Dawn Of The Dead - Extended ('Cannes') Cut (1978) ****

I first saw Dawn Of The Dead (1978) on VHS in the 1990s. I watched the film—along with George A. Romero's other two films in the original "Dead" trilogy, Night Of The Living Dead (1968) (my review here) and Day Of The Dead (1985)—quite a lot in my teenage years. I couldn't remember if I'd ever watched the Extended ('Cannes') Cut of Dawn so I decided to watch that version when I dove into my recent purchase of Second Sight Films' massive limited edition UHD box set of the film. I still own my Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition DVD box set (autographed by director Romero and star Ken Foree), which includes all three available versions of the film, but I could only distinctly remember having previously watched the Theatrical and Argento (aka Zombi) Cuts (review). 

Whether I'd seen it before or not, I do think the Extended Cut is the weakest version of the film—at 139 minutes it's just a bit too much Dawn. Romero was on record as having stated that the theatrical version was his preferred "director's cut" and I have to agree that it's the best version—though I will probably watch the Argento edit (which shortens the length, tightens the action, and adds more music by Goblin) the next time I revisit the film, as I've seen the theatrical cut the most of all the versions.

Romero's film is a multi-headed beast. On one hand, it's a socially conscious drama, commenting on American consumerism and capitalism, heroism, male ego, gender roles, and more—often through satire. On the other, it's comic book action/adventure schlock, reveling in excess and splatter (courtesy of makeup wiz Tom Savini, who also has a pivotal role). I have to admit, while I enjoy certain aspects of this approach, I do feel it undermines the social commentary a bit, especially due to the straight up slapstick moments—it's always been more fun than scary to me. But there are undeniably many thrilling set pieces.

So while I do love Dawn very much, my personal favorite of the original "Dead" trilogy is Day Of The Dead (1985)—the most disturbing, gory, and bleak of the three films. Day, with its portrayal of militarism, might makes right (power over science), and male aggression still seems the most relevant today. I should add though that all three films in the original trilogy have been my favorite at one time or another.

Much like Jaws (1977) (my review here), I struggle to assign Dawn a star rating—my personal feelings hew closer to 4 stars (in particular for the extended cut), but the historical value always wins out to earn that extra 1/2 star. For even though it's rough around the edges, the f/x are primitive, and the comedy is often a bit too goofy for my tastes, I can't deny the significance and monumental influence of Romero's apocalyptic zombie classic.

You can find my George A. Romero Feature Films Ranked list here.