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Martin (film)
Encyclopedia
Martin is a 1978 American horror film
written and directed by George A. Romero
.
Romero claims that Martin is the favorite of all his films. The film is also notable as the first collaboration between George Romero and special effect
s artist Tom Savini
.
) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his granduncle and cousin in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania
, has romantic monochrome
visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them. In addition to the vampiric themes, the film shows the stagflation
of the 1970s in the form of the struggling residents of Braddock.
Martin's granduncle, the superstitious old Tada Cuda, has reluctantly agreed to give Martin room and board
as he is the closest living relative, as well as his nephew. Cuda is very much a Lithuanian Catholic who treats Martin like an Old World
vampire and tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with strings of garlic bulbs around the home and a crucifix
. Martin mocks these attempts and says bitterly, "There's no real magic... ever." When Cuda warns Martin that if he murders anyone in Braddock that he will be killed, Martin sneaks out at night into inner city Pittsburgh and instead begins targeting crooks and drug dealers and draining their blood, although he still focuses on seducing women. Martin seeks advice on women from a radio DJ, who calls him "The Count" and eggs Martin on to try and seduce girls when the DJ realizes his listeners consider Martin a hit. When being put to work in a grocery store owned by Cuda, Martin strikes up a friendship with a lonely housewife, turning into a full-fledged affair with tragic results.
, Pennsylvania
during the summer of 1976.
in May 1977 and was released in US
cinemas on July 7, 1978.
The film was re-released in the UK with a 2-Disc DVD on June 28, 2010 by Arrow Video
with the following Special Features:
Much like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Martin was edited for the
Europe
an market, under the title of Wampyr. This version is only available in an Italian
dubbed version. This version's score was performed by the band Goblin
.
by Donald Rubinstein
was released on Perseverance Records
November 7, 2007.
reporting that 22 out of the 23 reviews they tallied were positive. The film is regarded by horror fans as one of the finest B horror films of the 70's and is often cited among Romero's best works.
, Soft Cell
included a 10:16 song entitled Martin that was inspired by this film.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written and directed by George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
.
Romero claims that Martin is the favorite of all his films. The film is also notable as the first collaboration between George Romero and special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s artist Tom Savini
Tom Savini
Thomas Vincent "Tom" Savini is an American actor, stuntman, director, award-winning special effects and makeup artist. He is known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Creepshow, The Burning, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Maniac. He directed the 1990...
.
Plot
Martin (John AmplasJohn Amplas
John Amplas is an American actor known primarily for his work with director George A. Romero. His first work with Romero was the cult classic Martin , in which he played the title role...
) sedates women with a syringe full of narcotics and then slices their wrists with a razor blade so he can drink their blood. Martin, who comes to live with his granduncle and cousin in the dying town of Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Braddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 2,159 at the 2010 census...
, has romantic monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
visions of vampiric seductions and torch-lit mobs, but it is impossible to tell how seriously he takes them. In addition to the vampiric themes, the film shows the stagflation
Stagflation
In economics, stagflation is a situation in which the inflation rate is high and the economic growth rate slows down and unemployment remains steadily high...
of the 1970s in the form of the struggling residents of Braddock.
Martin's granduncle, the superstitious old Tada Cuda, has reluctantly agreed to give Martin room and board
Room and board
Room and board describes a situation where, in exchange for money, labor or other considerations, a person is provided with a place to live as well as meals on a comprehensive basis...
as he is the closest living relative, as well as his nephew. Cuda is very much a Lithuanian Catholic who treats Martin like an Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
vampire and tries unsuccessfully to repel Martin with strings of garlic bulbs around the home and a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. Martin mocks these attempts and says bitterly, "There's no real magic... ever." When Cuda warns Martin that if he murders anyone in Braddock that he will be killed, Martin sneaks out at night into inner city Pittsburgh and instead begins targeting crooks and drug dealers and draining their blood, although he still focuses on seducing women. Martin seeks advice on women from a radio DJ, who calls him "The Count" and eggs Martin on to try and seduce girls when the DJ realizes his listeners consider Martin a hit. When being put to work in a grocery store owned by Cuda, Martin strikes up a friendship with a lonely housewife, turning into a full-fledged affair with tragic results.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| John Amplas John Amplas John Amplas is an American actor known primarily for his work with director George A. Romero. His first work with Romero was the cult classic Martin , in which he played the title role... |
Martin Mathias |
| Lincoln Maazel | Tada Cuda |
| Christine Forrest | Cousin Christina |
| Elyane Nadeau | Abbie Santini |
| Tom Savini Tom Savini Thomas Vincent "Tom" Savini is an American actor, stuntman, director, award-winning special effects and makeup artist. He is known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Creepshow, The Burning, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Maniac. He directed the 1990... |
Arthur |
| Sara Venable | Housewife Victim |
| Fran Middleton | Train Victim |
| Roger Caine | Lewis (as Al Levitsky) |
| George A. Romero George A. Romero George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:... |
Father Howard |
| J. Clifford Forrest Jr. | Father Zulemus |
| Tony Buba | Drug Dealer shot by Police |
| Pasquale Buba | Drug Dealer shot by Police |
| Clayton McKinnon | Drug Dealer shot by Police |
Production
The film was shot with a low budget, filmed entirely on real locations, and many of the supporting cast members were friends and family of the filmmakers. It was filmed on location in the Pittsburgh suburb of BraddockBraddock
-Places:England* Braddock, Cornwall** Battle of Braddock Down, 1643Antarctica* Braddock NunataksCanada* Braddock, Saskatchewan* Braddock Lake, a reservoirUnited States* Braddock, North Dakota* Braddock, Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
during the summer of 1976.
Release
The film premiered at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in May 1977 and was released in US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cinemas on July 7, 1978.
The film was re-released in the UK with a 2-Disc DVD on June 28, 2010 by Arrow Video
Arrow Video
Arrow Films is a UK distributor of classic, horror, and cult films on Blu-ray and DVD.-Arrow Films:Arrow Films is an independent distributor of world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films...
with the following Special Features:
- Theatrical Cut in 5.1 and Stereo sound plus choice of 4:3 and 16:9 presentations
- Wampyr: The Italian Cut with English Subs featuring legendary Goblin Score
- European Romero Documentary
- The audio recollections of Romero, Savini, Gornick and Rubinstein
- ‘Making Martin’:A recounting documentary
- Original TV and Radio Spots
- Martin Photo Album
- 4 sleeve art options
- Double-sided fold-out poster
- Exclusive Collector’s Booklet
- Set of 6 original poster art postcards
Alternate versions
Originally, the film ran longer than the final version, at 2 hours and 45 minutes. The original release was entirely in black and white. No copies of this cut exist to Romero's knowledge.Much like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Martin was edited for the
Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an market, under the title of Wampyr. This version is only available in an Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
dubbed version. This version's score was performed by the band Goblin
Goblin (band)
Goblin are an Italian progressive rock band known for their soundtracks for Dario Argento films ....
.
Soundtrack
The film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
by Donald Rubinstein
Donald Rubinstein
Donald Rubinstein is a film composer, singer/songwriter and multi-media artist who is best known for his scoring collaborations with George A...
was released on Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records is a record label which releases film scores on CD and online. Releases are usually accompanied by extensive, well-researched booklets...
November 7, 2007.
Reception
The film received highly positive reviews with the review tallying website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reporting that 22 out of the 23 reviews they tallied were positive. The film is regarded by horror fans as one of the finest B horror films of the 70's and is often cited among Romero's best works.
On Popular Culture
On their 1983 album, The Art of Falling ApartThe Art of Falling Apart
The Art of Falling Apart is the second full-length album released in 1983 by Soft Cell, a pioneering synthpop/new wave duo which featured Marc Almond singing and David Ball playing synthesizers....
, Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
included a 10:16 song entitled Martin that was inspired by this film.