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So glad this is finally available via streaming purchase: George Romero’s absolutely perfect and brilliant zombie movie DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). In my opinion, this movie is the absolute pinnacle of zombie movies. It’s intelligent, brutal, suspenseful, realistic (I know zombies don’t exist, but work with me)... and it’s all about survival. It’s way better than the show that copied it: THE WALKING DEAD. In two hours and 36 minutes... it achieves what THE WALKING DEAD has not yet achieved in eight seasons. Honestly... I think it’s brilliant. Tonight’s repeat viewing ( it had been over ten years)... only seals my opinion.
The zombie outbreak is in its infancy...and the media is in a frenzy. Local police / swat outfits are unleashed to deal with a situation they still don’t fully understand. There is confusion and upheaval. We are witnessing panic, violence, and body counts are rising. We see a national guard team going through a tenement building and some of the officers are psychologically losing their bearings and going off half cocked with killing the creatures (and innocents). Two of the officers hook up with two tv staff employees and make their escape from the dangerous location in a news helicopter. They fly for hours, and witness how widespread the outbreak is. They also see how homegrown militias have come out of the woodwork to kill zombies everywhere for sport. The main characters are dealing with an unprecedented event (much like we are with Covid) and you see them slowly becoming emotionally and physically scarred with the experience. The four eventually come upon a large mall and they decide to temporarily land there to look for food and supplies. The majority of the film is about how they survive in the mall... they set up a base, lock up the facility (including blocking the exits with large shipping trucks), clean the place out of zombies, and settle into their new home. There are several action set pieces... it never gets boring... and we live vacariously through the perfectly cast characters. Romero shot this almost guerrilla style... perfectly composed shots that are clear but in a way that makes it seem like you’re there with them. It’s not like reality tv is... it’s like you’re there next to them. It gets claustrophobic at times but there are many wide shots to give a sense of the enormity of the mall. The characters find food, clothing, weapons, appliances, money, wine... everything they need. They create a home. They become complacent. And then they lose it all when a motorcycle gang finds out they are in there. Their panacea is utterly destroyed.
There are several themes... consumerism is the big one. The zombies mindlessly seek places they used to frequent when alive. Shots of zombies are interspersed with store dummies... and you wonder who is who. The shipping spree is fun at first, but eventually even being able to satisfy your every want gets tiring. What point is there if the world has gone to shit?
The characters are likeable, different from each other, and three dimensional. The pilot is an idiot who learns from the two male national guardsmen. The fourth member is the pilot’s girlfriend, who we soon learn is pregnant. I could write a book about how these characters are representative of everyday people, and what’s interesting is how they each deal with the outbreak in their own way. The female changes throughout the movie... at first she’s helpless... but she grows and becomes more assertive. She’s also intelligent... she fights for a say in what the guys are doing.. she insists on being taught how to fly the ‘copter... and she learns how to use weapons. All while dealing with a pregnancy.
There are many poignant scenes... many haunting scenes... and as the characters slowly tame their environment, the menace of zombies subsides. At least until the motorcycle gang shows up. Then anarchy erupts... the barriers are brought down, and we are reminded in a big way that these zombies are brutal uncaring destroyers that will eat you alive.
The mall is a character. And the characters explore every nook and cranny... the main areas, the employee areas, the facility areas, the rooftops, storerooms... and long lonely corridors. It’s especially interesting because malls are basically going the way of the dinosaur. So this movie captures a snapshot of a certain time and a certain place... the mid to late 70s... period music, period locales... it’s just utterly perfect. I lived this time period as a kid... the mall was important to us growing up. Toy stores, Waldenbooks and B. Daltons... the big retailers like JC Penney and Sears... there may soon be a day where these companies disappear. I miss it, and this movie makes me want to hit a mall and just wander like the zombies do.
I could go on but I think (hope) you get the picture. This movie is perfect. I remember being scared of the poster as a kid and thinking I’d never ever go see that movie. I had no idea what it was about... it just seemed like a dangerous movie from the poster. Eventually... in my mid to late 20s... I finally saw it. And I was hooked.
Lastly... sure the zombies are not as realistic as those on the WALKING DEAD... but in my mind... ever since I saw this movie... I’ve become convinced that the only true zombies are the ones that are BLUE like they were on the original DAWN OF THE DEAD. Period.
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Reviews with images
The Dead arrived!
Been years, actually decades since I have seen this one! This disc didn’t disappoint at all and looks and sounds great! I was worried about how this thing was shipped, in a bag, but arrived intact!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
Been years, actually decades since I have seen this one! This disc didn’t disappoint at all and looks and sounds great! I was worried about how this thing was shipped, in a bag, but arrived intact!
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Top reviews from other countries
Blobbinses
Almost Perfect. Missing one last thing...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2020
Blobbinses
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2020
Studio : Second Sight Films
ASIN : B0892HW4F3
Number of discs : 7
Ok, so the people buying this most likely know the film like the back of their hand anyway so I won't bore you with yet another synopsis of the movie at hand. This review is about what the product has in it, compared to previous releases.
So, the first 3 blu ray discs are the film, in 3 versions:
The Original Theatrical Cut (127 mins)
• NEW 4K scan and restoration of the Original Camera Negative by Second Sight at Final Frame New York and London supervised and approved by DoP Michael Gornick
• Presented in HDR10+
• Audio: New restoration of the original OCN Optical presented in Mono 1.0, Stereo 2.0 and 5.1.
• Commentary by George A. Romero, Tom Savini, Christine Forrest
• NEW commentary by Travis Crawford
• NEW optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired
The Cannes Cut ( basically I think this is the director's cut at 137 mins long )
• Produced using 4K scan of the Theatrical Cut Original Camera Negative and 4K scan of the Extended Cut Colour Reversal Internegative
• Presented in HDR10+
• DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
• Commentary by Richard P. Rubinstein
• NEW optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired
The Argento Cut (120mins)
• 4K scan of the Interpositive by Michele De Angelis at Backlight Digital, Rome
• Audio: DT-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 / Surround 5.1 / Stereo 2.0
• Commentary by Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Emge
• NEW optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired
NOTE, sadly this collection does NOT contain a blu ray ( or otherwise ) transfer of the "MALL HOURS CUT" ( 157mins. <-- this version edits in every last second of footage from various releases around the world and is the one to own if you want to see EVERYthing ) which is kind of a shame, but I understand why it isn't here, because it's really a fan - edit and not an official release of the film.
If you DO want a blu ray version of Dawn of the Dead ( Mall Hours Cut ) you can actually buy it on blu ray ( it's actually bluray quality too, not a crummy, thrown together VHS print, just slapped on a bluray disc ) you'll need to hunt down a ( pretty expensive ) 4 Disc blu ray collection from XTVideo in Germany/Austria(?) and that will have it on there. The packaging on that set is all in German, but don't worry, all the versions of the film and extras have English Audio on them too.
Back to this Amazon item review:
BLU-RAY DISC 4: SPECIAL FEATURES
• NEW Zombies and Bikers – With John Amplas, Roy Frumkes, Tom Savini, Christine Forrest, Tom Dubensky, Tony Buba, Taso Stavrakis and a whole host of zombies and bikers! (59 mins)
• NEW Memories of Monroeville
A tour of the mall with Michael Gornick, Tom Savini, Tom Dubensky and Taso Stavrakis (34 mins)
• NEW Raising the Dead: The Production Logistics (25 mins) With Michael Gornick, Christine Forrest, John Amplas, Tom Dubensky (23 mins)
• NEW The FX of Dawn with Tom Savini (13 mins)
• NEW Dummies! Dummies! – An interview with Richard France (12 mins)
• NEW The Lost Romero Dawn Interview: previously unreleased archive interview (20 mins)
• Super 8 Mall Footage by zombie extra Ralph Langer with option of archive commentary by Robert Langer and new commentary by Ralph Langer (13 mins)
• Document of the Dead: The Original Cut (66 mins)
• Document of the Dead: The Definitive Cut with optional commentary by Roy Frumkes (100 mins)
• The Dead Will Walk 2014 Documentary (80 mins)
• Trailers, TV and Radio Spots (TBC)
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
This is actually some pretty exciting news for mega fans of DotD, because Second Sight Films have really gone to town with finding the music cues that have never been commercially available before, outside of things like the incredibly hard to find and expensive De Wolfe Library. They haven't just slapped the old Trunk Record's Unreleased Incidental Music into the packaging, they've actually gone and found a whole tonne of previously unavailable cues. Not ALL of them, but A LOT of them.
These have probably been around on the net, in various places, for a few years now, but it's fantastic that this company has provided us with CD quality versions without the need to go hunting on forums etc.
AUDIO CD DISC 1
• The Goblin Soundtrack – The usual official Goblin Album of 17 tracks including Alternate and Bonus Tracks
01 - L'alba Dei Morti Viventi
02 - Zombi
03 - Safari
04 - Torte In Faccia
05 - Ai Margini Della Follia
06 - Zaratozom
07 - La Caccia
08 - Tirassegno
09 - Oblio
10 - Risveglio
11 - L'alba Dei Morti Viventi (Alternate Take) [CD Bonus Track]
12 - Ai Margini Della Follia (Alternate Take) [CD Bonus Track]
13 - Zombi (Sexy) [CD Bonus Track]
14 - Ai Margini Della Follia (Alternate Take) [CD Bonus Track]
15 - Zombi (Supermarket) [CD Bonus Track]
16 - L'alba Dei Morti Viventi (Intro — Alternate Take) [CD Bonus Track]
17 - Zombi (The Living Dead's Voices!) [CD Bonus Track]
AUDIO CD DISC 2
• Dawn of the Dead: De Wolfe and Hudson Music Cues (Part 1)
01 - Cosmogony Part 1
02 - Dramatic Moments No.1
03 - Sinestre
04 - Dramatic Moments No.2
05 - Violence
06 - Cosmogony Part 3
07 - Eclipse
08 - Dark Forest
09 - Cause I'm a Man
10 - Figments
11 - Dynamise 65
12 - Cosmogony Part 4
13 - The Mask of Death
14 - Cosmogony Part 2
15 - Victorian Vintage
16 - Queka
17 - Scarey I
18 - Scarey II
19 - Zap
20 - Spinechiller
21 - Violent Payoff Version 2
22 - Waiting For the Man
23 - Flossie
24 - Neurotic Bird
25 - Desert De Glace
26 - Dank Earth (Part 1)
27 - Red Sequence
28 - Barrage
29 - Face At the Window
AUDIO CD DISC 3
• Dawn of the Dead: De Wolfe and Hudson Music Cues (Part 2)
01 - We Are the Champions
02 - Ragtime Razzamatazz
03 - Tango Tango
04 - Fugarock
05 - Sonata
06 - El Chaco
07 - Dramaturgy Part 1
08 - Night Life
09 - Sun High
10 - Cantando
11 - On His Own
12 - Mechanical High Jinks
13 - Dramaturgy Part 2
14 - So Fantastico
15 - Violence Sting 1
16 - Caverne De Glace
17 - Dramatic Moments No.3
18 - Deserted Vaults
19 - Action Pack
20 - Kadath
21 - Proud Action
22 - Dramatic Moments No.4
23 - The Gonk ( Sadly doesn't end like the film's credits with the clock tower chimes and zombie moans etc, but i'm nitpicking )
NOTE: These cues are sometimes edited down from the full original pieces of music, to the cues in the film itself, to give context to what you're hearing, rather playing the entire piece of music that has only 30 seconds of a DotD cue in the middle of it, that was used in the film.
So that's 69 pieces of music and edited cues from the various film releases. So not complete by any means but all the important stuff is in there, like Victorian Vintage ( turning on the mall power ) and Cantando ( melancholy classical guitar piece ) and the superb Fugarock ( part of the shopping music scene ) etc...
Plus you also get
• Rigid box with lid featuring the original iconic artwork
• Two inner digipaks
• Dissecting the Dead – 160 page hardback book featuring 17 new essays, archive article and George A. Romero interview plus original marketing, artwork and merchandise images and behind-the-scenes stills.
• Dawn of the Dead: The novelisation book by George A. Romero and Susanna Sparrow with exclusive artwork
Overall kinda expensive maybe, but not too bad at all, considering what they've put into the package. The music cues alone, make this release a really cool edition for your DotD collection. The DotD novelisation is a HQ paperback and the Dissecting the Dead book is hardback and includes colour images through the middle section of it. Photos of various behind the scenes and paraphernalia, relevant to the film and it's original release.
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Paul Baker
Dawn in 4K, AWESOME!!
Reviewed in Australia on February 20, 2024
Paul Baker
Reviewed in Australia on February 20, 2024
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ヒー
購入して良かったと思った１枚です！
Reviewed in Japan on November 14, 2019
ヒー
Reviewed in Japan on November 14, 2019
Amazonマジック発動中です。
このブルーレイのレビュー以外に、ＤＶＤや粗悪な３Ｄ盤のレビューまで一緒になっています。
レビューを参考にして購入を考えている人は、十分に注意して読んでください。
しかし何とかならないモノでしょうか？Amazonさん！
さて私が今回購入したのは、ドイツのゾンビ・ファンが、ダリオ・アルジェント版をベースにディレクターズ・カット版と米国劇場公開版の３本を編集し直して製作したという、幻の１５５(156)分バージョンの最長版。
ＤＶＤは２枚組で、プロの機材を使って編集している様子を記録したメイキングまで収録されているモノです。
ちなみに今回のブルーレイは、本編のみの収録です。
ＤＶＤは、スタンダード画面にビスタサイズという上下に黒い枠があるモノでしたが、このブルーレイはビスタサイズ収録。
ＤＶＤは、リージョンが違うしＰＡＬ盤なので、オールフリーの再生環境を持ったプレイヤーがないと再生出来ません。
現在でもこのＤＶＤは、購入可能です。
しかし今回のブルーレイは、日本の機種でも再生可能なフリーのブルーレイ。
Amazonさんから届いて再生するまでは、16,000円を超える高額商品だったので、見てガッカリするのではないかと心配していましたが、結果はその逆でした。
ＤＶＤは、日本のファンには聞き慣れないドイツ語だけだったのに対し、今回のブルーレイは英語版も選択できます。
そして何と言っても画質が良かったこと。
ＤＶＤとブルーレイの差だよと言われそうですが、それ以上のように見えました。
レストアもされているのではないかと思うほど、ＤＶＤの画質とは違ってフィルム・キズも目立たない画質でした。
また、国内盤の他の３種類のブルーレイと画質を比較してみましたが、他のブルーレイと殆ど差はありません。
しかし３本を再編集しただけあって、色合いがかなり違う連続するシーンもあり、気になる人には向かないかも知れません。
ただし、映画『ゾンビ』のために撮影されたカットが、全て繋ぎ合わされて見られるという幸運に、各シーンの色の差や画質の違いはあまり気にならないというのが、ゾンビ・ファン（ダリオ＆ロメロ・ファン）の本音です。
とにかく買って損はなかったと言うのが自分の感想です。
ファンの人にしか分からない感覚かも知れませんが、私は高額でも満足しています。
と言うより、購入出来るうちに購入しておかないとプレミア商品間違いなし感がある一枚だと思います。
ケースは、スチールブックの特別仕様で、ケースの表面は一段の段差が有り、その段差に厚みのある立体カードが固定されているモノです。
少し動かして見ると３Ｄ感が際立ちます。
と言うことで、問答無用で５つ星とさせて頂きました。
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