For the British, Edgar Wright's 2004 film Shaun of the Dead extends beyond the idea of just entertainment. It is a film that reflects us, shining a light on the many types of people and personalities that are to be found within the country, whether it is as you roam through the streets on the way to the shop to grab a can of Coke and a Cornetto, or simply surrounded by the mysterious folk that fill a pub's interior over a weekend, perhaps even during the weekdays. Shaun of the Dead is a film that pokes some fun at ourselves, coming together and enjoying the idea of being British: tea, pints, careless and sarcastic humour. Though it contains some interesting ideas that are typically found within this zombie genre of filmmaking.
Shaun of the Dead is one of the few films that I have seen countless times over my life, to the point where I am no longer aware of how many times I have seen it, nor do I recall the first time I did see it. Though it is a film that I always come back to sooner or later with great joy for it, and newfound appreciation for what it offers us as I grow older, more closer to our protagonist Shaun's age depicted in the film. Shaun of the Dead, being a comedy zombie flick, feels cultural and meaningful; to the point where I feel surprised that I have never truly looked at it in this way before, and now feeling somewhat guilty for it, having had the perception of it being a mere British low budget film from Edgar Wright in his earlier filmmaking days, after Spaced and with a little more filmmaking experience and money than before.
Wright having discovered his style, and moving on from Spaced's ideas of pop culture and the influences and homages paid, takes on a feature length film this time, and definitely succeeding not only in creating a good feature length film, but one that seems like a gift to the people and country that accepted him after his weirdness that was Spaced and its success.
Shaun of the Dead
Upon watching Shaun of the Dead for a current number of times I can no longer recollect, I noticed a plethora of new little moments that made me appreciate things a little more, particularly certain mannerisms and expressions from the film's diverse range of characters. I noticed how good the performances actually are by its cast to portray moments that were not just comedic, but pertained to character growth and context. This is nice to see given Shaun of the Dead, much like George Romero's zombie films of yesteryear, takes a look at modern society and culture. A film full of undertones that reflect the zombie like state we all find ourselves in as we roam from one place to another in our daily lives through work and various monotonous obligations.
In rapid succession does Wright display these activities plaguing the average person. Though there are these creative moments that portray our lives in their slow boredom at the same time: the camera following our protagonist from one location to another in one long take, void of scene cuts that show our character interacting with the world but not quite present in it as he ignores his surroundings in efforts to go from A to B. This connects us with the idea of life and its rapid movements, how we move so rapidly but are void of life. Connected between these moments of monotone actions are the scenes of everyday life that display context to set up the rest of the film's narrative. Connecting our protagonist to a life that is evidently lost, where his girlfriend is considering leaving him, and his ability to keep everything together crumbling by the minute.
In the background can be seen the zombie outbreak slowly unfolding without anyone really noticing. Television broadcasts detailing instances of death and outbreak; people on the bus full of illness; and scenes that show chaos in the background as our protagonist struggles to keep things together. It shows this contrast of how easy it can be to get lost within your own world, as you try to keep your life together as life continues on for everyone else around you. It shows the ways in which this is happening to everyone around us all at the same time. Typical of the zombie genre's roots to display the disconnect of individuals within society as capitalism takes reign and we call victim to its expectations of us.
With its simplistic narrative that shows a man struggling to keep his life together is the comedic backdrop of a pub referred to as the Winchester that the main characters can't seem to escape, always returning to it and stuck within this lifestyle in which they expect more but again are stuck within the mundane routine they have fallen into. Shaun losing his girlfriend due to the constant suggesting of just going to the Winchester, and his best friend being a polar opposite individual of Shaun: Ed has chosen to just drop out of society entirely and reject its expectations of him. Sleeping on Shaun's sofa and playing games, drinking and dealing drugs for a bit of cash. I like these two opposites coming together since it shoes that contrast between two different types of people within this struggling society. One person barely struggling to keep things together, and another that has rejected even attempting to do so.
Of course all of this takes place within a narrative of a zombie outbreak where our characters receive their call to action. The outbreak serving as their moment of awakening, as they finally have something that pulls them out of their mundane lifestyles and forces them to act finally. Not being particularly great at it, the two main characters begin to flourish as the world becomes more lawless. Probably the most active and alive they have been since their youth. Though while taking control of their lives finally the two discover themselves and what's important, but still maintaining their appreciation for what was familiar all this time. There's this nostalgia evident in this transition from youth to adulthood and the acceptance of the passing of time to which responsibilities and expectations change. It is very simple and creative in this regard.
Directing
Shaun of the Dead would be your average zombie comedy flick without the talents of its cast and directing that take the film to the next level. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost work together tremendously and I definitely cannot see this being a film shoot with any other cast. Edgar Wright utilising his creative directing techniques to bring tension, comedy, and action to the film through its cinematography and editing. Of which each compliment each other well, as editing is fast-paced and delivers context to the audience through creative transitions between scenes. We see the passing of time through rapid clips of regular actions that pull in the audience and maintain their attention while still connecting the scenes together and keeping us engaged.
A new appreciation for the film was found in its very beautiful lighting that ranges from seemingly very natural in exterior scenes but very artificial but beautiful in the interior scenes. Shot on 35mm film, the lighting looks very soft and real to the world. Particularly in the long takes on which lighting equipment is definitely going to be sparse or simply not utilised at all as we follow a character around from one place to the next. It simplifies this idea of filmmaking and directing to tell a story while being immersive but still grounded and void of the seemingly more pretentious aspects of what one may consider to be creative and visually beautiful these days. Steadicam footage over still camera perspectives, dolly movements when necessary, and panned zooms which give a direct perspective to the audience from the characters as if they are presenting their thoughts to us.
Though we still see the undertones of an economically stagnant London through very regular streets and housing areas, again the long commutes that turn us into zombies, and the near boring idea of connecting with someone in a busy street when you're surrounded by the chaos of life and feel as if you need to keep moving, and what better idea for such a concept than a zombie outbreak, where movement is essential to survival?
But how do the British go about dealing with their problems? How do we cope with modern living? We get together with our friends, we go to the pub to unwind and listen to random music and drink and tell stories. We make a cup of tea and roam through the endless channels on television that appear to display nothing of real meaning. We cling to our youth through pop culture as we hoard classics of a different time in the form of videogames and vinyls. We make a mockery of reality by laughing at our misfortunes through sarcasm and immaturity. Shaun of the Dead is a love letter to the British people, a reflection of our modern British lifestyles. And how we as a people cope with hardships as we attempt to keep things afloat.
But one thing we can all relate to from Shaun of the Dead is that during such hardships, we realise that a good life can be made with a few good people around us.
