Movies - TV
George Romero Understands Why Someone Would Walk Out On One Of His Films
By TRAVIS YATES
George Romero began his journey of becoming the "father of the zombie movie" in 1968 with his directorial debut "Night of the Living Dead." A decade later, Romero released the sequel "Dawn of the Dead,” and even though it was met with a mixed reaction from audiences, Romero saw this as a good thing.
Roger Ebert, who selected the film for inclusion in the U.S.A. Film Festival, called "Dawn of the Dead" the most controversial movie at the festival. Ebert observed, "After one screening, a shouting match developed between audience members who asked, 'What kind of sick mind could make a film like this?' and others who called it the best film in the festival."
Romero understood the criticisms and remained steadfast in defense of his movie, saying to Ebert, "If nobody walked out, it wouldn't be the movie I wanted to make. [...] The point is that people come out of the film having experienced some very extreme emotions, and it's up to them to interpret what happened."