This is it! The first ever Dawn site on the net to list every single difference with the Argento Cut! Below you will find a description of all the changes and where they occur in the film. Now - although I have spent days scribbling down what I think is different, I'm sure there are some faults. However this is only due to the fact that I have watched the three main edits hundreds of times, so it is very difficult to distinguish the alternate takes! Also, my DVD player on which I made the comparisons may have a faster/slower counter than others so times may not always be correct.
I have compared Argento's Cut to the Directors Cut as this seems to be more well known to Dawn fans. So, as Peter says, "Enjoy!".
0m00s: Credits in different type font
0m44s: We see the curly haired employee say "My turn with the coat!", instead of hearing her off screen
6m09s: Shot of the SWAT vans turning on their flashing lights
6m22s: The old guy with the SWAT leader (with loudspeaker) says "Looks like they're really going to try to fight us"
8m21s: We see the same old guy saying "Masks for gas" instead of just hearing him
10m42s: In the appartment raid, Roger and another SWAT member are battling with a zombie with a huge afro - Roger whispers "On the couch, throw it on the couch"
11m36s: After the above scene, Roger asks the fellow black SWAT guy "You alright?" to which he replies "Yeah."
14m05s: A significant scene in the basement sees the priest say to Peter and Roger "These are simple people, they have little, but they do not give it up easily. The dead, they give up to no-one."
14m57s: The SWAT team kicks open a door that unleashes loads of zombies. However in this cut, there is nothing there to begin with and we see the soldiers looking around. All of a sudden, the zombies shoot out
16m03s: When Peter is disposing of the zombies ('Respect in dying' scene), there is an alternate scene of two zombies fighting over a limb
16m26s: In the same scene we see two zombies pulling flesh from limbs
18m08s: Longer scene of Stephen looking around the dock office
18m38s: Scene extension - Stephen says "Hello HQ this is police dock. Operator dead, post abandoned. Repeat- operator dead, post abandoned." The guy at the other end asks him to identify himself.
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE, THE ENTIRE DOCK SEQUENCE WHERE STEVEN IS HELD AT GUN POINT IS OMMITED. THERE IS NO HINT THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE ABOUT.
19m59s: In the helicopter, Stephen says "We're pretty low on fuel, just waiting for full light so we can see what we're landing in."
21m42s: Alternate angles of the helicopter flying over the redneck zone.
22m21s: When refuelling the chopper, Stephen asks 'Where the hell are they going?'. Peter responds by saying quietly 'Where the hell are WE going?'.
22m43s: The camera holds on Peter for a while before he turns the lights on, as opposed to him simply flicking them straight on with his gun.
23m01s: Alternate angle of Peter walking to the small table with a cup of coffee.
26m07s: Alternate angle of the helicopter landing.
28m06s: While looking through the mall skylight, we actually see Peter take out his flashlight. He then proceeds to talk about the Civil Defense water supply boxes down below.
26m07s: Alternate scene of Peter kicking open the door to the stairwell.
33m49s: When Peter is trying to unlock the door to Penneys, Roger shoots a zombie in a yellow shirt. There is an extra scene where Roger shoots it in the head again, blowing the back of its head away.
35m16s: When inside Penneys, alternate takes of Peter tring on a ring and picking up a radio.
35m25s: Peter takes a leather bag and a small TV, Roger takes a wallet.
35m37s: Peter and Roger pick up some hardware.
40m02s: When Stephen comes out of the stairwell and is attacked by zombies, Peter has another line of dialogue: 'Run right through em, we gotta lead them away from here!'.
43m27s: When Peter is trying to get into the elevator shaft we actually see Stephen get '...that stool over there'..
44m26s: When the three are climbing back through the shaft, Roger looks down at the gun shop and says 'Jesus'. Peter says 'I know I've seen it, come on'.
44m41s: Still in the shaft, Roger says to Peter 'Man I sure hope you know where you're going buddy'. Peter says 'This is it, come on'.
46m02s: Alternate angle of Peter wheeling the trolley back to the stairs.
46m10s: Peter and Roger hear Fran screaming when they get to the stairs and both look at each other.
46m57s: After Fran is rescued, Peter looks down the corridor and says to Roger 'Looks like we're going to be OK.' They then unload the wagon.
47m07s: This is a substancial scene extension and does not appear on either of Romero's cuts. It takes place when the three guys are listening to the radio and Roger asks what the hell time it is (even though he himself has a watch on!). The radio says that Philly has been knocked out.
ROGER: 'Philly.'
STEPHEN: 'I know GON's out by now. That place is a mad house back there. People are crazy. If they just organise! I can't believe they let it get this bad, I can't believe they couldn't handle it! Look at us. Look what we were able to do today. Knocked the shit out of them, they never even touched us. Not really.
PETER: 'They touched us good Flyboy, we were lucky to get out with our asses, you don't forget that. You underestimate those suckers and you get eaten. They've got one, big, advantage over us. They don't think. And that bunch out there, that's just a handful. Any everyday there's going to be more.'
STEPHEN: 'Those things can be stopped so easily! If people would just listen, do what has to be done!'
PETER: 'How about it Flyboy - lets say the lady gets killed. Would you be able to chop off her head?'
This scene was obviously cut by Romero because, certainly in my opinion, it makes Peter and Stephen's relationship seem incurable, making the audience wonder how they came to become such good friends in the end.
52m20s: The scene on the Mall roof the next day with P, R and Steven talking about the trucks. This is longer than both of Romero's cuts and goes like this:
STEPHEN: 'Are you sure we can start them?'
ROGER: 'You haven't spent enough time on the street!'
PETER: 'Lets get it up. Not too many of our dead friends around yet this morning.'
FOLLOWING THE SCENE ON THE ROOF, ARGENTO OMITTED THE ENTIRE FIRST TRUCK SEQUENCE. THIS SCENE SIMPLY BEGINS WITH ROGER AND PETER SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER 'THREE MORE!'. ARGENTO OBVIOUSLY DID NOT LIKE THE HUMOUR IN THIS SCENE.
55m02s: After parking the first truck, the 'Three More!' scene is extended:
ROGER: 'Like a fuckin' charm man, like a fuckin' charm!'
I hate this scene more than any other as the white van in the background is given even more screen time!
59m14s: Alternate helicopter angle.
1h02m52s: After Roger is bitten on the leg, there are some extra scenes in the truck.
PETER: 'Can you walk on it now? CAN YOU WALK ON IT NOW?!?
ROGER: 'Damn right I can! Damn right!'.
1h04m45s: In the gun shop: PETER: 'You just out there cissy's, we're coming, and we're ready!'
1h05m50s: The scene when Peter aims at a fat zombie through the scope of his rifle is different - we see him line up the sights with the zombies head.
1h06m24s: In Penneys when Peter and Steven are discussing the best course of action:
PETER: 'Alright, the toughest part will be getting past these right here.' (this line appears in the Directors cut too)
STEPHEN: 'It's a long haul down to the entrance.'
1h08m16s: The scene where Roger gets into the VW car is longer; we see him climb through, unlock the doors and then start hot wiring it.
1h08m39s: In the car Peter asks Roger 'You alright?' to which he responds 'Yeah I got it.'
1h11m42s: Peter says to Steven: 'The duct runs all the way into the washrooms. We'll have to get in and out of that way. We'll bring up any more big stuff before we put up that wall.'
1h16m27s: When they are shopping, Stephen takes a longer look at coats.
1h19m19s: Roger's panic attack is lengthened.
1h24m50s: This is the scene when Fran and Steven are eating in the restaurant. Argento opted for different music too:
STEPHEN: 'Gotta surprise for you.'
FRAN: 'What?'
STEPHEN (puts out both of his hands): 'Come on, pick a hand!'
FRAN: 'That one!'
The scene then resumes as normal.
1h27m22s: Scene extended when Fran makes herself up.
1h28m46s: When the looters are eyeing up the mall, Blades flicks out a comb. This scene is extended in a humourous way which contradicts Argento's beliefs about humour:
BIKER: 'Comb?'
BLADES: 'Yeah, you never seen this before?'
BIKER: 'Weird.'
1h31m30s: Extended shot of the bikers riding down the road at night.
1h32m18s: We are given a little more insight into the tactics of the looters here. The tommy gun man tells other bikers: 'I dunno, maybe a hundred, maybe two. Not too much to worry about.'
IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE ABOVE, THERE ARE A COUPLE MORE (MINOR) VARIATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE ALTERNATE ANGLES OF BIKERS. HOWEVER EVERY NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE IS LISTED ABOVE.