied than his reputation as "the zombie guy" would suggest. Following the breakout success of his debut feature Night of the Living Dead, the director would embark upon a series of projects which, whilst firmly rooted in the horror genre for the most part, demonstrate a master filmmaker with more than mere gut-munching on his mind.

In There's Always Vanilla, Romero's sophomore 1971 directorial effort, young drifter Chris and beautiful model Lynn embark upon a tumultuous relationship which seems doomed from the outset. 1972's Season of the Witch (originally filmed as Jack's Wife but released to theaters under the title of Hungry Wives) follows the exploits of Joan Mitchell – a housewife whose dissatisfaction with her humdrum life leads to an unhealthy interest in the occult. Lastly, 1973's The Crazies, which sees Romero returning to more "straight" horror territory, has a small rural town finding itself in the grip of an infection which send its hosts into a violent, homicidal frenzy.

Taken together, these three early works, made in the period between Romero's celebrated living dead outings Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, serve to display the broader thematic concerns and auteurist leanings of a skilled craftsman too often pigeonholed within the genre.

Content and Special Features

• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeves for each film featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Limited Edition 60-page booklet featuring new writing on the films

THERE'S ALWAYS VANILLA

• Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• Brand new interviews with actors Judith Ridley and Richard Ricci, producer Russ Streiner and sound recordist Gary Streiner
• Digging Up the Dead – The Lost Films of George A. Romero – archive interview with Romero looking at his early films There's Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch Trailer

SEASON OF THE WITCH

• Brand new 4K restoration from original film elements
• Alternate extended cut
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• When Romero met Del Toro – celebrated filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro sits down with George Romero for this candid career-spanning conversation
• The Secret Life of Jack's Wife – archive interview with actress Jan White
• Alternate Opening Titles
• Trailers

THE CRAZIES

• Brand new 4K restoration from original film elements
• Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford
• Romero Was Here – featurette revisiting the Crazies filming locations in Evans City, PA
• Never Before Seen BTS footage
• 2016 Q&A with Lynn Lowry from Abertoir Film Festival
• Alternate Opening Titles
• Trailers

U.S. STREET DATE: OCTOBER 24.
UK STREET DATE: OCTOBER 23.

[ravenus]

If this set had included Martin, it would have been a no-brainer for me. Right now, it's a strong maybe. I like The Crazies, although like I said on another thread it feels more like a dry run for Dawn of the Dead. I haven't seen the other 2 films, I believe there was previously a (non-anamorphic) DVD release of SotW in which Vanilla was included as a bonus feature.
From the reviews I've read, SotW seems interesting (a kind of witchy counterpart to Martin, with elements of Repulsion) if a little disjointed and weak. Vanilla looks more like a kitchen sink drama, the sort I could only watch once at best. Even if I get this package, I'll still have to retain the BU DVD of The Crazies for the Romero commentary. Unlike some other directors George was wonderful in commentary tracks and some of the ensemble commentaries, like for Dawn, Martin and Knightriders are terrific display of the warmth and friendship and spirit of derring-do in which those films were made.

[ZombieTwin]

As much as I adored George Romero, There's Always Vanilla is utter garbage and even Romero himself hated it. It was an attempt by Image Ten to break away from the horror genre.

I'm probably not going to bother with this set - There's Always Vanilla is dreadful, I already have the Blue Undeground BR of The Crazies and Season of the Witch isn't good enough on it's own to warrant paying out all that cash for it.

Kev W

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by ZombieTwin

As much as I adored George Romero, There's Always Vanilla is utter garbage and even Romero himself hated it. It was an attempt by Image Ten to break away from the horror genre.

I'm probably not going to bother with this set - There's Always Vanilla is dreadful, I already have the Blue Undeground BR of The Crazies and Season of the Witch isn't good enough on it's own to warrant paying out all that cash for it.

Kev W

I agree 'Always Vanilla' is terrible, Crazies is ok (to be fair i slightly prefer the remake) I just want a stand alone release of 'Martin' Ill be passing on this set.

[Cinematt]

I believe Martin is caught up with the same rights holder as Dawn of the Dead, otherwise I'm sure Arrow would love to port their DVD set.

I've ordered this, hadn't heard of There's Always Vanilla (seems that was for good reason!) but I like the other two and the extras seem interesting - that Del Toro interview being the most interesting to me. I do wonder if it's worth holding out for a sale though, I get the feeling this one won't sell fast, even with George's passing inevitably raising the profile of his work for a while.

[Dougling]

Originally Posted by ravenus

If this set had included Martin, it would have been a no-brainer for me. Right now, it's a strong maybe. I like The Crazies, although like I said on another thread it feels more like a dry run for Dawn of the Dead. I haven't seen the other 2 films, I believe there was previously a (non-anamorphic) DVD release of SotW in which Vanilla was included as a bonus feature.
From the reviews I've read, SotW seems interesting (a kind of witchy counterpart to Martin, with elements of Repulsion) if a little disjointed and weak. Vanilla looks more like a kitchen sink drama, the sort I could only watch once at best. Even if I get this package, I'll still have to retain the BU DVD of The Crazies for the Romero commentary. Unlike some other directors George was wonderful in commentary tracks and some of the ensemble commentaries, like for Dawn, Martin and Knightriders are terrific display of the warmth and friendship and spirit of derring-do in which those films were made.

Problem there is that Martin came out after Dawn of the Dead, so they'd have had to change the title of the box. Imagine all the admin that would have gone in to that!

[Ste7en]

It has become a bittersweet release, much like the HG Lewis set. Very sad

I love The Crazies, Season of the Witch is okay but I don't like There's Always Vanilla.
It didn't stop me pre-ordering it when it was announced, along with The Thing.

[rossbirks]

Incredibly sad news about Romero's passing. He was a true original. Will definitely be getting this set.

I really wish Arrow could have got the Romero commentary on Crazies as I sold off my Blue Underground disc months ago expecting all the features to be ported over. Drat!

[GODHOOD]

I really wish they would have released a limited edition of The Crazies instead, from what people are saying Season of the Witch is okay and There's Always Vanilla isn't his best work, in fact I read he only directed that as a favor to a friend. $66 is a lot of money for me to take a risk on 2 movies that I may not like and will never watch again.

[ZombieTwin]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

I believe Martin is caught up with the same rights holder as Dawn of the Dead, otherwise I'm sure Arrow would love to port their DVD set.

Richard P Rubenstein is asking WAY too much money for the rights for Dawn - he spent a lot of HIS OWN money on a 3D conversion of the film that nobody wants from him. Rubenstein is a notoriously hard-headed character and he won't want to write off his own money, even if it was on such a folly as 3D Dawn. He was a great guy to have producing Romero's movies, but as to what happened later...

I suspect that when Rubenstein dies, his children will inherit the rights to Dawn (and certain other Romero films he produced) and they will ask silly money for them, much the same way that Ray Dennis Steckler's films aren't sourced from the original elements because the children of the producer wants ridiculous wads of cash for them.

Martin sadly falls into the same category.

Kev W

[oddbox83]

Season of the Witch is very much like Martin in style if not in script. It's typical Romero in he way the makes social commentary too.

I've never seen Vanilla but good or bad, I shall relish it regardless as part of a now finite body of work.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Dougling

Problem there is that Martin came out after Dawn of the Dead, so they'd have had to change the title of the box. Imagine all the admin that would have gone in to that!

Ah yes, but still same year, quite close. But wow, that was a watershed year for Romero - his biggest hit in Dawn (I think?) and his personal favourite in Martin, one after the other.

So if I want to get this set, should I pre-order it now, or would there by any benefit points-wise of waiting for the Arrow sale (double points, such like)?

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by GODHOOD

I really wish they would have released a limited edition of The Crazies instead, from what people are saying Season of the Witch is okay and There's Always Vanilla isn't his best work, in fact I read he only directed that as a favor to a friend. $66 is a lot of money for me to take a risk on 2 movies that I may not like and will never watch again.

Fairly sure Crazies and SoTW will get separate issues later, you're only likely to miss out on the 60-page booklet.

[BurntheParadigm]

I'm actually really looking forward to finally watching Season of the Witch in hi-def. I've only ever owned it on VHS. It's not great, but it's an odd film that deals with the occult, which is an interesting topic. I'm assuming the "alternate extended cut" is the original "Jack's Wife" cut. Maybe this will make the film better.

Also, any Boards of Canada fans should recognize a quote from this film sampled in 'Geogaddi'.

[oddbox83]

I must check when I get home to see how long my DVD-R off-air of Jack's Wife from a c.2003/4 UK airing runs to.

Looks like the negative is long gone, probably sacrificed to make different cuts in its checkered release history. I wonder what Arrow have uncovered? Presumably the main version will be the Season of the Witch reissue if that has the best film materials surviving and Jack's Wife the extended cut closest to directors original version. Hungry Wives probably relegated to alternative titles. Cut from 130 minutes originally to 89 for the Hungry Wives distributed version, apparently.

[EvilJames]

Originally Posted by Dougling

Problem there is that Martin came out after Dawn of the Dead, so they'd have had to change the title of the box. Imagine all the admin that would have gone in to that!

That's not correct - Martin was made in 1976 and released in May 1978. In the interim, Romero began filming Dawn Of The Dead in 1977, finished and premiered it in 1978, but it wasn't released in the US until early-1979.

Anyway, moot point while New Amsterdam still hold Martin under ransom!

[Dougling]

Originally Posted by EvilJames

That's not correct - Martin was made in 1976 and released in May 1978. In the interim, Romero began filming Dawn Of The Dead in 1977, finished and premiered it in 1978, but it wasn't released in the US until early-1979.

Anyway, moot point while New Amsterdam still hold Martin under ransom!

My bad if that's the wrong way around, I was always under the impression Dawn came first.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

I must check when I get home to see how long my DVD-R off-air of Jack's Wife from a c.2003/4 UK airing runs to.

Around 104 minutes. PAL but looks like a conversion from NTSC. Seems to match the longer cut released by Anchor Bay. The UK Anchor Bay DVD on the other hand was 90 minutes with PAL speedup, so even taking to account it running 4% faster that's still a lot of material missing.

[Bumblefeet]

The title of this set is obviously marketed to appeal to his Dead trilogy fans, I kinda found it a weird choice, it's almost like saying hey, between Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, Romero also did some other films. In that regard I can't wait for the Between Day and Land boxset (and you really don't wanna go beyond Land).

These movies are artsy and definitely a product of their time. I applaud Arrow for restoring them, much like they did with putting out Cronenberg's and Hooper's early works, they fit that same category with the exception of "The Crazies" which is without doubt the best out of the bunch and would have made a great standlone release.

Given Romero's death, I also feel this set will serve as a nice tribute with hopefully more to follow.

The man is definitely more than just Night and Dawn!

[Fluid]

As a sincere fan and completist this Arrow release will become an essential purchase for me, particularly as I foolishly sold my Crazies BD and now it's changing hands for silly money.

A sad day for the genre and he will be missed by many....