Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 black-and-white independent horror film directed by George A. Romero. The film stars Duane Jones as Ben and Judith O'Dea as Barbra. The plot revolves around the mysterious reanimation of the dead and the efforts of Ben, Barbra and five others to survive the night while trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse. Romero produced the film on the low budget of $114,000, but after a decade of theatrical re-releases it had grossed an estimated $12 million in the United States and $30 million internationally. Reviewers criticized the graphic contents, but three decades later the Library of Congress placed Night of the Living Dead on the United States National Film Registry with other films deemed "historically, culturally or aesthetically important." The culture of Vietnam-era America had a tremendous impact on the film. It is so thoroughly riven with critiques of late 1960s American society that one historian described the film as "subversive on many levels." While not the first zombie film made, Night of the Living Dead influenced subsequent films in the sub-genre. The film is the first of five Living Dead films (completed or pending) directed by Romero, and has been remade twice.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1517: According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses onto the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_Theses)
1863: The New Zealand land wars resumed as British forces in New Zealand led by General Duncan Cameron began their Invasion of the Waikato along the Waikato River. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Waikato)
1922: Benito Mussolini became the youngest Premier in the history of Italy at age 39. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini)
1941: Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers completed the colossal busts of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at Mount Rushmore. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore)
1984: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India was assassinated by two of her own bodyguards. Riots soon broke out in New Delhi. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. -- John Keats (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Keats)