DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979) image analysis

This scene from DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979) shows the final survivors of the four characters, who are Fran and Peter.

George A Romero is the auteur of this film which is shown by the “Auteur Theory” looked at by Andrew Sarris. He especially likes to look at race in his films which is evident here as there is a black hero.  This auteur influence is due to Romero being half-Cuban and despising racism. This black hero influence is also evident in other films of his such as NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) where the black man survives the zombies just to be killed by rednecks as they are racist and then treated as badly as the zombies instead of the hero he is. He also challenges horror conventions by allowing a blonde, pregnant woman to survive. He also hints at an inter-racial relationship between Peter and Fran which was controversial and shocking in the 1970s. This would have shocked the audience but this is what Romero wanted as he was ahead of his time. 

Fran can be seen as being strong as she is pregnant and has learnt how to shoot and fly the helicopter to take them to safety. She is the almost archetypal “final girl” who may be blonde but learns to take care of herself, fly the helicopter and use a gun effectively. This shows early signs of feminism for the context. Peter is also the male hero who was prepared to die but lived to protect Fran as Stephen has died. This also looks at the stereotypical horror theme of “fear of dying” as he changes his mind at the last minute to survive instead of shooting himself which is what he was prepared to do. Fran has a very vacant look in this close-up shot which shows that she has lost a lot but is living with it. She also refused to have her baby aborted so she displays a cold strength that will hopefully help her and her baby survive the horrors ahead.