ambiguous end to "Apocalypse Now"

The funny thing is I may be obsessive about the final product (and variations of same), but I don't have a strong desire to sit down and watch a "work in progress"...

This is partly because the quality for a "work in progress" is very poor, but it's also partly because I do prefer to wait until the soup is fully cooked before tasting it.


I seem to remember some additional footage with Colby that was included as "deleted scenes" in "the complete dossier" DVD set.... but I haven't looked at in a while.

I think that same footage might be waiting for me to watch on the "full disclosure" Blu Ray set - but haven't spent any time yet on the special features disc.

 

I saw the 2001 Redux in the theater, and it still didn't have end credits. Instead, the first thing that came on-screen after the movie ended was an ad for a local Vietnamese restaurant. I swear to God that's true. Some audience members chuckled at the irony...

 

Has footage of Harvey Keitel's portrayal of Willard ever leaked out ?

I suspect after Keitel was replaced, Coppola got rid of the footage.

I think it happened very quickly, and Coppola felt bad about it - because it wasn't like Keitel was replaced because he is a bad
actor, or because he was creating problems on the set. Coppola just decided he wanted someone different.


For what it's worth, the scene in "Hearts of Darkness" that was filmed at some sort of backyard party at Coppola's house in Marin County, CA was fascinating. It was so bizarre (for me) to see all of these huge name A-list actors standing around talking to each other.

 

As i recall some long shots of the boat, etc. feature Harvey but no other footage of Harvey beyond that since he was fired after the first week has been released.

 

I have a copy of the work print and the photojournalist's murder is on there. The only issue is that the work print is a very long and frustrating viewing experience as both the video and audio quality are quite poor.

 

Yes, I think the copy of the work print that generally circulates originated on two VHS tapes, which gives you an idea of its age. The "extras" are mostly that a lot of the scenes just go on longer -- Willard getting rousted and prepared for his mission briefing, for instance, is at least twice as long as what we're used to. There's also a lot of disturbing footage of the conditions in Kurtz's compound. I actually think the last chapters of the final cut would have benefited from more scenes showing the wretched conditions there. Finally, on the copy I have, there's 20 minutes or so of dialogue from Apocalypse Now synched to footage from old cartoons. Weird.

 

I wasn't able to get through the entire "Redux" with Coppola comments this weekend.

I did get a very surprising answer as to exactly what was in the en-route communication that was delivered to Willard at Do Lung bridge.

If you pause the Blu-Ray you can read the entire (very short) letter. No mystery orders. Extremely brief message (maybe 7 or 8 sentences). The funniest part of the message is somewhere in it says something completely odd like "as you now know".

Completely odd writing for a formal communication from military commanders....

I'm starting to lean towards the idea that NONE of this movie is real... that it is in fact some sort of dream...

Coppola claims he "must have written 500 different endings"... so trying to figure out the actual ending (or endingS) to see if there is
alignment with what comes earlier in the movie (or with real life) is a doomed exercise from the start.

 

I wrote this two years ago:

I recently watched Apocalypse Now again (not the Redux version). I think I have a pretty decent solution to the famously fumbled climax.

The compound sequence up to Brando delivering that great line about Willard being an, "errand boy sent by grocery clerks", is all okay. It's from there that it loses all momentum and becomes boring. What they should have done is cut from that line to Willard back on the boat getting ready to kill Kurtz. All they needed to do is put in a Michael Herr scripted voice over that basically says, "He either didn't fear me, or didn't care that I intended to kill him. So he let me go. I was free to roam his man made hell or leave. And I wasn't leaving without finishing my mission". Also they could use it to clarify any resulting poltholes. Then the film just goes straight into Willard creeping into the compound and killing Kurtz.

This way the film loses about ten or so minutes of needless waffle. I think it would result in a much better, more watchable ending that doesn't test your patience half as much.

 

Some good ideas here. I found the way the film ended almost hypnotic due to the way it rambled on a bit.

 

Been a while since I've watched this. Need to revisit it more.

From what I remember in the theater the end was the big explosions.

 

I hope it was this...


Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

That's it! I haven't seen that in 20 years. Pretty impressive considering what he had to work with.

 

I tell you what, the so called "Redux" is a bum numbing disaster, totally ruins the pacing and impact of the original. Original: 8/10, Redux: 2/10.

 

I wouldn't rate REDUX that low, but that plantation scene kills the film's pace. It makes sense as a narrative device, as Williard's boat journeys into the past, but as drama it's terrible and brings the film to a dead stop.

 

I was been generous Ron, 1 out of 10 really, I'd never watch it in that version again, and like Lucas's stuff the HD cleaned up versions are only the "Reduxes"

 

At least the original cut is often sold in tandem with the new print.

If I compare the two films, side by side, this is how I would score the differences:


1.) Slightly more dossier footage (worth adding)
2.) Movement of the "Satisfaction" water ski-ing sequence (hate where it's at now - worked better earlier in the movie)
3.) Theft of Kilgore's surfboard (worth adding)
4.) Trading fuel for "time with Bunnies" (worth adding)
5.) French plantation sequence (easily the worst addition - really adds nothing - except an extra element of bizarre)
6.) Extra footage at the Kurtz compound (worth adding)

Overall, I was grateful for the new scenes and tend to be more likely to watch the Redux cut if I pull out the discs.

But I can easily see how someone likes the earlier version.

As for the change in placement of the "Satisfaction" scene... it seems that it was originally SUPPOSED to be after the
USO show and the extra footage that shows some talking while Lance opens his mail - is apparently WHY it was moved.

But it just works so perfectly in the spot where it was before - because it's like "meet and greet" with the people on the boat.

I remember sitting in the theater watching the Redux version and being VERY VERY angry that "Satisfaction" was missing.
I calmed down after it showed up - but the damage had already been done.

I suspect a lot of people don't like the extra footage with Brando in REDUX... but I thought it humanized him - and made
him less of a wierdo and more of a good man who had gone down a bad path...

 

I'm not sure about the last comment.

The latest Blu-Ray looks pretty identical for both versions... and uses branching to accomplish it.

 

Apologies, have the DVD which is "Redux" only and on Netflix, original is SD and "Redux" is HD, didn't know there was a Blu Ray original version.

 

The plantation sequence does slow things down but it also gives us a lot of context and a history lesson. The conflict had actually been going on for a long time, just with different parties involved. That and their refusal to acknowledge reality supports the whole "everything about this is insane" theme of the movie. It does go too long, though.