Unlike Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind, which was near-mythic in its reputation as a lost film, The Amusement Park was virtually unheard of when news of its discovery was announced in 2017. Not being a horror film, it didn’t spark a ton of excitement among fans of the late George Romero’s classic zombie movies, but those who knew and respected Romero’s full body of work as a working-class independent filmmaker were thrilled at the idea of seeing not only a new Romero film, but one produced during his best period, the 1970s; it was made the same year as The Crazies (1973). Romero learned his trade and paid the bills in his early days as an industrial filmmaker, and The Amusement Park is an interesting hybrid of art and advertising. Commissioned by a charitable organization to raise awareness for issues affecting the elderly, the film is a surreal and experimental story about a thoughtful, well-mannered and well-dressed man of about 70 as he endures a string of indignities during a day in an amusement park. The man is played by Lincoln Maazel, heretofore best known for his only other film role, the superstitious cousin in Romero’s Martin (1978). Maazel, (who lived to be 106), also hosts the film, appearing in bookend segments advocating respect for age. These are needless scenes that don’t help the film, which would be better off as a standalone drama. The body of the film, however, is extremely effective and fascinating, done in a frenetic, kaleidoscope style that was popular in 60s low-budget and documentary films. Knowing Romero’s own lack of patience with his early, lesser-known features like There’s Always Vanilla (1971) and Jack’s Wife (a.k.a. Season of the Witch, 1972), it’s likely that he would not have been very complimentary towards The Amusement Park, but – as with those films – it's best to judge each title on its own merits rather than the filmmaker’s personal feelings.
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