OVERALL: Blu-ray B

The UK and French releases contain both cuts of the film and a good range of contextual material; however, only the UK is English-friendly.

Do note that both the US and the Italian releases contain only the 2002 re-edited version (titled "Kidnapped") with new footage by Lamberto Bava and a different score, not Mario Bava's rough cut.

GENERAL NOTES:
Filmed in 1973 as "L'uomo e il bambino" (The Man and the Child), Rabid Dogs was shelved when one of the film financial backers died and ownership of the picture became entangled in bankruptcy proceedings before post-production had been completed, which prevented its theatrical release. It sat on a shelf until the late 1990s when actress Lea Lander helped fund a DVD release in 1998 (preceded by a 1996 festival screening).

A new prologue was lensed based on Bava's original screenplay and post production was completed using the original film elements. In 2001, producer Alfredo Leone and Mario's son Lamberto who were both unhappy with the DVD, funded a new version. Lamberto and his son Roy shot additional footage and original composer Stelvio Cipriani created a new complete musical score (though the DVD release employed some of Cipriani's cues and themes, the film was never properly scored). This version, produced by Kismet Entertainment Group was called "Kidnapped" and had it's world wide premiere in the USA (31.5.2002) as part of a Mario Bava retrospective at the American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

Please see the image-comparison from below - and another one from here:
http://10kbullets.com/reviews/kidnapped-comparison-lucertola-media-vs-astro-records-and-filmworks-vs-anchor-bay/

CUTS:

• Blu-ray A America- Kino Lorber - 2002 "Kidnapped" version (95:42) by Lamberto Bava (inserts of police helicopters, scenes with the child's mother, new opening titles and new score).
• Blu-ray B Limited Edition France- Sidonis Calysta - No cuts - "Rabid Dogs" version (95:50) and the 2002 "Kidnapped" Version (95:30)
• Blu-ray B Amazon Exclusive Germany- Tiberius Film - No cuts - 2002 "Kidnapped" Version (95:53)
• Blu-ray B Italy- Raro Video - No cuts. 2002 "Kidnapped" version by Lamberto Bava (inserts of police helicopters, scenes with the child's mother, new opening titles and new score).
• Blu-ray B United Kingdom- Arrow Films - No cuts. Two versions:
  - 'Rabid Dogs' (95:50)
  - 'Kidnapped' (95:29)

Do you own a release not listed? Then please visit our forums and let us know!

Comparison added by Eric_Cotenas on 28/06/13
Comparison last updated by Eric_Cotenas on 28/06/22

UPDATE LOG:

28/06/13: Initial entry.
04/02/14: Added Italian release.
24/10/14: Added UK release.
22/01/15: Updated DVDBeaver link.
18/05/20: Added German Amazon exclusive.
28/06/22: Dates, France.