On Thursday, July 8th, Toronto’s Cinematheque is holding a screening of George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, as part of its series paying tribute to the late film scholar Robin Wood, a giant on the Film Studies scene. I read several of Wood’s pieces on horror while in the Film Studies program at university, and while I didn’t always agree with him, the guy was brilliant and did a lot to draw academics into the genre. This is a fantastic tribute.
Here are all the details from the press release:
July 8th – Rare screening of DAY OF THE DEAD at Cinematheque Ontario
As part of the tribute to the late film critic Robin Wood, there will be a RARE screening of George A. Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD at the Cinematheque Ontario. 35MM print! TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!
July 8, 2010 9:15 PM
DAY OF THE DEAD
Director: George Romero
Year: 1985
Runtime: 102 minutes
Country: USA
Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander
Members/Students/Seniors: $5.90+tax / Non-members: $10.14+tax.
Screens at Jackman Hall
(Please note the rescheduled screening time)
For many, Wood will be best remembered for his epochal work on American horror movies. Wood was the first to recognize an angry, subversive streak in this then critically neglected genre. Of particular importance to him was the work of George Romero, especially the Living Dead films: in CineAction, shortly after the release of the latest (and at that time final) chapter, Wood called them the “most uncompromising radical critique of contemporary America. . . possible within. . . a popular ‘entertainment’ cinema.” Day of the Dead is the least well-known film in the cycle, perhaps because it lacks the humour of the first two installments. A critique of the structures of masculinity—particularly militarism and its conscript, science—the devoutly grimy and deeply disturbing Day reverses the trajectory of its predecessors. Here, the remaining humans are possibly more villainous than the zombies pursuing them, as evident in the demented military types who would rather court disaster than have their world views challenged, and the appalling Dr. Logan, who experiments on (read: tortures) captured zombies.
All Cinematheque Ontario screenings are held at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas St. West, Toronto (McCaul Street entrance). All screenings are restricted to individuals 18 years of age or older, unless noted otherwise. For more information, visit the Official website, www.cinemathequeontario.ca or call 416-968-FILM
