Finally Apocalypse Now gets the treatment it deserves. Like most fans of the film I was disappointed with the barebones release of Apocalypse Now Redux by Paramount a couple of years ago. Not only were there no extras but if I’m not mistaken the DVD wasn’t even in the original aspect ratio. Virtually everything about the edition, except the extra footage- which in this rare case added much to the film, stank of a money grab. But love covers a multitude of sins and in this case the sins aren’t just covered but buried under an avalanche of Special Features
The list of what you get:
Commentary by: Francis Ford Coppola (both films)Dolby Digital 2.0
Contains both the 1979 and 2001 versions
Exclusive featurettes
Lost "monkey sampan" scene
Outtake: Marlon Brando's complete reading of T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men"
Apocalypse Then and Now retrospective
"PBR Streetgang" - cast members' reunion
12 never-before-seen segments from the cutting room floor
Apocalpyse Now A/V Club for aspiring filmmakers
Study the sound design and final mix of Apocalypse Now in depth
The color palette of Apocalypse Now
The answer is yes. The above is a basic cut and paste from Amazon. But do you really need anything else to show you that this is the best and only version of AN you'll ever want or need? Really unless it came bundled with the incredible making of DocHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, I can't see how they could have done better.
The packaging is sweet as well. A plain cardboard wrapper with a fake official US Army seal opens to reveal an impressive slick, embossed, case that offers lengthy notes explaining each of the extras.
And did I mention that it can be pre-ordered on Amazon for a mere $12.99
This is far from "complete". Not that I would actually be interested to sit through the whole 5 hour workprint again ... I guess the "12 never-before-seen segments from the cutting room floor" are taken from that workprint. You can still buy it from various shady sources on teh intarwebz.
I downloaded the Hearts of Darkness documentary and threw it on a disk. The picture quality is VHS, recorded from French TV but it was great to finally see this much talked about doc. I got the set on it's way in the mail.
I remember catching Hearts of Darkness on TV a number of years ago. Good stuff. Yes.
As I've said before, it's a crying shame that this landmark film has been treated so badly in recent years, I can only guess that legal red tape has prevented Hearts of Darkness being on this 2 disc release, or on a DVD of it's own! CDWoW are selling THE 2 disc Apocalypse for a steal at £9.99 , at least they aren't ripping us off hear again!
The official line from Zoetrope is that there's a legal issue with HoD, but George Hickenlooper claims Coppola just plain doesn't like it. Other than that the biggest problem I have with the "Complete Dossier" is the absence of the Kurtz compound destruction footage from the original AN DVD—you have to get the bonus disc from Circuit City if you want that. Laaaaaaaaaame.
The best and only version? Lol. That´ll be when they finally release it in its original aspect ratio, not in the freaking Sttoraro one (I really hate you). I´m sorry for all the extra features, but I can´t buy a cropped dvd.
The only thing that has me bugged is the fact that both films are split over the two disks. Why didn't they just put one cut on disk one and the other on disk two? I hate switching disks. Ruins the flow/pacing.
Take this for what it's worth to you, but it's stated in one of the extra features (the FAQ) that the five-hour workprint was never meant for release. The "cropped" vs "original aspect ratio" issue is also addressed.
I've been watching it in bits and pieces over the last few days, and been reminded of how truly spectacular certain sequences remain. I agree about the stupid splitting of the film if you want to watch it straight through, though considering how episodic the film is, I wonder if the intention isn't to present it in that way as another way of experiencing it. (Probably not, but still...)
The picture looks splendid on my 26" LCD monitor, and the sound makes me want to upgrade my audio system.
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