The Amusement Park

source: The Amusement Park

First of all, you know you're a forever Dawn of the Dead fanatic if you can spot the canned-public-domain music cues in this film (hint, it's the rich man/poor man food serving scene, shot like a silent film "comedy" of course). This is above all how the pain and agony in life itself and all of the irreparable harm that it causes, from the police and classism to bonds and simple human connections to infirmary and violence both mental and physical, can catch up to what is supposed to be good gay old times. If the undead were a metaphor for chaos and unbridled instinct and what it means to be human, the Amusement Park is about reality itself becoming unglued when whatever made sense is dissolving away. And God help you if you don't have insurance for that bumper car accident! What does it get old? Well, it means realizing how much people, so called polite society working in the Social Contracts, don't care so much about other people if it doesn't mean what it did before - if use and transactional purpose are null. We're savage cretins, folks, is what Romero uses the form of an Educational program to get at, and let's use the camera to get under your proverbial skin! It's satire that is Dead serious, no pun intended for this filmmaker, and it surely would've cracked Kafka's top ten list had it come out at the time (or if you know he was alive but why carp). This is how a nightmare works, or at least like one of those funky dreams that goes on for far too long and is too vivid to not revisit. Like the Other Side of the Wind (by one of Romero's idols Orson Welles), the rediscovery serves as a solid reminder that innovators will use whatever is accessible to not necessarily (or not just) seek out to find new ways to tell stories but to use the tools of Cinema to try to create impressions via style. Romero like Welles was also an editor, and how he cuts this together is what makes it; the 16mm is grainy and washed out even in 4k restoration, but that's also the dark allure of it. Too clean and it wouldn't have the effect of being kicked the s*** out of this way and that. Oh, and what a phenomenal performance by Maazel!

A George A. Romero film once thought lost but now restored, 'The Amusement Park' is a surreal, metaphorical, profound, and educational look at elder abuse; a realistic nightmare unfolding from the perspective of a deteriorating mind, fully realised by an exceptional performance from Lincoln Maazel and superb sound design.

This PSA in regards to elderly abuse is truly an accomplishment for it's time. Lincoln Maazel turns in a brilliant performance, and you truly begin to feel his desperation. It's allegory is still relevant today. Not a horror film per se, but still frightening in tone.

Shudder does it again with another indie darling from yesteryear. This movie really got under my skin. It felt like a fever dream. It was until after I saw it I realized the guy who did all the zombie films for the 70/80's George Romero did this. That guy really has a way of showing us the way we treat each other in the form of really creepy horror/thriller films. I don't even know what i would classify this as. Definitely a horror in the way it makes us feel about old age and even more terrifying on how people treat the elderly. I think this movie is a great warning for future generations. It's a shame it was apparently "lost" but very excited Shudder found it! This movie will haunt me for weeks!

Horror largely focuses on our primal fear of the unknown. Whether it's the monster under the bed, the crazed lunatic lurking in the shadows for a victim, or the lack of knowledge of the metaphysical. Horror is about what could happen to each and every one of us, whether literally or metaphorically. George A. Romero's The Amusement Park is about the horror of inevitability. Originally commissioned by the Lutheran Society, who were interested in a PSA on the mistreatment of the elderly population. Prior to The Crazies, prior to Martin, Prior to Dawn of the Dead, Romero made this film. While many PSAs have a sort of formula and focus on statistics or a line read perspective, The Amusement Park chooses to go in a more surreal perspective, that a lined end to end on hard hitting truths and experiences. The Lutheran Society rejected the film, and the rest of this is history. It laid dormant for over four decades. The film follows and elderly man in a white suit throughout an amusement park, but not quite your typical one. You need an eye exam to ride the bumper cars, you can trade your timepiece for money (in which the elderly's time just isn't worth as much), and criminal bikers rob for the sweet tickets. It would be redundant to go through all the symbolism and metaphors that fill the picture, it's not hidden or deep, but as a PSA, I think it's what makes it powerful. These are all elements we, as a society, know to be true. Even though the film is nearly 50 years old, still rings true today. We spend so much time working hard for that moment of an easy end of life, but society proves to be a personification of "what have you done for me lately." Decades of productivity no longer matter. The most tragic element is, we all spend those decades on this perpetuating way of life. In our minds, no matter how many examples of the contrary, we will never be the forgotten members of society. We won't be the burden. You'll break the cycle. To add some levity to this review, I offer a quote from Grandpa Simpson, which I think is a nice summary: I used to be with 'it,' but then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it' anymore and what's 'it' seems weird and scary. It'll happen to you!

A good two years after his passing, relatives of the great George A. Romero discovered and professionally restored a (short) movie the master himself directed in 1973 already. Evidently that, for many diehard horror fanatics - myself included - "The Amusement Park" promptly became one of the must-see genre events of the decade! Seriously, how could this go wrong? Especially with an awesome film poster like that, and the knowledge Romero helmed this little project during his most genius period as a director (namely in between the "Night" and "Dawn"), this was going to be a guaranteed winner! "The Amusement Park" was apparently never meant to be an actual film, but more like an educational/awareness video message to make clear to younger generations that we are mistreating our senior citizens, and to urge everyone to treat the elderly with a little more respect and dignity. It's somewhat of an extended Public Service Announcement; - if you will! Of course, in the hands of the natural born rebel and anti-conservative George A. Romero, the concept immediately became a grim, shocking, and pitch-black social satire the producers never even dared to unleash upon the world. What a bizarre idea to hire Romero for a PSA-video, anyway. That's like asking Rob Zombie to direct a commercial for diapers, or recruiting Michael Moore to shoot a presidential election promo-video for the Republicans. Romero's interpretation of the sadly factual and relevant social theme is nothing short of amazing, though. The film, which starts and ends with long speeches by lead actor Lincoln Maazel who elaborates on the subject, is overall extremely powerful, impactful, and very VERY depressing. Fancily dressed and in a joyful mood, our elderly protagonist hopes to have a fun day in a crowded amusement park. He quickly experiences, however, how he and other people of his age are constantly ripped off, patronized, humiliated, ignored, abused, and even physically hurt by all the so-called active and more productive members of society. Various metaphorical sequences are incredibly confronting and harrowing, like how the bumper carts turn into a recognizable traffic situation, or how elderly people are often denied to spent time around (grand-)children. It's a crude but eye-opening film, and it honestly doesn't even matter that it remained shelved for 45 years, because it is still more or less applicable today. Life-expectancy has gone up significantly, but for issue like loneliness and digital analphabetism are the new challenges.

Was wondering why it wasnt widescreen. Had no idea this was filmed in the 70s. I liked it a bit but 20 minutes in the loud ass background music became too much for me.

A film that is a punch in the face to the absurdity of reality! And shown un-apologetically. First off George was a deep thinker and hated injustice and made a film that felt like a time capsule black mirror episode with aspects and respects to Charles Dickens/ Lewis Carroll/ Mark Twain/Fellini/Godard/Buster Keaton/ W. C. Fields with a deeper Bergman honesty to suffering with a "Dead of Night" loop. In it's frame work it reminded me of Frank & Eleanor Perry's "The Swimmer" (1968) especially the finale in the public pool but expanded upon with constant all bases covered social message about injustice and abuse. The freak show, the fortune teller present future were deep down well done and made me want to cry and perfect way to show self hatred is taken out upon another. The music especially on the rollacoaster kicked. The jump cuts were perfect and bravo on the sound design, especially the throwback to silent films in the lunch scene. So happy he made another piece that is similar in vein to Hungry Wives/Season of the Witch. It should be shown in high schools and colleges and not just in the film or art classes. Where the living are zombies and the nerves of the viewer are shocked with blunt honesty... asking do you have a heart? Where is your brain and what have you done with courage?

This one is more scarier than most horror movies. It's like a documentary which is very enlightening.