Night of the Living Dead is a breakout movie created and directed by George A. Romero released in 1968. The movie launched Romero’s career and a subset genre of film. Romero has used his movies as a form of social commentary. In Night of the Living Dead you see a black male hero trying to lead in a small group setting. In 2014 this would not be a big deal however, in 1968 with the civil rights movement and the death of Martian Luther King being in the headlines this is significant and the movie is still relevant in portraying race and interactions with law enforcement. The movie stars a handful of “B” actors and stage actors trying to make a farm house a temporary safe haven while they figure out if and where there is a safer place to go to. The male lead is played by Duane Jones and his opposite female lead is played by Judith O’Dea. The group dynamic plays out quickly in the film. Duane Jones character quickly assess the situation and begins collecting food and barricading the house. After a few minutes people emerge from the cellar and different agendas are at play. The actor played by Karl Hardman wants to take the food into the basement and seal the entire group down there until rescue arrives. Mr. Jones character believes this is a bad idea because they would be trapped. A young man agrees with Mr. Jones and they work together barricade the house. Romero utilizes Ben for two reasons: to exhibit his perspective of the world as agnostic and without significance, and to
As you grow older your views on what you fear change. As a child, I developed a fear of little things such as ghosts, the dark, etc. Once I grow into an adult I developed a of things observed on a daily. Americans between the age group of children and adolescents introduce themselves to bigger fears by watching movies that replayed on the already experienced fears. For example: Freddy Krueger, Jason, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. Many people in society watch these horror movies, and movie goers assume that directors based the movies on serial killers, who become glorified for the crimes committed and made into huge stars that we love. In the film Halloween, a little boy name Michael Myers kills his sister at the age of six. Twenty years later, Michael return 's to his home town Haddonfield, Illinois to kill a group of teenagers that appear around his deceased sister age. Halloween identifies as one of those gruesome films that you question, because he was a six year old when he first killed. To society Michael exemplifies monster qualities because at that age, how can someone so young stab his sister or anyone to death. Michael Myers poses as a Monster in America, he demonstrates traits of the devil in him and express his hate by killing his family, by existing in a dysfunctional family.
The article “It’s Not Like Just the Wind That 's Passing Through” was published by R.H.W. Dillard to the Film Journal in 1973. Dillard is an author and had published 4 books of poetry, two novels and a collection of short fiction stories. Throughout the article, it is best to say that Dillard argues about how George Romero’s movie Night of the Living Dead (1968) has no special meaning nor purpose from the zombies and the movie itself. Also, based on his article, he describes the movie as a whole as “ordinary” followed by examples and his overall reason. As mentioned in the article, he described the movie as “merely ugly and cheap” which I’m assuming he didn’t like the movie. The way he compared the movie to “The Lone Wolf” and “Rosemary’s Baby” made me think he didn’t like Night of the Living Dead in general while he criticized some elements of the movie. Although, I agree with Dillard’s point in the plot for the fact that after struggling for survival, they all lose in the end, and how the characters are who they are and just aren’t as special as they’re seen to be looked as “ordinary” people. However, I wouldn’t agree with Dillard’s point in trying to compare the movie Night of the Living Dead to other films, such as Rosemary’s Baby and The Birds.
Night of the Living Dead follows this story line. George A Romero saw zombies as what they were, the living dead, meaning that they were dead, and dead things cannot talk. Instead, he developed the zombie communication of grunts and groans. These were effective in such a way that it made the film so much more realistic.
Reading through the whole essay, there are many appealing strategies found in order to strengthen the essay academically. Brooks attracts the audience with a pathos-style strategy, giving specific movie examples to straighten up the essay. The movie Night of the Living Dead resonates the viewers with an image of a flesh-eating and harmful zombie figure instead of a harmless voodoo-created zombie, which makes the notion of zombies transformed into a horrifying figure, provoking the sense of fear of audience with emotional appeal. The revolutionary creation of zombie film was led by George A. Romero, the father of the entirely new horror genre. In his work, zombies are characterized as a form of undead
There are three elements of film that are individually important, however when they are viewed as a dependent unit (one element depending on another) they become absolutely critical to a great film and the impending success or failure. These three parts are narrative, direction and cast. Films have been viewed as a success or failure based on their narrative being portrayed alone. Yet, direction, cast as well as narrative have a directly proportional relationship. Great director and a great cast with a mediocre script or storyline will produce a mediocre film. Any one of these elements can be less than great and it will negatively affect the others as well as the film. All of these and more displayed perfect balance in Night of the Living Dead. George Romero did a remarkable job of ensuring emotions were conveyed to their audience through the camera, as well as his brilliant use of mise en scene (which will be discussed later). Specific examples
Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968) is a movie that contains a large amount of historical significance. This movie is well known for its incredible relevance to the year that it was released. The movie has been described as “A Newsreel of 1968”, and there is ample reason to make that statement. The year 1968 was a very tumultuous period in American history that saw a great deal of violence overseas and in the United States itself. There were many history altering events that took place during 1968, which would all serve to rile up and instill fear and anger in the American people. 1968 saw the latest presidential election in which there was great division amongst the parties, and was the election in which Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Not only did that year see the assassination of another Kennedy, but it also bore witness to the assassination of the most prominent civil rights leader of the time, Martin Luther King Jr. With these tragedies a war in Vietnam raged which had riled much of the country into protest, especially young people.
Ben’s Purpose in the Drama (Consider how his appearances give meaning to the drama as a foil* to Willy.)
In like manner, Romero’s stereotypical portrayal of the protagonist Ben was that of an alpha male. Ben differs in nature and demeanor to Barbra. Ben embodied the alpha male, an aggressive, domineering unpleasantly rough hero who was persistent in finding solutions despite various objections. His aggression allowed him to courageously take on the ghouls, even if it involved him stepping outside to fend them off. When a multitude of the undead surrounded the farmhouse, Ben stepped outside and fought the ghouls and successfully slew a small number of the zombies while the other characters stayed inside the farmhouse. Ben also arrogantly asserted his plans above the other characters. A prime
The 1968 cult classic, Night of the Living Dead, begins under the credits with brother and sister Johnny (Russell Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O’Dea) bickering about the long journey to rural Pennsylvania after arriving at a secluded cemetery to leave flowers on their father’s grave at their mother’s request. As they make their way back to the car, Johnny begins to tease Barbara. “They’re coming to get you, Barbara… They’re coming for you… Look, there’s one now!” A staggering, pale-faced figure (S. William Hinzman) approaches the two siblings and attacks Barbara. When Johnny comes to her rescue, he is killed during the struggle
What is the most frightening thing in this world? It is the responsibility that is bestowed upon someone. This type of fear (responsibility) can hinder the ability to think, act, and speak for oneself. It incapacitates the individual in any scenario ranging from speaking at a conference to hmm -- a zombie apocalypse.
INTRO Feminist. What comes to your mind from this word? Is it women who have overcome obstacles and challenged society to treat them as equal with men, maybe for some. However, for a majority of the population the word feminist brings on a sour mood. Just hearing the word sounds like it’s something that should be shunned upon.
Of all the Dead films, Diary of the Dead is by far one I enjoy the least. Not a sequel, but occurring at the same time as the original film, as you can hear some of the broadcasts over the radio. It feels disjointed with the other films as it feels like more a reboot than sharing any form of canonical order with the other films in the series. Another big issue I have is the found footage/documentary approach that the film takes. As it claims to be for us, to help us survive. The worlds ended and the internet would have been one of the first things to collapse. How are we seeing this and by the point that we would have seen it, chances are we already know all of this anyway. Rendering the very concept of film pointless.
The popularity and appeal of the undead has greatly increased in the past few years with the rise of the popular television show, The Walking Dead. The show began in October 2010, and is still on the air today. Before the show was created, there were The Walking Dead comic books that were first published in 2003, and continue to be published today with over 148 issues. The fascination did not begin with The Walking Dead, though. Many movies were produced, and many books published before The Walking Dead was even thought of. An extremely influential individual to note is George Romero. Romero is an American-Canadian screenwriter, film producer, film director, and editor. He is best known for his series of apocalyptic films, beginning with Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Romero has been nicknamed the “Godfather of the Undead.” Some other works of fiction and film to note include 28 Days Later, I am Legend, Pride and Prejudice Zombies and The Zombie Survival Guide, also by Max Brooks. Our cultural fascination with “the return of the dead” can be traced back to the events and the general morale leading up to World War Two, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad and “Apocalypse Now”, a movie directed by Francis Coppola represent two outstanding examples that compare relevant ideas regarding racism, colonialism, and prejudices. The two combine film along with descriptive language to portray their mastery during different eras. For Heart of Darkness, Conrad uses his writing techniques to illustrate Marlow in the Congo, while in “Apocalypse Now”, Coppola uses film editing and close ups on important scenes with unique sounds to identify Willards’ quest for Kurtz. Both portray the idea of colonization in foreign lands that otherwise may have been uninhabited by their own people if left alone.
What movies genre that you like most? Is it drama? Or action? Or maybe comedy? How about Zombie? Some people are interested in this movies genre. Maybe for some people this genre is creepy. But for people that interested in this genre, Zombie genre has it own adventage. And talking about Zombie genre, have you ever watched iZombie or Resident Evil: Apocalypse? If you are one of the people that like Zombie movies, you must ever watched at least one of these 2 zombie movies.