By Thomas Puhr
George A. Romero delivers The Amusement Park’s message – namely, that the socioeconomic marginalization of America’s elderly must be addressed – with his trademark blunt force severity. Nested within the surreal visuals and kaleidoscopic editing, however, is a far subtler (and despairing) suggestion: that the film’s lesson will likely be ignored. Consider how a teenaged couple reacts to glimpsing their impoverished future – courtesy of a fortuneteller – with anger rather than compassion (the boyfriend assaults the nameless protagonist, played by a sympathetic Lincoln Maazel, soon after). Or how the narrator (Maazel) – after urging volunteers to take action – walks alone as the credits roll.
