This image is from the film Dawn of the Dead (DOTD) (1979), this is one of the first scenes where an establishing shot is used so that we are aware of the volume of zombies that are dominating the ground floor of the mall. The two floors could be a representation of heaven and hell; the ground floor representing hell, and the top floor demonstrating heaven. A high angle is used to demonstrate who holds the power within the scene, the zombies are viewed as the weaker aspect, whereas the survivors who are looking down at the zombies are represented as the powerful, dominant subjects. The lift in the centre of the image could symbolize the link between the two. This scene follows the horror convention of an isolated location; the Monroeville Mall is where the majority of the film takes place. The use of a long shot allows the audience to view the entire middle section of the mall, and also allows the audience to gain an understanding of where the threat of a zombie attack will most likely be. The zombies also hold aspects of sadism; the audience find out that the zombies eat to survive through an interview on television, this show that they are not simply killing people of the fun of it. DOTD (1979) includes historical contexts, this includes the rise of the malls in the 1970s, the rise of the malls also links to consumerism; there is a scene in DOTD (1979) were a zombie is sitting in a wishing well holding coins and pennies, George Romero hated consumerism so he highlighted it in DOTD (1979).
No comments:
Post a Comment