Dawn of the Dead European Version

[Philly_SWAT]

I know that there are many of you here that are in Europe. Yesterday I watched the Euro version of Dawn again, and again had the sure feeling that it is the lesser of the three versions. The only thing that I like about it better is the extra scenes and dialogue that do not exist in the other two. I could swear that I heard people say that they actually prefer the Euro cut to the other two. Is there anybody here that thinks this is the best version, and if so, can you offer me some compelling arguments as to why?

[EvilNed]

Somebody kill me, but I've actually only seen one of the cuts and I'm not sure which one it is! The running time is 126 minutes, according to this site Memorabilia section (It's the HGV version).

[erisi236]

3 parts of the Euro cut that I liked

1: Peter saying "where the hell ARE we going" (or something to that effect) whille at the airport

2: Peter saying "Not too many of our dead friends today" whille planing to block the doors with the trucks

3: Peter (again) smileing whille the bikers use pies on the zombies :D

honourable mention goes to Roger finishing off that zombie he shoots in the gut when they are trying to get in the first store

[MinionZombie]

My version of choice is the extended cut - first one I saw and it's the one I've seen most. Got the Ultimate DVD, the theatrical cut is good, but I miss a lot of the added detail the extended cut has. The european version is funky because there's a whole bunch of new footage/music/editing to enjoy - kinda makes a familiar film new territory again. I'll have to watch it without the commentary on and properly view it.

[Moon Knight]

The Euro version is my least fav. Here are my points of interest.

1. The cellar scene with Peter and Roger is extended with a bit more gore.
2. There is a bit more dialogue that was left out as well.
3. On the flip side there were tons of lines that were left out, like Peter saying "Wake up sucker..."
4. The music during the biker raid was just horrible.
5. Overall, it's not bad, but I just can't watch it over the other two versions.

[dogma789]

Post deleted.

[MaximusIncredulous]

It seems there's too much Goblin in the Euro cut and by the end of that version, it feels like some sort of hokey action movie. The Ami cut is the best in terms of music and editing. It feels just right.

[Svengoolie]

I only own the US Theatrical cut.

Is there an "ultimate" version that has every bit of footage, used and un-used?

[dmbfanintn]

I own all three, and have seen all three many times. My favorite is the US theatrical version as it just seams to keep the pace better and the timing seams tighter.

I do enjoy a watch of the Euro version ocassionally, I think because it offers new ground.

I have been a fan of Dawn for 20 years or more and knew every line of that movie. I never even knew any other cuts existed until the internet came about in the mid-late 90's.

When I finally got my hands on a copy of the Euro version, I was pleasntly surprised to find the movie that I knew and loved so much in an entirely different light.

It was like watching an entirely different movie, but you knew what was going to happen.

It was so interesting to see and hear all those scenes and bits of dialog that were cut out of the US versions. Dawn of the Dead would have been a really long movie had they left all the footage in. I heard one time that the initial cut came in at around 3 hours :eek: I would love to see that!

As far as scene and dialog, I love all of the stuff inArgento's version that GAR cut out, but I particularly love two scenes. The first being the extended dialog scene in the tenament basement, when the priest says, "These are simple people, but they do not give up easily, and thier dead, they give up to no one! I like that one.

I also like when Peter says, "How bout it Flyboy, let's say the lady gets killed, would you be able to chop off her head?"

ct....

[imamazed]

I don't which version I have!!!

It says its the uncut version. I live in the UK. It is around 140 minutes i think. Am I missing anything!!! I alsyways thought this was it.

[Craig]

I have no idea which version I own.

It's this one: http://play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/179173/Dawn_Of_The_Dead/Product.html

[MinionZombie]

If it's 140 minutes then it's the "Extended Cut", otherwise known in the UK as the "Director's Cut". However, GAR maintains that the true "Director's Cut" is the "Theatrical Cut" (which clocks in at around 2 hours) because they released it unrated so he didn't need to sacrifice his vision.

I've got the "extended cut" (labelled as "Director's Cut") on BMG video, the release from the late 90's. I've also got the region 1 "Ultimate DVD", which has three versions of the film on ... I've still to get my hands on the German cut - which not many have seen, which clocks in at 156 minutes. It's like the Extended Version shagged the European Cut and gave birth to the German beast...I think. :p

[idsaluteyoubub]

If it's 140 minutes then it's the "Extended Cut", otherwise known in the UK as the "Director's Cut". However, GAR maintains that the true "Director's Cut" is the "Theatrical Cut" (which clocks in at around 2 hours) because they released it unrated so he didn't need to sacrifice his vision.

I've got the "extended cut" (labelled as "Director's Cut") on BMG video, the release from the late 90's. I've also got the region 1 "Ultimate DVD", which has three versions of the film on ... I've still to get my hands on the German cut - which not many have seen, which clocks in at 156 minutes. It's like the Extended Version shagged the European Cut and gave birth to the German beast...I think. :p


WHA WHA WHA WHAAA?! There is a 156 minute German version? Why has it never come out in the States or the UK? Why wasnt that included in the Ultimate Version (which I own)?!

I am very :mad: right now. I really want to see that cut!

[Monrozombi]

the 156 minute version is all in German, pretty funny dubbing if you ask me. its almost a spliced together version of the "Directors" and Argento cuts. It was only released in germany....so far, its actually pretty funny to watch

[Philly_SWAT]

Yes there is. Unfortunately, I think it exists in German only. It is referred to as the German Red Edition. I dont know why Anchor Bay has not figured out that there is money to be made by making an English version of all 156 minutes.

[Hawkboy]

It seems there's too much Goblin in the Euro cut

AMEN! By the end of the film you ae ready to cut your wrists if you hear the same three pieces of music again!!! Argento just missed the boat with the european cut. He didn't understand the subtext and allegory at all hence it's glaring omission from the european cut.... just one of many reasons why I can't stand that guys films. Although I should admit the begining is well done!

[Trancelikestate]

AMEN! By the end of the film you ae ready to cut your wrists if you hear the same three pieces of music again!!! Argento just missed the boat with the european cut. He didn't understand the subtext and allegory at all hence it's glaring omission from the european cut.... just one of many reasons why I can't stand that guys films. Although I should admit the begining is well done!
yeah definatly wayyy to mush of the same music. i just watched it for the first time the other night and it was good in the sense of new things. maybe one day there will be an extended, extended version? with left out footage from all of em? that would be cool. yeah there is a lot more dialog it was strange. i like when steven's head gets big and says how could they fail so easy? look what we did here today. and peter sets him strait and says you slip up for one second and your dead!

[MinionZombie]

There is the 156 minute German cut, although that's only in German, and I believe it was the work of a fan, nothing official. It combines the Extended Cut and the European Cut.

[creepntom]

i finally watched the euro version of dawn. while i enjoyed the more character depth & the extra gore, i didn't like certain edits that were made, I.E. the helicopter head chop, parts of the semi retrievals, etc.,

i'll stick with the us version & the extended version

[capncnut]

I agree, the overuse of Goblins music on 'Euro' tarnishes what is otherwise an interesting cut. As for the German 'Hardcore' edit. It's definitely not an official version and was deleted from sale over there a while back. Plus it's not 156 Mins (even though the case says so), it's more like 154 Mins. What I want to see is a brand new special edition that combines all 3 versions sensibly, chuck in some re-recorded sound effects (i.e. realistic gun sounds) and give the film a proper clean. I own The Ultimate Edition and I don't think ONE of the versions are up to the digital standard that we've come to expect from movies these days. I saw 'Deep Throat' the other day and even that looked cleaner. And that's a porno! C'mon guys, give this flick some f***in' respect, man!

I read an interview with Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid creator) who was talking about his love of Dawn and how he wanted to make a game about it someday. He stated that when he first saw Dawn at a Japanese cinema in the early 80's, it had an opening scene where you see debris from space (Venus Explorer perhaps?) impacting on Earth and causing the dead to rise up from the ground. Obviously, if this scene actually exists, it wouldn't have been shot by GAR but probably by some shoddy Japanese filmmaker whose boss felt it neccessary to explain the entire thing afresh. As much as it goes against the whole 'unburied dead' argument, I still find it intriguing and would like to know more. Any info?

[Minerva_Zombi]

I like Goblin. I think the music works in areas, but it definatly feels like a whole other movie. I do like it better than some of the cheesy library stuff. But, i do think the U.S. versions are better. but, argento is still a genius.

[Loneshamber]

Yes there is. Unfortunately, I think it exists in German only. It is referred to as the German Red Edition. I dont know why Anchor Bay has not figured out that there is money to be made by making an English version of all 156 minutes.

Yea seriously. When I first read wikipedia's page on Dawn, I was suprised to read about the "Ultimate" cut that exists in Germany. Unofficial or not, I would love to see what the movie is like with all of the filmed scenes in one movie. Anchor Bay should ready up this version for Dawn's 30th anniversary next year. They'd be happy to know we'd buy a movie we've already purchased twice from them (original release, and the "Ultimate" release with all 3 versions) because they know we'll buy it anyway:D

[Cody]

I gotta catch up and watch those other versions-

[Andy]

I own a 156 min cut in english, and it is the best cut ive seen.

:p

[capncnut]

Bollocks. The conciseness of the theatrical cut is perfect. All other versions don't cut the mustard in my eyes, they are nice for the bonus scenes etc but Dawn ain't about that... it's the experience. I've seen and own ALL versions, the theatrical is the best. End of.

[ngm231]

i need to pick up the extended cut, ive never seen it,
as for the european cut, it was alright, but nothing special.

[acealive1]

I know that there are many of you here that are in Europe. Yesterday I watched the Euro version of Dawn again, and again had the sure feeling that it is the lesser of the three versions. The only thing that I like about it better is the extra scenes and dialogue that do not exist in the other two. I could swear that I heard people say that they actually prefer the Euro cut to the other two. Is there anybody here that thinks this is the best version, and if so, can you offer me some compelling arguments as to why?


thue music kinda kills it for me because its used over and over....other than that its nice. but there needs to be one HUGE cut with all scenes in one movie.

[DEAD BEAT]

I know that there are many of you here that are in Europe. Yesterday I watched the Euro version of Dawn again, and again had the sure feeling that it is the lesser of the three versions. The only thing that I like about it better is the extra scenes and dialogue that do not exist in the other two. I could swear that I heard people say that they actually prefer the Euro cut to the other two. Is there anybody here that thinks this is the best version, and if so, can you offer me some compelling arguments as to why?

Dude im with u there!

As i have posted before i think its mainly due to the cheesy music and some horrible editing!

It makes you think when you look at other euro zombie flicks that are terrible: what might they truely been like if remixed here in the states to appeal to a wider audience!

I think that is very evident when you compare the euro version of Dawn with the theatrical release!
I do not think Dawn would have had such an impact on people if not for that cut!
:cool:

[darth los]

Like everything in life there are pros and cons. I'd have to say the biggest pro are the extra and extended scenes. The biggest con by far is the soundtrack. I mean what were they thinking!?! I know they had to tailor it to a european audience, but it really detracts from the film in my opinion.

[panic]

Different running times... not necessarily more footage.

I once heard that because of slight differences in frame-rate and running time that European and American versions of films can run different times without having different content.

Anyone heard of this?

/panic

[MinionZombie]

Different running times... not necessarily more footage.

I once heard that because of slight differences in frame-rate and running time that European and American versions of films can run different times without having different content.

Anyone heard of this?

/panic
Yeah, that's just how it is, for instance a PAL version of a film will appear to be shorter than the NTSC version (NTSC = American, PAL = European), but there is no difference in the copies at all. PAL appears to be shorter as it runs 4% faster than NTSC.

[darth los]

I'll have to watch it without the commentary on and properly view it.


The commentary on the european cut is done by the four actors in the film and is by far the most entertaining.

[MinionZombie]

The commentary on the european cut is done by the four actors in the film and is by far the most entertaining.
I know ... cos I watched it with the commentary. :lol:

You need to get some glasses or attention pills, Darth. :p

What I was saying was I should watch the European Cut without the commentary to really give that version a proper viewing. With a commentary on, it's like trying to watch a film with a load of people talking in the room...although the commentary was great stuff.

[RustyHicks]

Like Mini said, the commentary was good.
It's not the best cut out there. The music gets on my nerves after a while, they cut some of the scenes out. The only thing I liked was the added scene, especially where Peter tells Stephen off, after he gets arrogant and thinks that he could handle the zombies.

[darth los]

Like Mini said, the commentary was good.
It's not the best cut out there. The music gets on my nerves after a while, they cut some of the scenes out. The only thing I liked was the added scene, especially where Peter tells Stephen off, after he gets arrogant and thinks that he could handle the zombies.

I showed that scene to somebody who's been a fan of this film for over 20 years and they were amazed. It's pretty cool to view "lost footage".

[RustyHicks]

Yeah it is, especially when you've seen snip bits of it on the International trailers that came with the Extented version VHS a few years back and you're going..."Now where the heck did that come from?" lol

[darth los]

Yeah it is, especially when you've seen snip bits of it on the International trailers that came with the Extented version VHS a few years back and you're going..."Now where the heck did that come from?" lol

That's also a very good observation. The commentary they were doing was of the european cut. We all know that there's extra stuff in there as well as things that were cut. Maybe they had never seen that version before.

[Neil]

The Euro version is my least fav. Here are my points of interest.

1. The cellar scene with Peter and Roger is extended with a bit more gore.
2. There is a bit more dialogue that was left out as well.
3. On the flip side there were tons of lines that were left out, like Peter saying "Wake up sucker..."
4. The music during the biker raid was just horrible.
5. Overall, it's not bad, but I just can't watch it over the other two versions.

The Goblins music during the cellar scene is great!

[darth los]

The goblin score to that film is awesome. too bad they used the same 3 or for pieces of music over and over. :( (eurocut)

[RustyHicks]

Yeah, the goblin music, repeating over and over again was just a little too much for me. I kind of missed the music George used, especially when the elevator doors open to reveal a zombiefied Stephen:elol:

[darth los]

It detracted from the movie somewhat for me. I've been used to the same music to the same scene for like 15 years. Then when i saw the euro cut it just seemed out of place for me. Not that goblin isn't awsome though. :D

[EvilNed]

Didn't Goblin also compose music for the theatrical cut? Is there just more of it in the Eurocut?

[darth los]

yes they did do music on the theatrical cut but there were other tracks as well. it's just that in the eurocut the score was almost exclusively goblin. Most if not all the library tracks that we've grown to love were repalced if memory serves me correctly.

[EvilNed]

I ordered the box set with all three films plus the Eurocut. So I guess I'll get to see it during this week. And the Cannes cut. I've only seen the theatrical.

[darth los]

I ordered the box set with all three films plus the Eurocut. So I guess I'll get to see it during this week. And the Cannes cut. I've only seen the theatrical.

Welcome to the party pal!! :D

Seriously, when i got it i paid $50 for it and it's worth every penny.

[MinionZombie]

I got it when it came out, ended up paying about £32 for it thanks to it being too big/heavy/bulky or whatever for gheay-old fussy customs, so I had like 12 quid of import duties and postal handling to pay on top of it. I wasn't best pleased, friggin' customs & exise. :mad:

But the four-discer really is the Dawn DVD to own, no questions asked.

(and yes Darth, I know you agree. :p:))

[EvilNed]

Just watched the Cannes version. To me, it was more or less the theatrical cut but with the Joseph Pilato scene added in and some (not all) Goblin music removed from the film added with boring stock music. In all honesty, they're more or less identical to me. But the theatrical had more Goblin music, especially in the beginning of the film, which I liked more.

Haven't seen the Eurocut yet. And probably won't for some time.

[darth los]

Just watched the Cannes version. To me, it was more or less the theatrical cut but with the Joseph Pilato scene added in and some (not all) Goblin music removed from the film added with boring stock music. In all honesty, they're more or less identical to me. But the theatrical had more Goblin music, especially in the beginning of the film, which I liked more.

Haven't seen the Eurocut yet. And probably won't for some time.

You should get into the euro cut as it has numerous scenes and dialouge the others don't have. i think the theatrical cut is the tightest version of the three and if i was showing someone the film for the first time that's the one i'd probably show them.

[CapnRhodes]

Thought someone would want to see this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNF6ug7TekU

I cut this scene so it features all footage from the directors and the european cut.

I also added words at the bottom to indicate which is which

[Bubdotd]

I have this movie added in my collection, its good.

[darth los]

Thought someone would want to see this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNF6ug7TekU

I cut this scene so it features all footage from the directors and the european cut.

I also added words at the bottom to indicate which is which

Thanks cap that was cool. :cool:

[dracenstein]

I have the BMG Director's Cut.

Hadn't seen that bit with Roger shooting his gut-shot zombie in the head before. I'll have to get that version.

Hope somebody releases the 'complete' version, in widescreen with commentaries.

[MinionZombie]

BMG Director's Cut? On video or DVD?

I have it on video (with the airport zombie on the cover). Got it on my 15th birthday. It was called the director's cut, but as GAR himself said in an interview with SFX magazine just before it was released, it's is not a "director's cut", it's actually just the Cannes Cut AKA the Extended Cut (one of the versions on the 4-disc "ultimate edition" Dawn DVD).

What GAR considers to be his director's cut is what is otherwise known as the "theatrical cut".

The BMG release in the UK of the "director's cut" (extended cut) was cut by 6 seconds, back when the BBFC were still a bit iffy about violence (but was later released uncut on newer DVD releases). The head explosion (from Willy's shotgun) was taken out, so was a snippet of the black woman getting bitten I believe, and the kids at the airport was chopped significantly. Instead of unloading a clip into them, Peter only appears to fire two shots and he's done.

A member here is working on a full version (longer than the German boot leg which ran for 156 minutes apparently), so we'll see what's what from there.

Also, the BMG release, certainly on video anyway, was Pan & Scanned to make it 4:3, when in fact the film was shot in 1.85:1 I believe. But back then, that was common practice as widescreen TV's weren't the standard - now they are and we have the awful reverse of Pan & Scan, now we have 4:3 movies getting widescreen bars slapped over them. :rolleyes:

[dracenstein]

DVD, widescreen.

[capncnut]

A member here is working on a full version (longer than the German boot leg which ran for 156 minutes apparently), so we'll see what's what from there.
Yes, that intrigues me also as these 'fan cuts' have sketchy music (even though best efforts have been made in some to conceal the cuts) because of the different sounds going on in all 3 versions. If it's another one of those, then I fail to see it contributing any more than what's already been done a hundred times by a hundred other fans. Now if there's gonna be a complete re-jigging of the music (how this can be done is beyond me though) then that will be quite interesting.

Also, in terms of running time. There are a few points in the 156 min version (be it Krekels Ultimate Cut or 'fan cut') where a few shots have been reprised because of Argento's quick cutting - if anyone who knows what I'm talking about, then Franny on the stairs and a few zombie shots will be familiar. I would like to see those removed. I know it takes an indepth knowledge of the film to spot them initially but hey, if someone's gonna do a perfect cut then do it right.

And then that would make it shorter than 156 minutes (even with the 2 seconds Document of the Dead has to offer included) so then it's not the longest cut.

[kidgloves]

I've got quite a few releases.

The Ultimate Edition (of course:D )
US Theatrical Cut (Anniversary Edition)
UK Directors Cut (BMG)
Dutch 2 disk edition (Directors Cut, European Cut & Document of the Dead)
VHS 2 tape Directors Cut Collectors Edition