Her: "Rednecks are gonna save him!" Him- looks at camera and sneaky shakes his head, No. I busted up laughing! what a Classic moment, You guys are Awesome!!!
24:22 he’s still a black man from 1968 and a heightened panic to state plus and all tents and purposes he basically saw a lynch mob out there who knows what they were there for
One of the big reasons this became such a cultural phenomenon, honestly, was because it put a Black man in a starring role waaaay before that was commonplace. Obviously, it had happened, and they weren't breaking ground in that regard. But it was a huge deal. Add in the fact that it was the mother of all zombie movies, and Romero was always doing social commentary above all else with his films, and you've got a pillar of movie history.
It's what caught my attention as a kid. What is this? A Black person who isn't shucking and jiving; speaks intelligently and is saving the day?! That itself was new to movies of the day
I agree with wrote both of you wrote wholeheartedly. Watched Mr. Romero’s films for years. The two reacting are also missing the underlying reasoning about Ben being apprehensive concerning hearing the dogs barking. The time period should be telling. This movie touched on so many levels that even at the time, some people were upset that it was too gory among other deep seeded issues. This is one of the films that America wasn’t ready for. Lol
Another thing to consider when asking about why tis movie was so popular, is that the copyright was accidentally removed from many (most?) of the prints, and this movie ended up being public domain, which meant it was being shown everywhere, with no licensing fees being collected. This also led to the color remake in 1990.
Another important thing to remember is that Romero went on to be an iconic filmmaker. He not only made other amazing zombie films and Creepshow, but his work on shows like Tales from the Darkside propelled him to cult status and his body of work has stayed.
8:30 As a 9yr old kid in the late 70s I was allowed to go to a haunted house set up at a local farm. I thought I'd be able to handle it, but after navigating 90% of horrors, tension was high, then a friggin hand at ankle height reached out of a dark small gap in the haybales grabbed my ankle. I lost it, ran into next room terrified and that room had a really big guy in a Frankenstein suit. I screamed and did a full karate kid leap into the air and kicked him full in family jewels. He dropped like a rock. I was out of there! Ran to street where my Mom was waiting in the car and never told anyone what happened, till now. Yes I still feel really bad about what happened.
Marilyn Eastman, who plays Mrs. Cooper, was also the makeup artist who made up most of the zombies seen in the film (which were largely just made from grease paint and some mortician's wax to make the 'scarrin' effects. The original artist, Tom Savini, was drafted and sent to Vietnam when the film was in production (he'd go on to do the zombie effects for Romero's latter zombie films DAWN/DAY OF THE DEAD)
Tom Savini used to visit the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in the 90s and the kids in the makeup and model building classes would love to hear him talk. I think he now has a effects school of his own someplace around the Pittsburgh area.
I don't think I was ever so ...jaded(?) in my life that I would have thought this deserved a 5/10. Nothing about that seems on the up and up. The 7/10 is also unrealistically low. No horror films from the 2000's, 2010's, or 20's could possibly touch the artistry of this sublime piece of horror. It's that simple.
4:50: "Oh, we got intelligent zombies!" Lol! I was thinking the same thing. The Zombie knew how to open the door and then went to pick up a brick. I always think of zombies just aimlessly walking forward with their arms raised.
You do know that Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, so you could've just posted your entire reaction and didn't need to edit anything. 😁
So fun fact during the filming of this movie Musician George Jones and his band the Parliaments where on tour and accidentally took a road that led directly onto the set. George had dropped Acid earlier and when he saw all the extras shambling around as zombies he started screaming and wet himself.
People always talk about 'Fight or Flight' when being scared. But that's not the whole thing. It's 'Fight, Flight or Freeze'. Some people just lock up and go into shock when things go this bad.
Emily's expressions and Matt's knowing looks at the camera are movies in and of themselves! Of the movie reactors I watch, you guys-- hands down-- have the most entertaining reactions. I'd watch movies with you anytime. Keep it up, y'all! Addendum: I have no problem with your opinion, Emily. NotLD is high on my list because of the childhood nostalgia factor.
One of the central themes of Romero's Dead movies is the fact that during a zombie outbreak the survivors are almost more of a threat to each other than the zombies. Hey - speaking of Horror and Hitchcock and October - are you ever going to get to High Anxiety? It's a great Mel Brooks spoof of suspense/horror films by Hitchcock, and Mel is front and center the entire movie.
Yes - that's one of Romero's main points. He kinda hits you over the head with his social commentary to make sure that everybody notices it. :D The only way Dawn of the Dead could be more in your face with it's message would be for one of the Zombies in the Mall to wear a t_shirt saying "I'm a metaphor for consumerism!". ;D
Absolute classic! Barbara sobbing "Help me! Please help me!" as she was dragged out the door always breaks my heart especially since I read the novelization describe the sound of ligaments popping as she was being torn apart alive.
Romero wrote a miniseries for Marvel comics called " Empire of the Dead " that retconned Barbara's death. Zombie Johnny took her to the barn for safety. Interesting series that focused on vampires coming out of hiding due to the zombie apocalypse.
So fun fact, I know the daughter and niece of two of the cast members in this film- she’s my 2nd cousin’s wife! Her father was a reporter in DC and her Uncle shoots the hero at the end. Because of that she tends to help fund small horror projects and has even participated in a few, such as a cute short horror comedy she showed me called Day Planner of the Dead where she played a zombie. Despite that, I still haven’t watched this movie in full lol. I need to fix that this Halloween.
The remake that Romero produced in 1990 (directed by Tom Savini) has a very different take on Barbara. It's pretty good. There's a scene that ties in to 1978's Dawn of the Dead.
I'll list for you ...... 1) This is a low budget film done with a bunch of friends who were not paid. Imagine a '68 type of "Clerks" film. 2) It's 1968. A black man slaps a white woman. 3) The social commentary. It's a war between the haves and have not. 4) Ben's death. A posse assuming the black man was the villain. 5) This film did not put emphasis on tropes, it created what would later become tropes. 6) What you are construing as "silly" behavior was purposeful. Remember, it's 1968 and the black man is smarter than all the white people put together. These are major social issues tackled by this film.
Yeah, I think Matt and Emily miss the social context. Martin Luther King was assassinated in the spring of the 1968. Ben almost assuredly was weighing whether talking or not was more or less likely to see him shot by an all white posse.
this has a special place in my heart. this was my mom's intro into horror movies and it scared her so bad she would not watch it until I was of age and so we would watch this every halloween.. my mom died some years ago and I miss watching it with her. thank u for taking the time to watch.. love u guys and hi mom!
I was 14 when this came out and was so excited because it was filmed in the Pittsburgh area not far from where I grew up. The tv reporter at the end is Bill Cardill known affectionately as Chilly Billy Cardilly. He was the host of a late Sat night movie show called Chiller Theater.
I'm also originally from the Pittsburgh area. About 10 years ago I happened to be watching this movie when my mom called. I mentioned I was watching a movie filmed around Pittsburgh and when she asked which one I told her, and then she really shocked me. She told me her friends Nancy and George had asked if she wanted to be in the movie. It turns out that my mom and Nancy Romeo (well, not Romeo at the time) went to art school together. I was kind of annoyed that it wasn't until I was 40 that she bothered to tell her she had been friends with them.
The thing is, I honestly don’t know if ladies of that era and of a particular background would NOT act in such a way. Having listened to a fair bit of reading about psychological trauma and how it manifests itself, it can absolutely lead to a person acting irrationally and frail like Barbara. Some people are raised incredibly sheltered, and I think at the start they sort of setup that she’s easily startled. You might be surprised at the sheer terror and world shattering feeling one can get from experiencing just the malevolent look of an attacker intending to to do them serious harm. Especially if they’d never encountered such malevolence before and believed people to be mainly good. Also, if THIS was shocking for a movie, imagine how they would act if the situation in the film were real.
I heard George Romero say in an archive interview here on RUclips that when this movie got released in theaters it had ppl fainting, getting sick, and rushing out the theaters. I honestly think it still holds up today as one of the best zombie flicks
Wish you guys mentioned how at the time, having the black man as the “hero” and him hitting a white woman was a big deal at the time. Romero did it on purpose due to the changing times and to make people uncomfortable.
That and the parallel between how ethnics were treated at that time which I think was really flagged up with those closing shots. Very strange that they didn't pick up on that.
I believe that they had a budget of $18K for this movie (very low budget for 1968) but George Romero owned a company that usually produced commercials and had the necessary equipment to make the film. Check out the sequel Dawn of the Dead (the 1978 version)
Interesting tidbits: The actor who played Johnny, Russell Streiner and the actress Judith Ridley who played Judy were married in real life at the time they were in this movie. Karl Hardman who played Harry by all accounts was a super nice guy and very easy to work with which is a testament to the nice job he did as Harry. The reporter near the end interviewing the Butler County Sheriff is Bill Cardille who was a local tv broadcaster in Pittsburgh and was a host for almost 20 years of a Saturday late night horror movie program called Chiller Theater which earned him the nickname Chilly Billy, he started hosting this 4 years before his appearance in NOTLD. His daughter Lori played the heroine lead Sarah in Romeros third film Day Of The Dead
Oh a stone cold classic, I saw this movie when I was very young, maybe 10 years or so, and I fell in love with it, it was completely unlike anything I had seen (obviously, at 10 years old) I have trouble seperating fact from my own personal feelings when it comes to this movie, to me it's a fantastic movie, I love it every time I see it, but I honestly don't know how it holds up to a first time viewing these days, will be interesting to see your reaction.
What I've picked up while I'm older, Ben's plan vs Cooper's plan is kind of irrelevant. Being upstairs with all of the lights on, hammering windows closed, and making a lot of noise probably attracted them. But I think Ben was killed at the end in part because he didn't really hear what was going on. Really, everyone died in the movie because Ben and Cooper both fought over who should be in charge rather than trying to de-escalate and come up with a plan. I'd recommend seeing Return of the Living Dead. Kind of had a running joke where they'd turn all of the zombie tropes in Night of the Living Dead upside down.
Fun fact: Apparently the director first got started filming Mr. Roger's neighborhood. And Roger's him self loved the movie Night of the Living Dead. Who knew the world's most kindist man was into zombie pocalypse.
The ending was also the same bleak ending with Ben being killed. However, when Duane Jones was cast as Ben, Romero considered rewriting the ending and have Ben survive. However, Jones himself insisted the original ending should be used, as he said that African-American audiences would rather have Ben dead than "taken by white police"
One important factor of Night of the Living Dead becoming as well known as it is today also was that Romero (or someone working for him) forgot something to do with copyright and thusly the movie became part of the public domain MUCH EARLIER than it usually would have. So - like that one xmas movie with the angel earning his wings - TV stations could show it without having to pay for it. Everybody who waned to could release it on VHS or DVD... If you wanted you could put the whole movie on your channel, if I'm not mistaken. :)
I think part of what made it famous was it being in Public Domain. Which meant people could air it on tv, show in on film and it was a big drive in film and release it on home video and never have to pay anyone a dime. So it got a lot of play. The original Title was "Night of the Flesh Eaters" but apparently they learned there was already a film with that name and when they changed the title they forgot to put the copyright on the film. Also another piece of trivia. Romero wrote the film thinking Ben would be white he cast the best actor who was black and the rest was history. But Romero said he never changed any of the dialogue with the casting meaning all the racial subtext comes from the casting not the actual writing.
About the ending... I look at it as Ben didn't hear the people outside. I think its he didn't hear anything in the house so he came up to look. Then he heard stuff outside and wasn't sure if it was real people or zombies so he didn't yell out. And then it was too late. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)
"I know you're afraid. I'm afraid to." "I'm the black guy in a horror movie. I might as well head straight to the morgue." - 'Rifftrax: Night Of The Living Dead.'
Great reaction! Yes, it's an uncomfortable watch w/ some scenes that defy logic, but it inspired soooooo many other horror films and entire horror genres, it feels like it's important to watch to see how it all started.
Emily is right about Ben on calling out. All I can think of was him being to careful. Then again he was alone and that group of people could have been another large group of zombies. Now for the Redneck Rescue party.. They did not make sure Ben was not a zombie. They could have called out to the house. Instead they just see a silhouette, and shot him. The film was made in the 60s, there could be some commentary in these events. Also, this film is in the 60s. Ben is the hero of the story. A black man is the hero of the story.
Yes some old school effects. Wasn't there one where everybody got away except the one guy. He was stuck in the basement and the truck keys were in the basement...
Matthews look into the camera and shake of the head was so much like the waiter in Naked Gun 2 1/2 when Dreben orders the “Black Russian” after his initial order of the strongest thing they have.
I love Night Of The Living Dead but Dawn Of The Dead has always been my favourite of Romero's trilogy. For other Zombie movies I highly recommend Return Of The Living Dead 1&2 and the Japanese movie Versus by Ryuhei Kitamura, it's a relatively low budget movie but it has some awesomely over the top Gun and Sword fights and is just batshit crazy. *quick edit* i have to recommend Lifeforce by Tobe Hooper as well (i forgot it counts as a Zombie movie😂), it's an insane must see movie that (just a little trivia here) contains Patrick Stewarts first ever on-screen kiss which is with Steve Railsback.
@@mikesilva3868 The Return of the Living Dead is my favorite movie of all time. I can basically turn the movie on turn down the sound and recite all the dialogue. Im a hip hop head but I love Punk Music and ROTLD has one of the best soundtracks in a horror movie in my opinion.
While this was not the first time zombies appeared one film, it essentially defined the modern zombie. Romero himself has cited White Zombie (1932) and Revolt of the Zombies (1936) - whose living dead toil in mills - as influences on his film. Neither was Romero the first to depict zombies as symbols of a lumpenproletariat rising up against its masters: the zombie as exploited worker featured in Hammer’s The Plague of the Zombies (1966); and much has also been made of the influence of The Last Man on Earth (1964), an adaptation of the Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, the novel upon which Romero consciously drew for his story. Indeed, modern-day zombies resurrected by science gone wrong were the subject of several B pictures made in the 1950s by the director Edward L. Cahn. Invisible Invaders (1959) pioneered the classic Romero zombie shuffle 10 years prior to Night of the Living Dead; while The Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) has its zombies revived by radiation, à la Night of the Living Dead. There’s more foreshadowing of Romero’s film in Zombies of Mora-Tau (1957), which presents images of revived corpses moving slowly en masse against the living. Both Zombies of Mora-Tau and The Last Man on Earth showed on Channel 11’s Chiller Theatre in Pittsburg in the summer of 1967, when Romero was filming Night of the Living Dead, so it’s possible that he saw these films and was inspired by their imagery. The real-game changer for Night of the Living Dead, though, was Romero making the zombies into flesh-eating beings, creating an allegory of a society devouring itself from within. This would become the central metaphor underlying much modern apocalyptic horror, including classics like the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Romero’s own zombie sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978). No other film of the 1960s captured the allegorical moment so completely. At the time of Night of the Living Dead’s release, it seemed that America was, itself, at the point of collapse. Apocalypse was happening and there was no reversing it. After Night of the Living Dead, there was no going back to the old horrors.
Really, probably the biggest admitted influence on Romero is "Carnival of Souls" (1962). To quote: "Legendary zombie director George A. Romero has frequently admitted that Carnival Of Souls had a huge influence on him when he made his classic Night Of The Living Dead (1968)"
I personally opinion on the reason why Ben didn't speak at the end was that he was both physically and mentally drain from what was going on, seeing all those people die, and was up pretty much all night. Also I saw your eyes widen big Matthew as soon as Emily said "Ben will be saved by the rednecks. Now you got mid 80s-early 90s The Return of the Living Dead 1-3 which is sorta a semi-sequel to the 1968 Night of the Living Dead. Than there's the 1990 color remake of Night of the Living Dead.
None of the remakes can ever capture the original trilogy or any of Romero's films he shot around Pittsburgh. He was a common sight around the Shadyside area in the mid and late 90s as he lived in the area. In one of the news broadcasts they mention and evac center in New Castle which is 15 minutes from my house. The Monroeville mall has a zombie museum and had news paper articles framed on a wall from when Dawn of the Dead was shot there.
Absolutely true story: Many, many years ago my fiancé used to have a couple friends come by on Friday nights for a weekly monster movie watch party. In point of fact, he set up two TV sets, one tuned into the local Baltimore fright show and the other tuned to a competitor that broadcast out of Washington, DC. So, there we were watching "Night of the Living Dead"... They'd just got up to where a couple people try to leave the house, run out to the vehicle to try and drive away, but they end up getting burned to death while the zombies reach in and start eating them... And the channel does an awkward commercial break- To KFC. We're laughing ourselves to death, while the announcer is intoning "Finger lickin' good!" Highly recommend the wonderful zombie film "Warm Bodies".
You know what they should've done. Hid up in the attic. From what I can tell, the zombies can't climb and if they got rid of the stairs, they'd be cool.
I think the remake addresses a lot of the issues you have with the original. I THINK you’ll like it. I’m one of those weird outliers that likes Day of the Dead the best out of Romero’s dead trilogy. Return of the Living Dead is silly fun, you might like that.
Slow moving versus fast zombies.In this movie these were mostly previously dead, so the bodies were stiff, at least that was the thinking when it was written.. With fast movers, it is usually caused by a virus or something that may not actually kill the victim, think rage from 28 Days Later.
Before "Rocky Horror", this was the biggest grossing midnight movie. It did ok and got a good deal of press when it first came out, but it really did well on the midnight movie circuit.
Before this movie, zombies were thought of strictly along voodoo lines, i.e. some voodoo priest bringing back he dead for some nefarious purposes. The original trope was promulgated by Carribean slaves who spent short, hard, violent lives working on sugar plantations, only to worry about being brought back from the dead and put back to work against their will after death. This movie started the whole the dead arise for some unexplained reason and start killing and eating the living. All subsequent zombie movies run with this premise.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 very true, the term "zombie" is much more a term used by others to describe this genre rather than one claimed by this particular film.
I do tho, have a recommendation. I dunno if it would work, or how it would be handled, but I'd love to see someone tackle the original radio broadcast of War Of The Worlds for a halloween reaction video.
This movie ranked at #9 in the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo, cool reaction as always Emily & Matthew, you both take care and have a great weekend
This invented zombies. Before this it was voodoo stuff. Also... I love the racial treatment in this movie. The lead actor was black... but he was written with a white man in mind. They decided to cast a black man with no changes because he was a better actor... and it made all the difference. Like... the tone, subtext, meaning... it made the movie. Not only was the lead actor brilliant, he was also perfect for the role.
Since you just watched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD(1968),now you MUST watch the next three chapters in Romero's zombie anthology: DAWN OF THE DEAD(1978), DAY OF THE DEAD(1985) and LAND OF THE DEAD(2005).
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 You think women spend all day wondering whether some [Random Person] thinks they're hot before trying to survive against zombies, killers, ghosts, monsters, etc?
Looks like y’all watched an older version of the film, (unless I’m wrong,) I cannot recommend giving it a rewatch via the Criterion Collection’s release, (the Bluray transfer is incredible!, though if you prefer the grainy, less crisp picture of the older versions, to each their own.) Helen is my favorite character by far, (and Ben, of course,) I just wish we got some more of her in the film. Don’t forget that Duane Jones is also one of the leads in another Horror classic, (though under appreciated until recently,) Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess. Though, probably not a great watch for the channel-Perhaps too Art House. “Sell me on the movie I just watched.” Me,” well yeah, the ending is great, you know when the slave patrol 😬 I mean zombie-hunting posse 😬 shoots the black lead of the film from 1968 who is the sole survivor and hero of the film.” Also me, “also, the incredible acting on the part of the mostly only stage performers prior to that point, specifically Duane Jones.” This film is also the birth of the modern zombie, (the proto-modern zombie film, a story the writers of this film pulled from, I Am Legend adaptation, The Last Man On Earth from 1964 starring Vincent Price.) I feel the, “I don’t like seeing the woman being hysterical,” criticism but I feel that when it comes to Judy, not Barbara. Though almost everyone spends the first 2/3 of the film yelling at Barbara, and I never stop them from doing that, though I appreciate how Barbara shuts down more and more with each rewatch, especially now having gone 2+yrs with a pandemic over our heads. If y’all have not watched 30 Days Of Night (2007,) it’s not great, but there is a moment in it I love where a man who has to take care of his father tries to deal with how his father is reacting to the situation they’re experiencing-it’s short but fantastic, if the movie had more moments like that I might be willing to recommend it. Zombie stabbing victim: That is very much an issue that could only come from a modern idea of the zombie, (though, I still do not see much evidence for that either, it seems to be more of a societal conception of zombies via an amalgamation of different sources,) that contemporary lens has to take a backseat while watching this film. For instance, a modern audience knows exactly where they’re going when Ben is told the daughter was bit, but 1968’s drive-in or grindhouse audience has no idea. For a better understanding of what that audience knows to be a zombie I recommend watching White Zombie (1932,) the Voodoo/Hoodoo based zombie is far more active and less shambly.
It's often hard to go back and watch the origin films when you've lived so long with the ones they birthed and you've seen the original ideas long since hashed, rehashed, parodied, and become tropes. Thing is, no "Night of the Living Dead" no "Walking Dead", no so many other films and shows.
It might have helped to not have all those bright lights on while watching a movie that depends on atmosphere! Anyhow, remember that this is where it all started for flesh-eating zombie movies. If you pay attention, you'll notice several moments that were riffed on by Shaun of the Dead.
By the way, Night of the Living Dead is public domain, you didn't have to flip the video or anything. Though some versions still have copyright soundtracks to them.
Can I just say that I appreciate mixing it up a bit over October. I enjoy classic horror films, I do, but when every reactor is doing horror for a whole month, it's a lot
It's a black man in the 60's taking command. Stands out for the time in that regard. The color remake (years later) is a more of a traditional movie, and worth a watch.
Her: "Rednecks are gonna save him!" Him- looks at camera and sneaky shakes his head, No. I busted up laughing! what a Classic moment, You guys are Awesome!!!
I did too! His reactions to her comments about the current situation or what's coming up is so much the reason I love watching their reactions.
I did as well.
Dead on locked eyes with him the moment she said it and shook our heads together.
I caught that look also, made me chuckle.
24:22 he’s still a black man from 1968 and a heightened panic to state plus and all tents and purposes he basically saw a lynch mob out there who knows what they were there for
One of the big reasons this became such a cultural phenomenon, honestly, was because it put a Black man in a starring role waaaay before that was commonplace. Obviously, it had happened, and they weren't breaking ground in that regard. But it was a huge deal. Add in the fact that it was the mother of all zombie movies, and Romero was always doing social commentary above all else with his films, and you've got a pillar of movie history.
It's what caught my attention as a kid. What is this? A Black person who isn't shucking and jiving; speaks intelligently and is saving the day?! That itself was new to movies of the day
I agree with wrote both of you wrote wholeheartedly. Watched Mr. Romero’s films for years. The two reacting are also missing the underlying reasoning about Ben being apprehensive concerning hearing the dogs barking. The time period should be telling.
This movie touched on so many levels that even at the time, some people were upset that it was too gory among other deep seeded issues. This is one of the films that America wasn’t ready for. Lol
All Romero's "Dead" movies have a strong black character. And George said it was never intentional, he just cast the right actors for the parts.
the black lead actor was in the hip hop break dancing classic "beat street"
Also, the fact that Ben was black is actually incidental. Romero said that Duane Jones was just the best actor who auditioned for the role.
Another thing to consider when asking about why tis movie was so popular, is that the copyright was accidentally removed from many (most?) of the prints, and this movie ended up being public domain, which meant it was being shown everywhere, with no licensing fees being collected. This also led to the color remake in 1990.
Zombie movies as we know them might not exist if somebody hadn't fucked that up. Exactly why current copyright laws are more harmful than helpful.
I wonder why they did not post the full movie on RUclips. I've watched other reaction post the full movie on their channels.
Another important thing to remember is that Romero went on to be an iconic filmmaker. He not only made other amazing zombie films and Creepshow, but his work on shows like Tales from the Darkside propelled him to cult status and his body of work has stayed.
On the first episode of The Walking Dead, Morgan's son was named "Duane Jones" as a tribute to the actor who played Ben.
8:30 As a 9yr old kid in the late 70s I was allowed to go to a haunted house set up at a local farm. I thought I'd be able to handle it, but after navigating 90% of horrors, tension was high, then a friggin hand at ankle height reached out of a dark small gap in the haybales grabbed my ankle. I lost it, ran into next room terrified and that room had a really big guy in a Frankenstein suit. I screamed and did a full karate kid leap into the air and kicked him full in family jewels. He dropped like a rock. I was out of there! Ran to street where my Mom was waiting in the car and never told anyone what happened, till now. Yes I still feel really bad about what happened.
Marilyn Eastman, who plays Mrs. Cooper, was also the makeup artist who made up most of the zombies seen in the film (which were largely just made from grease paint and some mortician's wax to make the 'scarrin' effects. The original artist, Tom Savini, was drafted and sent to Vietnam when the film was in production (he'd go on to do the zombie effects for Romero's latter zombie films DAWN/DAY OF THE DEAD)
Tom Savini used to visit the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in the 90s and the kids in the makeup and model building classes would love to hear him talk. I think he now has a effects school of his own someplace around the Pittsburgh area.
I don't think I was ever so ...jaded(?) in my life that I would have thought this deserved a 5/10. Nothing about that seems on the up and up. The 7/10 is also unrealistically low. No horror films from the 2000's, 2010's, or 20's could possibly touch the artistry of this sublime piece of horror. It's that simple.
It was the first time a child had been shown to commit violence in such a way.
Ben was in shock & exhausted.
4:50: "Oh, we got intelligent zombies!" Lol! I was thinking the same thing. The Zombie knew how to open the door and then went to pick up a brick. I always think of zombies just aimlessly walking forward with their arms raised.
You do know that Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, so you could've just posted your entire reaction and didn't need to edit anything. 😁
Remember, Ben didn't want to go in the cellar. Survives by hiding in the cellar.
Mind you, he was the only person in the cellar by then - easier to survive when all the other survivors are gone!
So fun fact during the filming of this movie Musician George Jones and his band the Parliaments where on tour and accidentally took a road that led directly onto the set. George had dropped Acid earlier and when he saw all the extras shambling around as zombies he started screaming and wet himself.
People always talk about 'Fight or Flight' when being scared. But that's not the whole thing. It's 'Fight, Flight or Freeze'. Some people just lock up and go into shock when things go this bad.
"This bitch brought kindling."
I am dying 🤣
Emily's expressions and Matt's knowing looks at the camera are movies in and of themselves! Of the movie reactors I watch, you guys-- hands down-- have the most entertaining reactions. I'd watch movies with you anytime. Keep it up, y'all!
Addendum: I have no problem with your opinion, Emily. NotLD is high on my list because of the childhood nostalgia factor.
One of the central themes of Romero's Dead movies is the fact that during a zombie outbreak the survivors are almost more of a threat to each other than the zombies.
Hey - speaking of Horror and Hitchcock and October - are you ever going to get to High Anxiety? It's a great Mel Brooks spoof of suspense/horror films by Hitchcock, and Mel is front and center the entire movie.
Oh PLEASE do High Anxiety! I'm dying for them to see it!!!!!
Yes - that's one of Romero's main points. He kinda hits you over the head with his social commentary to make sure that everybody notices it. :D The only way Dawn of the Dead could be more in your face with it's message would be for one of the Zombies in the Mall to wear a t_shirt saying "I'm a metaphor for consumerism!". ;D
"They're coming to get you, Barbara!"... Screenwriting perfection!👌
Surprised he didn't go "Here's Johnny!" 🤣
Absolute classic! Barbara sobbing "Help me! Please help me!" as she was dragged out the door always breaks my heart especially since I read the novelization describe the sound of ligaments popping as she was being torn apart alive.
I have that novelization but I haven't read it yet. I just put it in plastic and boxed it.
Romero wrote a miniseries for Marvel comics called " Empire of the Dead " that retconned Barbara's death. Zombie Johnny took her to the barn for safety. Interesting series that focused on vampires coming out of hiding due to the zombie apocalypse.
@@derekmason1881 That's interesting. I need to loo up that miniseries.
So fun fact, I know the daughter and niece of two of the cast members in this film- she’s my 2nd cousin’s wife! Her father was a reporter in DC and her Uncle shoots the hero at the end. Because of that she tends to help fund small horror projects and has even participated in a few, such as a cute short horror comedy she showed me called Day Planner of the Dead where she played a zombie.
Despite that, I still haven’t watched this movie in full lol. I need to fix that this Halloween.
The remake that Romero produced in 1990 (directed by Tom Savini) has a very different take on Barbara. It's pretty good. There's a scene that ties in to 1978's Dawn of the Dead.
I'll list for you ......
1) This is a low budget film done with a bunch of friends who were not paid. Imagine a '68 type of "Clerks" film.
2) It's 1968. A black man slaps a white woman.
3) The social commentary. It's a war between the haves and have not.
4) Ben's death. A posse assuming the black man was the villain.
5) This film did not put emphasis on tropes, it created what would later become tropes.
6) What you are construing as "silly" behavior was purposeful. Remember, it's 1968 and the black man is smarter than all the white people put together.
These are major social issues tackled by this film.
Yeah, I think Matt and Emily miss the social context. Martin Luther King was assassinated in the spring of the 1968. Ben almost assuredly was weighing whether talking or not was more or less likely to see him shot by an all white posse.
this has a special place in my heart. this was my mom's intro into horror movies and it scared her so bad she would not watch it until I was of age and so we would watch this every halloween.. my mom died some years ago and I miss watching it with her. thank u for taking the time to watch.. love u guys and hi mom!
I was 14 when this came out and was so excited because it was filmed in the Pittsburgh area not far from where I grew up. The tv reporter at the end is Bill Cardill known affectionately as Chilly Billy Cardilly. He was the host of a late Sat night movie show called Chiller Theater.
I'm also originally from the Pittsburgh area. About 10 years ago I happened to be watching this movie when my mom called. I mentioned I was watching a movie filmed around Pittsburgh and when she asked which one I told her, and then she really shocked me. She told me her friends Nancy and George had asked if she wanted to be in the movie. It turns out that my mom and Nancy Romeo (well, not Romeo at the time) went to art school together. I was kind of annoyed that it wasn't until I was 40 that she bothered to tell her she had been friends with them.
His daughter Lori was the heroine lead in Romeo’s third film Day of The Dead!
The thing is, I honestly don’t know if ladies of that era and of a particular background would NOT act in such a way. Having listened to a fair bit of reading about psychological trauma and how it manifests itself, it can absolutely lead to a person acting irrationally and frail like Barbara. Some people are raised incredibly sheltered, and I think at the start they sort of setup that she’s easily startled. You might be surprised at the sheer terror and world shattering feeling one can get from experiencing just the malevolent look of an attacker intending to to do them serious harm. Especially if they’d never encountered such malevolence before and believed people to be mainly good.
Also, if THIS was shocking for a movie, imagine how they would act if the situation in the film were real.
I heard George Romero say in an archive interview here on RUclips that when this movie got released in theaters it had ppl fainting, getting sick, and rushing out the theaters. I honestly think it still holds up today as one of the best zombie flicks
Wish you guys mentioned how at the time, having the black man as the “hero” and him hitting a white woman was a big deal at the time. Romero did it on purpose due to the changing times and to make people uncomfortable.
That and the parallel between how ethnics were treated at that time which I think was really flagged up with those closing shots. Very strange that they didn't pick up on that.
I believe that they had a budget of $18K for this movie (very low budget for 1968) but George Romero owned a company that usually produced commercials and had the necessary equipment to make the film. Check out the sequel Dawn of the Dead (the 1978 version)
I get you. There are many seminal films that I just don't like but understand why they are important
Interesting tidbits:
The actor who played Johnny, Russell Streiner and the actress Judith Ridley who played Judy were married in real life at the time they were in this movie.
Karl Hardman who played Harry by all accounts was a super nice guy and very easy to work with which is a testament to the nice job he did as Harry.
The reporter near the end interviewing the Butler County Sheriff is Bill Cardille who was a local tv broadcaster in Pittsburgh and was a host for almost 20 years of a Saturday late night horror movie program called Chiller Theater which earned him the nickname Chilly Billy, he started hosting this 4 years before his appearance in NOTLD. His daughter Lori played the heroine lead Sarah in Romeros third film Day Of The Dead
27:34 Pippen really said "oh shiz, she dyin? nvm back to bed." 😆 😆 😆
This movie is public domain, so you could put the whole movie on RUclips without having to worry about copyright strike.
Now you need to see "Return of The Living Dead" (1985)
In the very first modern horror film, the black guy made it to the end. Unlike every horror movie since.
I hope the Romero original Dawn of the Dead is up soon as a followup, best horror/zombie movie imo
Now you just GOTTA do Dawn of the Dead. Night is a classic, a benchmark, a masterpiece, but Dawn is still the crown jewel of the genre.
Don't forget Day
20:26 - The Look of Revelations! (I get so excited when Matthew gives us that knowing look.)
Oh a stone cold classic, I saw this movie when I was very young, maybe 10 years or so, and I fell in love with it, it was completely unlike anything I had seen (obviously, at 10 years old) I have trouble seperating fact from my own personal feelings when it comes to this movie, to me it's a fantastic movie, I love it every time I see it, but I honestly don't know how it holds up to a first time viewing these days, will be interesting to see your reaction.
What I've picked up while I'm older, Ben's plan vs Cooper's plan is kind of irrelevant. Being upstairs with all of the lights on, hammering windows closed, and making a lot of noise probably attracted them. But I think Ben was killed at the end in part because he didn't really hear what was going on. Really, everyone died in the movie because Ben and Cooper both fought over who should be in charge rather than trying to de-escalate and come up with a plan.
I'd recommend seeing Return of the Living Dead. Kind of had a running joke where they'd turn all of the zombie tropes in Night of the Living Dead upside down.
Fun fact: Apparently the director first got started filming Mr. Roger's neighborhood. And Roger's him self loved the movie Night of the Living Dead. Who knew the world's most kindist man was into zombie pocalypse.
The ending was also the same bleak ending with Ben being killed. However, when Duane Jones was cast as Ben, Romero considered rewriting the ending and have Ben survive. However, Jones himself insisted the original ending should be used, as he said that African-American audiences would rather have Ben dead than "taken by white police"
One important factor of Night of the Living Dead becoming as well known as it is today also was that Romero (or someone working for him) forgot something to do with copyright and thusly the movie became part of the public domain MUCH EARLIER than it usually would have. So - like that one xmas movie with the angel earning his wings - TV stations could show it without having to pay for it. Everybody who waned to could release it on VHS or DVD... If you wanted you could put the whole movie on your channel, if I'm not mistaken. :)
'I don't care for this trope,' when this movie _made_ the tropes.
I think part of what made it famous was it being in Public Domain. Which meant people could air it on tv, show in on film and it was a big drive in film and release it on home video and never have to pay anyone a dime. So it got a lot of play.
The original Title was "Night of the Flesh Eaters" but apparently they learned there was already a film with that name and when they changed the title they forgot to put the copyright on the film.
Also another piece of trivia. Romero wrote the film thinking Ben would be white he cast the best actor who was black and the rest was history. But Romero said he never changed any of the dialogue with the casting meaning all the racial subtext comes from the casting not the actual writing.
Ben wasn’t that smart; he was a normal dude.
About the ending... I look at it as Ben didn't hear the people outside. I think its he didn't hear anything in the house so he came up to look. Then he heard stuff outside and wasn't sure if it was real people or zombies so he didn't yell out. And then it was too late. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)
"I know you're afraid. I'm afraid to."
"I'm the black guy in a horror movie. I might as well head straight to the morgue." - 'Rifftrax: Night Of The Living Dead.'
Great reaction! Yes, it's an uncomfortable watch w/ some scenes that defy logic, but it inspired soooooo many other horror films and entire horror genres, it feels like it's important to watch to see how it all started.
There's a remake with Tony Todd as Ben
20:23 😂😂😂😂😂 that’s a classic Eddie Murphy trading places 4 wall break there
Emily is right about Ben on calling out. All I can think of was him being to careful. Then again he was alone and that group of people could have been another large group of zombies. Now for the Redneck Rescue party.. They did not make sure Ben was not a zombie. They could have called out to the house. Instead they just see a silhouette, and shot him.
The film was made in the 60s, there could be some commentary in these events.
Also, this film is in the 60s. Ben is the hero of the story. A black man is the hero of the story.
Yes some old school effects.
Wasn't there one where everybody got away except the one guy. He was stuck in the basement and the truck keys were in the basement...
You guys should totally watch the remake it’s so good
If I wanted to see a remake, Resident Evil works for me, however the remake is good also.
I think Emily might like the remake's Barbara a lot better.
yes the 90's remake was directed by Tom Savini so the practical effects were far above the original
yes, the remake was good too
@@ashhuston9803 Tom Savini? I think you mean Sex Machine.
I think "The Omega Man" is my favorite classic film in the zombie genre.
Matthews look into the camera and shake of the head was so much like the waiter in Naked Gun 2 1/2 when Dreben orders the “Black Russian” after his initial order of the strongest thing they have.
I love Night Of The Living Dead but Dawn Of The Dead has always been my favourite of Romero's trilogy.
For other Zombie movies I highly recommend Return Of The Living Dead 1&2 and the Japanese movie Versus by Ryuhei Kitamura, it's a relatively low budget movie but it has some awesomely over the top Gun and Sword fights and is just batshit crazy.
*quick edit* i have to recommend Lifeforce by Tobe Hooper as well (i forgot it counts as a Zombie movie😂), it's an insane must see movie that (just a little trivia here) contains Patrick Stewarts first ever on-screen kiss which is with Steve Railsback.
Loved all Romero's zombie movies and return of the living dead 1 and 2 👍
Also Shaun of the Dead, and Dawn of the Dead remake.
@@mikesilva3868 The Return of the Living Dead is my favorite movie of all time. I can basically turn the movie on turn down the sound and recite all the dialogue. Im a hip hop head but I love Punk Music and ROTLD has one of the best soundtracks in a horror movie in my opinion.
While this was not the first time zombies appeared one film, it essentially defined the modern zombie. Romero himself has cited White Zombie (1932) and Revolt of the Zombies (1936) - whose living dead toil in mills - as influences on his film. Neither was Romero the first to depict zombies as symbols of a lumpenproletariat rising up against its masters: the zombie as exploited worker featured in Hammer’s The Plague of the Zombies (1966); and much has also been made of the influence of The Last Man on Earth (1964), an adaptation of the Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, the novel upon which Romero consciously drew for his story.
Indeed, modern-day zombies resurrected by science gone wrong were the subject of several B pictures made in the 1950s by the director Edward L. Cahn. Invisible Invaders (1959) pioneered the classic Romero zombie shuffle 10 years prior to Night of the Living Dead; while The Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) has its zombies revived by radiation, à la Night of the Living Dead. There’s more foreshadowing of Romero’s film in Zombies of Mora-Tau (1957), which presents images of revived corpses moving slowly en masse against the living.
Both Zombies of Mora-Tau and The Last Man on Earth showed on Channel 11’s Chiller Theatre in Pittsburg in the summer of 1967, when Romero was filming Night of the Living Dead, so it’s possible that he saw these films and was inspired by their imagery.
The real-game changer for Night of the Living Dead, though, was Romero making the zombies into flesh-eating beings, creating an allegory of a society devouring itself from within. This would become the central metaphor underlying much modern apocalyptic horror, including classics like the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Romero’s own zombie sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978).
No other film of the 1960s captured the allegorical moment so completely. At the time of Night of the Living Dead’s release, it seemed that America was, itself, at the point of collapse. Apocalypse was happening and there was no reversing it. After Night of the Living Dead, there was no going back to the old horrors.
I'd post a link, Marley Bob - and we've gotta have a talk about plagiarism: www.bfi.org.uk/features/night-living-dead-george-romero
Really, probably the biggest admitted influence on Romero is "Carnival of Souls" (1962).
To quote: "Legendary zombie director George A. Romero has frequently admitted that Carnival Of Souls had a huge influence on him when he made his classic Night Of The Living Dead (1968)"
Now show her the 1990 remake!! 🤩😎👍
Night of the Living Dead is public domain so reaction videos can be shown in their entirety on RUclips and, I think, fully monetized.
I personally opinion on the reason why Ben didn't speak at the end was that he was both physically and mentally drain from what was going on, seeing all those people die, and was up pretty much all night.
Also I saw your eyes widen big Matthew as soon as Emily said "Ben will be saved by the rednecks.
Now you got mid 80s-early 90s The Return of the Living Dead 1-3 which is sorta a semi-sequel to the 1968 Night of the Living Dead.
Than there's the 1990 color remake of Night of the Living Dead.
She will LOVE Return of the Living Dead.
None of the remakes can ever capture the original trilogy or any of Romero's films he shot around Pittsburgh. He was a common sight around the Shadyside area in the mid and late 90s as he lived in the area. In one of the news broadcasts they mention and evac center in New Castle which is 15 minutes from my house. The Monroeville mall has a zombie museum and had news paper articles framed on a wall from when Dawn of the Dead was shot there.
"Dont wanna go up that road there." I laughed so hard at that I felt it in my hernia
Absolutely true story:
Many, many years ago my fiancé used to have a couple friends come by on Friday nights for a weekly monster movie watch party. In point of fact, he set up two TV sets, one tuned into the local Baltimore fright show and the other tuned to a competitor that broadcast out of Washington, DC.
So, there we were watching "Night of the Living Dead"... They'd just got up to where a couple people try to leave the house, run out to the vehicle to try and drive away, but they end up getting burned to death while the zombies reach in and start eating them...
And the channel does an awkward commercial break-
To KFC.
We're laughing ourselves to death, while the announcer is intoning "Finger lickin' good!"
Highly recommend the wonderful zombie film "Warm Bodies".
Emily did such a randomly good Judd from Pet Semetary impression that I snorted beer out my nose, thanks! lol
I was probably 4 or 5 the first time I saw this movie, I still have my Dad's old original VHS some where.
The immortal line "Yeah, they're dead, they're...all messed up" was the result of the actor forgetting his lines.
They're Coming to Get You, Barbara!
Classic!
You know what they should've done. Hid up in the attic. From what I can tell, the zombies can't climb and if they got rid of the stairs, they'd be cool.
I think the remake addresses a lot of the issues you have with the original. I THINK you’ll like it. I’m one of those weird outliers that likes Day of the Dead the best out of Romero’s dead trilogy. Return of the Living Dead is silly fun, you might like that.
"Zombooty"!!! That was great, I can't believe all these years I have never heard that.
But they completely missed "Zom B Que" when the truck burned.
Slow moving versus fast zombies.In this movie these were mostly previously dead, so the bodies were stiff, at least that was the thinking when it was written.. With fast movers, it is usually caused by a virus or something that may not actually kill the victim, think rage from 28 Days Later.
Before "Rocky Horror", this was the biggest grossing midnight movie. It did ok and got a good deal of press when it first came out, but it really did well on the midnight movie circuit.
Before this movie, zombies were thought of strictly along voodoo lines, i.e. some voodoo priest bringing back he dead for some nefarious purposes. The original trope was promulgated by Carribean slaves who spent short, hard, violent lives working on sugar plantations, only to worry about being brought back from the dead and put back to work against their will after death. This movie started the whole the dead arise for some unexplained reason and start killing and eating the living. All subsequent zombie movies run with this premise.
The word "zombie" is never mentioned in NOTLD. It IS used in Dawn of The Dead at least once, maybe twice.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 very true, the term "zombie" is much more a term used by others to describe this genre rather than one claimed by this particular film.
This was in the public domain for years because it was never copyrighted. I believe that matter has been corrected.
I do tho, have a recommendation. I dunno if it would work, or how it would be handled, but I'd love to see someone tackle the original radio broadcast of War Of The Worlds for a halloween reaction video.
FYI, fight all copyright claims you might get on this film. It is in the public domain and nobody owns the rights.
This movie ranked at #9 in the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo, cool reaction as always Emily & Matthew, you both take care and have a great weekend
This invented zombies. Before this it was voodoo stuff. Also... I love the racial treatment in this movie. The lead actor was black... but he was written with a white man in mind. They decided to cast a black man with no changes because he was a better actor... and it made all the difference. Like... the tone, subtext, meaning... it made the movie. Not only was the lead actor brilliant, he was also perfect for the role.
Arachnophobia is a great anytime of the year jump scare movie. Except maybe Christmas.
I emailed judith odea once and she said she was proud to be a part of the movie and make history.
An absolute classic film from a legendary film-maker!
Since you just watched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD(1968),now you MUST watch the next three chapters in Romero's zombie anthology: DAWN OF THE DEAD(1978), DAY OF THE DEAD(1985) and LAND OF THE DEAD(2005).
Them there zombies ain't got no table manners! Sheeesh!🦹Btw, love your reactions!! Subbed!
Thanks, Emily! Thanks, Matthew! Thanks, Pippin! 🧟♀
I recommend the remake for three reasons
1 Ben is even more badass
2 Barbara gains the status of badass
3 someone gets what they deserve
4 Barbara is much hotter
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 You think women spend all day wondering whether some [Random Person] thinks they're hot before trying to survive against zombies, killers, ghosts, monsters, etc?
Cooper being shot and then eaten by his own daughter seems pretty deserved and appropriate to me...
@@entertainmenthell2396 exactly
@@entertainmenthell2396 That's why it's reason #4 and not #1.
Do you think Naked Zombie Girl would've been a better movie without Meghan Chadeayne?
Would recommend the 1990 remake, Dawn of the Dead (both the 70s and 2004 versions) and the 80s Day of the Dead.
That countdown is what Pippen is going to use when he announces that he has taken over the world.
Looks like y’all watched an older version of the film, (unless I’m wrong,) I cannot recommend giving it a rewatch via the Criterion Collection’s release, (the Bluray transfer is incredible!, though if you prefer the grainy, less crisp picture of the older versions, to each their own.)
Helen is my favorite character by far, (and Ben, of course,) I just wish we got some more of her in the film.
Don’t forget that Duane Jones is also one of the leads in another Horror classic, (though under appreciated until recently,) Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess. Though, probably not a great watch for the channel-Perhaps too Art House.
“Sell me on the movie I just watched.”
Me,” well yeah, the ending is great, you know when the slave patrol 😬 I mean zombie-hunting posse 😬 shoots the black lead of the film from 1968 who is the sole survivor and hero of the film.”
Also me, “also, the incredible acting on the part of the mostly only stage performers prior to that point, specifically Duane Jones.”
This film is also the birth of the modern zombie, (the proto-modern zombie film, a story the writers of this film pulled from, I Am Legend adaptation, The Last Man On Earth from 1964 starring Vincent Price.)
I feel the, “I don’t like seeing the woman being hysterical,” criticism but I feel that when it comes to Judy, not Barbara. Though almost everyone spends the first 2/3 of the film yelling at Barbara, and I never stop them from doing that, though I appreciate how Barbara shuts down more and more with each rewatch, especially now having gone 2+yrs with a pandemic over our heads.
If y’all have not watched 30 Days Of Night (2007,) it’s not great, but there is a moment in it I love where a man who has to take care of his father tries to deal with how his father is reacting to the situation they’re experiencing-it’s short but fantastic, if the movie had more moments like that I might be willing to recommend it.
Zombie stabbing victim: That is very much an issue that could only come from a modern idea of the zombie, (though, I still do not see much evidence for that either, it seems to be more of a societal conception of zombies via an amalgamation of different sources,) that contemporary lens has to take a backseat while watching this film. For instance, a modern audience knows exactly where they’re going when Ben is told the daughter was bit, but 1968’s drive-in or grindhouse audience has no idea. For a better understanding of what that audience knows to be a zombie I recommend watching White Zombie (1932,) the Voodoo/Hoodoo based zombie is far more active and less shambly.
I'd like to recommend watching The Skeleton Key starring Kate Hudson. Perfect time to watch this suspense film with a great ending!
It's often hard to go back and watch the origin films when you've lived so long with the ones they birthed and you've seen the original ideas long since hashed, rehashed, parodied, and become tropes. Thing is, no "Night of the Living Dead" no "Walking Dead", no so many other films and shows.
"To:Mr.and Miss Summs, there is also an original version of'NOTLD",in vivid rich color. . ." 4-11-2024'
It might have helped to not have all those bright lights on while watching a movie that depends on atmosphere!
Anyhow, remember that this is where it all started for flesh-eating zombie movies. If you pay attention, you'll notice several moments that were riffed on by Shaun of the Dead.
By the way, Night of the Living Dead is public domain, you didn't have to flip the video or anything. Though some versions still have copyright soundtracks to them.
love you guys! keep doing what you're doing.
Zombie movie suggestion; Return of the Living Dead.
Shwll LOVE the dark humor!! 😃
Can I just say that I appreciate mixing it up a bit over October. I enjoy classic horror films, I do, but when every reactor is doing horror for a whole month, it's a lot
You probably could have posted the whole movie, I dont think it ever got copyrighted
It's a black man in the 60's taking command. Stands out for the time in that regard. The color remake (years later) is a more of a traditional movie, and worth a watch.