Apocalypse Now

What gets me is that, in the press releases that came out with Redux, Coppola claimed that he no longer considered the 1979 version of Apocalypse to be "unusual." He felt that, today, it comes off as a rather ordinary film. So he integrated an extra 50 minutes into the movie, to make it more unusual. The thing is, the Redux is, if anything, MORE normal than the original. After all, you get more character development, a romantic subplot, etc; all the things the unusual (and unique), original version lacked. The very lack of these things is what gives the original such a mysterious, dangerous edge. There is no levity in the original, no stealing of surfboards, no Playmates for the PBR crew. Only the dark jungle, and the mission.

If it's true that Coppola wanted to make the original version even more unusual, then I wonder why he chose to add the Plantation sequence and the Playboy Bunnies escapade. Having seen the Work Print, I know that there is a wealth of material Coppola could've used. Bizarre? Unusual? How about a scene in which Martin Sheen's Willard, trapped in a bamboo cage, writhes in pain as the montangnards (and Kurtz's American soldiers) dance and chant around him, as they sacrifice a pig? Or how about Willard, still in the cage, being questioned by Kurtz, who tells Willard that he's as weak as his "colleagues in Washington?" Or how about possibly the most bizarre scene of all: Dennis Hopper's Photojournalist being shotgunned to death by Scott Glenn's character Colby?

Coppola could have used any or all of these scenes to make a truly "unusual" film, one that would successfully create a darker film. If anything, the extra scenes in Redux lighten the film's mood. Coppola could have even improved on the end of the movie. That's one thing that's always bothered me about Apocalypse Now. Willard's hired to murder Kurtz; when he finally does, all he has to do is just walk into Kurtz's temple, take out one guard, and then get to hacking at Kurtz. It comes off as so easy, you wonder why the Army even bothered hiring Willard. This problem is solved in the Work Print, which features Willard taking on a host of guards, including one grisly scene in which he spears an American guard who cowers behind a young, Vietnamese boy. Now, if you ask me, that's more "unusual" than a bunch of French people arguing politics at the dinner table! But unfortunately, Coppola has chosen not to use these scenes, in either official version of the film.

I don't intend to mislead, though. I think the Redux is fine, a five-star movie. It expands on the broader themes of Apocalypse Now, but at the same time lessens the impact of the movie itself. After having watched the Redux a few times, I popped the original in for the first time in a few years. I was amazed at how the film seemed so different than the Redux, so much more psychedelic and surreal. Even the fades and images shown in the beginning and the end are different in the original, more disturbing. And that's the main difference between the two versions: the original is much more disturbing.

I'll finish with another quote, taken from the web. Which director do you think is better, the Francis Coppola of 1976/1979, or the Francis Coppola of 2001? Of these two very different directors, whose vision would you be more willing to trust?


Great price but not a "Complete.Dossier"!   May 22, 2006
H. LUI (Glendale, CA USA)
125 out of 159 found this review helpful

At $19.99 , this is a great bargain for a great film with a lot of nice extras but calling this edition which includes both the original theatrical cut and the inferior "Redux" is a complete misnomer. Most notable is that it does not include the great "Hearts of Darkness" documentary, argueably one of the greatest making of docs ever made! It also does not seem to port over extras from the previous edition such as the "Destruction of the Kurtz Compound" featuring commentary from Coppola. Mr. Coppola what are you thinking !??! I'm sure fans wouldn't mind dishing out a few more extra bucks for a true definitive "Complete Dossier". Looks like I can't get rid of my old edition yet. Please Mr. Coppola and Paramount, do it right !!!


Apocalypse Not.   August 15, 2006
Noctem (PRK)
103 out of 144 found this review helpful

When I heard AN was getting a new release called "complete", I couldn't help but think of Lance: "I've been waitin' for this one!" Not quite. There is no such thing as the "complete" Apocalypse Now without Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. No way. The making of this film is legendary, and the documentary is as good as the film itself -- if not better. Aside from Coppola's commentary, none of the extras here make up for its loss. If anything, a far better release would have been a simple pairing of the original AN with Hearts of Darkness, with that terrible Redux being left in the trashcan of Bad Ideas. Every single added scene in Redux is both inconsistent in tone, and clumsy, ruining the overall arc of the film. And, perhaps just as frustrating, both films are, for whatever reason, spread over two discs, which not only disrupts the flow of a film, but is just a pain to deal with. You've been warned.


"Apocalypse Now - Redux" -- IT WORKS!   August 15, 2001
R.D. Monsoon
69 out of 78 found this review helpful

The original cut always felt incomplete. It was a bunch of great vignettes which were just thrown together. The new footage has helped give the film breathing room which was much needed. No longer is the ship raced from one surreal incident to the next. At the same time, the new footage also helps strengthen some of the films themes.

Before I continue, it's worth noting that "Redux" isn't your typical directors cut, where new footage is simply just shoved into the film. Coppola and editor Walter Murch created an entirely new cut of the film using the original negatives. The film has also been beautifully restored using Technicolor dye-transfer prints, giving the film the Technicolor look of movies from the 40's and 50's. The colors are vibrant, rich, lush and blacks and truly black. "Apocalypse Now" was always one of the most beautifully photographed films and this new transfer helps justify that. The Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro said he cried when he saw the transfer. The remasterd sound is also spectacular. Murch has done an excellent job of putting the audience in the jungle. Now back to the film.

The first bit a new footage was an extension of the last scene with Robert Duvall's character, Lt. Kilgore. After giving his famous napalm speech Kilgore is informed that the waves at the beech aren't going to be as big as he expected because the napalm strike has disturbed the wind. This is a nice little touch showing the cause and the effect of the US's actions; no matter what they do, there is a negative effect. After that, Martin Sheen's character Willard, steels Kilgore's surfboard. This was another nice addition. The original version always lacked scenes of Willard before his transformation from going up the river. The scene also helped reinforce the relationship Willard has with the men on the boat; they of course all get a kick out of what Willard does.

The next big addition is the Playboy Bunny scene. This scene helps show how the war has even dehumanized sex. Lance (Sam Bottoms) is in a mud filled tent and is painting the face of the bunny he is with. I thought it was great how Coppola showed how dirty sex had become. Meanwhile, Chef (Frederic Forrest) is transforming the bunny he is with into another bunny by having her wear a wing and pose the same way this other bunny did in her spread. This was a masterful way of showing how incredibly impersonal sex has become.

The last big addition I'll talk about is the infamous French Plantation scene. The scene started off well, but slowly went down hill. In the first part of it, the French help Willard and the men conduct a funeral for Clean (Fishburne). The men do their best job to conduct a funeral, but it's not exactly up to what a typical army funeral is. There's some great imagery in there, like the small shredded American flag which is used. The funeral scene also makes a great comparison to how Chief (Albert Hall) death is handled. By that time in the film, they are so far up the river that the Army's and American values have vanished; Lance is having a fun time with the body (the body's final resting place is the river, not the earth) while Willard and Chief are totally preoccupied.

The plantation scene also helped reinforce the going back in time theme, something which came up a lot in "Heart of Darkness" but never panned out so well in the '79 version of "AP".

After the funeral there is a dinner scene with the plantation heads, and this is where things go down hill. There is just way too much dialogue in this scene and Coppola's intentions are quite transparent. The French basically give a recap of the West's involvement in Vietnam and then talk specifically about the US's presence there. It was like Coppola was saying "Incase you don't know what the film is about and why the US are the bad guys in this war..." Worst of all the scene dragged out and hurt the pacing of the film. Coppola spent the last two hours communicating his anti war message visually and suddenly he just had someone blurt it all.

There's some new stuff at the Kurtz compound, nothing too important but it helps give us some more time to take in the last 3rd of the film; again helping to reduce that rushed feeling.

The end still doesn't quite work, but there is no way to fix this. The Vietnam war had no real ending, there was no climax, there wasn't one last big battle. The US simply accepted it was a war which couldn't be won and pulled out. The ending actually reflects this fairly well. Once the mad Colonel Kurtz is killed, Willard walks down to the boat, leading Lance out, who has become totally wrapped up in the madness. They then peacefully go back down the river. While something like one last battle would have given the film more of a sense of finality, that wouldn't have been staying true to the war.

Overall, "Apocalypse Now - Redux" is an extraordinary film. Coppola never wastes a even a single frame (well there was the dinner scene...) Since this film was made, I don't think anyone has ever asked so much of the audience.


Apocalypse Now Redux   November 26, 2001
Mike Goldberg (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
48 out of 72 found this review helpful

Apocalypse Now Reduced!
Two good reasons not to buy this DVD :
1) The Coppola's renewed masterpiece is not presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35, but in 1:85, which is inexcusable.
2) A total absence of extra features.

Mike Goldberg