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For years fans have been waiting for a decent Dawn DVD - we've had the US Directors Cut with only trailers as extras, the US Theatrical Cut (only marginally better) and the UK Directors Cut (commentary the only decent extra). But while both the UK and USA are just getting people to waste their money, Dutch Filmworks are trying to offer value for money. In 2000, a new Dawn of the Dead DVD was released, and a very interesting disc it is. On this page you will find every bit of information you could possibly want on this edition, and get my overall opinion on it. To all US surfers - this disc is region free, so you won't need a modified player in order to watch it! THE PACKAGING The cover for the disc was copied from the UK Directors Cut DVD and VHS, although the back is different with a list of the extras and Dutch text stating what the film is about. Inside we are treated to two discs with a nice print of the poster zombie and a great mini-booklet reflecting on the entire dead trilogy. This also gives us a brief background of Romero's career before he made Night and offers some interesting behind the scenes info.  THE EXTRAS Well, it seems like you get a wealth of extras here, although if truth be told they aint all that great: Disc One
- Romero's 139 min Director's Cut in non-anamorphic Widescreen - Chapter Selections - One Radio Spot - Five Television spots - Photo Gallery - Trailers from UK & USA Disc Two
- Dario Argento's European Cut in fullscreen presentation Both sides have subtitling in Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish. My Opinion This set seems like it has almost everything - Argento's cut is like watching a remake it is so different. Although the music score in this edit is poor to begin with, giving the audience a sense of comedy rather than fear, it gets better later on and resorts to smooth jazz tunes instead of the awful pipe music in the mall and a rock soundtrack for the bikers raid. The only disappointment with this version is that it is not in widescreen, although that isn't a major problem as the original print is in fullscreen anyway. The sound on both versions of the movie claims to be in Dolby Digital, although no work appears to have been done on it as it still remains mono. The criticisms with this boxset though are 1) The chapter stops (there are only 9) meaning that each scene lasts about 15 minutes, 2) The average picture quality, especially on the Argento cut. The crisp visuals show up every scratch and bubble on a tired and used print here, making dark scenes quite hard to make out, 3) The lack of a commentary, 4) Neither discs are in anamorphic widescreen, 5) There is no Monroeville Mall commercial spot, 6) The menus are very basic with no animation. To conclude, this is a pretty good boxset. Although it seems incredibly extras-heavy on the packaging, the only real standout extras are the talent files, Document of the Dead and, obviously, the film. It would have been nice if the theatrical cut was included but for the time being, this will have to do. So, take my advise and get this while you can. The ultimate edition from Anchor Bay is not out until late 2003 so this is the best version you can buy up until that much-awaited day! If you are interested in buying a copy, expect to pay around £30/$50 for it on eBay.com. |
