Yeah, I don't like that. I like both scenes. The first time I saw Redux I didn't really appreciate it. But now I really like that, and think the plantation scene (while not exciting) provides some interesting historical context. I want both parts there.
One thing that always grabs you when you see the movie in a theater is the ever present sound of the helicopters. The movie starts with the 360 degree sound of choppers flying around left to right and back. So cool. Kilgore’s Death From Above chopper is just legendary. That whole sequence on an IMAX screen is always worth the price of admission though I saw it free because of AMC A-List.
I saw it two nights ago on the IMAX screen in San Antonio. For whatever reason, i thought the film looked VERY VERY bad. Im not talking about content or pacing... just the actual image displayed... things seemed fuzzy and contrast seemed way off.... i specifically remember a view of the jungle from above and the trees looked veey unclear... like a video game without enough detail. And i never saw the tiger jump out... i had to rely on my memory of seeing it before. The tiger was hiding in shadows The sound was great , but ive always thought it sounded great. I thought the parts from Redux that showed Brando in light, should have been retained. I was surprised the bunny sequence was gone and the plantation scene renained. I remember being absolutely thrilled by how the film looked when I saw redux in 2001. I will probably try to find another screen in Houston but not sure I will get the chance.
Was it the Riverwalk AMC I presume? I was lukewarm on whether to go see this or not, but your report has me leaning to no.
Could this be the cinema you saw it at? I have read of nobody having this reaction to seeing the new cut. It blew me away. Myself and many others left the cinema ctunned by what we had just witnessed. Just offering a counter point. I thought it looked stunning. One of the best cinematic experiences I have had.
Id like to think it was the Cinema but Im not sure how it could have been this bad. I was sitting in row H. I would have preferred to be back a few more rows but I dont think it was where I waa sitting. Ive never seen anything else in this theater and ive seen a lot of great looking Dolby and Imax showing for other titles in many Houston theaters. My usual feeling is the Imax looks great but the sound is not as good as In the Dolby cinema... the sound for this was very good but thats not my complaint The screen in San Antonio (IMAX AMC near the riverwalk) was HUGE but its supposed to be. Im not able to discuss the technical ressons it looked bad... the shot.of the green jungle that seemed to be missing pixels was the straw that broke the camels back for me... but it was a continuous disappointment to me and I remember being blown away by Redux in 2001 on a comparable sized screen... im pretty sure that was a chemical print back then Maybe the theater was getting a live stream and the bandwidth into the building was too small ??? For the record, the theater I saw it on in 1979 was just an average neighborhood screen. (the Fern Rock in Philadelphia )
I've seen a few movies on that particular IMAX screen, but probably only go there once a year or less. I saw Interstellar there and it looked fantastic.
Very strange, it certainly will not be anything like streaming but I don't know why one screen would be bad over another to the degree you mention. I am sorry your experience was naff, especially as I was so taken by the movie and know how good it can look. I hope others have a better time of it during the screenings.
I thought the plantation dinner was a little shorter in the new cut. I hadn’t seen it since Redux was released so I wasn’t conscious of that while watching the new version. But I went back home and looked at Redux and I felt like there was some additional dialogue there. ... but it may just be that, as I read in an interview afterward, Coppola recut the scene to have the camera on Sheen and Aurore Clement more, with the historical discussion in the background. It may not actually be any shorter, it just has a different emphasis. The internet will be on the case soon enough.
Because of all the dissolves, the opening shots of the film don’t look as good as the rest of it ... and of course they’re the first shots you see. So be prepared for that.
Just got back from one of only two IMAX screenings here in Columbus (August 15th and 18th). Hard to believe they are only doing a couple, but oh well. It was my first time seeing it in any format projected and I will treasure the experience. Luckily, one of our art houses also has it booked for the next 8 days so I'll probably end up going once more since the opportunity is right there. I still remain pretty firm that I love the original theatrical cut most; if there's one single scene from either Redux or Final Cut that I like being there is Kilgore swaddling the infant and directing the mother to his personal chopper. I think it humanizes him, it should've been in the original cut. Whether in original, Redux or Final form, this is a movie that demands to be seen on any screen you can find it 40 years after its original release: how many movies can say that? It's a work of art, on the short list for best films of the 20th Century.
Saw the Final Cut last night at the Cinerama in Seattle. One of the best theaters I know. Not IMAX, but in reality, I'm not sure i love IMAX for everything. Especially older films. This viewing was perfect. The picture itself was amazing. Just stunning. Yes the opening is a bit grainy, but that's pretty much the haze and long lens of the way that segment was originally shot. My buddies and I saw the very first 10AM screening of the original film back in 1979. Lucas and Coppola would frequently use San Francisco's Northpoint Theater on Bay Street near Fisherman's Wharf to test screen many of their films. They considered it the perfect theater and would say that the ideal viewing spot was the tenth row center, so that's where the four of us sat. We were blown away. Last night's show looked about as good as I recall, but the sound was probably even better today. Apocalypse was pretty much the first film that came out with Dolby® surround and the new mix is stunning. Very dramatic. The Wagner Helicopter segment is still unbelievable, especially since it is all real, not CG. An amazing feat. My only criticism is the same I had with REDUX. I understand that Coppola wanted to include the Plantation scene to tell the historic French connection of colonialism and how the Americans were pulled into the war, but that entire segment slows down the momentum IMHO. I know that after going under the bridge, Coppola wants to sort of go back in time as they journey up the river to their final destination, and the French tell some back story.. It just doesn't work for me. It's like a different film. And when the semi romantic congnac scene on the balcony starts, the music turns into a sappy electronic mess. Sort of a bad love theme. The Final Cut deletes the Playboy Helicopter crash site scene which is fine, but I would have kept that in over the Plantation scene. In the end I agree that the film has stood the test of time. It is a classic and one of the best motion pictures ever made.
And it really irks me that they cut out the Time magazine scene. I know that it isn't integral, but it does show that Brando's character does have a firm grip on reality and knows how the war is being portrayed at home. While he's not trying to convince Sheen to stop his mission, he is showing him that fighting on that side is absolutely futile.
But should he have a firm grip on reality? I'd thought in the past that Coppola should have included both this and another deleted scene between Sheen and Brando, but watching those scenes again, I think seeing Kurtz in the daylight demystifies him.
I thought the Playboy bunnies scene was bad when I looked at it again on the Redux Blu-ray. The actresses' performances are weak, and the nudity looks like exploitation today. And I think it stalls the momentum just as much as the plantation scene, and has even less to do with what the movie is supposed to be about. The plantation sequence might have worked better earlier in the movie, but they wrote themselves into a corner by making Clean's burial part of it.
IMO (only), I think that makes him more dangerous. Is he insane? Well, maybe not totally. So he knows what he's doing all along? And so do all the generals back in Saigon, right? They have things well in hand.
I think the Plantation doesn’t work. Of course they could have just deleted the burial segment I guess. I mini romance opium interlude Was bad.
I saw this last week and was blown away. It was fantastic. It's now the perfect balance between the over-long "Redux" and the original theatrical release. It all makes perfect sense now and the story is well served and properly paced with this new version. The plantation scene is necessary, however cutting the "bunnies" scene was wise. "Final Cut" is the best version of this film I've ever seen (and the sound and visuals in our theatre were nothing short of stunning) An amazing experience.
I saw it last Sunday with my son. Much to my disappointment, I felt both the picture and sound were lacking. Going to chalk it up to the theater, based on other comments I've read here. The theater itself was in need of a makeover. The picture appeared grainy and borderline dull, and the sound, while plenty loud, was seriously lacking bottom end. I was expecting to be blown away by both. My comparison was to seeing 2001 3 times last year in a different IMAX in a different location. 2001 was spectacular, this was not. That being said, the overall experience was nonetheless quite enjoyable. The entire Kilgore sequence was outstanding, my favorite part of the movie, with the Kurtz sequence a close second. My son had seen it once, several years ago, and told me he'd forgotten most of it. He said he really enjoyed seeing it. Pity it's not still around, I'd try a different theater.
Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut (4K UHD Blu-ray Review) | Why So Blu? Apocalypse Now Final Cut: 40th Anniversary Edition (4K UHD Review)
My OPPO 203 does not play the 4K discs properly. All blacks show up as crimson. I had to watch the digital copy to see Dolby Vision, but lost the Atmos in the process, as my TV does not pass Atmos. This seems to be a problem with all Paramount 4K discs, as A Star Is Born had the same problem. Is anyone else with an OPPO experiencing this?
Correction. I know its Lionsgate now (and WB). I was living in a Paramount past, but I have this problem with both of those 4K discs, regardless of label
