A George A. Romero Retrospective: ‘Diary of the Dead’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘If it didn’t happen on camera, it’s like it didn’t happen, right?’
- Debra

It wasn’t that long ago, that modern society received its news from a trio of key sources; the newspaper, the radio and the television. All of which are still around in 2020, but they served different roles a little while back. Take the newspaper for instance, for it used to be the only place you could receive an in-depth analysis on the day’s events. Whilst the radio was the only solid place for people to hear unique perspectives from radio hosts on the events of the world, all while getting the latest news at the top of the hour. And of course, the long-standing staple that is television was less about opinion and more about objectivity and it also featured trusted sources that would come into our homes and offer calm and perspective when the world was in dire straits. 
 
But then the internet came along and changed everything. Because just like that, news became a constant since people from all over the world could report upon events happening in real time, forcing newspapers to catch up and be more proactive in their reporting. All while forcing radio to primarily push toward a focus on entertainment since it couldn’t keep up, and of course, the twenty-four-hour news cycle settled in during this transition. Which forced every network out there to inject more into their broadcast than just reporting. There had to be opinion and entertainment value in order to keep people watching, giving rise to competition and sensationalism. Yet while it is important to recognize the changes that have come to how we consume our news, and how it impacted the industry as a whole, it’s equally as important to reflect upon what this shift has meant to everyday people.
 
Because technology and the twenty-four-news cycle have allowed for everyone to become a reporter on a moment’s notice, and people most certainly have, which has given us unprecedented access to our world. For not only can we witness beautiful and heartbreaking moments that move us to help others in need, and rally us to enact change in our nation and our world, we are also able to follow in every waking moment of a person’s life. For we are a nation that loves to watch vlogs and follow blogs and spend time with strangers we’ve never known because they can entertain us in ways that traditional forms cannot. But while these elements have made the world a more connected place, something that has changed our lives for the better, this grand shift in information consumption has its drawbacks as well, something that George A. Romero tackled in his next zombie tome; Diary of the Dead.
 
But before we dive into the details in regard to what this film has to say, we need to take a moment and discuss the fact that this is hands down, the most unique entry in the ‘Dead’ saga. Because this particular tale is shot in the first person, and while Romero forgoes the shaky-cam style of the era by having responsible film students handle the creation of this tale, the change in perspective creates a supremely unique viewing experience. Because it more or less draws the audience into the story and forces them to bear witness to the end of the world, moment by moment. Which gives rise to some visceral and uncomfortable moments and being sucked into the story in this manner, akin to how we would consume this story if we found it on Twitter or Facebook or Reddit, is what allows for Romero to his thing commentary wise and examine the dangers of receiving our news in this manner. 

---

​Such as the fact that there can be too much information on social media when disaster strikes. Because it does give everyone the opportunity to vlog and capture the moment, and while that certainly offers up historical slices for posterity’s sake, the chaos of the moment can engender trouble. Because news gets buried under reaction, and raw emotions, and to complicate matters further, those very emotions can lead to misinformation. For in the heat of the moment, we tend to interpret what’s happening in a quick manner, in order to determine if there is trouble headed our way and to put a reason behind what we’re seeing. Which means some people will just express what they think is happening without giving it a second thought and that’s a bad, bad thing. Because panic and fear and misinformation spread like wildfire and it can also silence genuine facts. Something we see evidence of in this film, by way of the confusion our characters experience from the multiple narratives popping up on television and on the web. 
 
Yet there is plenty more to explore in regard to this new way to report the news, such as how being behind the camera can create danger as well. Not for the person filming of course. For they are the innocent bystander with the camera, who is bringing truth to the masses. But the real danger inherent with that line of thinking, is that the camera person’s decision to report the news over anything else, can lead to people getting hurt sometimes. For time and time again, we’ve seen videos were the person filming, could have done something to put an end to what we see in the video. But the belief that they need to remain safe and impartial from the act at hand, is what motivates people to stay firmly behind their phone, and people suffer harm because of that. Something that is paralleled in the movie by Jason, since he refuses to deal with the events happening around him, and only wants to stay safe behind his lens, a decision that leads to a lot of good people getting hurt.
 
But truly, the biggest danger that Romero wanted to explore in regard to this surge of new wave reporting, was the sheer fact that it also helps to build ego and that’s problematic for certain. Because some people have never once been noticed by the masses and if they go viral, and indulge in the wonder of internet fame, it can go to their head and boost their ego like never before. Something that motivates them to go harder to get the next story or to create the next viral moment, so those likes can keep coming in and the danger there, is that people who believe in their fame over anything else, can cause harm to others and themselves. Because they’re always in the thick of it, and in the way sometimes and once again, Jason serves as the perfect example of how this plays out, as evidenced by how his journey ends in this harrowing and terrifying tale.   
 
However, while those are relevant points that we’ve seen play out in the modern world, what makes this movie so incredibly special, is that Romero doesn’t look down upon this new way to consume information. In fact, he outright celebrates it. For he recognizes how it can bring the truth right to the masses on a moment’s notice, free from spin and clever editing. Instead, he uses these points to challenge the audience to outright be better. Because in order to remove these issues from this new information stream, those reporting and telling tales need to hold themselves to a higher standard and put truth and integrity above all else. Which is easier said than done of course, but it is an interesting challenge to pose to the viewer. In the end however, this is just another brilliant entry in the ‘Dead’ saga, thanks to its contemporary commentary and unique style, something that speaks to Romero’s mastery of the craft at this point in his career. But what matters more, is that he still had more to say about modern America, and thankfully he had the opportunity to express those thoughts one more time, by way of the final film, of his illustrious career.

---