Apocalypse Now Redux

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: I saw Apocalypse Now Redux on the Sundance channel. I liked it mainly because this is the first time I've seen it. It's about a Lieutenant named Willard who is sent on a mission to kill a renegade colonel sometime in the Vietnam War. There are many extra footage inserted into the Redux like the French plantation, where Willard steals someone's surfboard(can't remember the name), and women at a medivac camp. These scenes don't make a whole lot of sense, but it's still a great movie nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse now and then
Review: It will always be a matter of controversy among fans of Coppola's work which is the better movie - The Godfather or Apocalypse Now? Personally, I tend to go for Apocalypse. It may be chaotic, it may be pretentious at times, but it also displays a kind of all-out, damn-the-world genius that the Godfather doesn't have (or at least not this much). As most movie buffs will know, Apocalypse was made under extremely difficult circumstances, and the resulting feeling you get is that of a director finally saying "to hell with it" and just wildly doing what he wants to do with his movie and, yes, indulging. It's over the top, sure. But it's also brilliant.

It was brilliant in 1979, when the original version came out, and it still is today. The 49 minutes of restored footage aren't all up to par - I could have done without the second scene with the Playboy bunnies - but overall they do add a sense of humor to the movie, as well as clarifying certain thematical points (the infamous French plantation sequence and the extra scene with Brando).

It still gives me shivers how Coppola manages to start off with a more or less straighforward movie narrative, and then to just let that dissolve into ever more spectacular episodes of wartime insanity, even as the sanity of the protagonist seems to dissolve into madness. The movie is so gripping, you seem to be able to actually feel the heat and damp of the jungle. Every emotion, exaggerated or no, is spot on. It's dense with thematical meaning and it's visually stunning. If most movies made today are the equivalent of MacDonald's, then Apocalypse Now is a five-course meal with a good bottle of wine. You get enough to think about for weeks, but you're never less than totally entertained.

Apocalypse Now was and remains one of my top-five movies of all time. Somehow, it seems to benefit even from the sheer length of it. Some movies are meant to be long, and create a more complete experience for it.

Rating:
Summary: The Weakening Of A Masterpiece
Review: The original cut of this film is one of the most beautiful, and disturbing, pieces of cinema ever made. The film flows so effortlessly, one would wonder why Coppola would want to go back and tinker with his finest accomplishment. The only reason I can think of is money: people will buy the re-cut version.

However, the added scenes do nothing to forward the story, nor do they add to the disturbing atmosphere. In fact, they take away from the film's power. The flow is now choppy, the mood is broken by little bits of meaningless footage that deservedly belonged on the cutting room floor.

Consider the "napalm in the morning" scene with Duke. How powerful that scene was in the original film. Duke says, "Someday this war is gonna end." And then he walks off. End of scene. We are left with the ambiguity of Duke's - and the war's - morality. He wants the war to end, but he doesn't.

The "director's cut" of this scene doesn't end here - it continues with an argument about Lance surfing, with Duke and Sheen's character arguing about the safety of this (didn't they do this earlier?): Duke yelling at them through a bullhorn. Lance and Sheen then steal a surfboard, and the last shot we have of Duke is throwing the bullhorn in the air in anger. His character is effectively stripped of its duality, the power of the "Someday this war's gonna end" statement left in the sand.

Then, as the boat pulls away, Sheen is laughing. Sorry, Frances, it doesn't work. (What happened to the surfboard?)

And what is the purpose of the sex scene with the bunnies? It adds nothing to the forward momentum of the plot, and it deserved to stay on the cutting room floor. (Unless, of course, you're after the thrill of some nice boobies.)

This version weakens the film considerably. I give it one star because of this. Avoid this one, or at least rent it and see for yourself. I'll stick with the 1979 cut, thanks - it's a far superior film.

Rating:
Summary: Bigger is not always better
Review: I have been a movie enthusiast all my life, but when i saw this movie (on its original release) I was blown away.
I could not believe that sound, image and story could be mixed in such a magnificent way... The movie was a trip for me.
Years latter comes the Redux... Apocalypse is still as powerful as ever but some of the added scenes break the frenetic rythm of the original.
Some of the scenes help us to see Captian Willard as the auto-destructive S.O.B. is only hinted in the original, but others not only break with his image, but also put the character out of context.
I would have loved to give this one a 5 stars review.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest War Film Ever Made
Review: 'Redux' brings to life the greatest war story of this generation in a completely new perspective. Copolla captured the insanity of Veitnam in a way that no other filmaker has. 20+ years since the original was released, I am still engrossed in this film and its story. This is not a film about Veitnam in the traditional sense. If you want that, go see Oliver Stone's Platoon (with all of the typical Oliver Stone sensationalism) or Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (which doesn't even look like Veitnam). This is a film about a man's (in)sanity (Captain Willard played by Martin Sheen) delivered through the horror of Veitnam as he pursues the renegade Colnel Kurtz (Brando).

'Redux' adds nearly an hour of extra footage which gives more depth to the already epic film. The French Plantation sequence (nearly 30 minutes long) is the real highlight of the new footage. This is an elaborate series of scenes with completely new faces (including Aurore Clemente). Considering all that went into these scenes, it is difficult to imagine how this was omitted from the final cut of the original. But, in an effort to get the original under 2 1/2 hours, it was cut. The only hint that anyone had of Copolla's mysterious French Plantation Scene was in the 'Hearts of Darkness' documentary released several years ago. The extended sequence of scenes with Kurtz at the end is an additional highlight on 'Redux' along with a haunting new soundtrack.

The story doesn't change, however, and neither does the importance of this epic film. Copolla explores the depravity of one man's mind during the horror of Vietnam. Apocalypse Now takes such a different angle from any other war film of its era. There is no hero in this war, as illustrated by Willard. Copolla nearly lost his own mind (and his fortune) during the filming of Apocalypse Now (see 'Hearts of Darkness'). The result is as magnificent today as it was 20 years ago.

In watching 'Redux', it is difficult to determine when the film was made. The cinematography is unmatched and the attention to detail is witnessed in every scene. This film is a 'must see' and a 'must have' . The only real let down is the absense of any bonus material on the DVD. I would have gladly paid extra for any extras that might have been appropriate.

Rating:
Summary: the original is excellent,added scenes are terrible.
Review: Apocalypse Now.A true classic,and one of the greatest films in history.It shows the horror of vietnam more than any other movie about vietnam.There are excellent performances by Martin Sheen,Robert Duvall,but Brando in his 15 minutes is the best.The story goes like this burned out Captain Willard(Sheen)is sent on a classified mission to kill a renegade colonel named Kurtz(Brando) who is living with a group of vietnamese somewhere up-river in the heart of Cambodia.He and other men who he does not tell what he is going to do or where he is going go off on a search to find Kurtz.With oscar-winning cinematography and great performances this film is a hit.Now here is the problem.''REDUX''.The new scenes are boring and don't add nothing.Like the french plantation scene it is long,boring,and just shows the crew and the frenchmen sitting down talking and eating dinner.It is very long and the frenchmen are boring.They talk about why they are there and what not which doesn't matter because is to find and kill Kurtz.However the only half-way decent thing it does add is that Willard says he will not go back to america after the war.One of the other scenes is with the playmates that feautures the crew exchanging sex with the ladies for gasoline.This scene makes the crew and the playmates look like idiot.Like when one of the playmate's is having sex with one of the crew men sha talks about the animals she has in the helicopter.Stupid.There are also other lame scenes that are both some short and some long.I suggest to all people buy the original version and skip ''REDUX''.

Rating:
Summary: Adding to, and Subtracing from, a Classic
Review: Regardless of which version you see, "Apocalypse Now," is a brilliantly flawed piece of filmaking that has more power than anything released in Hollowood the last decade or so ("Saving Private Ryan" being the only possible exception). The performances by Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall are among the best of their careers while Marlon Brando's weird entry into the film's last half hour are contrversial and unlike anything seen before or since. Not to mention the fact that many of the images are simply unforgettable.

That siad, the "Redux" version both adds to and detracts from the movie itself. The additional footage is going to be of most interest to big fans of the film (like me). Unfortunately, they mostly serve to slow the story down while making it even more surrealistic. Never meant to be taken as a literal account of the real life fighting experience of the Vietnam War, the added footage makes the movie even more of a nightmare and even less authentic as an actual war movie.

That said, ...

Rating:
Summary: Added scenes don't add much
Review: The added scenes serve only to lengthen an already long movie. A bit more surfing absurdity and a lengthy scene that's as much about rape as comedy (more rape, probably--and a strange--and unfunny--comedy scene)

Too many directors are second guessing themselves! Why must they alter their own visions?

Rating:
Summary: A director's cut taht shouldn't have been made...
Review: Apocolypse now is an excellent movie. Very few people would argue this, but the Redux, which adds 40 minutes to a movie already 2 hours long, is over doing it. some of the scenes added do indeed enhance the movie, but most are generally unnessecary and don't add much to the film, or draw out the story with meanlingless blather that doesn't even serve to enhance character development. If you have a DVD remote and can skip the scenes that were added that detract from the overall film, great, other wise get the VHS and pray they release the original cut.

Rating:
Summary: The movie's a 6! The extra scenes are a 2.
Review: I'm still happy that I bought this DVD, because for most viewing, I'll just skip over the French plantation scene and the bit with the Playboy girls. They added absolutely nothing to the film, and were rightfully cut. In fact, I feel that they in many ways hindered the characterization of Willard. Seeing him stealing Kilgore's surfboard and giggling like a schoolgirl really shot down the image of him as an intense man on a physical and spiritual journey. This sort of thing confuses characterization rather than strengthening it.

But this edition of the DVD is still worth owning, if for no other reason than to satisfy curiousity.