Here is my take ssbib. First of all, I must say that I disagree with this quote from Deadman Deluxe
The movies ALL take place in the same "universe" but do not share the same "timeline". Once you have understood that, then things should become a lot more clearer.
I agree that the movies do all take place in the same universe, but I think that the very definition of that means they also take place in the same timeline. The four stories are not necesarily connected to each other in any way, but assuming that time passes normally in the GAR zombie universe, then the stories must take place in relation to each other; the events of one movie happening either before, after, or at the same time as events in another. Here is what I think can be taken by examing the movies themselves as far as where they occur in time in relation to each other.
THE ENTIRE SERIES - It is important to note that the entire series is in fact "timeless" in and of itself. By this I mean that Night doesnt take place in 1968, or any other specific year, but more or less in "present day". Romero chose to ignore time stamps in the movies in regards to era, and just used music, clothing styles, movie techniques, etc. that were available in the time period that he made each movie. So to ask the question "what years do the events in Romero's movies take place" would require an answer of "not applicable".
NIGHT - The events in Night quite obviously start near the beginning of the outbreak. Whether it is the "first" day or not is not made clear in the movie, and is not necesary information to have to enjoy the story. It was almost prurposely left a little vague as to exactly when and why the outbreak started, as the two characters in the movie have been driving for hours with the radio not working, therefore with no access to hearing any news, and may have not been listening to any news for a while prior to making the trip to the cemetary. Suffice it to say, it is very near the intial outbreak, probably either the first or second day of the problem being known about.
DAWN - Again, using the movie as our guide, the events in Dawn take place about three weeks after the initial outbreak, which would mean about three weeks after the events seen in NIGHT. We know this because in the beginning of DAWN, Dr Foster clearly says "For three weeks, for three weeks you have not listened". He is clearly making a direct reference to the zombie problem.
DAY-LAND - Here some debate exists as to when these two movies take place in relation to each other, however, almost everyone agrees that both movies take place some time after the events in Dawn. Most people seem to think that the events in LAND take place after the events in DAY, and that the events in LAND happen 3 years after the initial outbreak, and therefore the events in DAY take place sometime between 3 weeks and 3 years after the initial outbreak. These people point to a couple of quotes in LAND where a character makes reference to "three years", specifically Cholo saying that he worked for Kaufman for three years, and the guy in the garage telling Riley that no car had driven out of there in three years. These quotes can easily be intrepreted to be making a reference as to the start of the outbreak. Unlike Dr. Foster in DAWN however, they are not specifically talking about the beginning of the problem, and therefore could also be interpreted that the events in LAND take place less than 3 years after the outbreak, or even 30 years after the outbreak started. It is all how you intrepret what the "3 years" references mean, if anything.
Even if you accept that the events in LAND take place three years after the initial outbreak, there is still some debate as to when the events in DAY take place. Some have said a year after DAWN, some have said the events are taking place at the same time as the events in DAWN, and some have said the events in DAY take place after the events in LAND. I would suggest that you examine both movies with a critical eye and make up your own mind.
Some simply believe that since LAND was made years after DAY, then obviously the events in that movie take place after the events in DAY. Others point out that STAR WARS was made many years before EPISODE I, however, the events in EPISODE I clearly take place before the events in STAR WARS, so make up your own mind as to the validity of that argument.
Some also point to the fact that GAR himself said that the events in LAND happened after the events in DAY, recently posting a link to a site where he gave an interview and said just that. Others pointed out how the site in question was to a local video rental store, and that the "interview" could have contained errors, either purposeful or accidental. And even if GAR did make those comments, you might ask yourself if Stephen Speilberg said that Schindler's List was the funniest comedy of all time, would you accept that to be true? Again, watch the films and make up your own mind.
In any event, if you are a fan of these movies, a discussion of topics like these can be worthwhile and entertaining. Some people feel that once they have made up their own mind about something, that everyone else is naturally wrong and the topic should not be discussed again. I feel that any topic should be discussed by anyone who wants to discuss it, and those who dont want to dont have to. BTW, welcome to the board ssbib.
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. I for one can accept the very loose timeline provided simply by watching the films in the order they were made and am happy to leave it at that.
Originally Posted by CapnSpaulding
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