It seems like it was only a few months ago that we were reviewing the Anchor Bay Divimax re-release of George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” on DVD… wait, it was just five months ago (March to be exact)! Now, with Universal’s 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead” a few months shy of release Anchor Bay has delivered what it has billed as the ‘Ultimate Edition’ of the ’79 version of “Dawn” on a four-disc DVD Box Set. The U.S. Theatrical version that was released in March returns unchanged, along with two additional versions (‘Extended’ and ‘European’) and a boatload of additional commentary tracks, documentaries, still galleries and lots of other bonus goodies.
In the commentary track for the Divimax “Dawn” DVD (the end of Ch. 6 and the start of Ch. 7) the participants joke that there are approx. 10 versions of the movie floating around, and that a DVD Box Set would be released with all of them and they’d have to come back to comment on each of them. Anchor Bay hasn’t gone that far, but it’s clear the company is dipping this movie more than Louie Anderson eating lobster at Sizzler. It stinks to high heaven for those of us that bought the Divimax “Dawn” DVD in March to have to shell another $40 for this ‘Ultimate Edition.’ But, for hardcore Romero fans or casual horror fanatics patient enough to have waited, this is it. This is the end-all, be-all DVD release of “Dawn” that you’ve been waiting for, one worth its weight in cold hard cash.
Since there’s very little difference between all three versions of “Dawn” here’s a slightly-modified recap of the film plagiarized from my own review of the Divimax version released last March. I’ll cover specific differences for each version under ‘The Disc’ section below.
If you liked the new “Dawn of the Dead,” you’re going to at least be amused by how well (or bad depending on your tastes) George A. Romero’s original version of “Dawn” stands next to its flashier successor. Released theatrically without an MPAA rating back in 1979, “Dawn” continues on the same time frame in which the original b&w “Night of the Living Dead” played back in the 1960’s (and which “Day of the Dead” also used in the 1980’s!). The dead are coming back to life, and neither authorities nor the TV people can give a satisfactory answer to the growing frustration of a population under attack.
Chaos and anarchy gradually take over the land, and a group of four human survivors (two S.W.A.T. officers, a helicopter pilot and his pregnant girlfriend) take refuge in a shopping mall overrun by zombies. TV and radio are down, but at least they have a helicopter with a little bit of fuel on the roof in case there’s a need to escape at the last minute. Once they clear the mall of zombies these four survivors (David Emge’s Stephen, Gaylen Ross’ Fran, Ken Foree’s Peter and Scott Reiniger’s Roger) live off the stores at the mall. They consume all kinds of items for survival and pass the time enjoying the best material possessions that the American consumer society has taught its citizens to accept as happiness. You know, like when George W. Bush suggested after the 9/11 attacks that people go out and shop to help in the war on terror (!)
But I digress! Hundreds of undead zombies remain outside the shopping mall in which our heroes have been stuck in for months. It’s as if a lifetime of consumerism indoctrinated into the undead since youth has given way to a primitive urge to gather into the equivalent of the old American town’s center square. Then a bad of roving bikers (led by Tom Savini, the make-up man responsible for “Dawn’s” outstanding horror effects and buckets of gore), traveling from place to place to survive, decide to crash into the mall and steal its supplies instead of sharing them with those living there. You thought dead-on-undead attacks were childish and stupid? Wait ‘till you see the human heroes the movie has stuck us with fighting like children over the only thing left for them to fight over: a freaking mall.
Though there are enough blown heads, spilled intestines and bloody sights to keep gore freaks happy with both versions of “Dawn of the Dead” the ’79 original captures the isolation and loneliness from living inside a mall far better than the ’04 version. In the new version the decision to leave the mall in search for a better place comes suddenly and unexpectedly. Romero’s original relishes ramming its anti-consumer message and isolation down the viewer’s throat. The movie is sometimes long and dull because the director wants us to experience how spiritually empty the survivors feel even after achieving the equivalent of materialistic nirvana under pressure. This tedium actually works in lulling viewers into dullness until the zombie carnage arrives in droves, which quickly gets the adrenaline flowing and the audience’s sides splitting from laughing so hard.
So, which “Dawn” movie is better? I personally love them both, and have to admit to being unable to view this ’79 version as highly as I used to after seeing how well the new version of “Dawn” mixes “28 Days Later”-type cinematography with today’s best computer and make-up effects. Still, this horror movie has withstood the test of time well because today’s society is even more consumer-driven and materialistic than 25 years ago. The mall, its stores, the products inside them and how they affected the humans living in them (as well as the zombies outside trying to get in) were the real stars of the film. The updated version was wise to retain that metaphor as a reminder that horror movies can have ideas and brains to go along with the spilled guts.
Lots of credit for this movie’s success has to go to Tom Savini’s make-up craftsmanship and enthusiasm for the project. Though nowhere as accomplished as his latter work for 1985’s “Day of the Dead” Savini’s work has made Romero’s “Dead” trilogy a rite of passage for cinema buffs the world over. The ‘guts’ scene at the end of the movie still grosses the hell out of yours truly even after seeing it many times. Nothing in the ’04 “Dawn” comes close to it, but I have yet to see the unrated version of the remake. Who knows? A classic horror flick might just be hiding underneath the ‘R’ version’s limitations we were exposed to in theaters last March.
The Disc:
There are four “Dawn” discs to get through, so let’s get started. The first one is the same U.S. Theatrical version that was released last March as “Dawn of the Dead (Divimax Edition).” Here’s a slightly modified recap of what I thought of that disc’s technical specs when I reviewed the DVD five months ago:
The Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) Video Transfer is sharper and more detailed than its letterboxed predecessor. A few specs of dirt notwithstanding the new and improved flesh tones (on both the undead as well as the dead characters) really stand out. While this is good it sometimes backfires by showing how poorly-applied the make-up is on some zombies. Watch the zombies’ neck areas to see where Savini & Co. stopped applying the now-infamous ‘blue’ paint and normal skin tones are clearly visible. The reddish guts spilling all over the mall’s marble floors, on the other hand, have never looked grosser or nastier (prettier to some). Typical of Anchor Bay’s high standards when it comes to sound (“Suspiria” anyone?) the movie’s soundtrack has been remastered into English DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 and Original Mono with predictable results. DTS is a notch cleaner and more robust than Dolby 5.1 (though not by much), 2.0 are fine and the monoaural track will pacify purists. The usual hindrances associated with updating old soundtracks to today’s home theater standards still apply (muffled-sounding voices and Foley effects, etc.). Overall this is the best “Dawn of the Dead” has ever looked & sounded.
There are even English Closed Captions for heaven’s sake (an improvement over Anchor Bay’s strict ’No Subtitles of Any Kind’ policy) as well as a heck of an entertaining Commentary Track moderated by a certain Perry Martin. George A. Romero (writer/director), Tom Savini (horror make-up wizard) and Chris Romero (assistant director) bitch, laugh and seem to have a good time remembering details and anecdotes about what it was like to work in 1978 to get “Dawn” ready for 1979. After that we get your typical filler bonus stuff: Theatrical Trailers, TV & Radio Spots, a small Poster & Advertising Gallery Poster, a George A. Romero Biography (similar to the one in Anchor Bay’s “Day of the Dead” Divimax release) and a Comic Book Preview (AKA shameless plug).
OK, now on to the Extended Version disc which isn’t a Director’s Cut (the U.S. Theatrical cut is the one Romero regards as his vision). It lasts 12 minutes longer (139 min. vs. 127 min.) and has a few additional instances of gore (more intestines!) but also a lot of unnecessary filler material that was wisely deleted from American theater exposure. Ch. 18, for example, has inserted a ‘life in the mall’ montage after Fran returns Stephen the engagement ring but before ‘Flyboy’s’ classic look of blandness after sleeping with his girlfriend. This montage expands further on the deteriorating relationship between Stephen and Fran (who is now seen looking for maternity reading material), but it’s redundant and dull. It’s nice to have the goriest parts of “Dawn” in one neat package though (even if they’re short and inconsequential to the main plot), but after seeing this Extended Version I’ll stick with the U.S. Theatrical version as my favorite.
The inserted 12 min. of footage looks a little bit softer than the original 127 min., but overall the Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) Video Transfer is as sharp and clean as the previous Divimax release of “Dawn.” This version disappointingly comes only with an English Dolby Digital Mono Soundtrack and no subtitles, but also has a cool Commentary Track with Producer Richard P. Rubinstein (moderated by Anchor Bay’s own Perry Martin) that talks as much about the ’79 “Dawn” movie as the ’04 remake. There are a few dead spots (no pun intended!) but hearing Rubinstein get mad at Martin for referring to “Dawn” as a ‘cult movie’ (complete with sales figures of 55,000 VHS units for “Dawn’s” 1982 home video debut) is the highlight of the track. There’s also a 28 sec. ’Monroeville Mall Commercial’ and a Still Galleries section sub-divided into Production Stills (99), Behind-the-Scenes (96) and Memorabilia (47).
Disc 3 houses the European version of “Dawn” that most countries outside of the United States know as “Zombie” (hence the confusion with the Lucio Fulci movie that has the same name in the States but overseas is known as “Zombi 2”). It lasts 8 minutes less than Romero’s cut (119 min. vs. 127 min.) and features the modifications that Italian horror icon Dario Argento wanted to make “Dawn” less of a satire on consumerism and more of a straight horror experience. I could only spot one brief piece of footage (Fran running to the bathroom to throw up) not present in the other versions. The zombie that has the top of his head cut off by the helicopter blades is missing. Ditto for the nun caught in the department store door that Fran frees, or the closing credits shots of the zombies overrunning the mall. Argento also replaced all of Romero’s library music selections with wall-to-wall Goblin tunes to the detriment of the film’s mood, IMHO. The classic scenes where Stephen and Peter saddle up in a gun store to the beat of jungle chants (Ch. 14) and the men drive through the mall locking its doors (Ch. 16), in particular, have been emasculated from their power in this version.
This European version of “Dawn” is a Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) Video Transfer that looks on par with the other two versions. English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Surround and Original Mono Soundtracks are included, along with a Commentary Track that reunites the four principal actors to reminisce about their experiences 25 years prior (and since). Like most DVD commentaries involving actors the atmosphere is loose and the joking remarks legion. When Ken Foree (Peter) is teased by the other actors for sounding/looking like Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne (’I wish I had their bank accounts’ Ken replies) you can’t help but laugh along. Worth a listen, especially if you end up not liking Argento’s version of “Dawn” as a horror flick. There’s an Easter egg too easy to spot for me to give away that, when clicked, will lead to a short interview with an actor that played one of the most memorable zombies in “Dawn.” You can find it in one of the Extras section (but which one??!! :-P).
Also included: Three Theatrical Trailers (one Italian and two German), Two U.K. TV Spots (’Certificate X’) and a Posters & Still Galleries subdivided into Posters (11), Lobby Cards (60), Pressbooks (73), Soundtracks (20), Video Covers (89). Keep in mind the material in this disc is meant to cover the international version of “Dawn.” I personally found the Laserdisc and Betamax video covers of “Dawn” fascination, but I digress. Like the U.S. Theatrical version’s biography of George Romero, this European version has a deep Dario Argento Bio.
Finally, Disc 4 packs four documentaries that will satisfy anyone that can’t get enough “Dawn.” ’The Dead Will Walk’ (75 min.) is a documentary produced exclusively by Anchor Bay for this DVD with the collaboration of just about everyone involved with the movie that’s still alive. Heck, even such minor but memorable actors as ‘Machete Zombie’ (Leonard Lies) and John Harrison (‘Screwdriver Zombie’) get their time in the spotlight. Kudos to Anchor Bay for also securing the rights to footage and archival pictures of what the participants are talking about in their interviews. When George Romero mentions ‘The Tales of Hoffman’ as the movie that made him want to become a filmmaker we see a clip of it. When Gaylen Ross talks about the Russian acting teacher she consulted with to improve her performance we cut to a picture of the aforementioned instructor. While this documentary has the hindsight of 25 years of history behind its creation Roy Frumkes’ ‘Documentary of the Dead’ (91:36 min.) was shot around the time “Dawn” was made and released. Except for loads of padding via footage from other movies (particularly Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” prequel) this is an interesting time capsule of what behind-the-scenes access to filmmakers was like before “Entertainment Tonight” and “Access Hollywood” f***ed everything up. Lots of cool making-of footage, most of it interesting because the participants weren’t in it for fame or money.
Rounding out the disc are Bob Langer’s On-Set Home Movies (13:23 min.) and Monroeville Mall Tour (11:28 min.). The former are Super 8mm silent films (with recently-recorded commentary by Mr. Langer, a zombie in the movie) shot during the making of the movie that are also featured in the ‘Dead Will Walk’ documentary. The latter was digitally recorded recently by Greg Nicotero (special make-up effects guru for “Evil Dead II” and the “Kill Bill” movies) on a trip back to the place where the movie was made. Led by Ken Fortee and some of the actors from the flick as they guide a group of fans, the trip shows that whole sections of the mall (the stairs, the steam room, the little bridge near the fountain, etc.) haven’t changed at all since “Dawn” was shot there 25 years prior. Last and certainly not least, a 28 Page Color Comic Book is included. It recaps the story of the movie up to the point where the four survivors reach the mall roof for the first time. A nice touch that might (emphasis on might) generate some sales for the 104 page graphic novel that IDWPublishing.com is selling. Check it out!
bottom line:
This is it zombie freaks. This is THE DVD release of George A. Romero’s ”Dawn of the Dead” to own without worrying about future re-releases. Picture quality and sound are excellent (except for the Mono only track in the Extended version disc!), and the bounty of bonus material spread over four discs (three commentary tracks, two lengthy documentaries, hundreds of stills, etc.) a big giant cherry on top of a bloody good movie. Worth the cash and highly recommended IF you're at all within the spell of Romero's cinematic skills.
By - J.M. Vargas
