controversial post....NOTLD 68 = over-rated?

[SymphonicX]

@Dubious: in a nutshell how is Ben different in the script? (can't be bothered to read it!!)

[DubiousComforts]

@Dubious: in a nutshell how is Ben different in the script? (can't be bothered to read it!!) In the original script, he's a gruff truck driver. I don't recall if he's ever identified by name. He harbors a pronounced hatred of the ghouls with lines like "Ahm gonna git you, all of you!" Though he's resourceful at securing the house, he's just one step away from being a slack-jawed yokel. I think Romero was simply going for the most unlikely yet identifiable "hero" with the truck driver character. Prior to NIGHT, horror genre heroes were typically professionals, either scientists, doctors or military men. "Ordinary folks" were usually regulated to being secondary characters.

[major jay]

The sheriff and civilian forces have an air of authority and respectability, and the "redneck" element is more subtle. It isn't until they are shown committing a fatal mistake (gunning down the film's hero) that the illusion of the authorities being competent is shattered. In NIGHT '90, the posse is immediately depicted as stereotypical country bumpkins, just a step away from being murderers or, in Barbara's case, rapists. Outside of finding a bit too much enjoyment in their grim task, they're not actually shown to be doing anything wrong. Even DAWN's portrayal of the civilian forces as being an accident-waiting-to-happen is much less hamfisted. There's also the sheriff telling the tv reporter about shooting some zombies clawing their way into a shed. “They must have thought somebody was in there. There wasn’t though”. Or did they recklessly kill the person hiding in that shed?

[Doc]

The script is available on the Millennium edition DVD, or at Axlish's fine web site: NOLD '68 Interactive Script. IMO, the NOLD shooting script was never refined or finished. Not that it matters one bit, but filmmakers never want to admit when a film is shot without a completed script because they feel it makes them look like hacks. The character of Ben was completely changed once Duane Jones was cast, though several crude lines remain which are otherwise out-of-character for Ben as Jones portrayed him. The Cooper's kid starts out as "Timmy" but is changed to "Karen" about halfway through the script. Tom is also different, and Judy doesn't appear at all (her scenes were added during filming). Check out John Russo's novelization, which is a good blend of the original script and the film's character changes. Thanks man! I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that it's better than the original. I've heard that it's often more watched when people are putting on marathons because it's more modern and fits in better with the other three, but not that it's better. Mostly in reviews is where they say the remake is better....although I have seen threads....... they are out there.