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Stars: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross
Writer: George A. Romero
Director: George A. Romero
U.S.
Theatrical Version Feature Length: 127 minutes
Extended
Version Feature Length: 139 minutes
European Version Feature Length: 119 minutes
Disc
One: U.S. Theatrical Version Extras: Audio Commentary With Writer/Director
George A. Romero, Make-UP Effects Creator Tom Savini, And Assistant Director
Chris Romero, Trailers, TV Spots, Radio Spots, Galleries, Director’s Bio,
Comic Book Preview
Disc
Two: Extended Version Extras: Audio Commentary With Producer Richard P.
Rubinstein, Monroeville Mall Commercial, Behind-The-Scenes Photo Gallery,
Memorabilia Gallery, Production Stills
Disc
Three: European Version Extras: Audio Commentary With Actors David Emge, Ken
Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, And Gaylen Ross, International Theatrical Trailers,
U.K. TV Spots, International Lobby Card Gallery, International Poster And
Advertising Gallery, International Pressbook Gallery, U.S. And International
Home Video And Soundtrack Artwork, Dario Argento Bio
Disc Four Extras: Roy Frumke’s “Document Of The Dead” Documentary, “The Dead Will Walk” – All New Exclusive Documentary, On-Set Home Movies With Audio Commentary From Zombie Extra Robert Langer, Monroeville Mall Tour
Languages: English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Surround Sound, and Monaural Sound
Subtitles: English Closed Captions
Packaging: Four-Disc Digipack Gatefold Within A Cardboard Slipcase
Chapter Stops: 24
Sound: DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Surround Sound, and Monaural Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 1978/DVD Release: 2004
Home Video Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
“George
A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead” is one of my all-time favorite horror films.
With the mix of comic book colored over the top gore, exciting action, genuine
horror thrills, and a wry sense of humor, the film is arguably one of the best
horror films ever produced in the last quarter of the twentieth century. The
film opens up three weeks after the events in “Night Of The Living Dead.”
The government of the United States has declared a state of martial law in the
face of the increasing zombie epidemic that is sweeping the world. People are no
longer allowed to keep private residences regardless of how well stocked and
fortified they might be. Armed units of the National Guard in cooperation with
local law enforcement are systematically being dispatched to collect the bodies
of the recently deceased for orderly destruction. Of course the phenomena has
caused chaos on the streets with people refusing to turn over the dead and
vacate their residences. Rescue stations are being knocked out and communication
between cities is grinding to a halt. After a bloody massacre in a Philadelphia
housing project, two SWAT officers join two member of the media and attempt to
escape north as far away from the general population as possible since that is
where the living dead are more likely to congregate. Aboard their “borrowed”
traffic helicopter, they eventually find themselves weathering the zombie plague
from within a suburban shopping center. As society unravels outside, the
dwindling survivors find their shopper’s paradise turning into a prison from
which there is little hope of escape even with the chopper since it is low on
fuel. Soon it turns into a tomb when a motorcycle gang of raiders invades the
mall and the living dead take up residence inside once again.
Anchor Bay Entertainment re-released the original American theatrical version on DVD for NTSC Region One users as a part of their “Divimax Series” of films on DVD-Video earlier this year to tie-in with the Universal Pictures remake that was released theatrically in March of 2004. While that DVD was more or less a standard DVD release, this “Ultimate Edition Divimax Series” DVD box set is truly the definitive American home video release of “George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead” to be unleashed on rabid zombie fans in North America. Anchor Bay Entertainment’s “George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead: Ultimate Edition Divimax Series” DVD box set is also one of the best and most comprehensive DVD sets of the year as well as one of the best restorations of a genre film to be released this year too.
The
one thing that hit me right away when I put disc one into the player and began
to watch it was just how great “Dawn Of The Dead” looked. I mean I was nine
or ten years old when the film first came out so I can’t judge how the film
prints looked on the big screen because I didn’t see it until my parents
bought their first VCR back in the early 1980s. Since then I’ve seen numerous
VHS tapes, laserdiscs, and DVD releases, but I never knew just how good “Dawn
Of The Dead” actually could look until I screened this DVD set. Without a
doubt this makes all previous home video releases look like crap in comparison.
The transfers on all three versions included in the set are jaw dropping because
it is so clean and vibrant. The Divimax system of creating high definition
transfers for home video release is rapidly becoming one of the best brand names
of quality to capture home video consumers’ attention since the THX
certification program began to appear on home videos over a decade ago. If
future Anchor Bay Entertainment Divimax Series DVD releases are as good if not
better than “Dawn Of The Dead” in picture and sound quality, I really think
they could license their services out the way Lucasfilm licenses their THX
certification program to other home video distributors.
Of course the clarity in some ways dates Makeup Effects Guru’s Tom Savini’s zombies, but the comic book style of the film with the bright crimson reds and fluorescent mall lights shines through like never before on home video. Anchor Bay Entertainment’s “George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead: Ultimate Edition: Divimax Series” presents the U.S., European, and Extended Versions of the film each in an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio. The U.S. Theatrical Version features a choice of well-mixed DTS Digital and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtracks as well as English Dolby Surround Sound and the original two-channel English Monaural Soundtrack. The DTS track is edgier than the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack, but both are quite impressive considering the source materials available for the new mixes. English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired are encoded onto of the discs in the set as an option too. The Extended Version features a two-channel English Monaural Soundtrack while the European Version features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack as well as English Dolby Surround Sound and the original two-channel English Monaural Soundtrack too.
Writer and Director George A. Romero and his wife, Assistant Director Chris Romero, and Special Makeup Effects Artist Tom Savini also contribute to a feature length audio commentary moderated by the DVD producer Perry Martin for the U.S. Theatrical Version on disc one. The commentary is quite candid and definitely new since it references films like “28 Days Later” and the remake of “Dawn Of The Dead” so I guess it is probably about a year old if not less. Romero is forthcoming in discussing his proposed fourth entry in the series “Land Of The Dead” AKA “Dead Reckoning” as well as the social issues that motivate his writing and filmmaking. Tom Savini is finally able to confirm with George Romero the existence of footage for a darker original ending that was partially shot, but ultimately scrapped in favor of the ending that appears on all three versions of the film today. Unfortunately, none of the footage for this original ending is present on any of the discs, unless it was hidden as a very hard to find Easter egg. While this DVD box set contains three cuts of “Dawn Of The Dead,” George A. Romero estimates in the commentary that there could be as many as ten different versions of the film out there though none of them contain footage that was not originally shot for the theatrical release back in 1978.
Two (1.85:1) theatrical trailers enhanced for 16 by 9 televisions that also look remarkably clear are provided among the other extra features along with one 57-second TV spot and two 32-second TV spots as well as three 60-second radio spots and five 30-second radio spots. A short poster and ad gallery is also provided along with biographical text notes with a filmography for Writer and Director George A. Romero and information on the “Dawn Of The Dead” comic book being published by IDW publishing. Additional information on the comic can be found by visiting www.idwpublishing.com. Within the set is a copy of the first comic published for the film for collectors to enjoy too.
Two
easy to find Easter eggs are on disc one too. Just highlight the ghoul on the
extra features and audio menus to see short new video clips with Chris Romero
discussing how she met her husband (4:35) and Tom Savini playing a practical
joke on his girlfriend (1:20) respectively. The interactive menus are very well
rendered and easy to navigate on all four discs. The liner notes about the film
by Andrew Rockoff that were included in the “Special Edition: Divimax
Series” DVD release earlier this year are not included here though there is a
detailed insert containing information of the contents of all four discs as well
as a map of the mall inside.
The
“Extended Version” on disc two has been referred to as Romero’s
“Director’s Cut,” but the U.S. theatrical version appears to be Romero’s
preferred version of the film since it does run at a tighter pace. This is the
version screened at Cannes back in 1978. Producer Richard P. Rubinstein provided
the feature length audio commentary for this version. At first I found
Rubinstein’s comments to be a bit bland, but it actually becomes very
interesting when he addresses his professional relationship with Romero, the
realities of film financing, how the 2004 remake came to fruition, and his
developing projects, which include a possible feature film adaptation of the
prequel novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson based on Frank
Herbert’s “Dune Chronicles.” A commercial for the Monroeville Mall (: 27)
and galleries featuring behind-the-scenes shots, memorabilia, and production
stills are included on the second disc along with a one-minute easy to find
Easter egg video clip featuring Tom Savini disciple and makeup effects master in
his own right Greg Nicotero.
The
third disc containing the “European Version” has a feature length audio
commentary with Actors David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen
Ross. Ken Foree is perhaps the liveliest of the speakers on this commentary
track, which is a hoot because one can sense a genuine appreciation from the
participants for the film as well as a fondness for each other. It is almost as
if one were listening to a reunion of family members who have not seen each
other in twenty-five years and that just might be the truth too. I found Ken
Foree’s anecdote of knowing the late Duane Jones, who was the tragic
protagonist in “Night Of The Living Dead,” and telling him he got the lead
role in “Dawn Of The Dead” to be without a doubt an interesting piece of
trivia for fans of the film. Other extra value features on disc three include an
Italian and two German theatrical trailers that run at (3:47), (1:03), and
(3:40) respectively. Though the menus on the disc give the exact minutes and
seconds for select bonus features, I prefer to go with the count my DVD player
delivers whenever possible so exact running times might vary slightly depending
on the player you use. A 32-second U.K. TV spot and a sixty-one second U.K. TV
spot are also included along with galleries of posters, lobby cards, pressbooks,
soundtrack, and home video art covers. Filmmaker John Harrison appears in an
easy to locate Easter egg in the trailer gallery discussing the Screwdriver
Zombie scene (: 58). Biographical notes on Filmmaker Dario Argento are present
on the third disc too.
The
fourth disc is labeled “Documentaries” and includes Roy Frumke’s
“Document Of The Dead” courtesy of Synapse Films. ."Document
Of The Dead" (91:37) is one of the best behind the scenes exploration of
the creative process that goes into making a "Genre" film I have ever
seen. It features great interview clips with Writer, Director George A. Romero
too. Mr. Romero is wonderfully articulate and shows no signs of being conceited.
We get a very close-look into the creative process from Mr. Romero's
screenwriting style, his filmmaking sense, and more. We also get a step-by-step
look at the filmmaking process with scenes from the original "Night Of The
Living Dead," "Martin," and "Dawn Of The Dead," and
even the Dario Argento collaboration "Two Evil Eyes."
There
are also film and videotaped interviews with George A. Romero, Tom Savini, and
Richard P. Rubinstein. The feature length audio commentary with “Document Of
The Dead” Director Roy Frumkes is not included on the fourth disc so if you
want hear it, you’ll have to buy the Synapse Films DVD release, which also
features a few more bonus features not included in this DVD set. An all-new
documentary entitled “The Dead Will Walk” (75:04) features brand new
videotaped interviews with much of the cast and crew of “Dawn Of The Dead”
and was directed by Anchor Bay Entertainment’s DVD Producer Perry Martin.
There is a brief glimpse at a script page from the upcoming fourth film in
Romero’s “Dead” series that fans will want to freeze-frame and read
onscreen. On-set home movies narrated by Zombie extra Robert Langer (3:25) and a
recent Monroeville Mall tour with Ken Foree (11:28) is also included on the
fourth disc in the set. The Easter egg on disc four features a Buddhist Monk’s
thoughts on “Dawn Of The Dead” (1:08) and wraps up the bonus features within
the set as a whole.
“George A. Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead: Ultimate Edition Divimax Series” DVD box set is available now at retailers on and offline from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2004 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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