The Amusement Park, 1975.
Directed by George A. Romero.
Starring Lincoln Maazel, Harry Albacker, Phyllis Casterwiler, Pete Chovan, and Bonnie Hinzman.
SYNOPSIS:
An old man spends a day at an amusement park, and discovers how terrifying being in the twilight of your life can be.
The Amusement Park is a 54-minute PSA about the prejudices aimed at older people that George A. Romero was asked to make by a Pittsburgh-based organisation called Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania back in 1973. Initially, the film was shown but was quickly shelved as somebody in the organisation got cold feet as it was probably a little more abrasive than they were expecting, but that is what happens when you asked the anti-establishment director behind Night of the Living Dead and The Crazies to make a film for you.
The synopsis at the top of this page is pretty much the whole plot, as actor Lincoln Maazel approaches the screen and tells the audience about the dangers of aging and the contributions that elderly people can still make to society. We then move to said amusement park where Maazel plays an elderly gentleman, who has cuts and bruises from being beaten. He tells an unbeaten version of himself, who is stood in front of him, that there is nothing out there in the world for him, but the cleaner version of himself doesn’t listen and goes for a day out. Instead of enjoying himself on the rides and eating snacks like most people do he finds himself alienated, pushed aside by the younger crowds as they go to have their fun.
Throughout the day he meets other people of a similar age who are also facing prejudice from ‘the kids’ – such as the old lady who has caused an accident on the bumper cars, forcing a cop and a lawyer onto the scene as her age and abilities comes into question – before being beaten up by a gang of bikers. An interaction with a young child gives him hope but this innocent event also turns against him, and the old man is forced to retreat, accepting that the world just does not want old people getting in the way.
It may not sound like the most thrilling plot, but The Amusement Park was never meant to be viewed as a movie to sit down with on the sofa with mates and a few nibbles. However, the film was uncovered a few weeks before Romero’s death in 2017 and has since been getting the 4K restoration treatment in order to look presentable – because it really does look as old and dated as all of Romero’s early output does – which means that those who really appreciate the legendary filmmaker’s work can add it to their collection.
However, viewing it as a movie in Romero’s canon of work rather than the PSA it was meant to be is where The Amusement Park makes more sense as it is filled with the director’s trademark camera angles and edits, creating a sense of paranoia and dread from very little. The trippy sound effects and weird close-ups all add to the feelings of isolation that the main character (he isn’t given a name) is feeling and, as such, fits neatly into Romero’s body of work from that time on a stylistic level, even if other elements don’t quite hit the same mark, although it is worth noting that Romero was just a director-for-hire on this picture and did not write it.
If The Amusement Park was directed by a faceless filmmaker just doing a corporate gig then it would hold no more value than a curiosity of its time, in the same way that nostalgia TV shows often highlight old adverts or public service announcements (like the terrifying one from the 1970s with Donald Pleasance warning kids not to play near water otherwise they will die), but this was directed by the man who brought Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Martin to the world, and as such should be a notable release for Romero completists.
Unfortunately, Romero completists is likely to be as far as the interest will go, because if you stumbled across this on Shudder or went for a blind buy on physical media and you – or your viewing audience are not clued up on George A. Romero – you may just wonder what it is you are watching, much like the people in the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania did.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Chris Ward
