Dawn of the Dead (2004) first image analysis

In Dawn of the Dead (2004), this shot was taken from a scene where two of the protagonists are discussing religion in the shopping mall toilets. The two male characters in this shot are positive black males which connotes the defeat of racism in the world.  Andre (Mekhi Phifer), previously to the action, was a street gangster who had a criminal background. In the hope of turning his life around, Andre’s character became a helpful, caring male who cared for his family and unborn child. Being with a Russian female, the couple were in an interracial relationship. By this, the horror genre is challenging racism and discrimination by illustrating the contextual differences in comparison to Dawn of the Dead (1979). Kenneth’s character (Ving Rhames) is a police cop who is physically intimidating. While being a masculine, imposing, large black male, Kenneth’s character also opposes the black male stereotype and portrays him as a caring person through his actions of wanting to find his brother and other family members before it’s too late.

When focusing on Andre Bazin’s “Genius of the System” theory that Hollywood films were the product of much more than just the auteur, I feel that this scene illustrates the concept in depth. Concentrating on the formulas, genre and narrative, the plotline of the two masculine, intimidating males discussing religion and caring for the other characters in the film enables racist issues to be demolished. By the end of the film, Andre dies defending his family who turn into zombies themselves and Kenneth acts as one of the final survivors, typically the strong hero until they land on the island and assumedly, all die despite the open ending.