I picked up the new R2 release of Day of the Dead (published by Arrow Films) because I'd hoped that the audio problems present in the otherwise excellent Anchor Bay R1 release (mentioned here) would be fixed. Sadly, they're not; the audio track used is identical to the Anchor Bay release. To prove this, and to make sure that anyone who's thinking of getting this version is informed, I've put together a few sound clips. There are six sections of audio that are incorrect. The first three listed are what I consider to be the most significant, and by that I mean I didn't notice the other three until tonight's little exercise.
Warning: If you're currently blissfully unaware of the errors, or are over the moon with your copy and can overlook these flaws, DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE FILES. Trust me, the errors are so glaringly shite that if you listen to them here you won't be able to miss them next time you watch the film. Also, for some reason the timecodes for the new Arrow release are different. The original Arrow and Anchor Bay releases are in sync, the new one isn't. I've not had a change to determine why yet – I suspect it's PAL speed-up, but why does the original Arrow release sync up?
John (timed at 00:09:35 and 00:09:10) – Original Arrow | New Arrow | Anchor Bay
Sarah (timed at 01:11:22 and 01:08:27) – Original Arrow | New Arrow | Anchor Bay
Steel (timed at 01:20:30 and 01:17:15) – Original Arrow | New Arrow | Anchor Bay
Note – the following three clips are only presented in good and bad format. I've checked all three editions and the AB and new Arrow releases are still the same, I just stopped taking clips at this point.
Crazy (timed at ) – Good | Bad
Gunshot (timed at ) – Good | Bad
I really, really love this film, and I can't ignore these problems with existing versions. Maybe I'm just incredibly anal – this exercise certainly proves that – but I wish someone would fix these errors and release a genuinely excellent edition of Day.
Hi,
Tis me who wrote the rewind review and I haven’t compared the above soundbites, but the sections I was informed of, which were the same as the original release. You obviously know a lot about the film and I was wondering if it’s possible I’ve compared the wrong lines of dialogue?
Hi Sam. Yes, it certainly looks that way. I’ve compared the Anchor Bay release to the new Arrow release, and the audio tracks are identical in every way. Every single incorrect line is still present in the Arrow release.
I’ve just received the Japanese version of Day of the Dead and it has the same audio problems as the Anchor Bay and new Arrow releases, in fact this is probably where Anchor Bay sourced the film as the audio is from a Japanese TV version.
My hopes of finding a decent release are fading fast; my only hope now is the Austrian 2 disc.
The original Arrow release is in sync because it’s NTSC. Weird, I know, but true.
100.56 run time of Arrow’s original release
100.48 run time of Anchor Bay’s special edition
96.38 run time of Arrow’s re-released special edition
Just a quick update.
The Austrian 2 Disc has the same audio problems mentioned above.
I’ve also found that there is a 2 disc Spanish release that has anamorphic picture but no 5.1 remix. If this contains the original audio it could be worth a look as I’m not too fussed about having the original mono remixed into 5.1.
If I find out anymore about the Spanish release I’ll post it here.