World Famous Comics: Dawn of the Dead - The Original Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)
Dawn of the Dead - The Original Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)
Starring: James A. Baffico, Fred Baker (II), Ted Bank, David Crawford, Jesse Del Gre Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Color, DVD-Video, HiFi Sound, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Starz / Anchor Bay Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Letterbox Region Code: 1 Release Date: October 28, 1997 Running Time: 128 minutes Theatrical Release Date: May 24, 1979
Amazon.com: George Romero's 1978 follow-up to his classic Night of the Living Dead is quite terrifying and gory (those zombies do like the taste of living flesh). But in its own way, it is just as comically satiric as the first film in its take on contemporary values. This time, we follow the fortunes of four people who lock themselves inside a shopping mall to get away from the marauding dead and who then immerse themselves in unabashed consumerism, taking what they want from an array of clothing and jewelry shops, making gourmet meals, etc. It is Romero's take on Louis XVI in the modern world: keep the starving masses at bay and crank up the insulated indulgence. Still, this is a horror film when all is said and done, and even some of Romero's best visual jokes (a Hare Krishna turned blue-skinned zombie) can make you sweat. --Tom Keogh
To live and die in zombie land I haven't seen every single zombie flick in existence. But Dawn of the Dead is by far my favorite from what I've seen. I like almost everything about it. It seems so realistic if this was to happen. I would be just as stunned to see the dead coming back to feast on me.
The characters are very likable in the way that they are so down to earth. The writing was done very well and the acting is very solid. You have city folks trying not to lose their sanity in this war with the dead. While country hillbillies is havin' the time of they life using the zombies for target practice. And just when you think the zombies is the worst threat. The living proves to be just as dangerous or more.
I love the gore in this flick too, even though the age shows. The zombies take some real good nibbles and are seen lunchin' on legs. You just can't beat that. The only flaw I can find in this movie is the make up for the zombies. They don't look too menacing in this one.
Romero's trilogy is by far my favorite of the zombie films I seen. I can watch them all day. Those who are interested in getting into zombie films really can't go wrong with these films.
Classic! Part 2 of the NOLD series and a true classic at that too and one of my favs. I love seeing and playing this film every chance i get. If your a true fan of classic horror this will no doubt be on your shelf. Highly Recommended!!!
LONG LIVE/KILL THE DEAD!!! Wow, I enjoyed "Night of the Living Dead", but this has got to be the best zombie movie ever (unless you count "Planet Terror"...) and I have watched this movie over and over and over...The best thing: THIS VERSION COMES WITH THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE COMIC, 3 VERSIONS OF THE FILM, AND A WHOLE UNDEAD MORE!!! This is a must-see if you are a horror fan of any type.
Looking Back At The Cinematic Effect Of Dawn Of The Dead Even though George Romero is credited with the birth of the modern-day zombie in 1968, it's real debut can go all the way back to 1932 with White Zombie featuring Bela Lugosi. But I think what Romero introduced that got him the credit was the zombie's cannibalistic need of living parts, be it flesh or brains along with the disease factor of if you get bitten alive you'll end up walking dead like them. It also didn't hurt to be one of the first films to have a multi-racial cast featuring an African-American as group leader which of course in '68 was pretty rare indeed. Yeah, Night Of The Living Dead deserves this honor even if technically it isn't quite true.
But it wasn't until almost ten years later Romero really put the zombie in pop-culture with the much heralded Dawn Of The Dead in 1978. This film took the trapped survivor scenerio of NOTLD up a notch by putting in the more modern day setting of a typical American pleasure, the indoor shopping mall. DOTD, while offering pretty much the same living character design, this time made the zombies more in number, appearance, and graphic actions. It was this film with instead of it's shades of gray now bursting in bloody color that put the Zombies on the map permanently. It's a great film that not only fleshes out the characters at a good pace (though at times it does seem a little too detailed in that department), but truly shown that zombism has no cultural bounds. Not only did the Americans just eat up this new genre, but on the opposite side of the world, Europeans did so even more, especially the film-making members of Italy.
When Romero wanted his film to be presented over there, he enlisted the help of Italian filmaker Dario Argento to re-edit it for Italian audiences. Argento slimed down bits of comedy & slower dialouge, gave it a faster soundtrack, and changed it's name to Zombi. This may have been one of the most important effects this film ever could of have. Not only was the film an even bigger success overseas, but it inspired many Italian filmmakers to continue what Romero started. Before Romero even thought of his 1985 third installment Day Of The Dead, Italian director Lucio Fulci brought a year later his unofficial (yet honored by Romero himself) sequel called Zombi 2. This film showed what the worldwide Zombie outbreak was doing half a world away from that mall. But this time the zombies were far more graphic and the gore and pacing were turned up by leaps & bounds. It was this film along with Dawn that gaveway for the Italian Zombie craze of the 1980's. Like how the Italians created their own successful version of the classic American Western ten years earlier, they once again did it but with our Zombies. What followed was a barrage of great Zombie films that never seemed to be carbon copies of Romero's then two classics, but new ways of defining the genre. Unfortunately by '85 with Day Of The Dead, Romero seemed to be beaten at his own game by them with Day's lackluster audience response (though over time, it in itself has become the classic it deserves). But all of this couldn't of happened without Romero & his original update of Dawn Of The Dead. It was that film that launched a thousand ships filled with the living dead.
...And now a review of the 2004 DVD Ultimate Edition Anchor Bay release:
Without a doubt, this is one of the most exhaustive releases any one film has ever received, and it's completely deserved. The film that started the Zombie craze that still lives to this day, gets an amazing FOUR disc set that shows you every little piece of it's history and formations. With this set you get THREE different versions of the film: the US theatrical, the extended Directors Cut, and the rare Dario Argento European cut known as Zombi. Each version has it's own merit and differences that never, ever feels like release overkill. All has been fully remastered to the hilt, with different commentaries for each equally entertaining (though it would have been nice to have an Argento one for the European cut). No lack of movie presentation here, you get it all.
Extras? Wow, you got them! Documentaries, commercials, trailers, stills, photos, home movies, easter eggs, Jeez this thing is packed! In fact, I couldn't even think of what it's missing. All enclosed in a great box-set with wonderful artwork and an errie front cover to boot. C'mon, it even comes with a comic book, for cryin' out loud! Now I know Anchor Bay/Starz is known for double-dipping their audience, but it has never been as necessary as this one. If you own any of their previous releases, sell them and add it to the pot to get this. Something of this quality to me has only been seen for a franchise, not a single film release, so you can tell just how impressive this set is. So if you're a fan of any level to the original Dawn Of The Dead, or the genre of Zombies itself, your collection is NOT complete till you own this. I personally have never given a DVD release a full 10 before, and I feel once you get this you might do the same.
Dawn of the Dead (Divimax Edition) The original Dawn of the Dead is scarier than the remake, this was the second or third cult film of the George Romero's Zombie movies (although the word "Zombie"" is never said in any of his movies). Good to see Tom Savini in both the original and the remake of "Dawn of the Dead". Another great horror film!
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