by Chris a.k.a StuntMike on Tue Oct 19, 2010 9:18 am
Just picked up the Apocalypse Now BluRay on the way to work. It has both versions as well as the Hearts of Darkness doc. And about 702 hours of special features, including a 1 hour interview with John Milius.
I think I'm going to wet my pants.
Disc One
Two versions of the film are included, the original 1979 theatrical cut (running 2:27:17) and Apocalypse Now Redux, which runs 3:16:09. There's an interesting, if perhaps too long, sequence at a plantation which makes up the bulk of the running time difference, but it's fascinating to watch both versions of the film and notice little changes, as in how Col. Kilgore is introduced in the longer edition. My advice is to watch the original theatrical cut first, digest it for a few days, and then return to Redux. Both versions offer a really excellent Commentary by Coppola, obviously edited together from the same recording sessions, but timed differently for each version. The Redux commentary includes some information not included on the theatrical commentary.
Disc Two
The bulk of the standalone supplements are presented on this disc, the first three of which are new to any home video release of this title in either of its iterations:
* A Conversation With Martin Sheen (HD; 59:26), a fun chat with the star and Coppola, where they discuss everything from the convoluted casting process the rigors of filming (Sheen suffered a heart attack during production);
* An Interview With John Milius (HD; 49:45), another really interesting gabfest with Coppola and his co-scenarist. Milius discusses his own military ambitions, which played into the writing of this film;
* Fred Roos: Casting Apocalypse (HD; 11:44) features the film's casting director talking about the hundreds of actors tested for various roles. Screen test footage is also included;
* Mercury Theater Production of 'Heart of Darkness' (Audio; 36:34). This Orson Welles production (the week after his infamous 'War of the Worlds' broadcast) of Conrad's novella is offered, with some significant audio damage;
* The Hollow Man (SD; 16:57), a really odd little period (circa 1979) featurette offering Brando reciting Eliot's poem with scenes from the film and the filming itself;
* "Monkey Sampan" Deleted Scene (SD; 3:03), a disturbing excised segment which nonetheless features the restless natives singing "Light My Fire";
* Additional Scenes (SD; 26:28), a collection of 12 window and pillar-boxed curios with timecode captions;
* Destruction of the Kurtz Compound (HD; 6:06), the jettisoned final credits sequence which Coppola ultimately rejected when he feared audiences were misinterpreting it;
* The Birth of 5.1 Sound (SD; 5:54), a fascinating and way too brief look at how Apocalypse Now led to a revolution in film surround sound design;
* Ghost Helicopter Flyover (SD; 3:55), another very interesting look at the surround design for this one sequence;
* The Synthesizer Soundtrack (Text Article), a reprint from Keyboard magazine;
* A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of 'Apocalypse Now' (SD; 17:57), a great look at editor Walter Murch at work with his Movieola;
* Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of 'Apocalypse Now' (SD; 15:22), shows us in-depth what the sound designers were up against as they basically invented 5.1 surround sound for this film;
* The Final Mix (SD; 3:09) has some great footage of the multi-room setup which was necessary to achieve the final mix for the film;
* 'Apocalypse' Then and Now (SD; 3:44) has some brief snippets of the Ebert interview from Cannes (see below) with insight into both versions of the film;
* 2001 Cannes Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola (1080i; 38:35), presents the entire Ebert interview from the Festival;
* PBR Streetgang (SD; 4:09) profiles the actors playing Willard's crew, including 14 year old Laurence Fishburne;
* The Color Palette of 'Apocalypse Now' (SD; 4:06) goes into the technical aspects of the three strip dye transfer Technicolor process utilized on the film.
Disc Three
The bulk of the third disc is given over to the completely fascinating documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (HD; 1.33:1; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; running time 1:36:00). This incredible peek behind the long and tortuous filming of Apocalypse Now is one of the most devastating documentaries about the rigors of filmmaking ever made. It's hilarious to hear the then-young Coppola insisting he isn't making art, but instead aiming for (in his words) an "Irwin Allen" experience with Apocalypse Now. Things soon turn from lighthearted to tragic as one problem after another rears its ugly head and Coppola nears madness himself. The film features copious home movies made by Coppola's wife, Eleanor (several with pretty bad damage), as well as tapes she recorded without Francis' knowledge for what she at the time expected to turn into a diary. The documentary comes with an optional commentary by the Coppolas which is nearly as fascinating as the film itself.
The other supplements on this disc include:
* John Milius Script Selections with Notes by Francis Ford Coppola (Text);
* Storyboard Gallery;
* Photo Archive;
* Marketing Archive, featuring the 1979 trailer, radio spots, theatrical program, lobby cards and press kit photos, and a poster gallery.
