Apocalypse Now Redux (DVD)

The Director’s Cut of Apocalypse Now Redux is finally hitting video stores this month!
They’ve actually added about forty minutes of footage back into the film—which, honestly, is just massive. If you haven't sat through this one yet, consider this your sign... it is an absolute must-see!

Hmm... the director's cut of Apocalypse Now Redux presents an interesting perspective. However, one cannot help but wonder if that extended sequence on the beach was truly necessary? It feels unnecessarily long. To be perfectly honest, I have a somewhat hazy memory of the Redux version itself; the original remains far more impactful and moving.

For those interested: www.script-o-rama.com
You might find it worthwhile to download the first draft of the Apocalypse script... it is fascinating to observe how much the final screenplay evolved from its initial conception. Quite intriguing, really...

Honestly, I feel like Apocalypse Now Redux is already absolutely perfect just the way it is, and I don't have even the slightest bit of desire to sit through some extra director's cut or supplemental footage... because, if I'm being real, I feel like messing with it would just totally ruin the whole vibe for me.😁

I'm not trying to be a contrarian here, but the movie feels incredibly drawn out and lacks any real directorial vision 🙄
I’ve actually had the screenplay for a while now (though I haven't sat down to read it 😛), mostly because my collection of scripts is just gathering dust on my HBO server

I watched this ages ago, and just revisited it with all the new footage that bumps the runtime up past three hours. Honestly? It didn't land for me back then, and it definitely isn't hitting the mark now. There are flashes of brilliance—like that cavalry charge set to Wagner—but as a whole, the thing feels like a pretentious collage lacking any real dramatic weight. And that final appearance by the brand near the end, somewhere around the two-and-a-half-hour mark? Total anticlimax. After reaching such incredible heights with The Godfather, The Conversation, and The Godfather II, it feels like Coppola just hit a wall and spiraled into a creative crisis he never quite recovered from. It’s wild to me that some institution—maybe the American Film Institute? I can't recall exactly, feel free to set me straight—actually named this the best film of the last 25 years.

If you treated Apocalypse Now Redux like some niche underground flick, sure, I might say it’s interesting, mostly because you don't really have to "get" underground movies. But looking at it this way—it's a massive film that turned out to be a massive flop.

I’d actually love it if someone jumped in here to tell me I'm wrong and walk me through what makes this movie great. As it stands, my honest reaction while watching was just... nothing. Pure indifference.

Dante said:If you treat Apocalypse Now Redux like some obscure underground flick, sure, maybe I'd call it interesting. You don't really need to "get" underground cinema to appreciate it. But looking at it this way? It’s just a massive blockbuster that flopped hard.

Honestly, I would have loved it if someone actually told me I was wrong and walked me through what makes this movie good. As it stands, my honest impression while watching it? Total indifference.

Let me break it down for you. 🙂

First off, this Redux version is completely unnecessary. It just breaks the flow and drags in elements that add absolutely nothing to the story.

Second, Apocalypse Now is an underground movie by definition because it was funded by one of the iterations of Coppola's Zoetrope studio—basically his own money. So, if you don't call it underground, it's at least indie. 😉

Third, there's something fascinating about how the film works; the whole journey is spent using M. Sheen to imagine just how much of a monster General Kurtz actually is. Plus, the war itself is portrayed as this inevitable, senseless, and utterly idiotic thing.

You call it an anti-climax; I call it the most powerful Brand appearance in cinema history.
Man, for me, it lived up to the terrifying expectations of the characters, building that dread from the very start until the moment he finally shows up.
Maybe it's because that half-lit scene with that heavy monologue (Horror, horror ....) actually made my blood run cold. 🙂

BTW, I watched the original version on 35mm. 🙂