• Latest
African Queen (1951)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

November 9, 2021

RAD Denounces Threats to Organizing for Safe and Inclusive Schools

January 24, 2023
African Queen (1951)

The Heiress

January 24, 2023

Meet Your Chamber

January 24, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

The Purpose of Pendulums

January 24, 2023
Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

Capital City Concerts offers a Free Family Concert on Saturday, January 28 in Montpelier

January 17, 2023

VSAC’s College & Career Pathways Events Offer Workshops on Campuses Across Vermont

January 17, 2023

National Endowment for the Arts Announces Grants to Support the Arts in Vermont

January 17, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Scarlet Street (1945)

January 17, 2023
Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

Washington County Sheriff Sam Hill to Retire After 38 1/2 Years of Law Enforcement

January 17, 2023

Settlement with Google Over Location Tracking Practices

January 11, 2023
Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

Vermont Historical Society Receives $210,000 From Sanders In Omnibus Spending Package for the Vermont History Center

January 11, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

She Smiled at Me

January 11, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Sunday, January 29, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

4 Stars

vt-world by vt-world
November 9, 2021
in Max's View
0
African Queen (1951)

In George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” a small zombie plague hit the Pennsylvania countryside. Seven people holed up inside a farmhouse to wait out the crisis. “Night” is a low-budget masterpiece: simple, inevitable, relentlessly grim.

“Dawn of the Dead” is a messier movie: morally and in terms of how much blood is spilled.

“Dawn” takes place after society has broken down. There’s no more radio broadcasts and no more government. Just millions of zombies and pockets of heavily armed humans fighting to survive.

I doubt there will ever be a 21st Century zombie movie that is as great as George Romero’s were.

The problem with modern high-tech flicks like “World War Z” is that the zombies are computer generated and move unnaturally quickly. They are little more than video game bad guys to be heartlessly shot down.

The zombies in writer/director George Romero’s films are actors in make-up without any super speed or super powers. After a human survives an attack by killing a zombie, there is a moment of empathy and sorrow. This was not a victory to be celebrated; this is a terrible thing. That zombie was us.

In a bad modern zombie movie, the characters would work toward a solution to the problem or a cure to the plague. But real people would have no chance of accomplishing these things.

In “Dawn of the Dead,” the last living people just do their best to find meaning in a world with no family, country, jobs, or religion. They all look to the same false idol: consumerism.

The four lead characters in “Dawn of the Dead” steal a TV weather chopper and fly to … the mall.

Living at the mall offers the survivors a jolt of excitement. They have everything they could ever want – for free! But it turns out that the zombies are just as attracted to the mall as they are.

“They’re after us. They know we’re still here.” “No, they’re after the place. They don’t know why; they just remember. Remember that they want to be in here.”

George Romero is horrified by American materialism. We shop pointlessly and mindlessly, never questioning whether our lives will be any richer after we’ve consumed another mass-produced product.

The zombie-as-shopper metaphor isn’t very sophisticated obviously. “Dawn of the Dead” gets more interesting when it explores the shopping habits of the human characters.

Faced with the total breakdown of society, our four human heroes cling to 20th Century consumerism in a futile effort to find meaning. The helicopter pilot – Stephen – gushes to his girlfriend about all the wonderful free stuff in the mall, giddy with the drug-like euphoria of a shopping spree.

But in the ultra-violent final act, it is clear that consumer goods are all that he has left. When a band of armed raiders busts into the mall, our four heroes could simply hide and let the ruffians take what they want. But Stephen can’t part with any of it. “It’s ours … we took it,” he mutters as he chooses to fight to the death over his beloved stuff.

This is a subversive movie. I couldn’t find it on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. I couldn’t even find it for sale in the iTunes store. I had to watch it on YouTube. I’m pretty sure that the people who run our world don’t want us to see it. The last thing they want is for us to stop shopping.

George Romero was a first-rate filmmaker and an important social philosopher. “Dawn of the Dead” is a must-see.

Previous Post

$23,775 Raised to Fight Hunger in Vermont and New York

Next Post

Challenger Monument Rededication Ceremony November 18th 4:00 p.m.

Next Post

Challenger Monument Rededication Ceremony November 18th 4:00 p.m.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In