Comparison of Dawn of the Dead versions

This article is a comparison of several different versions of the 1978 horror film, "Dawn of the Dead". "Dawn of the Dead" has received a number of re-cuts and re-edits, due mostly to Dario Argento's rights to edit the film for international foreign language release. The film's director, George A. Romero, controlled the final cut of the film for English-language territories. In addition, the film was edited further by censors or distributors in certain countries. This article compares only the most widely available versions of the film.

U.S. theatrical version

This 127 minute cut is the version that Romero considers to be the definitive cut of the film. Romero's cut focuses primarily on character development, and differs only slightly from his original extended cut of the film played at the Cannes Film Festival. Most scenes are nearly identical, though they are trimmed and re-edited in such a way as to maximize their pacing. The audio differs slightly as well, combining parts of the Argento-favored Goblin soundtrack and the library stock music found in the "Director's Cut", as well as switching various other audio effects. The US theatrical cut was also released in the UK and Canada, but with a majority of the gore edited or cut out. It was released in its entirety on laserdisc in Japan. It has been reissued via Anchor Bay Entertainment numerous times, including their "Ultimate Edition" box set in 2004.

Extended version

This version was the 139 minute cut of the film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Often mistakenly called the "Director's Cut", Romero still considers the US theatrical cut his definitive cut. This was the first version that Romero and company screened for an audience in New York City to get a sampling of public reaction; producer Richard Rubinstein has claimed that he preserved this cut because it was a complete version. This cut was distributed by Cinema 4 in 16mm without mention of its differences, and was often a surprise to viewers on college campuses before its official video release. Romero contends that this cut originally existed at over 3 hours, though no such version is available today. This was strictly a rough cut rushed into completion, though it often rivals the tighter-paced theatrical cut in popularity. Fundamentally, the two are the same, differing only in the pacing and the use of more stock music over the Goblin soundtrack. It features several scenes not seen in the US theatrical version, including an extension of the dock scene and Joseph Pilato as a policeman that Stephen encounters after finding a dead body. It has been packaged as a "Director's Cut" numerous times, including in a 1994 Japanese laserdisc. This extended version was released on home video via Anchor Bay Entertainment and was reissued as part of their "Dawn of the Dead Ultimate Edition" box set in 2004, which included the previously issued Monroeville Mall TV commercial as a bonus. An earlier CAV laserdisc edition of this cut was published by Elite Entertainment and contained the first audio commentary for "Dawn of the Dead"; this edition is now out of print and the commentary was re-recorded from scratch for the Anchor Bay release.

European version

Dario Argento's 118 minute European "Zombi" cut differs greatly from both US versions. Argento specifically recut the film to meet the expectations of the European market, removing much of the character development and dialogue in favor of playing up the action-and-violence aspects of the film. The "Zombi" cut relied heavily on the film's comic-book adventure aspect, with the numerous edits removing much of Romero's underlying subtext—a fact that Romero acknowledges when he states Argento never really understood the film. In addition, Argento also removed most of Romero's stock cues and music, replacing them with the Goblin soundtrack, and included more classically-flavored music over the music heard in the mall. Though this version has a shorter running time, it features extensions and recuts of scenes not seen anywhere else, including an ending that removes the final montage sequence for a sparse, black backdrop. In certain countries, Argento's cut was re-edited even more, removing most of the gore in favor of a lightweight adventure film. It was issued as part of Anchor Bay Entertainment's "Ultimate Edition" box set in 2004 and separately as "Zombi: Dawn of the Dead" in 2005.

Japanese versions

The Japanese version distributed by Herald Films saw heavy cuts to Argento's European version, with censors removing practically all instances of violence and gore. Essentially, this version would have amounted to a PG-13 rating in the US — most of the violence was cut around, with the film pausing until the offending frame had passed, while the audio of the scene continued to play. An interesting difference is that this version begins by explaining that the zombie holocaust is the result of a meteor exploding over the atmosphere, releasing radiation. Herald Films felt that the lack of explanation would confuse viewers, but it also removes the ambiguity that Romero had created. The film also premiered dubbed on Japanese television, cut even more heavily, with the soundtrack replaced with that of "Suspiria" and billed Argento as director. Upon massive complaints, this version was never shown again. In 1994, a "Zombie: Dawn of the Dead Perfect Collection" laserdisc was released by Emotion Video, featuring both the "Director's Cut", as well as Fulci's "Zombi" uncut.

Krekel's "ultimate final" version

The name of this version refers to Oliver Krekel who owns the German DVD company "Astro", an underground label that specializes in re-releasing movies that have been banned in Germany. This version runs 156min (PAL) and is often called the "Ultimate Final Cut", as Krekel edited together material from every available version. Although this is by far the longest version of "Dawn of the Dead", it is despised by many fans as the pacing is much slower and has a less than professional German language soundtrack.