Apocalypse Now on DVD and Blu-ray

[Gordon]

I discovered this by chance today at zap-sf.com.

Upcoming projects on our bonus extras production schedule this year include - Apocalypse Now Enhanced

Sounds interesting.

BTW: In which capacity do Zoetrope work with Criterion? Is it purely authoring, or do they provide further services?

[FilmFanSea]

Excellent news! I've been waiting for a special edition treatment of Apocalypse Now for what seems like forever. I wonder if there's *any* chance we'll finally get both cuts, as well as Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse?

[chaddoli]

I don't know what the chances are, but it seems this would be a very easy SE to produce. Have both cuts, the documentary and produce a new commentary and I'd be happy.

[godardslave]

but theres already apocalypse now "redux".(ugh).

so is this apocalypse now redux enhanced, or enhanced redux, or enhanced longer redux, or directors cut enhanced redux condensed, or deluxe redux?

[flyonthewall2983]

God, I hope this is true. Hickenlooper was on Dinner For Five a few years ago , and said then that he was working on the DVD for Hearts of Darkness. My guess would be that the HoD DVD has somehow turned into (hopefully) the Apocalypse Now: SE most of us have been waiting for.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Although, he also said that Coppola had him cut some stuff out of the doc as well. So, hold on to the existing version if you have it.

[richast2]

I thought after Redux came out on DVD Coppola said that he wasn't ever revisiting the film again? I wonder if this is a studio ploy to make more money. If they put Hearts of Darkness in this set, they'll certainly get mine.

[Joe Buck]

I burned my old VHS copy of Hearts of Darkness, so I won't buy the film again if I can help it. I already have 2 Apoc Now DVDs.

[Anonymous]

As long as its the original and not the craptacular redux its got my money.

[Faux Hulot]

Maybe Coppola will finally release the four hour, fifty minute rough cut that hit the bootleg market a while back. (And no, this is not an urban legend; I've seen it with my own eyes. Worth tracking down if you dig the original.)

[cafeman]

I couldn`t believe he cut out the French plantation scene. It, like, sums up the entire movie.

The bunny scene was also nice, but nothing it couldn`t`ve done without.

[Dylan]

I also agree that the Redux is vastly superior to the original cut. With the exception of the final act with Brando (which some great stuff is added to), my favorite scenes are the Bunny's and the section with Sheen and the French woman. Besides just being fascinating scenes, those two are by far the most beautiful-looking scenes in the film from a cinematographic perspective. Two images that come to mind: The Bunny and the young soldier embracing in that bath of light after they discover the dead body...and the French woman undressing through the drapes...even with the absence of just those two shots alone I'm afraid I can never go back to the theatrical, but the Redux adds so much more as well.

However, a lot of people (many of which seem to think that the film was too long to begin with, not to say that those on here think that) say that the extra scenes really slow it down. Personally, I think Coppola made an already wonderful film quite miraculously better with these scenes (and the extra stuff is a real treat for Storaro fans).

It's one of the greatest films ever made, which ever version you choose, though I can't think of a solitary negative thing to say about the Redux, which seems perfect to me.

[richast2]

I couldn`t believe he cut out the French plantation scene. It, like, sums up the entire movie.

it seemed kind of blunt to me. "Don't you see? Zere are two of you..."

Thanks, I hadn't grasped that.

[Mr Sausage]

The one real improvement for me concerning the re-cut is Kilgore's introduction, which is vastly improved. I seem to remember in the original they walk up and ask a soldier where Kilgore is, who points him out, and then they walk in that direction and Kilgore is just standing there turned 3/4 away from the camera and talking with someone. Not exactly captivating. With Redux, a helicopter lands and Kilgore comes marching out bellowing orders into the camera and commanding the screen. It's a far superior introduction to the character and heaven knows why they cut it as they did.

As for the rest of the stuff, it's all pretty irrelevant to the movie. The camp during the bunny scene is a poorer version of the excellent Do Lung bridge sequence; the French plantation never really comes together--and is indeed rather blunt; and the added Brando scene ruins the effect of keeping him entirely bathed in shadow and silhouette throughout the end.

On the other hand, none of it really takes away from the movie either, and I don't think the longer running times hurts the film significantly since, either way, the very tone of the movie makes it feel prolonged--not negatively, mind--whether at 150 or 200 minutes. Redux does not significantly ruin the film, but neither does it improve it much. It's easily lived with.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

I don't think the longer running times hurts the film significantly since, either way, the very tone of the movie makes it feel prolonged--not negatively, mind--whether at 150 or 200 minutes. Redux does not significantly ruin the film, but neither does it improve it much. It's easily lived with.

Agreed. Plus, for the rabid fan, there's the 4+hr. version to sit through which is very interesting to watch as you get to see what happens to Dennis Hopper's character and more of Scott Glen's enigmatic character too. Not to mention, the wall-to-wall Doors temp soundtrack. Yowza!

[TedW]

I hate Redux, but I wouldn't mind seeing one or both versions on DVD in their proper aspect ratio. That bullshit Univisum concept that Storaro came up with drives me nuts.

[exte]

My problem is that the original version of Apocalypse Now can't be found on dvd. Let me make myself clear: the one on dvd - not Redux - was put through the digital intermediate process. I bought it on laserdisc recently and switched back and forth between them and found a lot of the color desaturated. This was an awful choice, in my opinion. Not only that, but there was significant cropping in the dvd version as well. Horrible to do to a film of this caliber.

[TedW]

The laserdisc (the second one remastered in 5.1) is the same transfer as the first DVD. The second DVD has a new transfer because the negative was recut for Redux. New IP, new IN, new release prints. There was no "digital intermediate," it was the Technicolor dye-transfer process. This, btw, does not bode well for ever seeing a high-def DVD of the original film, unless it was mastered in HD to begin with, which I'm not sure about. Doubt they'd release it anyway, since Coppola seems to have disowned the original.

[Polybius]

Having grown up on the original release and knowing it pretty much backwards and forwards, I still love Redux, although I consider it sort of supplimentary to the theatrical cut and if I want to watch what I consider Apocalypse Now, I'm probably going to reach for the latter.

Having said that, I've always wanted to have the extra footage since hearning Sheen talk about it years and years ago (IIRC, on Tom Snyder's great Tomorrow show on NBC.)

[hearthesilence]

Man, the plantation scenes were horrible. The glimpse of the dinner scene seemed tantalizing in HoD, but seeing it in its entirety was a huge disappointment. The whole sequence weighed everything down for me, and the dinner table conversation was absolute tedium, going back and forth on why they must stay, etc., etc...the low point may have been the heavy-handed egg metaphor. "Whites go...yellow stay!"

The bunny scene had merit, I like how Forrester wanted to re-create the image of the centerfold, wig et al...he was probably more enamored with the picture than the actual girl. But as a whole, I don't miss that scene in the original cut.

Brando's moment with the Time magazine articles didn't add much, I think the audience pretty much figured he was fed up with the B.S. surrounding Vietnam to begin with.

The stolen surfboard bit was amusing, but again, don't miss it in the original cut.

Didn't know that bit about Kilgore's intro, that DOES sound like an improvement.

[Gordon]

Yeah, Coppola basically substituted one of the greatest exit scenes in Cinema for a great entrance scene. I am actually surprised that some whiz hasn't created a homemade DVD-r edit of Apocalypse Now featuring Kilgore's helicopter entrance with the "Some day this war's gunna end..." exit line and trim the Playboy Bunny scene and junk all that extemporaneous Kurtz scenes.

[mmacklem]

My problem with Apocalypse Now Redux is that if you have seen Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, it is very clear that Coppola gave up on filming it, and that what was eventually put together was not what he wanted in the end, regardless of what he says about it now. It's hard for me to watch those parts of the movie without that in mind.

[TedW]

Coppola stood to profit greatly if the film was successful, and he had watched "new and improved" versions of films by his contemporaries -- The Exorcist, Star Wars -- get re-released to strong box office. Why shouldn't he re-do his Seventies triumph? The problem was those other pictures were mainstream, commercial affairs and Apocalypse was basically an art picture. A wildly popular art picture (in its original release), but an art picture nonetheless. The public just happened to have a taste for that kind of movie then. But in hindsight it's easy to see why, in modern times, such a movie was not going to ring up grosses like twisting heads and exploding Death Stars.

I just wished he hadn't cut the negative, which just about ensures that the original film ends its availability with the first DVD.

[Gordon]

I just wished he hadn't cut the negative, which just about ensures that the original film ends its availability with the first DVD.

Was the O-neg really recut? Dupe negs of the 153-minute version surely exist, though.

[TedW]

Yes, they really did. Possibly an HD master exists from when they did the first DVD. One can only hope. But, again, it seems like Coppola has really disowned the original version, so we might not see it again.