Official Synopsis:
Apocalypse Now (1979) -
Francis Ford Coppola's stunning vision of man's heart of darkness revealed through the madness of the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Willard receives orders to seek out a renegade military outpost led by the mysterious Colonel Kurtz. Willard's mission: "Terminate with extreme prejudice." One of the most powerful films of all time, Apocalypse Now was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.
Apocalypse Now Redux (2001) -
The definitive version of Francis Ford Coppola's stunning vision of the heart of darkness in all of us, re-edited and remastered with 49 minutes of additional footage. Nominated for 8 Academy Awards®, this classic and compelling Vietnam War epic stars Martin Sheen as Army Lieutenant Willard, who is sent on a dangerous and mesmerizing odyssey into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade American Colonel named Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has succumbed to the horrors of war and barricaded himself in a remote outpost.
Our Take:
I've never considered Apocalypse Now a perfect film; it's a truly amazing piece of filmmaking, but I've always felt the resolution at the end of the film and the Marlon Brando scenes were the weakest parts of the film. Now, I'm sure that's considered blasphemy to some people, but to me that scene is more indicative of Brando's actual state of mind than his once-stellar talent. Still, there's no denying what an incredibly powerful film Apocalypse Now is; it's easily one of the single greatest war movies ever committed to film.
Just like Apocalypse Now is a near-but-not-quite-perfect film, Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier is a near-but-not-quite-perfect DVD set. Let me say right off the bat that this is the DVD that the film's fans have been waiting for. It includes both the original print of Apocalypse Now and the 2001 re-edited version, Apocalypse Now Redux. Both versions of the film are spread out over the set's two discs for maximum picture and sound quality, and Francis Ford Coppola provides commentary for both versions. On top of that, there are a ton of great extra features. The only real problem with the DVD is the fact that it's missing one major component: Hearts of Darkness, the notoriously candid documentary about Coppola's journey and breakdown while making the film. Many fans consider this film almost as good as the movie itself, and its inclusion here would have made this the ultimate DVD experience for Apocalypse Now fans. As it stands, that omission is the only thing keeping this set from getting a grade of A+.
As it is, here's what comes in the set:
* Commentary - Francis Ford Coppola provides commentaries for both versions of the film.
* The Hollow Men (17 Minutes) - A never-before-seen complete version of Kurtz's reading of T.S. Eliot's poem.
* Monkey Sampan (3 minutes) - A rare "lost scene."
* Additional Scenes (26 minutes) - 12 deleted scenes that have reportedly never been seen before.
* A/V Club (10 minutes) - Two featurettes and two text articles on the groundbreaking surround sound the film pioneered.
* The Post Production of Apocalypse Now - A documentary in four parts on the three years it took to finish the film after it was shot. The four parts are:
- A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now (18 minutes).
- The Music of Apocalypse Now (15 minutes).
- The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now (15 minutes).
- The Final Mix (3 minutes).
* PBR Streetgang (4 minutes) – Short interviews with the actors who played the crew of the PBR.
* Apocalypse Then and Now (4 minutes) - Coppola in Cannes in 1979 and 2001.
* The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now (4 minutes) - A look at the process used to preserve the film's colors.
* Redux Marker - A terrific innovation for this type of release. This option puts an icon on screen during Apocalypse Now Redux that indicates when you are watching footage added back in for the 2001 version.
It still amazes me that Apocalypse Now only won two technical Oscars, when it is such a true feat of filmmaking. Luckily, with Paramount's newest release, this classic will be well preserved with a grand treatment for generations of movie lovers to come.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Movie: A
DVD: A
- Mike Spring
Editor
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