This is slightly old news (it happened while I was away on vacation), but a reader brought this to my attention this week so I thought I'd post it. As I posted a few months ago, the long-awaited DVD release of John Huston's beautiful final film "The Dead" was announced last summer for November 3. Sadly (and inexplicably), Lionsgate managed to botch the release, putting out a version of the film that was missing about ten minutes from the early scenes. They quickly recalled the product, leaving many puzzled. I talked to a Lionsgate staffer this week and she gave me the following statement:

It has come to our attention that due to a technical malfunction, the initial DVD shipment of John Huston's THE DEAD contained an incomplete version of the film. We deeply apologize to all our consumers for this unfortunate error and want to offer them an opportunity to replace their current copies with the complete version as soon as it is available to ship the week of November 23rd. We regret this inconvenience, as Lionsgate is committed to providing our consumers the highest quality home entertainment experience.

All consumers who purchased a copy and wish to receive the new complete version should do one of the following:

EMAIL lionsgatecs@orderassistance.com with their address and a scan/attachment of their receipt
FAX (310) 222-5562 with their address and copy of their receipt
MAIL their receipt along with a note including their address to: 20102 S Vermont Ave Torrance, CA 90502

Or please call (800) 650-7099 directly if you have any further questions

She said that correct versions of the DVD will be available in stores or for online purchase starting November 23. If you buy (or rent) a copy, be sure to check the running time: Huston's version is 83 minutes. And yes, this exquisite film is worth the trouble.