Post by klep on Jul 31, 2017 6:44:15 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 7/31: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
WEEK OF THE WALKING DEAD
Note: The Director's Cut was watched for this essay.
It's not hard to determine what message George Romero was sending with 1978's Dawn of the Dead. He wasn't exactly being subtle. Set soon after the events of his groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead follows a small group of people trying to escape the impending fall of civilization in a helicopter. But it's difficult to get fuel during The Fall, and so they end up taking refuge in.... a shopping mall.
The anti-consumerism message that Romero is hitting us with in this film is quite blunt. We're told that the mall was such an important part of its zombies' lives that they literally cannot resist its pull even after death. Our protagonists clear out the mall and get to enjoy the full fruits of consumerism without worrying about money or work, but it's quickly shown to be unfulfilling, with ennui setting in and threatening the bonds of the group. When the raiders show up and everything goes to hell, the mall becomes an orgy of avarice and waste. It's clear; mass consumerism is a toxic, addicting force in our lives that hollows us out and leaves us craving more without knowing what it's for.
But for all its lack of subtlety, Romero's messaging is still woven fairly skillfully into the narrative. Zombies being instinctively drawn to places that had meaning in their lives is an intriguing bit of world building, and it pays off late in the film as Zombie Stephen (David Emge) makes his way back to the group's hideaway, a small horde in tow. And the group's ennui also does double-duty as the cabin fever they feel, cooped up in the mall by themselves with no connection to the outside world or anyone else. In the end, they can only survive by leaving the mall, just as they can only truly live when they abandon such gross consumption.
And of course the scares are plentiful and the tension high. There are so many moments when Romero has us questioning whether someone has been bitten; so many times where characters just barely get out of scrapes. But what's more important than that is how easily Romero shows us that a good horror film can be about much more than cast attrition and who's going to make it; it can say meaningful things about the state of man as well.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/7: Young Frankenstein
BLACK & WHITE WEEK!
For Black & White Week we are turning to Mel Brooks and what is possibly his most beautiful film, Young Frankenstein. Join us next week for a discussion of this comedy classic from a true genius. Young Frankenstein is available on Netflix Instant.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 7/27: A Ghost Story
Last week's podcast paired the excellent Carnival of Souls with this new film from David Lowery. We'll have a thread for discussion up on Wednesday, and hopefully an essay from one of our dear readers. Unfortunately yours truly will be unable to see this before press time. A Ghost Story is still in theaters.
WEEK OF THE WALKING DEAD
Note: The Director's Cut was watched for this essay.
It's not hard to determine what message George Romero was sending with 1978's Dawn of the Dead. He wasn't exactly being subtle. Set soon after the events of his groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead follows a small group of people trying to escape the impending fall of civilization in a helicopter. But it's difficult to get fuel during The Fall, and so they end up taking refuge in.... a shopping mall.
The anti-consumerism message that Romero is hitting us with in this film is quite blunt. We're told that the mall was such an important part of its zombies' lives that they literally cannot resist its pull even after death. Our protagonists clear out the mall and get to enjoy the full fruits of consumerism without worrying about money or work, but it's quickly shown to be unfulfilling, with ennui setting in and threatening the bonds of the group. When the raiders show up and everything goes to hell, the mall becomes an orgy of avarice and waste. It's clear; mass consumerism is a toxic, addicting force in our lives that hollows us out and leaves us craving more without knowing what it's for.
But for all its lack of subtlety, Romero's messaging is still woven fairly skillfully into the narrative. Zombies being instinctively drawn to places that had meaning in their lives is an intriguing bit of world building, and it pays off late in the film as Zombie Stephen (David Emge) makes his way back to the group's hideaway, a small horde in tow. And the group's ennui also does double-duty as the cabin fever they feel, cooped up in the mall by themselves with no connection to the outside world or anyone else. In the end, they can only survive by leaving the mall, just as they can only truly live when they abandon such gross consumption.
And of course the scares are plentiful and the tension high. There are so many moments when Romero has us questioning whether someone has been bitten; so many times where characters just barely get out of scrapes. But what's more important than that is how easily Romero shows us that a good horror film can be about much more than cast attrition and who's going to make it; it can say meaningful things about the state of man as well.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 8/7: Young Frankenstein
BLACK & WHITE WEEK!
For Black & White Week we are turning to Mel Brooks and what is possibly his most beautiful film, Young Frankenstein. Join us next week for a discussion of this comedy classic from a true genius. Young Frankenstein is available on Netflix Instant.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 7/27: A Ghost Story
Last week's podcast paired the excellent Carnival of Souls with this new film from David Lowery. We'll have a thread for discussion up on Wednesday, and hopefully an essay from one of our dear readers. Unfortunately yours truly will be unable to see this before press time. A Ghost Story is still in theaters.