George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead

George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" portrays one group's survival to survive in an apocalyptic and chaotic environment, and these characters gradually show their ability to survive and manipulate to their new environment; the two characters that survive unharmed and still healthy are the blond vixen and an African-American cop, who is ultimately the strongest and most effective in this new world.

The fact that an African-American and female emerges as the two heroes and survivors of the film is not a new concept; in fact, this seems to become a common theme of several zombie themes. For example, a woman and black man are the strongest characters in "Night of the Living Dead". "Omega Man" relies heavily on the strength of Charleston Heston's black counterparts, and reflect a resistance to succumb to violence, unlike the two black characters in "Night of the Living Dead" and "Omega Man". In "28 Days Later," a black female rescues and helps the main character fight through London.

Clearly race seems to play an important part in numerous Zombie films. "Dawn of the Dead" begins with a drug raid, where a white police officer loses his mind and opens fire on the ethnic tenants of the building. In "Night of the Living Dead," the black hero of the film is openly defied by a weaker white character, and is killed by a group of "good ol' Southern boys." It is unclear if the men murder him because of his race or because they assume he is a zombie, but one can easily speculate that his race quickened their to decision to pull the trigger.

The Civil Rights movement and the surge of black nationalism of the sixties had a direct influence on "Dawn of the Dead." As blacks became more militant and adamant of their demand for civil rights, literature and film began to reflect this attitude. As a result, the sixties and seventies became the ideal opportunity for the creation of "blaxploitation" films began to emerge in the 1970's. These films centered around the adventures of a machismo driven, butt kicking, suave talking African American who tried to fix crime or kill the bad guys. These films were also known for their abundance of sexuality. If one looks at the African American character in "Dawn of the Dead," one can see the similarities between him and that of the African superman in "blaxploitation" films. The fact that he is both a police officer, but is able to maintain a timid afro reflects his ability to maintain his own personaility; it is also important to note that the afro emerged during the civil rights films. Also, he is incredibly cool under pressure, just like the heroes of most "blaxploitation" films; he is also good with a gun and does not let emotions affect him, which is just like the heroes in "blaxploitation" films.