Dawn of The Dead (1979) image analysis (2)

This scene from Dawn of the Dead (1979) looks at the concept of consumerism. This is through the action of holding the money up to the camera, promoting and praising it. George A. Romero (the film's “auteur” according to the theory set out by Andrew Sarris in his essay “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962”) was very anti-consumerist and by emphasising the stupidity of consumerism; the zombies, in their state are still taking part in the consumerist side of the film. This shows the stupidity and meaningless side to money and possessions. The context of the time links to Dawn of the Dead (1979) because America was obsessed with money and malls were a rapidly rising idea. Romero often links his films to context and strong opinions within society, for example, Land of the Dead (2005) which was about terrorism. Also Day of the Dead (1985), which was about the power of the military. As well as consumerism the film also presents ideas towards racism. This is shown in this scene as the wide shot captures Peter as a large figure compared to Stephen which shows his power and authority over Stephen. Romero was also very anti-racism as he was born half Cuban. This scene clearly illustrates Andrew Sarris’s focus on the impact of auteurs' ideologies in the content of films.