Question about "Army of Darkness" and "Dawn of the Dead" (1 Viewer)

[Tom V]

I have a question in regards to these two movies on DVD? I have saw that both of them have had "Directors Cuts" out in the past that have now since gone "out of print". I was wondering if anyone knew if there is going to be a re-release of these, "Directors Cuts" I did not want to purchase the discs out there now which are not as good, if there was going to be a new release in the near future. Forgive me if this question was asked before, but the search feature is unavailable.
Thanks
Tom V

 

[Anders Englund]

I don't know if the dir. cut of Army of Darkness will be re-released, but I can tell you this: The theatrical version is far better. Of course, you won't get the commentary track, but the movie itself is better.
--Anders
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http://www.dvd1138.com/
Ob me Deus cavet
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[Julie K]

While the 2 disc limited edition of Army of Darkness is OOP, you can get both versions as single discs. I like both versions and watch them interchangeably. I do think the ending of the director's cut is more in keeping with Ash's character

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My DVDs
"Some people think I'm over-prepared, paranoid...maybe even a little crazy. But they never met any pre-Cambrian life forms, did they?"

 

[Tom V]

Hey Julie,
When you say "Army of Darkness" has two versions out as single discs. Are those the versions out there now because I found two seperate ones? One is Non-Anamorphic and one is Anamorphic.
Thanks Again all
Tom V
[Edited last by Tom V on August 14, 2001 at 05:39 PM]

 

[Artur Meinild]

Army of Darkness, the single disc Director's Cut is also OOP, though it was released at a later date and more discs were pressed (I think)...
Dont buy the non-anamorphic Universal release, buy Anchor Bay!
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~ Stud. Polyt. ~ Artur Meinild ~
[Edited last by Artur Meinild on August 14, 2001 at 05:43 PM]

 

[Julie K]

What Artur said. Only get the Anchor Bay versions.
I didn't realize the single disc of the director's cut was now OOP. My bad. You can pretty well discard my previous post then
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My DVDs
"Some people think I'm over-prepared, paranoid...maybe even a little crazy. But they never met any pre-Cambrian life forms, did they?"

 

[Tom V]

Yes I was definitely going to stay away from the Non-Anamorphic Version. I just wanted to see if new editions were going to be done before I made a purchase.
Thanks Again
Tom V

 

[Rob Lutter]

sorry...you eh...kinda missed the boat on the Army of Darkness releases... there have already been two "Limited" printings (2 disc w/ theatrical & DC, 1 disc w/ DC) and I can't see anymore in the foreseeable future if EVER... The theatrical disc is still available (with Ash's face on the cover) but if you want to invest in the DC (going for about $70 USD nowadays on EBAY...) I would only suggest it if you really LOVE the movie because of the price gouging on EBAY...
The DC disc it features running storyboards on the subtitle track and features one of the most hilarious commentaries I own with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell...plus what I feel is a more "appropriate" sci-fi-ish ending.
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Robert Lutter

 

[JasonRH]

What did you guys think of the featurette on the theatrical version disc?I think it was called 'the men behind the army'. I only have the director's cut disc and thought about buying the other if that extra is worthwhile. Thanks.

 

[Rob Lutter]

I thought that the "Men Behind the Army" was a really good "documentary" on the makeup behind the film... I think that it is worth having both versions of the film to "compare and contrast" plus the 5.1 mix on the theatrical version is really nice plus you get the trailer (which I believe is not on the DC disc.

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Robert Lutter

 

[Lannie Lorence]

Man, everybody is talking about Army of Darkness and ignoring the greatest horror film of all time, Dawn of the Dead. What is wrong with all of you?
Anyways, Anchor Bay is planning a super-duper special edition (my words, not theirs) of Dawn of the Dead. They are trying (or already have) to obtain the rights to the theatrical cut, the director's cut, and Argento's international cut all in one glorious tin (my guess). Or maybe they'll package it in a gas mask, or an exploding head, or in a whole shopping mall, or in the stomach of a big fat guy wearing only shorts who'll bounce up against your window. So definitely wait.
By the way, there is some confusion as to which cut is the director's preferred version. I remember reading somewhere (Zombies that Ate Pittsburgh, maybe), that Romero prefers the longer cut, the one that is marketed as the director's cut. Some people have stated that Romero now prefers the shorter, theatrical cut.
I like the theatrical cut only because the sound mix is cleaner and contains more music by Goblin. I'd love to see the longer version with this mix.

 

[Tom V]

Lannie thanks for the information on "Dawn of the Dead".
I may think about waiting to buy that one. If there is a "Special Edition" in the works. Do you have any idea when it may be coming out? I may buy the "Anniversary Edition" for now. Is that a good Disc? Thanks Again
[Edited last by Tom V on August 15, 2001 at 01:34 PM]

 

[MikeEckman]

Army of Darkness has already been covered pretty well, but I'll summarize all 4 DVD releases of the movie:
1. Universal Release - Crappy initial release with the traitional movie poster cover art. Barebones, looks crappy, sounds crappy, avoid like the plauge.
2. Anchor Bay Theatrical Release - Only Anchor Bay version still available. Has a distorted picture of Ashs face with the skeleton creatures behind it. This version, without a doubt, has the best looking and best sounding version of the movie to date. The sound is Dolby 5.1 and the presentation has been THX approved. This disc also contains a really interesting making of featurette. I would call this an informative documentary, as opposed to a long commercial EPK like alot of DVDs contain. This disc also contains the original theatrical trailer, and the original ending as a supplement on the disc.
3. Anchor Bay Directors Cut - Out of print, hard to find disc, with a muscular Ash and a red background as the coverart. The Amaray case is also gold colored. This version of the movie looks alot worse than the theatrical version, is not THX certified, and only has a Dolby 2.0 soundtrack. It is missing the documentary, and the trailer, however, it has one of the most entertaining audio commentaries ever on it. It also adds 15 minutes back into the film (hence the Directors Cut name), and as a supplment has 4 additional unfinished scenes that arent available on any other DVD release.
4. Anchor Bay 2 Pack - This basically contains the two Anchor Bay releases. It came out before the Directors Cut was released separately and is the most rare, and costs the most to find on ebay or wherever.
As for Dawn of the Dead. There are only two Anchor Bay releases of it that I know of.
1. Theatrical Version - This has the rainbow cover (as I like to call it), it has a bunch of multicolered squares on the front. This version of the film has the original music, and is the best looking and sounding version of the movie. Is it also the only one still in print.
2. Director's Cut - This cover has a picture of a zombie on the cover with sort of an orange sky in the background. I dont know much about this disc as I do not have it, nor have i seen it. I was told the picture and audio quality isnt quite as good, and some of the music was changed. Thats all I know.