Much like Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero‘s 1977 horror movie Martin, centered on a man who believes he’s a vampire, is currently being restored by the UK’s Second Sight Films, with a physical 4K Ultra HD release on the way. As we learned just last week, the 4K restoration is “nearing completion,” and we’re expecting a release sometime in early 2022.
As a bit of a follow-up to that exciting news, we’ve learned the even more exciting news that George Romero’s 3.5 hour, black & white director’s cut has reportedly been located!
Ronald Gorewood posts on Facebook, “I simply can’t say enough about the efforts of KEVIN KRIESS and THE LIVING DEAD MUSEUM in locating the seldom (if ever) seen, black and white, 16mm version of MARTIN. This “Director’s Cut” of some three and a half hours in length was always Romero’s preferred version. May it soon return safely to the custody of Richard Rubinstein and Braddock Associates for digital revitalization and distribution to the world.”
“Ronald Gorewood,” it seems, is an alias for the film’s director of photography, Michael Gornick. In other words, this scoop seems to be quite legit, though at this time there’s no word on whether or not the Director’s Cut will be released to the public any time soon. Will Second Sight now wait until they can restore this cut of the film as well? We’ll keep you posted.
The cut of Martin that we’ve all spent the past several decades watching runs just 95 minutes long, so needless to say this “Director’s Cut” is *LOADED* with footage we’ve NEVER SEEN.
In the 1977 movie, released one year prior to Dawn of the Dead, “A young man (John Amplas), who believes himself to be a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and hostile cousin in a small Pennsylvania town where he tries to redeem his blood-craving urges.”