Apocalypse Now

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Apocalypse Now

When a film with a standard running time of two and a half hours is given an additional fifty minutes to play with, it might be thought that the notion of “Director’s Cut” had finally gone too far. However, when the film in question is Francis Ford Coppola’s strikingly insane Vietnam masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, it’s hard not show a shred of interest. ‘Redux’ – as it is subtitled - differs from other director’s cuts in that new scenes haven’t simply been spliced in where appropriate, but Coppola and editor Walter Murch have actually re-edited the film from scratch, remastering the print in the process. As such the film has never looked or sounded this good. Many of the scenes are excellent though, the Robert Duvall scenes are extended, building up the character of Martin Sheen’s Willard, and establishing a touch more camaraderie between the crew. Other scenes are interesting too, adding further characterisation, historical groundwork and politics than before. An excellent addition features Marlon Brando’s Kurtz – seen in sunlight for the first time - reading newspaper clippings to a bemused Willard. However other scenes don’t fit so well. At one point, the Playboy bunnies are encountered again, and Willard trades fuel to give his crew time with them. The idea is that the women are as used as the soldiers we have been following, but the scene involves an abrupt point-of-view change, being the only scene in the entire film not seen through Willard’s eyes. Another odd scene features a visit to a French plantation. This features a fascinating discussion about the French involvement in Vietnam (overlooked by almost every other film on the subject) but ends with an ill-advised love scene which looks like it belongs in a different film. The new version isn’t strictly a better film than the original, but works as an excellent accompaniment. The new scenes range from excellent to terrible, and its length is a little off putting. However it’s worth seeing for the restoration job alone as it simply looks stunning. The colours! The colours! Indeed. Where to buy online in the UK Savapoint - Recommended Where to buy online in the USA