Read an Excerpt
The Miller/Romero Connection
Was Mad Max the survivor of the Zombie Holocaust?
By Peter D Fleming
Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2011 Peter D Fleming
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4269-7244-7
Chapter One
SECTION I -Introduction-
Film Genre Basics The Zombie/Nuclear Holocaust Genre 101 George A Romero/George Miller Intro
Film Genre Basics ...
Throughout history story tellers have told tales of woe, heartache, and triumph. They told of monsters, disasters, war, personal conflict, and battling the demons of other worlds. These were first passed on by word of mouth, then written, acted out in plays, published in books, and finally played out on the big screen. Audiences are often times left wanting more, which creates the sequels and knock-offs. Though hundreds of thousands of films have been made, and continue to be produced, only a few will stand out.
There are countless genres and sub-genres that filmmakers use to categorized their projects. Most people are familiar with the basics. Whenever one goes to the old video stores, visit 'I-Tunes', or get a movie from a friend, one question we always want answered, what kind of movie is it? We want to know is it a comedy, romance, war, history, action/adventure, sci-fi, or horror film. Then we look at what it is about and who is in it.
Often times the films destined to become a classic (at the cult level at least) are made with small budgets and a cast of relative unknowns, 'Desperado' (1995) and 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999). These are the obscure flicks that didn't get much press but were marketed by word-of-mouth, blogs, and other such avenues. Sometimes these gems are left forgotten until the star becomes a famous actor.
Other times the fans themselves have a voice loud enough to be heard and the film makes a comeback, or it gets remade with a bigger budget ... which is often at the cost of the film's original charm, 'The Italian Job' (1969 and 2003) and 'Alfie' (1966 and 2004). Sometimes the remake can be a great jumpstart to a whole new franchise opportunity, 'Ocean's Eleven' (1960 and 2001), followed by 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004) and 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007).
It seems everyone loves an adventure story. The proof is in the box-office and the numerous sequels then launched, whether it is 'Indiana Jones' (1981, 1984, 1989, 2008), 'Superman' (1978, 1980, 1983, 1987, 2007), or 'Star Wars' (1977, 1980, 1983, 1999, 2002, 2005) ... everyone loves a good adventure. This is further proven by the fact that each of these either came from or spawned numerous comics, spin-offs, books, cartoons, TV series, and toys/merchandise to become multi-billion dollar franchises.
With the love of a good adventure in mind, everyone also loves a good battle against some evil or sinister force. 'Friday the 13th' (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2009,), 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2010), and 'Halloween' (1978, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2007, 2009, 2012) are just a couple examples of our fascination with the horror genre. (These are also very profitable for the production studios!) Like the adventure films, these too have spun-off numerous adaptations, TV series, merchandise and more.
Both genres draw large crowds who sit in morbid hunger lust waiting to see who the next victim will be. Many root for the victims and many for the evil doer. The same can be said for any movie but when it comes to adventure and horror, when done properly, we sit glued waiting to see what will happen next. Can the hero outsmart the adversaries, will the group survive the maniac. Then when the sequels come out we march out to see what the new story will tell. These are just a couple of genres that capture our imagination.
Since the very beginning of the film industry movies have been based off a hidden fear of the unknown. The Golem (1915) and 'Nosferatu' (1922) are early examples of playing off the fears of the viewers. There are countless examples of films based off of monsters, from 'King Kong' (1933) to 'Cloverfield' (2008). Disaster movies have also always rated fairly high, with such films as 'Fire!' (1901) and Armageddon (1998).
War movies are another genre that seems to always hold an audience with such films as 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930, 1979, and 2012) and 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998). Personal struggle and conflict is laced within every film, sometimes it feeds the story Red Dawn (1984 and 2010), other times it can be seen as character all its own, 'Army of Darkness' (1993). We can't forget the battles with alien/spiritual forces, be it from outer space, 'Independence Day' (1996) or the spirit world, 'End of Days' (1999)
The most successful films, that have the longest impact, are the films that can combine elements of our worse fears with the need to maintain our own humanity, 'Platoon' (1986) or more recently 'The Book of Eli' (2010). It is not all that hard to find such projects, 'Event Horizon' (1997). Films based on the ability to overcome heartache and rise above have always been successful, 'Lost Horizon' (1937). The ones that become cult classics are those which cross genres and mix elements of each 'I Walked with a Zombie' (1943). There are countless films which have made this transition from one genre to another, 'Undead' (2003) combined science fiction, horror, and drama.
Often the label of a particular genre may be the very key to reaping great financial rewards. Imagine a tragic romance built around a famous moment in history, 'Titanic' (1997) was the first film to gross over a billion dollars. However, it could also spell the films doom. 'Pearl Harbor' (2001), was not well received, though since it has done very well, and 'Australia' (2008), which did not fare well in American markets, are two examples of genre crossing films that put their emphasis perhaps in the wrong category.
Many will argue that any film's success or failure depends largely on the overall story, marketing, the timing of release, or who is in it. Others argue it's the budget that makes a film. Though most would say the proper combination is what makes a film a success. Look at 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1968) it has stood the test of time and was hugely successful. The film also had a perfect mix of action, timing, characters, everything ... and it truly crossed genres. It was a western, an action/adventure, a war drama, full of greed, the perfect mix and an outstanding example of mixing with various genres and sub-genres into one masterpiece.
The Zombie/Nuclear Holocaust Genre 101
We are fascinated with biology and science, viruses and the occult, war and survival, the relationship between our own mortality and what lies beyond. As man pushes forward with our Godlike experiments and studies of things perhaps better left untouched we open the doorway to our either our salvation or our own demise.
In both the Zombie and Nuclear Holocaust genres this is explored, or more correctly the result is explored ... The Webster's definition may not exactly match the Hollywood definition of a zombie. But the idea of being attacked by the reanimated corpse of a loved one can be very unsettling! Holocaust and apocalypse are often interchanged and the film definition makes them one in the same. But, actually an apocalypse is a prophecy about a destructive event (the Book of Revelations) while, a holocaust is the destructive event (such as by nuclear war, or mass genocide against a group of people). We'll use the more common (Hollywood) definitions ... technicalities can be such a bother ...
With the idea of a Zombielike breakout, there are thousands of books/ graphic novels, hundreds of movies, and even a TV series, 'The Walking Dead' (2010). Not mention the countless times they have been highlight in shows like the 'Tales from the Crypt' (1989) and music videos 'Thriller' (1983). Of course we can't forget the numerous video games as well 'Silent Hill' (2006, 2012).
The same can be said for the holocaust genre. Even before the first atom bombs fell on Japan at the end of WWII people have held a horrifying fascination with this reality. This was so ingrained in our minds throughout the Cold War days that bunkers were build in backyards, school held drills, and there were numerous protocols put in place to react to such a threat. We were so sure of blowing ourselves up that it still dictates world policies today. At one time only a handful of nations had nuclear capability (at their peak the United States had as many as 32,000 warheads and the USSR had 45,000 warheads). Now as more and more 'rogue' nations are able to become a nuclear power the reality is more evident than ever.
What the writers and creators show us is both entertaining and scary at the same time. Biological/viral outbreaks occur rather often. Outbreaks occur so often in fact that, the epidemiology profession has developed a number of widely accepted steps for investigating disease outbreaks. To see the basic outline go to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website (www.cdc.gov). The CDC, in 2011, even created a blog warning about a zombie apocalypse:
(http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies_blog.asp)
George A Romero has often been given credit as the creator of the 'Zombie' genre of films, he may have perfected it, but there were many before his. 'Revolt of the Zombies' (1936) and 'King of the Zombies' (1941) both dealt with the genre. But what Romero did do was to create the format by which almost all other Zombie films would follow. Though the zombies in newer films are more mobile, at times almost supernatural, the premise is still the same. The dead are reanimated from, a virus, 'Resident Evil' (2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011), aliens, 'Plan Nine from Outer Space' (1959), government testing, 'Planet Terror' (2007) or they just exist, 'Zombie 2' (1979). Whatever the cause, they now walk among us devouring everything in their path, or turning helpless victims into the walking dead.
Keep in mind, one must not confuse the Zombie genre, 'Zombie Strippers' (2008), with the Vampire genre, 'Angel' (1999-2004), though both have similar characteristics. Zombies are reanimated corpses, they are usually mindless, primitive, and lack any real organization 'Zombie Hunters, City of The Dead' (2005-2013(?). Vampires on the other hand have a social order, are immortal, and they are intelligent, 'Twilight' (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012). The actual intelligence of a Zombie has not been properly tested, or the doctor and his/her research never survive the outbreak.
The 'Residence Evil' franchise, 'House of the Dead' (2003, 2005) and 'Doom' (2005), though all based from video games, follow the basic format. If the living dies they reanimate, they hunger for the living, and they're never full ... and I guess I should add the undead ranks grow as the living shrinks. One main difference is that all living things tend to be infected humans, dogs, birds, and anything else that gets attacked. This differs from the more traditional Zombie genre, because it is usually only the humans that get infected.
There are many films that seem to have a similar format but technically are not actual 'Zombie' films. The infected are not dead, just carriers, the concept often parallels the genre. The most obvious example would be the 28 (Days, Weeks, Months) Later (2002, 2007, 2013) franchise and the more recent 'Carriers' (2009). Then of course there is 'Night of the Comet' (1984) and 'CHUD' (1984), where the attackers are not dead but mutated.
One cannot speak of this genre without giving proper credit ... a lot of this genre can trace its roots to the 1954 novel 'I am Legend'. Which has spawned several movie adaptations, 'The last Man on Earth' (1964) with Vincent Price, 'The Omega Man' (1971) with Charlton Heston, and 'I am Legend' (2007) with Will Smith. Not to mention the countless movies and books which were directly influenced is blatantly obvious. So it is easy to see that when a format is found, it becomes the standard for others to follow.
The same can be said for almost any genre, when a format is found that works, most stories of a similar type will stick to what works. The romance, boy meets girls, boy loses girl, and love is found in the end, 'He Said She Said' (1991). The sports genre usually takes an underdog team and transforms it into a winner, 'Major League' (1989). Westerns have the antihero ride in not wanting to get involved but for whatever reason (love, money, vengeance ...) he does and saves the day, 'Shane' (1953). The war genre follows a handful of soldiers (often green recruits), a squad of regular troops, or a special operations team assigned to accomplish some mission and their struggles, 'The Big Red One' (1980).
But as mentioned before the greatest films that stand the test of time are those who break the rules. But also can find a way to combine elements of other genres, 'Deadbirds' (2004). These are movies that makes one almost root for the bad guy, 'Road to Perdition' (2002). Often can make one want to know what lies ahead, what hardship must our main character endure, or ask why this is happening, 'Blade Runner' (1982).
Often we are intrigued with the ultimate test of survival, 'Cast Away' (2000). Whether the test is against natural elements, 'The Submersion of Japan' (1973) or nature itself 'Tarantula' (1955) we are want to see how the story plays out. Although there are tons of such stories, the ones that keep us coming back for more often pits 'man' against his own humanity, 'The Ninth Configuration' (1980).
Of this genre none capture the imagination more than the apocalyptic holocaust, 'Panic in Year Zero' (1962). There is a deep need to see the future after the final war of all wars, 'A Boy and his Dog' (1975). Watching this surreal world as it unfolds before us, we see people who were ripped from the normal life into a living hell, 'The Day After' (1983). Then we get to see how they build order out of chaos to live again, 'The Postman' (1997).
The dread of an unknown future in a world filled with more ways to destroy than to create has inspired a long list of post apocalyptic films, from H.G. Wells 'Things to Come' (1936) to "When the Wind Blows' (1986) to '20 Years After' (2008). We have a deep thirst for human struggle and coming to terms with a bleak future, 'Testament' (1983). The viewer gets to see the various creations of a world gone mad and how the survivors cope, 'Radioactive Dreams' (1985).
Often times in this new reality are found hidden dangers which give the creators the freedom to expand on the genre, 'World Without End' (1956). They may have to deal with the harsh climate and the effects that the fallout has had on the environment, 'Damnation Alley' (1977). Perhaps the apocalypse has created a whole new set of adversaries, 'Hell comes to Frogtown' (1987).
The master of this new found reality is George Miller. He created a world gone mad after a not to clear holocaustic apocalypse occurred. From ancient times until now, we have feared a future based in the unknown, 'Planet of the Apes' (1968). Though Miller didn't create the genre, he helped to mold a format for others to copy and follow, 'The Bronx Warriors' (1983) and 'The New Barbarians' (1982) are just two such examples.
Often the genre will be mixed with elements of other genres, the western is a common focus, 'Deadly Reactor' (1989). Sometimes there is a mix of fantasy, 'Warriors of the Apocalypse' (1985). But all follow a base format consisting of bands of people huddled together, fighting a group of marauders and a hero(s) to save the day, '2019, After the Fall of New York' (1983).
Usually the hero is someone thrust in to that position due to circumstance, accident, or other personal reasons, 'The Aftermath' (1982). Sometimes the heroes are a mixed matched group just trying to carve out a basic existence, 'The Blood of Heroes' (1989). Other times it is a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, 'Creepozoids' (1987). Whatever the reason the viewer wants to see how they will survive in this strange yet familiar world of the post-apocalyptic future.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Miller/Romero Connection by Peter D Fleming Copyright © 2011 by Peter D Fleming. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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