Author: Yiming Kong

Totally, the story is told in a nonlinear narrative in which the story is broken up with the plots having parallel developments. The Night of Living Dead can be categorized as a horror movie. More specifically, Todorov defines it as a “marvelous” horror film, is explained as “the bizarre events of the story can only be explained by reference to another level of reality. First of all, this film is a black and white film style. The contrast between black and white highlights the mysterious and horrible atmosphere of this film. Second, the movie is full of scary elements. People are always afraid of the dead and the grave, and this film starts from the cemetery, with the dead as one of the main characters. The film also shows a lot of bloody horror scenes, such as the zombie cannibalism, the end, the little girl cannibalism and other scenes. This story is told in a nonlinear narrating way. As noted in Film Art, “nonlinear systems, permit random access to the entire store of footage” (68). Bit by bit, the film has to give information about the origin of the living dead. The actress ‘body movements and some background music perfectly present the intense scene, the plot’s advancement and the character’s psychological changes. There was no line, but anyone could intuitively feel Barbara’s fear. The actors stars are unknown because of budget issues. But it’s an unknown actor who makes this movie a success. It’s easy for audiences to form fixed mindsets about famous actors, associating them with their most famous roles.

https://www.thefourohfive.com/film/article/scene-dissection-night-of-the-living-dead-1968-george-a-romero-145

https://ew.com/article/2005/04/11/rating-versions-night-living-dead-we-wade-through-various-dvd-editions-and-pick/

 

The Night Of The Living Dead is a suspenseful movie, including multiple major segments. The first most important segment would be “They’re Coming to get you”. As Barbra and her Brother Johnny are at a graveyard, Johnny begins to joke around ” They’re Coming to get you” he says multiple times.  As Barbra tells johnny to knock off the obnoxious jokes, she runs into an actual zombie. She then screams for johnny’s’ assistance. As he attempts to rescue his sister, he is ultimately knocked unconscious and Barbra is left to defend for herself.  Another important segment is when everyone is stationed at the safe house, As Harry, Tom, Ben, and Barbra. They all are informed on the situation and have a better understanding. Two attempt to flee in a vehicle but die, due to engine flames. Everyone is ultimately bit and turned into zombies. These segments are situated this way to create the most suspense as possible, keeping the viewer waiting for scenes to come.

This Film can be seen as Horror. This is evident as the characters are being attacked by zombies creating an intense feeling of fear and shock, expression(s) shown throughout the entire entourage. The Story has a specific plot, as the base characters get an inital glimpse of the upcoming issue.  The characters then come together, attempting to rid of the issue. Finally the issue gets a hold of the characters, ultimately making the characters zombies. Its told this way and not in another way, because this plot creates the most suspense, making the viewer thirsty for what comes next. It supports the horror genre as fear is displayed throughout the entire plot.

The Night of Living Dead can be categorized as a horror movie. More specifically, Todorov defines it as a “marvelous” horror film, being explained as “the bizarre events of the story can only be explained by reference to another level of reality. First of all, this film is a black and white film style. The contrast between black and white highlights the mysterious and horrible atmosphere of this film. Second, the movie is full of scary elements. People are always afraid of the dead and the grave, and this film starts from the cemetery, with the dead as one of the main characters. The film also shows a lot of bloody horror scenes, such as the zombie cannibalism, the end, the little girl cannibalism and other scenes. This story is told in a nonlinear narrating way. As noted in Film Art, “nonlinear systems, permit random access to the entire store of footage” (68). Bit by bit, the film has to give information about the origin of the living dead. The actress ‘body movements and some background music perfectly present the intense scene, the plot’s advancement and the character’s psychological changes. There was no line, but anyone could intuitively feel Barbara’s fear. The actors stars are unknown because of budget issues. But it’s an unknown actor who makes this movie a success. It’s easy for audiences to form fixed mindsets about famous actors, associating them with their most famous roles.

https://brightlightsfilm.com/night-living-dead-reappraising-undead-classic/#.XTUvzxT7SUl

https://www.thefourohfive.com/film/article/scene-dissection-night-of-the-living-dead-1968-george-a-romero-145

 

Broadly, the mise-en-scene the films mostly featured is in rural Penneylvania, where the audience are allowed to get where the story is happening.  The purpose of this mise-en-scene is to convey the message about where the story was told. The woods, the rural landscape, and the graveyard were framed facilitate the emotions and tone of the whole story.

The most important stage was acquired in the early twentieth century. It becomes a kind of language with which the director speaks with the audience. Actors must stand on the stage in accordance with the scenery, as well as the plot, which at the moment should be played on the stage. In addition, theatrical lighting begins to play a role in staging. It contributes to the creation of a certain artistic effect, and also helps the actors to get used to the role and more realistically transmit the events of the dramatic work.

Lighting: Throughout the movie, the lightning gives the zombies a low-key lighting that isn’t as intense and is sifter in order to make the zombies look darker and portrayed as negative and the true monster. Whenever another character was killed off, the lighting on them would also become softer and less intense with more shadows to represent that they transformed into a zombie.

Costumes: zombies wore raggedy clothes to represent how they had risen from the dead and the fact that they wore old corpses. Those who were alive wore clothes that represented middle class ordinary citizens.

Setting: The setting takes place in a cemetery which is where the dead arise from as well as a barn where the protagonists take shelter from the living dead.

Thus, the Mise-En-Scene is intended to serve as a connecting chain between the actors, the spectator and the plot of the production.

If mise-en-scene frames the narrative of the film in a vacuum, then George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead encapsulates the tone and theme of it in the introductory scene of Barbra and Johnny visiting their father’s grave. Immediately, the audience arrives at a graveyard introducing the central motif of death. The two are alone yet not quite—assuming that the bodies around them count. Throughout the film, Romero teases the audience of solitude and desolation, only to be surprised that the characters are not so alone after all. The graveyard captures this recurrence—what is below and above ground is alive or dead.

As they walk around in the graveyard, a shot at the four-minute mark displays them alone, only to be accompanied by the gravestones. A wide shot gives the audience a full perspective of the vastness of the graveyard with silence consuming the scene only to be disturbed by the rustling leaves. Romero’s choice of camera position to display the two introductory characters extends the tone of loneliness throughout the film.

https://www.whitelight.ltd.uk/white-light-brings-night-of-the-living-dead-to-life/

http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Mise-en-sc-ne-ELEMENTS-OF-MISE-EN-SC-NE.html