Apocalypse Now Redux

Rating:
Summary: love the smell
Review: Couldn't both versions of the movie been included on the Redux DVD? Sometimes it's just too much to commit to the Redux version. That's not to suggest that the replaced scenes detract in any way from the sublime beauty of the film, but neither does it add meaning, so much as to make it preferable to the original.

One of the most outstanding parts of the movie is the sound, which contributes so much to the eerie quality. Also, these are classic film characters.... Duvall, Hopper. It 's possible to not enjoy the genre of war movies and still love "Apocalypse Now," since what it's really about is the human mind. Coppola takes the viewer into a dreamlike state to evoke how the mind might cope with prolonged trauma. War movies are chararcterized by long battle scenes, the terror of bloody battlefields and the camaraderie among soldiers, but what stands out here is the journey and the mystery. The majority of the picture is Sheen's character's journey to find Colonel Kurtz. All we see through the first three quarters is noir type photographs. So, though Brando has little comparable screen time, the build-up of "who is Colonel Kurtz?" gives him epic stature.

For a first viewing or a DVD collection, the original is probably best, but for a true fan, Redux too is a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Now revisited
Review: Recently, I had the privilege of viewing the new directors cut of Apocalypse Now known as 'Redux'. It is simply a spectacular restoration of a movie that already was a masterpiece.

Almost an hour worth of new footage has been added in. The original always had the sense of being hurried. This new version gives the film more breathing space and develops characters more. They cover a second encounter with the gunboat crew and the Playboy Bunnies seen previously at the U.S.O show and A much-talked about scene at a French Plantation. There is also additional footage of the Air Cavalry and some more footage from the Kurtz Compound.

The best of the new footage is the added footage of the Air Cavalry and of Willard's Gunboat crew. The original cut never really explains why Captain Willard and his men leave after the attack on Charlie's Point so quickly; we assume it's to continue with their mission. 'Redux' explains why. I am not going to tell but this new footage shows more of the insanity of Colonel Kilgore and shows that Captain Willard is not the stone-faced, boring guy we assumed he was (He actually smiles!).

But this is no ordinary Director's Cut, which basically throws in new footage and does nothing else. Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Murch (One of the original editors) have remade 'Redux' literally from scratch. The "new" footage has been restored to match with the original. In addition, Coppola and Murch might have changed some of the existing footage. What I mean is that they have not changed the scene itself, but the camera angle where it was filmed. For example, when Willard kills Kurtz, first off Kurtz is reading an Air Force statement that is banning crewman from putting the F-Word on their planes. In the original, when he was killed, it only showed a forward view of him as he was stabbed. In this version, Kurtz turns around before he is attacked and then shows a struggle between Kurtz and Willard, leading to Kurtz's eventual death.

But even 'Redux' has its flaws. The encounter with the Playboy Bunnies, while harmless, doesn't really have anything to do with the film. It basically shows that people might get desperate enough in wartime to have sex in exchange for fuel. But the French Plantation is not as easy to sit through. Except for showing what the French think of American involvement in Vietnam (Negative of course) and more personality development for Captain Willard (He smokes opium and even has an attraction for a French woman), it has nothing to do with the film's plot. Some call this a trip through time and indeed it has an eerie feeling throughout (Largely because there is fog everywhere). But otherwise the film would not have been hurt if this scene was left out and instead was used as an extra on the DVD.

Overall, while deliberately paced and a bit tedious (Plus it has graphic violence and many uses of four letter words), Redux proves to be as good if not better that the original. I wonder if it can be eligible for Oscar contendership. I doubt any of other movies this year would be much competition.

I await the DVD and VHS releases of this film with keen anticipation. But no matter how good the picture and sound quality is and no matter how many extras are included, nothing will match the experience of watching this movie in theaters. Watching this movie on the twenty-first of August 2001 was an unforgettable experience that cannot be summed up in words. If you don't believe me, see it for yourself!

Rating:
Summary: "Redux" version mars this film
Review: Film is an artform. And people tend to forget that the pacing of a film has as much to do with the art and effectiveness of a great movie as does its cinematography. When you add 49 minutes of footage to an already long movie (153 min), you seriously alter the pacing. Unwatchable.

The original version was an effective work of art, if sometimes borderlining on antisocial (and I don't mean the story). Absolutely for mature viewers only (and try to get the original version).

Rating:
Summary: A paper I wrote for school
Review: A dozen helicopters in assault formation blast the music of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's Ride of the Valkyries. The music speakers are aimed below into the dense jungle, and the alert Vietcong that hear the terrifying music know it is their worst nightmare. It is the Air Calvary preparing for war as they drill ahead toward the beach of a small town, which has stood peacefully untouched but will be swarming with Vietcong. Rocket and machine gun fire barrage the defenses of the Vietcong as they too return their fire of rocket propelled grenades and antiaircraft ammunition. Black Hawk helicopters release screeching missiles that explode into huge balls of fire, engulfing entire buildings. American soldiers are dropped off on the beach, scurrying ahead into the unknown, shooting rounds from their M16s and M60s. The chaos grows as a Black Hawk tail rudder blows out and spirals into the jungle and as a helicopter, preparing to evacuate injured soldiers, is blown up by the concealed grenade thrown by a young Vietnamese girl. Now every Vietnamese person is the enemy, and families are being shot down. The commanding officer of the Air Calvary orders an air strike across the entire beach tree line after securely repositioning his men. Three fighter jets respond to the message and unload tons after tons of napalm. The jungle erupts into a vast cloud of orange-yellow flames; anything that stood in the path of the napalm was now reduced to smoldering ashes. The ironic purpose of the battle was so that the commanding officer and his buddies could surf the beach, and now the strong blast of the napalm has ruined the waves.
Yes, this is a scene from Francis Ford Coppola's epic film, Apocalypse Now. A movie based on the book "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad, which centers around Marlow, a sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, reputed to be an idealistic man of great abilities. As he enters deeper into the Congo, Marlow discovers that Kurtz has become an insane tyrannical leader over the locals that work for his trading company, and Marlow must kill Kurtz before he does any more damage. In Coppola's movie, Martin Sheen plays the role of Marlow as Captain Willard, an American soldier and secret agent in Vietnam, and Marlon Brando plays the role of Kurtz as Corporal Kurtz, a highly accomplished American soldier, who believes he can fight the war alone with a few well trained soldiers. The movie follows Captain Willard along his mission to assassinate Kurtz, and during all the events that take place, Coppola captures the essence of war itself; and, in a manner as brutally straightforward as possible, he reveals the horrible truth of the Vietnam War.
Captain Willard travels in a patrol boat with four other soldiers: Chief, the navigator and commander of the boat, Clean, a seventeen year old rock and roller, Chef, a middle-aged saucier from the south, and Lance, a Californian pro surfer. Each character represents the kinds of soldiers found in Vietnam. Chief is the respectable soldier, trying to keep his crew safe and alert at all times. Clean is the confused soldier; he is ready to fight, but spends most of his time fooling around and being bored. Lance is the pacifist, constantly getting high and tripping on acid until nothing matters anymore. Chef is the uptight soldier, who fears death because he is homesick and thinks he can survive the war and return one day. The crew has orders to escort Willard as far up the river as he wishes and along the way they fight off Vietcong and Kurtz's army of savages.
Coppola's main focus in the movie is the corruption of the war, and therefore, his movie is very antiwar. Soldiers are depicted as hopelessly bored, incredibly fearful, or horribly vicious. They are seen raping playboy girls, killing innocent people, smoking marijuana, and dropping acid. In the Redux or the unedited version of Apocalypse Now, Coppola even adds a twenty minute scene of a discussion Willard has with a French family, who complain about the Americans and the insignificance of the war they are fighting. Once Willard enters Cambodia and into the hellish world that Kurtz has created, the chaotic corruption in the movie has reached a climax. He finds shrines filled with skulls propped up by spears and decapitated and mangled bodies lying all across the banks of the river. He meets Kurtz's savage army and finally Kurtz himself. The man appears intelligent and sophisticated as he talks to Willard about war and the soldier needed to fight in such a war, but the methods he practices are "unsound" according to head quarters and Willard kills Kurtz. The movie ends on an ironical note because it seems as though nothing has been resolved. Corporal Kurtz may have been the only sane soldier in such an obscure war, and Lance, who is intoxicated during the entire episode, is the only one to survive with Willard.
Apocalypse Now was introduced into movie theatres in 1979, but was considered so controversial that it only appeared in Europe for a few years before finally being accepted in America after a considerable amount of editing. Americans still saw a very gruesome portrayal of the Vietnam War and found it either unbearably unpatriotic or properly executed. In my eyes, Apocalypse is one the most amazing visual experiences in the world not only because of its groundbreaking perception of the Vietnam War but also because of its incredible cinematography that brings the movie to life. I have watched the movie six times, and every time I stare in awe at the perfection of the filming and directing. Apocalypse Now is a movie that everyone must watch at least once in their lifetime to fully appreciate Francis Ford Coppola's work.

Rating:
Summary: BUT DAMMIT, I NEED MORE!!!
Review: In my humble opinion APOCALYPSE NOW is one of the ten greatest films of all time, and the re-inclusion of the legendary missing scenes in REDUX only adds to the spellbinding experience of this towering work of art. The numbing decadence and creeping sense of imminent defeat at the French plantation, the bizarre and heartbreaking Bunny scenes, and Colonel Kilgore's comic attempts to reclaim his stolen surfboard add color and heft to an already amazing journey. I, however, will not buy APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX on DVD until Mr. Coppola does this masterpiece the justice it deserves: a deluxe repackaging a la the GODFATHER films is not only in order, but long overdue. May I suggest, for 2004, a 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD including:

1. Both the original and REDUX cuts of the film.
2. HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER'S APOCALYPSE, Eleanor Coppola's brilliant documentary on the filming of APOCALYPSE NOW.
3. Commentary tracks by Coppola, Martin Sheen, sound editor Walter Murch, Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and anyone else they can get.
4. Rehearsal footage, Cannes footage, the complete screenplay, stills, and whatever else Mr. Coppola feels is appropriate for the edition.

If ever a film was crying out for a proper DVD treatment, it's APOCALYPSE NOW.

Rating:
Summary: A Whole New Experience
Review: This is the definitive version of Apocalypse. It is like you are watching an entirely different film with 50 minutes of scenes put back in an already kick butt flick. The longest new scene is the erie French plantation sequence which includes a funeral for Mr. Clean(Laurence Fishburne), and a sexual-opium scene with Willard(Sheen) and one of the French colonists.
The new footage(especially the French plantation scenes) gives the film a powerful dynamic edge that the original lacked. This version takes the crew on an even trippier ride up the Nung River into Cambodia. Some of the original scenes(such as where we see Kilgore's surfboard on the PT boat) make more sense now that the deleted scenes have been added. The anti-war message is more apparent in this one also. There are new scenes involving Brando's Kurtz reading a Time magazine emphasizing in the article the lies about the war to the public by the government. The French plantation sequence is symbolic of how the French lost Indochina, yet these few colonists are hanging on to sacred ground while the war is raging on(Willard:"Why don't you return to France?"). Willard(SHEEN) reads from Kurtz dossier in a new sequence:"As long as cold beer, hot food, and rock and roll are allowed over here, our troops will remain dilitantes and tourists"

Rating:
Summary: Great Flick
Review: Look this was a good movie, im gonna say if youve never seen it before you can even skip the renting stage and just buy it and you'll be very pleased with your purchase....im just posting because im so sick of seeing these people actually use the 1,000 word maximum......i probably speak for most people when i say that when i see these big long reviews i just skip right through em....i mean a simple plot summary and opinion is really all thats necessary...you supposed "movie -gurus" need to get a life and stop boring everyone with your insights because most of the time its a bunch of garbage anyway

Rating:
Summary: "I wanted a mission. And for my sins, they gave me one."
Review: With an opening scene consisting of a slow-motion shot of helicopters crossing the frame as a jungle gets napalmed, superimposed with Martin Sheen's upside-down head looking at you as "The End" by The Doors plays, you know this is not going to be a Disney movie.

Based loosely on Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness", Captain Willard (Sheen) is literally sent up river to take out renegade Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). At the jumping off point, he encounters a group of Air Cav soldiers who like to surf, led by Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who has one of the most-quoted lines of film dialog. I'm not going to tell you what it is :-) One of the most famous scenes is the group of about a dozen Air Cav helicopters attacking a village with Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" blasting from speakers.

Willard goes up river in a patrol boat with 4 others, including Laurence Fishburne and Frederic Forrest. It gets gloomier and gloomier, until they come upon a USO show/depot at the edge of the river. After stopping a short time they are off again. In the "Redux" version, they come across a couple of Playboy Bunnies at a Medevac station in the rain. Then continuing up river, they have an encounter with a local fishing boat, then they are attacked with sticks and spears from the edge of the river. In the "Redux" version, they stop at a French-owned plantation for dinner, and Willard gets lucky with a woman there. Then they continue up river and come to Kurtz' headquarters in the jungle. They are greeted by a nut-case photo-journalist, played by Dennis Hopper, and Willard is eventually introduced to Kurtz.

I'm not giving any more away.

I believe the "regular" version of the movie is stronger than the "Redux", because the sense of gloom and doom going up river is broken with the Playboy bunny scene (though I hate to complain when female breasts are involved), and particularly the long French plantation scene. I would have preferred those extra scenes to be in a section of special features, perhaps.

Still, either version is one of the better movies out there, and for many it is the tops. It is currently #36 on the IMDB list. It certainly has excellent acting, cinematography, story and dialog.

Rating:
Summary: A new story, totally different than Apocalypse Now
Review:

They say that Coppola shot 200 hours of film in order to get this movie, which is 53 minutes longer than the released version (director's cut). Perhaps that helps to explain some of its shortcomings.

There are some good movies to come out of the Vietnam experience, but this is not one of the outstanding ones, I think, despite the star studded cast and the takeoff on the Apocalypse Now name.

There is a schizophrenic quality to the film: you are led to believe that Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) is going to be a heroic figure, but he turns out to be just another tragic nut, driven off his trolley by his war experience, who beheads people for little reason.

It is supposed to star Brando, but the actual star, of course, is Martin Sheen, who plays Captain Willard--an assassin, at that.

I found little to recommend the film. If it was intended, as they say, to clarify the ending, as Walter Murch stated, I think it failed. The ending had a murky, poorly motivated close which left the audience waiting for more. After killing Brando, Sheen walks away from Brando's dedicated Montagnard followers without any hint of trouble from them. Both he and Sheen played Green Berets ("Snakeeaters," to Vietnam vets.)

The horror of war is talked about, but not adequately developed. Robert Duvall's part (mislabeled in the editorial review as Colonel Kurtz) as a surfboarding colonel was superfluous, as were the Playboy bunnies and the accusations of Cambodian incursion, surely designed to further Hollywood propaganda to show how bad the United States was, and how evil and inept our leaders were--a continuing message from leftwing Hollywood.

Despite the flaws, though, it was an entertaining show. (...)

Rating:
Summary: avoid - stick with the original
Review: Compare this with the original, which deserves more stars than are in the night sky, and you'll understand why there are editors. The uncut footage is superfluous and silly, and it distracts from the story, which flows "like a main circuit cable" in the 1979 version. The only good thing I can say is that if Coppola and the studio had to squeeze "Apocalypse Now" for some more money, better to do so with this "redux" instead of some god-awful "Godfather 3"-quality sequel.