#1 in my ranking of George A. Romero’s filmography.
Originally missing for several decades, this film by George Romero, produced for the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania, was intended as an appeal for caring for the elderly. However, the Society found it difficult to handle the surrealist experiment Romero created, which resembles a David Lynch production more than a straightforward call for young people to be kinder to the elderly and volunteer with support organizations. The only issue I have with the film as an artistic piece is those bookends that make the film’s message overtly clear, which weakens its impact. I mentioned while exploring Lynch’s work that his films are never difficult to comprehend. All it takes is a single character making one statement for people to grasp the connections and messages, leading some to think that Lynch was overly obvious. Excluding those bookends, though, The Amusement Park solely relies on its own merits to convey its message. And that message is a terrifying nightmare.
In a simple, white chamber, an elderly gentleman named Lincoln Maazel is found battered. A more pristine version of the same man appears, attempts dialogue, then leaves to discover the title’s amusement park. From the outset, it’s clear that the story will unfold in an endless loop. The subsequent events are loosely connected, linked by dreamlike reasoning. Among other seniors, Lincoln tries to access the park, only to have his treasured items exchanged for trifles by the gatekeeper. The eatery shows no interest in catering to the less affluent elderly, offering Lincoln just enough to secure a table and a meager meal, causing discomfort among the wealthier patrons.
1. He’s thrust into an elderly-oriented amusement, yet it’s merely rehabilitation.
2. He stumbles into a tarot reading of a youthful pair, witnessing their vision of aging and poverty.
3. He endures repeated physical attacks (by bikers for his park passes) and is pushed around by indifferent younger folks in the crowd.
4. He attempts to innocently interact with children but is driven away as a suspicious character, even though he’s blameless.
5. The sequence of events unfolds relentlessly, a nightmare from which he cannot awaken, regardless of his actions, destinations, or pleas for help.
6. It’s an ongoing degradation, and the dreamlike quality makes it all the more unsettling.
In previous works like “Season of the Witch,” Romero has dabbled with dreamlike narrative structures. However, his latest attempt is the most extensive exploration yet of this unique blend of surreal visuals (such as death figures subtly appearing in the backgrounds and scenes transitioning from full to empty) and the suspension of disbelief for a sequence of events that might seem illogical in a literal sense but are accepted within the context of a dream.
One aspect I admire about the movie is its lack of clear connections to reality. It leaves room for creative interpretation, allowing us to envision a version where the old man’s dreams depict characters from his real life. However, without this context, it becomes even more intriguing and open-ended for the audience, encouraging our minds to wander and interpret the film in various ways.
In “The Amusement Park,” there’s a peculiar way things are presented. For example, we may encounter people who don’t resemble anyone we know, but somehow, we recognize them as familiar faces. We get used to finding ourselves in bizarre settings, and it feels normal. Sometimes, we even perceive other characters as if they were ourselves. Dreams can be quite strange indeed!
In “The Amusement Park,” however, by adding clearer bookends featuring the Old Man character, we could easily identify certain characters as his children, grandchildren, or even his daughter-in-law. For instance, the young couple could be his kids, the young girl he reads “Three Little Pigs” to could be his granddaughter, and the mother of that young girl taking her away might be his daughter-in-law. The vision of the young couple’s future could represent his past in some altered form.
Without these explicit connections, though, the story becomes a collection of unsettling imagery that ties together through the Old Man’s experiences as an elderly individual.
What truly impressed me was that aspect, and if given an option, I’d eliminate the bookend scenes, close-ups of Maazel, evidently added later, as they explain the purpose of this unusual cinematic endeavor. I’m only interested in the unsettling perspective.
In a mere 50 minutes, the film “The Amusement Park” stands out distinctly within George A. Romero’s collection of works. Here, he had the freedom to explore freely without worrying about financial gains. The movie uses montage to gradually build tension as we witness an optimistic elderly man being progressively overwhelmed by a symbolic representation of contemporary society, eventually ending up in a shattered state within a white room. In some aspects, this reflects classic Romero, and it’s not so surprising that his style veers closer to David Lynch than to directors like John Carpenter or Wes Craven. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate how much he relies on editing to make his films impactful. Honestly, this could be my favorite Romero work to date.
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2025-03-07 00:15