George E. Firedawn, 1979

George E. Firedawn, 1979
[[image: |x156px|Poster of George E. Firedawn, 1979]] Poster
Released	January 16th, 1979 (USQ) January 17th, 1980 (Elsewhere)
Running Time	168 minutes
Country	United States of Quentin
Language	English
Budget	Ð4.67 million ($46.7 million)
Box Office	Ð136,899,777 ($1,368,997,770) 3rd in USQ
Directed by	Rain Andersen
Produced by	Jorge Dean
Written by	Jorge Dean
Starring	Dawn Olivia Billy Hayes Frank Myers Whitney Iva Kendall Steveson
Music by	Allie Carter
Cinematography	Mary Faoure
Edited by	Vouze Allez
Production Company	Trogen Motion Picture Studios
Distributed by	Trogen Motion Picture Corporation

George E. Firedawn, 1979 is a dystopian alternate history action film released in theaters in 1979. The film was made and produced by Trogen Motion Picture Studios in the United States of Quentin, was directed by Rain Andersen, and starred Dawn Olivia, Billy Hayes, Frank Myers, Whitney Iva, and Kendall Steveson. Set in 1979, the film is based on an alternate history where George Firedawn and the Radfundies rebel group won the Founders Conflict in the real-life year of 1845. It focuses mainly on the effects and results of the group's victory in the year 1979, and the alternate world that may have formed as a result of the changed outcome. It follows the struggles of main characters Tyler Eaton and Jackie Eaton and their attempts to make a better world for themselves, while also documenting the lives of George Firedawn VI and his wife, Rebecca Firedawn.

The main plot focuses on the Eaton siblings, and their attempts to survive in the slums of Firedawn city, the renamed version of Mechanicsburg. George Firedawn VI rules, making life difficult for the poor Eaton family. After being caught attempting to steal a car, the Eaton siblings encounter a resistance group under the leadership of Person Alpha, and are encouraged to rebel. The siblings are then faced with a choice between their own self-interest and the greater needs of others. After going into theaters, George E. Firedawn was immediately praised as a success, especially in the United States of Quentin, where it is currently ranked third on the list of highest-earning films in the country. Premiering on January 16th, 1979, at Ogden High Rise Theater, critics mainly praised the film's mix of action and drama as well as the dystopian alternate history and its complicated effects. Despite its age, the film is still popular on streaming platforms such as Affiliates Live and VentureTrans Streaming today.

Plot

In the beginning of the film, we get the view of a city, which is called Firedawn. Then the voice of Tyler Eaton (Frank Myers) comes in, explaining that him and his family lives in the city, and that he believes it was once called Mechanicsburg. He says they are ruled by a government headed by a man named George Firedawn VI, the descendant of the first ruler, George Firedawn, after he and his Radfundies won the Founders Conflict and took over the nation, along with much of the world.

We then are able to see closer in the city, and see the slums, which take up most of the city, and the people that live there, far below the poverty line, including Tyler. After we get a view of his everyday life, we see his family, including mother Olivia Eaton (Sally Hemess) and sister Jackie Eaton (Dawn Olivia). After seeing the house rituals, (including praying to the Firedawns and reading from a book by the original George Firedawn) and seeing the terrible life they have, the family sleeps and we cut to the next day.

In the morning, as we had seen previously, Tyler attempts to steal and sell things he finds around the city, and is quite good at persuading people and stealing. He is also extremely confident, to the point of cockiness, and in the morning attempts to steal a car. Then Jackie shows up, and tries to get him to stop, because she knows he'll be caught. Tyler goes on with it, but he is caught, however, along with Jackie, and attempts to persuade his captors to let them go. It doesn't work, and after being knocked out and transported, they wake up in a sewer. A woman who calls herself Person Alpha (Connie Quentin) talks to the duo, and tells them about their secret resistance work underground, against the Firedawns. She attempts to persuade them to do a job for her, however Tyler bluntly refuses, and they leave.

Inside Firedawn's palace, we see that he has found out where the resistance is, and deploys his guard to destroy it. The next day, Tyler and Jackie are outside, and suddenly Firedawn's guard raids the street. Bullets fly, and the resistance is there, exchanging them as well. Suddenly, out of nowhere, bombers come, and houses are blown to bits as the siblings hide in a cellar. Jackie wants revenge, and realizes that there is no way to have a better life if the Firedawns are still in control. So, after convincing a reluctant Tyler, the two go to the sewers, only to find that the place is abandoned, with dead bodies everywhere. Only the military is there, and after a fight scene, they escape.

Luckily, the two walk past a bread store while attempting to escape, and find Person Alpha there. After exchanging a few words, and finding out her real name is Olivia Davidson, they accept her job, which is to infiltrate the palace and kill Firedawn. The two set off, armed and carrying explosives. Once they reach the palace, they try to sneak in through a back way Davidson described to them. However, a guard arrives. After bribing the guard, and using some persuasive talk, Tyler sneaks in along with Jackie. The two steal outfits, and pretend to be part of the social elite currently gathered there for a casino night. Tyler plays a card game with a general, (Edward Yunington), and beats him badly. Afterwards, Tyler eggs the man on, and the general comes after him. Others pull him off Tyler, but not before Tyler has a chance to steal his security card.

The two then go to the table where Firedawn himself is playing cards. After watching for a while, they see Firedawn leave, and go to his chamber. Jackie distracts the guards while Tyler uses the key to get himself into the chamber. Pointing a gun at Firedawn, he tells him how evil he is, and how badly his people are suffering. Firedawn begs for his life, and Tyler hesitates. Just then, we find out that another country, the Alliance of Royal Populists, are about to drop bombs on the city. Tyler then steals a plane, along with Jackie and the kidnapped Firedawn, and flies to the abandoned islands of Docneighland, where they will make a new nation. In the conclusion, we see the bombs falling on Firedawn city, and many deaths. However, the invasion of Alliance soldiers occupy the city, and, in the absence of Firedawn, control of the city is handed to the resistance. A bright future is on the horizon, Eaton says, and the movie ends.

Cast and Characters

• Frank Myers as Tyler Eaton: A resident of Firedawn city attempting to protect his family and survive in the city's slums. After encountering a resistance to the rule of George Firedawn VI, the professional thief must make a choice between protecting his family and working to end Firedawn's rule.

• Dawn Olivia as Jackie Eaton: Brother of Tyler Eaton and local seamstress, Jackie Eaton is caught after her brother's failed attempt to steal a car in the city. Eaton encourages her brother to fight for the greater good and the end of Firedawn's rule.

• Billy Hayes as George Firedawn VI: King of the Grand Empire of the Fundamentalist Territories, George Firedawn VI is sixth in the line of kings that began with George Firedawn in 1845. Ruling the city and the overall empire with an iron fist, Firedawn VI attempts to thwart the efforts of the growing resistance movement and preserve order throughout the empire. Driven by his wife's persuasion and his family expectations, Firedawn VI does harbor many growing doubts about the methods used in his rule.

• Whitney Iva as Rebecca Firedawn: The wife of George Firedawn VI, Rebecca Firedawn manipulates her husband with both sexuality and persuasion, attempting to convince him that an authoritarian state is the only way to preserve peace in the empire. Ruthless and extremely ambitious, Rebecca Firedawn has a large influence over the military, conducting operations behind her husband's back and even hiring prostitutes herself to keep her husband blissfully unaware of her massive influence.

• Connie Quentin as Person Alpha: Person Alpha, a.k.a. Olivia Davison, is the leader of the resistance movement in the city of Firedawn. A woman in her 60's who fought in the Great First War, Davidson attempts to convince the Eatons to assist the resistance in restoring prosperity to the country.

• Kendall Steveson as Speaker Matthew Thomas: Matthew Thomas is the leader of the Alliance of Royal Populists, a nation of alliance formed from many countries including the Protectorates of Allia. Thomas and the Alliance are committed to defeating Firedawn VI and his authoritarian regime in the Great Second War, and hopes to restore democracy to the lands Firedawn has subjected to his rule.

• Sally Hemess as Olivia Eaton: Olivia Eaton is the mother of the Eaton siblings. The siblings care deeply for their mother, and try to make the best life possible for her and the family.

• Edward Yunington as General: The General is a member of the social elite in Firedawn city, and is one of the many participating in the Firedawn casino event, which the Eaton siblings attempt to infiltrate.

Release and Distribution

George E. Firedawn premiered at Ogden High Rise Theater in Mechanicsburg on January 16th, 1979. The film was watched by nearly 3,000 people at the premiere, including numerous celebrities. Quentinian Secretary of Foreign Affairs Frasier Crane was in attendance, as well as James Arthur Goyle, author of numerous dystopian novels including Night of A Billion Tears, which helped to popularize the genre. Corporate sponsors for the film included the Refrazz Corporation and DuBuis Manufacturing. References to the corporate sponsors in-movie included shots of Refrazz Hail, a type of soda made specially for the movie, and shots of DuBuis Manufacturing equipment. A reference is also made to the two companies, as Tyler Eaton recounts the history of the nation and the fact that the Firedawn family and the Fundamentalists seized control of the nation's companies, mentioning Refrazz and DuBuis specifically.

Distribution originally occurred on cassette tapes, which were released right after the movie's run in theaters by Trogen Motion Picture Studios. In the late 1980's the film was released on DVD, with a set of DVD's becoming available with new special features included, such as behind the scenes footage and deleted scenes. Many of these deleted scenes revealed further information about the dystopian universe, prompting numerous fan-fiction clubs and other groups to form and expand the film's narrative with their own stories. More advanced DVD options were released in the early 2000's, and in 2012 with the launch of Affiliates Live, the movie was released on that platform for members to stream. In 2016 VentureTrans Streaming also gained the rights to streaming, and released it on their platform in 2017.

Reception

Box Office

The film was tremendously successful at the box office, garnering nearly Ð136,899,777 ($1,368,997,770) worldwide and becoming the second highest-grossing Quentinian film of all-time at the time of its release. Currently, the film is third in Quentinian box office gross, and ranks eighth-highest among films made in all countries, including the United States of Quentin.