Apocalypse Now Redux [1979]

Amazon.co.uk Review

In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Apocalypse Now as if it was his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made. It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad's classic story "Heart of Darkness" into the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz(Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving war-time action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film's awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gunships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of "the smell of napalm in the morning." Like Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola's obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary Hearts of Darkness, directed by Coppola's wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.co.uk Review

Following the example set by his old pals Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola has revisited a classic that no-one ever thought needed enhancement and produced Apocalypse Now Redux, a remastered and extended version of his hallucinogenic Vietnam nightmare that adds some 50 minutes of extra material. On the plus side, certain extended sequences--such as Kilgore's bombing-cum-surfing raid and the final battle of nerves between Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando--add greater depth to our appreciation of the film. On the debit side, the lengthy French plantation interlude and the squalid fate of the Playboy bunnies simply underscore what we already know about war and hell and the depressing futility of it all. It's possible that Apocalyspe Now is not really about Vietnam at all, but is in fact a despairing commentary on the dissolution of contemporary American society; it's also possible that Apocalypse Now Redux, for all its epic scale and visceral power, ultimately fails to make the film's real message any clearer than before. Either way, it remains one of the greatest (anti-)war films ever made.

On the DVD: Apocalypse Now Redux is self-recommending on DVD, especially with vividly remastered Dolby 5.1 sound (the whirling helicopter blades are dizzying) and an anamorphic widescreen picture. Disappointingly the disc contains no extra features other than a trailer for the Redux version. Coppola has provided excellent commentaries for his Godfather trilogy so it's a shame not to have his comments here; and the justly famous "Heart of Darkness" documentary is conspicuous by its absence, too. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

SELF-APPRECIATIVE TRIPE.......2008-02-20

I am aware that I am possibly the only person on the planet who will not be writing a glowing review of this 'film', and my lack of intellectual commendation and well timed media-luvvie styled praise (intermitently injected into barely comprehendable sentences celebrating 'enigmatic' & 'tormented' charactes - who don't get machettied for the sake of entertainment - in an 'abnormality of... colour spectrum' through a film with 'buried symbology' and 'intricate soundscapes that blend dialogue', with 'profound transformation', ending with a product that 'time has only served to intensify [regarding] its transcendent force' and similar drivel) will likely not be well recieved. However, if you find the 'interseption of a ritualized slaughter' of a bull, pig, or any other living thing for that matter, an enjoyable inclusion for 'good measure' as another reviewer has put it, and that a man would include such grotesque and sickening action for the purpose of making his film feel more 'unusual' acceptable - then go ahead, watch this movie. Join the plethora of inhumane beings that don't appear to get the irony of their reviews. Celebrating the murder of a living thing for pure shock factor (oh sorry, I meant artistry) whilst droaning on about the 'intensity' and 'horror' of what are, lets face it - actors... and if you do 'enjoy' it... and agree with the rest of the 69 pages of praise, I'm sure there are some snuff movies you would also enjoy when you're done salavating over this tripe. I personally, would rather suck the snot out of my babies nose daily, than ever subject myself to the self-gratifying practices of a film-maker who values his 'art' so highly, that such horrifying suffering is seen as an acceptable means to an end. Other that that - the films rather good.

THE HORROR.......2007-12-11

'Apocalypse Now Redux', Francis Ford Coppola's war opus is probably the most beautiful war film I have ever seen. Capt. Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is a Vietnam soldier who is tapped to head a very dangerous and highly classified mission into Cambodia to 'terminate the position' of Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a highly ranked and highly regarded army man who seemingly has gone completely insane and defected from the army, setting up his own little society and helped by a cultish following of soldiers. Escorting him up the river to Cambodia is a handful of navy men, and along the way, they encounter several interesting people (most notably is Robert Duvall's Kilgore, a badass lieutenant colonel with a few screws loose) and some horrifying situations.

'Apocalypse' is less historical war film than a philosophical and psychological study. It is more 'Full Metal Jacket' than 'Platoon'. The running time of 'Apocalypse' is over three hours, but the film is so wonderfully paced and compelling that when the end of the film arrived, I was actually surprised at the amount of time that had passed. The beautiful cinematography is surely what stood out the most for me, however. After seeing this film, I am convinced that Coppola is one of the masters of light and photography in film history. The 'Godfather' films were all tinged with an almost sepia tone, and shadows created the feeling of a Baroque composition. With 'Apocalypse', there is an incredible usage of natural light, and the shadows, particularly in the scenes involving Brando and Sheen, almost become a living character, they are so pervasive and effective. Another gorgeous scene was when Cpt. Willard and Jay Hicks (Frederic Forrest) were in the jungle looking for mangoes, and come across a tiger. The sheer enormity of the surrounding foliage (leaves as big as a house) made the characters almost Lilliputian, but the colorization of the scene was incredible. While everything else was almost a muted grey, the leaves were an incredibly vibrant green, an effect that was particularly striking. Another really minor positive moment in the film was the great scene when the helicopters carrying Duvall and company attack the small village while playing Wagner. This could have just been an ultra-dramatic underlying soundtrack to the scene, but instead Coppola turns the song into an actual part of the scene, with Duvall mentioning that he likes to play it while they are approaching to 'scare the hell out of them'.

The performances in 'Apocalypse' are first class. Much has been made of the amount of money Brando earned for the film, and the amount of trouble he caused. Regardless of this, he turned out a powerful performance for a relatively short amount of screen time. Sheen is completely outstanding - this is the first time I have seen him really unleash in a film - and Duvall is a lot of fun to watch as the loony Kilgore. 'Apocalypse Now' is a film that is so pervasive in pop culture by now (most know several choice lines from the film, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning' et al) but I knew little enough about it that there were plenty of surprises left to experience. I have not seen the original cut of 'Apocalypse Now' so I cannot compare it to this newer cut, but this is a film that should most certainly be experienced. 8/10

Loner.......2007-11-20

The screenplay is based on Joseph Conrad's 'Hearts of Darkness'. It is a Vietnam war film but that is not really what it is about. It is a lesson on the human condition, mostly a comparison of how we function as individuals as opposed to how we function in groups. It asks a lot of questions whilst entertaining on a grand scale.

Outstanding.......2007-10-28

All I have to say is that if you don't like this movie, you are completely missing the point. Like seriously, drastically, completely missing the point.

There are some pathetic excuses for reviews here on Amazon, such as "I thought it was really stupid because the soldiers went surfing". The rest of us who have some intelligence find this kind of thing hilarious.

I encourage people to sit down and spend a great deal of time going through the final 5 minutes of this movie- you must be crazy if you do not recognise the genius here.

Great movie.......2007-10-11

This movie wins at everything basicilly, best scene (100 best scenes), best movie (50 best movies) and best war movie (100 best war movies) all these programmes where on channel four. Its a really good movie and a really good war movie.

Apocalypse Now Redux [1979] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

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Apocalypse Now Redux [1979] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Starring: Samuel Bottoms , Marlon Brando , Colleen Camp , Linda Carpenter , and Aurore Clément
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005OWEG
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Amazon.co.uk Review

In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Apocalypse Now as if it were his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair, but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made.

It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad's classic story Heart of Darkness onto the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving wartime action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film's awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images, and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gun-ships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways on a peasant sampan and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of "the smell of napalm in the morning". Like Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola's obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary Hearts of Darkness, directed by his wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

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