Night of the Living Dead--meaning?

[jobelow]

I had this flash of whatever the other day about Night of the Living Dead. Maybe it wasn't the most forward part of his mind, but maybe somewhere deep in the back of his head, Romero was actually making social commentary.

Maybe the world he created in the film series is an allegory for America becoming a post-industrial society and its unpreparedness for such. Maybe the walking dead stand for the aging population, kept alive artificially by science and devouring resources, the figurative flesh of our society.

Or maybe that's just what i'm taking from it anymore, i dunno.

Anyway, thought it would be an interesting point of discussion, so discuss.

[MTeK]

Wow. Thats just what i was thinking...

But seriously, its a simple zombie film where dead people come back to life and eat brains. Try not to read too much into it. You'll get a headache.

[Zen444]

Maybe it's just a movie about zombies eating people.

OH SNAP!

[jobelow]

or maybe it's not just a zombie movie, being that it's not exactly a big hollywood gorefest, even by sixties standards. these movies were made by thinking people, and i think they should be enjoyed on every level possible.

[Zen444]

At 8/2/05 12:54 PM, jobelow wrote: or maybe it's not just a zombie movie, being that it's not exactly a big hollywood gorefest, even by sixties standards. these movies were made by thinking people, and i think they should be enjoyed on every level possible.

Not every movie has a message or social commentary.

It wasn't racial social commentary when Ben was shot in the head.

[jobelow]

sorry about the double-post, but I'd like to add for the benefit of the two naysayers so far that genre literature, especially horror, throughout the history of western literature, has always been intended as a representation of real life social apprehensions, and to see a piece of it as any less than that when it came from a good author is kind of a sign of ignorance.

[jobelow]

At 8/2/05 12:56 PM, Zen444 wrote:

It wasn't racial social commentary when Ben was shot in the head.

no, but it was a device to show that the whole film had a disteological bent reflecting the creator's view of our society in general.

[Zen444]

At 8/2/05 01:01 PM, jobelow wrote: no, but it was a device to show that the whole film had a disteological bent reflecting the creator's view of our society in general.

Then you may as well say "EVIL DEAD IS SOCIAL COMMENTARY FOR NOT GOING INTO THE WOODS! BECAUSE SHIT BE SCARY IN THE WOODS!"

[Dilapsor]

I've read numerous interviews where Romero said he was black because he was... black. At the time he wasn't attempting social commentary, he was just the best man for the role. If you notice later on it becomes a trend, with a key character being black in every film.

[jobelow]

I never really read much into Ben being black. Other than wondering how many people it pissed off in those less enlightened times that a black man was in a position of authority over a white woman.

Okay, anyway, no, not every movie has any degree of depth to it. Movies that don't are generally either made by do-it-yourselfers who made a zero budget movie for the sake of making a movie, or by hollywood to sell space for corporate branding, sponsor spots between trailers, and other money-making propaganda. Night of the Living Dead was made by neither of these. And not to put words in Romero's mouth, but I doubt he's out there to push the zero consciousness the media at large is out to push, I think he is a thinking man, and I think at least on a subconscious level if not deliberately, he put some depth into his films. Night of the Living Dead is ripe with something other than the smell of rotting flesh, and that was what I read into it. To those discouraging this kind of thought and appreciation, why?

[fli]

At 8/2/05 12:56 PM, Zen444 wrote:

At 8/2/05 12:54 PM, jobelow wrote: or maybe it's not just a zombie movie, being that it's not exactly a big hollywood gorefest, even by sixties standards. these movies were made by thinking people, and i think they should be enjoyed on every level possible.

Not every movie has a message or social commentary.
It wasn't racial social commentary when Ben was shot in the head.

Romero's zombie do have social commentaries because Romero has said it so-- I think the first one was mostly about racism, the second about American consumerism (hence, zombies in mall), and the third one-- well, I haven't figured that one out yet. But the fourth one appears to be about social classes.

Dennis Hopper's rich character talked about giving the poor stupid things like entertainment and beer to divert their attention from real issues, and the zombies were distracted the the "sky flowers" (fire works) as they were being mowed down as fertilizer.

[fli]

At 8/2/05 01:03 PM, Zen444 wrote:

At 8/2/05 01:01 PM, jobelow wrote: no, but it was a device to show that the whole film had a disteological bent reflecting the creator's view of our society in general.

Then you may as well say "EVIL DEAD IS SOCIAL COMMENTARY FOR NOT GOING INTO THE WOODS! BECAUSE SHIT BE SCARY IN THE WOODS!"

Evil Dead, a great series, as far as I know, don't have intentional political commentaries. But George Romero did...

From my first post here--
Did anyone else sense the Muslim tension in Land of the Dead? You know, like, "I'm gonna Jihad you' ass!" Comments from the characters?

[Jimsween]

Remember at that end where they shoot Ben thinking he is a zombie, and drag him by the heart with that hook thing.

Yeah, well not long before some guys lynched a black man like that.

Just something to think about...

[MasterBlaster500]

Ummm... Yea dude your definatly reading too much into it.... Go read some Plato or something...

[Gunter45]

Everyone knows that it was a portrayal of 15th century French politics. The zombies represented the French proletariat and the brains were a symbol for man's struggle against himself.

[Zen444]

At 8/2/05 02:52 PM, fli wrote: Romero's zombie do have social commentaries because Romero has said it so-- I think the first one was mostly about racism

But romero hired him because he gave the best performance.

FAIL!

[fli]

At 8/2/05 07:59 PM, Zen444 wrote:

At 8/2/05 02:52 PM, fli wrote: Romero's zombie do have social commentaries because Romero has said it so-- I think the first one was mostly about racism

But romero hired him because he gave the best performance.

FAIL!

You're not clear what you're saying... come again?

Just because it's a zombie movie doesn't mean it doesn't impart some cultural signficance or commentary... even children books like "I am Sam" and "The Lorax" have political commentaries.

[Zen444]

At 8/2/05 08:07 PM, fli wrote: Just because it's a zombie movie doesn't mean it doesn't impart some cultural signficance or commentary... even children books like "I am Sam" and "The Lorax" have political commentaries.

You said the first movie had racial commentary, but it didn't, the actor Duane Jones(Ben) was hired because he gave the best performance.

[jobelow]

Nobody has answered my question yet. Why are you discouraging us to look further into this film than its entertainment value? Just because you don't read anything into it doesn't mean there's nothing to read into it. And even if Romero right out said there was nothing to read into it, I would have to go with yeah, subconsciously he put something there to read into it, because too many things add up.

So yeah, answer the damned question. If you think I shouldn't try to appreciate it on a deeper level than "ooh zombies scary popcorn eat coke drink", tell me why.

[fli]

At 8/2/05 08:12 PM, Zen444 wrote:

At 8/2/05 08:07 PM, fli wrote: Just because it's a zombie movie doesn't mean it doesn't impart some cultural signficance or commentary... even children books like "I am Sam" and "The Lorax" have political commentaries.

You said the first movie had racial commentary, but it didn't, the actor Duane Jones(Ben) was hired because he gave the best performance.

Perhaps so,
but the script was written with the social commentary. "We're them, and they're us." Remember? Romero gave an interview about it, it's somewhere on the DVD of Night of the Living Dead if I remember...

[fli]

At 8/3/05 02:18 AM, jobelow wrote: Nobody has answered my question yet. Why are you discouraging us to look further into this film than its entertainment value? Just because you don't read anything into it doesn't mean there's nothing to read into it. And even if Romero right out said there was nothing to read into it, I would have to go with yeah, subconsciously he put something there to read into it, because too many things add up.

Most good literature, movies, etc are like that-- a well written script alway says something, even if it isn't a brood political commentary. Often it is about who we are.

For my Female literature class, I wrote a paper on Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs (movie and book versions)-- about the struggle of women, and how they're victimized, and how they obtain power to overcome obstacles.

Mythology is perhaps the best place where we can learn about ourselves. After all, pshycology had its roots in mythology by Freud.

If you're interested in these social commentaries, I recommend you reading, "The Power of Myth" (get the video interview, it's better), and to read, "Myths and the Movies".

If you enjoyed those things, then you should always keep in mind, "The Writer's Journey".

[jobelow]

At 8/3/05 04:15 AM, fli wrote:

:some truth and some recommendations

way ahead of you man. but yeah, you're absolutely right. so what is going on in the heads of these couple of individuals who think i should shut up and stop thinking?

[Demosthenez]

This is obviously a movie about the evil terrorists (zombies) trying to steal our freedoms (brains). And the reason the zombies need brains is because they want our freedoms, but they destroy the freedoms after they get them an then they need more brains. So they always need more freedoms.

DUH

[jobelow]

At 8/3/05 04:44 AM, FAB0L0US wrote: about the same shit other people wrote

ok god dammit, stop wasting your fucking time it's old.

[Demosthenez]

At 8/3/05 05:09 AM, jobelow wrote: ok god dammit, stop wasting your fucking time it's old.

NOITSNOTIMTHEBESTKBYE

[jobelow]

At 8/3/05 05:15 AM, FAB0L0US wrote: best retort ever

god you're a fucking genius. i hope one day i can be just like you.

[Zen444]

At 8/3/05 04:09 AM, fli wrote: but the script was written with the social commentary. "We're them, and they're us." Remember? Romero gave an interview about it, it's somewhere on the DVD of Night of the Living Dead if I remember...

Yeah I know. I remember Peter saying it in Dawn of the Dead.

[D2Kvirus]

The first two both make social commentary - NOTLD about race elations and civil rights, Dawn... about consumerism. It's a well known fact for both of them - and Land... is also a comment on the class system.

He knows his close textual analysis, that George Romero.

[beejrawk]

What about Day of the Dead?

[Demosthenez]

At 8/3/05 05:22 AM, jobelow wrote: god you're a fucking genius. i hope one day i can be just like you.

Maybe if you wish upon a star, one day you will be lucky enough.