Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74560 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-25
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 118 minutes

Customer Reviews

Good Bet for Zombie Fans
I'm assuming you already know the basics of "Dawn of the Dead" and are trying to decide if this version of the film is for you. This is "Dawn of the Dead" as it appeared in Europe in the 1970s. I can think of two main reasons why you would choose this version over the single disk American version of "Dawn of Dead." Firstly, if you first saw this movie in Europe, you'll probably want the exact version you remember. Dario Argento slighly re-edited the film to correspond to European tastes, and this is probably more to your liking. Secondly, if you are a fan of the Italian rock band Goblin, you will probably like this version of "Dawn of the Dead" more because Argento uses more of their music in the score than George Romero did. For example, whereas Romero used stock library music as the Muzak playing on the PA system in the shopping mall in the film, Argento has lounge-style music played by Goblin instead. Otherwise, to me, it's a toss-up. I was surprised, however, that there was no Italian-language version of the dialogue available as an option on the soundtrack.

I'll leave it to the die-hard pundits to argue over whether this is a "better" or "worse" version of "Dawn of the Dead." By today's standards, this isn't a very gory film and the original "Night of the Living Dead" is much more frightening. But, to me, "Dawn of the Dead" captures a growing sense of dread and doom that few other horror or science fiction films even attempt to address. That's why I think this is a worthwhile movie to see, especially for people dismissive of fantastic films as a genre.

As a bonus, there's a lively and amusing commentary track featuring the four lead actors of the cast. They're having a great time watching their film and sharing their memories. It's one of the warmest commentary tracks I can remember experiencing.

Argento Cut
for the real fan of Dawn of the Dead...
...this is the same disc of Ultimate Edition, but for the collector is a must have...the new sleeve and the poster sheet inside, with dvd chapter.

A New Look At An Old Classic
I remember sneaking into the theater for a midnight screening of Dawn of the Dead .For years the American Theatrical release was all there was to view .But I had heard that one of my favorite directors ,Dario Argento , had a different edit and soundtrack but the same basic movie for Europe .I can't decide on which version I like the best .I like that Zombi fleshes out the characters a little more and that the humor is toned down .The tension between the news and police characters is palpable at times .There are some extended scenes ,additional ones and even some shortened ones .They work .I didn't find myself saying the original was way better ,or how dare he re-edit this movie .Zombi has a more fatalistic feel to it than Dawn does .Even the soundtrack by Goblin gives off a more headlong down the hill feel to it .I have recommended this to people I know .