Product Description

Red Dawn opens with one of the most shocking scenes ever filmed; on a peaceful morning, through the windows of a high school classroom, students see paratroopers land on the varsity football field: the invasion of the United States has begun! As their town is overrun by foreign nationals, eight teenagers escape to the mountains. Taking the name of their high school football team, the Wolverines, they wage unremitting guerrilla warfare in defense of their parents, their friends and their country. Powerful, chilling and absolutely gripping, this outstanding film features some of today's most popular stars, including Patrick Swayze (Ghost), Charlie Sheen (Platoon), C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher), Lea Thompson ("Caroline in the City"), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (Alien). When it comes to thrilling entertainment, Red Dawn wins the war with a vengeance!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3474 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2007-07-17
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Collector's Edition, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Russian, Spanish
• Subtitled in: French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 114 minutes

Amazon.com
The Ronald Reagan 1980s were all about going back to the future--rewriting the past to better suit Reagan's upbeat vision of the present. So, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo (a psychotic, shell-shocked Vietnam vet in the original film, transformed into a flag-waving hero in the sequel) was able to go back to Southeast Asia and "correct" history by decisively (and single-handedly) winning that messy ol' war on behalf of America. Red Dawn is a paranoid cold-war cautionary tale that presents us not with a rosy alternative past, but with an ominous vision of the future, metaphorically plopping a piece of Russian-occupied Afghanistan into America's back yard. In this celebration of the Second Amendment, storm troopers from the Evil Empire descend upon the inadequately defended United States and hold America hostage. Stealthily avoiding the invaders, a motley group of red-blooded, small-town, gun-toting teenagers go underground to form the Wolverines, a guerilla resistance squad dedicated to making those Russkies rue the day they parachuted onto U.S. soil. It's a darn good thing those kids had the right to keep and bear arms, huh! Written and directed by macho filmmaker John Milius, the self-described "Zen fascist" who also cowrote Apocalypse Now, as well as the horrifying shark story Robert Shaw tells in Jaws. The cast includes Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey (a few years before she and Swayze took up Dirty Dancing), Charlie Sheen, Powers Boothe, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ben Johnson. Red Dawn was a commercial success, although audiences invariably split into two camps, finding it either patriotic or appalling. Whatever your verdict, the film remains a telling reflection of its era. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews

Some of these reviewers need to watch the movie again!
I remember watching this movie when it first came out on VHS. As a kid, I thought it was a frightening movie, a possible scenario of World War III. After buying the DVD and watching it again, I must say that it still stirs emotions in me. This depiction of an attack on U.S. soil is possible, but improbable. To watch this movie and say that the events shown could NEVER happen is foolish and ignorant.

One previous reviewer asks what happened to NATO in the movie. Well, if the reviewer had paid attention, NATO had dissolved in the movie. Another IMPORTANT detail that some reviewers left out was the nuclear attack on most bases and federal headquarters. The communists did not just take all their planes and tanks and just march in. A nuclear "first-strike" was initiated to throw the U.S. completely off-balance. Powers Boothe, who plays a downed F-15 pilot, explains all of these events to the kids that are now acting as guerillas in the movie. As someone who served in the Air Force as a missle launch control officer, I got to see how strategies like the ones portrayed in this movie could work.

The whole story in this movie is about Russians and Cubans (along with Nicaraguans) invading the U.S. and how it affects the lives of some high school kids. These kids become "The Wolverines". Named after their high school mascot, they become guerillas, slowly taking out small enemy installations and equipment. They do not single-handedly destroy all the commies as some other reviewers think that was depicted! There were other guerilla units, too.

The film portrays war in a somewhat negative light, but preserves patriotism and acknowledges the legitimacy of the Second Amendment. I highly recommend buying this DVD because of that! The only blemish that it has is the sound quality. I expected better sound with Dolby Digital and DVD quality.

First movie with a Pg-13 rating. . Ive listed what special features the new version has below.
Red dawn is a classic 80s movie from writer director John Milius. Milius also co wrote the screenplay for the brilliant Apocalypse Now which he shared an oscar nomination with Frances Ford Coppola.
I also learned this was the first movie to get a Pg-13 rating from the mpaa after public outcry of the violence in pg rated movies such as Indiana Jones and the temple of doom, and Gremlins.(movieweb)
I own about 1200 dvds and i actually do not have this one, so i will splurge and get this new collectors edition. I've listed some info below about the new version i found on the internet hopefully it helps. Thanks for reading.

Collectors Edition DVD

Release Date: July 17th, 2007
Edition: Collector's Edition DVD
Format: DVD
MPAA Rating: PG13
Studio: MGM
UPC: 027616081315
Production Year: 1984
Special Features:
Red Daw Rising - a retrospective look at the making of the film.
Building the Red Menace - what it took to make "World War III"
Military Training - this piece explores the extensive training that the actors had to go through in order to become convincing guerilla fighters
WWIII Comes To Town - This piece goes back to Las Vegas, New Mexico and finds out from locals and extras what happened when 'Red Dawn' came and turned their hometown into the fictional town of Calumet, Colorado and the center of World War III.
Genre: Action

Poledouris' Ode to Military Machismo on Steroids
Tapped again by director John Milius, Basil Poledouris brought more to the table than he probably should have when he wrote the score to RED DAWN. Like their previous collaboration (CONAN THE BARBARIAN), Milius's approach to moviemaking is good guys wear white/bad guys wear black--a pretty boring canvas for a composer to paint on.

But Poledouris pulls some dramatic cues here. From the main title entry, where french horns and sweeping violins are supported by a sinister basso thread, Poledouris makes his statement: this ain't no regular shoot-'em-up score, folks. While the action cues ("The Invasion," "Wolverines") deliver just what they should--rousing semi-martial marching music--other cuts reveal a deeper, forlorn harmony that can evoke great emotion on the part of the willing listener. "The Drive-In" firmly stands out in this score as a Poledouris benchmark, only to be superseded by the surprisingly touching "Flowers." Mixing a blend of electronics and conventional orchestral maneuvers, Poledouris captures the pain and loneliness the film's beleagured freedom fighters face, in between attacking Russian APCs with rocket-propelled grenades.

All in all, it's a good listening experience if you're searching for high-octane adventurism.