Kathryn joins Melvin to talk about George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, his zombie-crazed follow-up to Night of the Living Dead! The two discuss the film’s dense themes, the complexities of consumerism, ownership, and possessions, and if the film is a clever mashup of both Night of the Living Dead and The Crazies!
Topics:
- Editor’s Note: No Patreon Exclusive discussion! But, I do intend to trim this episode down from its original 1:26:59 length, so if you want to hear the UNCUT version, tune in on Patreon here!
- It’s bigger, fuller, more effects-heavy, and its commentary on consumerism is clear.
- It’s also one of the single-most dense films in terms of themes, playing with all sorts of ideas and encouraging much thought.
- Where does Dawn of the Dead fit in with the other Romero films Mel and Kathryn have seen?
- Is there a throughline about classism? Kathryn thinks so. Melvin isn’t so sure.
- On the value of life at all costs, and Peter being a good character.
- Breaking down a few themes Melvin observed.
- Romero’s developing leading women of the mainline Dead-Trilogy.
- How social structures rise and fall, and the curse of complacency.
Recommendations:
- Hellier Season 1 (2019) (Series)
- Buddy (2026) (Movie)
Dawn of the Dead (1978) is Unrated. It features David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross. Directed by George A. Romero. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is available here.
Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you can gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, early unedited episodes of the podcast, and merch!!
Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
Cinematic Doctrine is available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast apps.
Leave a Reply