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The Amusement Park

George A. Romero, USA 1975, 54’
JFK

Here’s a weird idea: let’s hire a horror movie director to make a public service film. In the 1970s, a Lutheran organization commissioned George Romero to do just that - write a film about the undoubtedly serious problem of the disastrous living conditions of the elderly. The finished product was shelved right after its premiere and believed lost. Recently rediscovered and restored, it's now easy to imagine the perplexed expressions on the faces of the original producers. The Amusement Park turns out to be not so much an educational piece as a blunt satire intended to make viewers uncomfortable. Romero shows this world is no place for the elderly by making a young man wander the titular park, an allegorical space where not everyone has equal fun. The action unfolds in a series of nightmarish, comically exaggerated episodes, accompanied by an unbearable cacophony - the buzzing sound of someone else's happiness.

Piotr Mirski

George A. Romero

George A. Romero (1940-2017) was born in New York and studied at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He made his debut with the low-budget Night of the Living Dead, which became a franchise and one of the most influential horror films in the history of the genre. Later, he often made zombie films, including Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead. His output also includes films such as Martin and The Dark Half.

Selected filmography

1968 Noc żywych trupów / Night of the Living Dead

1975 Park rozrywki / The Amusement Park

1978 Martin

1978 Świt żywych trupów / Dawn of the Dead

1985 Dzień żywych trupów / Day of the Dead

1993 Mroczna połowa / The Dark Half

Cast & Crew

director George A. Romero
screenplay Walton Cook
cinematography S. William Hinzman
editing George A. Romero
sound Michael Gornick
cast Lincoln Maazel, Harry Albacker, Phyllis Casterwiler, Pete Chovan, Marion Cook
producer Richard P. Rubinstein
production Laurel Tape & Film, Lutheran Film Division
sales Yellow Veil Pictures
language English
coloration colour
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