The Young and the Dead

"The Young and the Dead" is a marginally interesting documentary about the renovation and innovation of the Hollywood Memorial Park cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd), resting place for a handful of Hollywood stars like Rudy Valentino and Fatty Arbuckle. The film documents all aspects of the cemetery biz as well as those goings-on peculiar to this memorial park...some of which are peculiar. Okay stuff for die-hard Tinseltown junkies and those with an interest in the cemetery biz.

I enjoyed the film. When I was a child I loved watching old movies and listening to grownups retell events of their lives. My favorite past time was watching old movies. I am not much of a silent movie fan, but I did get to see Gene Wilder's rendition of Valentino and there was a movie in the seventies about his life. I didn't know there is still so much fascination about "The world's greatest Lover". The film also depicted how being so close to death makes you realize how important it is to live and cherish those you love.

I grew up in a small town in Ohio. I used to go to the cemetery with my friends for bike rides. We had an incredible cemetery. There were no fences to keep people out. It had lots of trees and winding roads. In the Dominican Republic the cemeteries look like a town with tiny houses. As I drive by cemeteries today, there is hardly any shade trees, and they are surrounded by a fence. I'd like to be buried under a shady tree with a view of a fountain or something nice.

The cemetery in the film seems like a very nice place. One that does not seem forgotten.

All of the elements are here to what could have been a great film about the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and it's resurrection by Mr. Tyler Cassity. The Young and the Dead is still a good film, but it could have been made better. How? By featuring more of the aura of the resting place of so many legendary silent and Golden Age silver screen stars. It achieves this during a segment on Rudolph Valentino. In particular when eerie music sets in, and slow dissolves reveal a intense, Rasputin-like artist (Jonathan Morrill), painting in a crumbling mausoleum, an oversized portrait of the Sheik. A little more of a historical tour for the viewer, and little less of the banter of a portly pubescent Valentino groupie would have helped. Why wasn't Tom Demille, the cemetery's excellent , knowledgeable, and charismatic tour guide used to take the viewer through this movie? Or at least part of it? We once were given an amazing and thoroughly enjoyable tour of Hollywood Forever by Tom Demille, and it was brilliant. I was hoping he'd be featured in it more than just by chance in the background. The movie would have been much more entertaining and informative with him in it. That's not to say that Mr. Tyler Cassity is hard to look at, he certainly isn't. Mr. Tyler Cassity, without whom there would be no Hollywood Forever Cemetery, brings to this documentary, all of the spirit and good energy that he possesses in life, and as much as can be transcended onto film. There are genuinely funny moments with Tyler, such as reviewing potential voice talents for the cemetery's answering machine. As well there are revealing thoughtful and caring moment's from Mr. Cassity and his dedicated staff. One can imagine that many occur in the business of death. This also could have been revealed to the viewer a little more in-depth. After all, isn't the attraction to find out more about, and honor, our lost idols and fallen heros? Anyhow, this is still a good movie, hats off to anyone who can finish a film. Knowing how much better this could have been made, had a little more resources been used, I can't call it a great film, but it's still a good one.