DVD Reviews

Apocalypse Now - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Nov 1, 2010, 19:56 GMT

Francis Ford Coppola\'s timeless classic comes to Blu-ray for the first time! This 3-Disc Deluxe Edition includes Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now Redux in stunning new transfers supervised by Francis Ford Coppola - and presented for the first time in their original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratios. Also included is the feature-length making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness, presented in a new 1080p HD transfer. Additional features include a 48-page collectible booklet ...more

“Someday this war's gonna end. That'd be just fine with the boys on the boat. They weren't looking for anything more than a way home. Trouble is, I'd been back there, and I knew that it just didn't exist anymore.”

Francis Ford Coppola’s masterwork comes to Blu-ray in all its “Flight of the Valkyries” glory.  Interesting in that making the movie it led him into his own heart of darkness and nearly cost him his life and sanity. 

Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) has been given the assignment of locating and assassinating Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando).  Kurtz has gone mad and is leading a group of natives who worship him as a god. 

Willard is to go upriver to Kurtz’s compound on the Cambodian river.  So he sets off on a PT boat with George "Chief" Phillips (Albert Hall), Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms), young Tyrone “Mr. Clean” Miller (Laurence Fishburne), and Jay "Chef" Hicks (Frederic Forrest). 

They travel upstream to meet up with the Air Calvary commanded by Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall).  He’s supposed to airlift them and their boat to the Nung River, which he flatly refuses.  That is until he learns that Lance is a surfer.  So he takes them because the place they’re going will have some waves that they can surf. 

After being deposited by Kilgore the group finds that the further down the river they go, the darker it becomes the closer to Kurtz they get.

Director Francis Ford Coppola was certainly riding high after the Godfather (1972) and Godfather Part II (1974).  He had walked away with handfuls of Oscars and formed his own studio, American Zoetrope, in 1969.  His thought was to shoot a big budget film that would make tons of money at the box office and use that windfall to finance other smaller, more personal projects. 

The movie that he came up with to do this feat was written by John Milius and based on both Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the Vietnam War.  It was going to be directed by George Lucas, but some other project called Star Wars got in the way of that so Coppola took the reins of the film. 

The horror… the horror….  What Coppola might not have realized is that he would nearly go crazy during the filming and the bad press garnered by his troubles during location shooting (Sheen had a heart attack, storms destroyed sets, etc.) in the Philippines would give the project the air of a doomed film. 

However, Coppola would have the last laugh as the movie did make it to theaters (even after some editorial delays), did make money, and garnered more praise (not too much critically) and Oscars.  It would win for cinematography and sound, but would also be nominated for best picture, director, Duvall for supporting actor, art direction, editing, and writing. 

It’s gone on to become THE Vietnam movie and grows even more revered as time goes on.  Coppola even retuned to add some footage back in 2001, dubbed Apocalypse Now Redux.  Both the original theatrical version (153 minutes) and the Redux version (202 minutes) are available on this new Blu-ray along with a great selection of goodies.

Apocalypse Now is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1).  Happily in its original aspect ratio (D.P. Vittorio Storaro has adjusted some other projects to 2.00:1 so it was a concern with Apocalypse). 

Disc one features both of those cuts of the film along with a commentary by director Coppola.  The film is breathtaking on Blu-ray.  The remainder of the special features is on discs two and three and is in high definition unless noted.  Disc two stars off with a 60 minute conversation with Martin Sheen and Coppola, a 50 minute chat with Coppola and John Milius, and the 12 minute “Casting Apocalypse” interview with casting director Fred Roos.  The rest of the special features are in standard definition. 

You also get the 36 minute old-time-radio version of Heart of Darkness (Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater), the 17 minute “Hollow Man” which is Brando reading the Eliot’s poem with scenes from the film, the 3 minute “Monkey Sampan” deleted scene, 26 minutes of additional scenes, the 6 minute “Birth of 5.1 Sound” about the sound design, the 4 minute “Ghost Helicopter Flyover” about the sound design of that scene, an article from Keyboard magazine, the 18 minute “A Million Feet of Film” about the editing, the 15 minute “Heard any good films lately?” about the sound design, the 3 minute “Final Mix” about the setup required to replay that cutting edge sound, the 4 minute “Apocalypse Now then and now” is a clip from the 38 minute 2001 Cannes Film Festival” interview by Roger Ebert, the 4 minute “PBR Streetgang” profiles the PT boat crew, and the 4 minute “Color Palate of Apocalypse Now” is about the three strip Technicolor process of the film. 

Disc three has the 96 minute “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” documentary in high definition, script selection with notes from Coppola, a storyboard gallery, a photo archive, and a marketing archive.  There’s also a 48 page booklet full of photos, notes, and other goodies. 

If’ there was more to see on Apocalypse Now, I’m not sure what it is.  It could’ve come with some napalm or a scratch and sniff card of it I suppose.  Coppola and company have created an exhaustive special edition that features the film presented in high quality.  The best I’ve ever seen it. 

You also get both cuts and thankfully they didn’t tinker with the aspect ratio.  Highly recommended.

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