Francis Ford Coppola’s surreal and compelling 1979 masterpiece Apocalypse Now, nominated for 8 Academy Awards and well regarded as perhaps the pinnacle of 70s cinema, is now being released in this Complete Dossier DVD set, which includes the original theatrical cut, the extended Redux edition, and an absolute boatload of extras.  Both the original film and the Redux version have already been released on DVD separately, this is the first time they have been packaged together and both are presented in brand new transfers.    

Apocalypse Now is about the strange odyssey of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) during the Vietnam War, who is assigned to hunt down and assassinate a renegade colonel, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who is believed to have gone insane and is hiding out in Cambodia with some of his squad.  Willard is a burnt-out alcoholic who has a talent for killing but has problems with just living.  He himself is already dangerously close to the edge, but still convinces the powers that be that he is the man for this highly classified and volatile job.

He joins the crew of a small river boat and begins his journey through Vietnam and into Cambodia to find Kurtz.  Along the way, he runs into enemy fire on multiple occasions, gets a helicopter brigade run by wild man surfer Lt. Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) to help his boat get upriver, his crew sees a Playboy Playmate show and later spends some “quality” time with them, his crew spends some time at a French compound (only in the Redux edition), and all of this is mixed in against the mind-numbing boredom and peaceful quietness of the journey.  It is during these quiet times where Willard reads about Kurtz and realizes he is one of the most respected and highly decorated soldiers in the armed forces.  Kurtz was in line for general and possibly much more (maybe even the presidency).  Willard becomes obsessed with understanding what happened to the man and what drove him over the edge. 

Once the boat finally arrives at the destination, they find Kurtz is living among a native tribe as some sort of god-like figure.  The place is gruesome; a horrid landscape of disease, rotting corpses, decapitated heads, and zombie-like natives.  A drugged out photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) who worships Kurtz acts as their guide through this hell and introduces Willard to Kurtz.  Willard soon discovers that Kurtz has most definitely lost his mind and yet he is drawn to him.  And Kurtz slowly lets Willard into his mind, into his deep dark secrets (he holds him captive for a while before releasing him knowing he will probably attempt to kill him).  And Willard is slowly becoming the very man he has been sent to kill.    

CRITIQUE

Apocalypse Now is a unique and unforgettable masterpiece that captures the essence of what cinema is all about.  This is a film to be cherished and studied.  That rare film that transcends the boundaries of the medium.  This is a film to experience not just watch; it fosters true feeling and thought rather than just telling a linear story.  And it not only accurately mirrors what most American’s thoughts and feelings were on the Vietnam War, but captures the fundamental nature of war in general and the brutal nature of man. 

This Complete Dossier is terrific because of the inclusion of both versions of the film, which are each their own unique experiences.  Redux seamlessly adds back long lost footage and adds layers of depth and clarity.  And although I prefer this version to the original (mainly for the added footage near the end of the film), many preferred the original as it provides as tighter but more chaotic and trippy experience.  This way you have the chance to enjoy both in all new transfers and decide for yourself. 

The direction from Francis Ford Coppola is just astounding; it is on par with the best efforts from any master director.  In fact, Coppola has to be considered one of the best directors of the past few decades based solely on the merits of this film and The Godfather films.  He captures an amazing sense of feeling throughout this film, capturing what the essence of war is; the strangeness, the horrors, the detachment, and the gut-wrenching guilt.  The Oscar-winning cinematography from Vittorio Storano is simply breathtaking and unforgettable.  The sweaty, steamy and beautiful landscapes are lushly displayed.  The script is based off John Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and is a truly compelling and challenging one.

The lead performance from Martin Sheen is a very underrated and gripping one.  Whenever you hear about the film, the talk is almost always about Brando, Duvall, and even Hopper.  Sheen’s solid performance is always looked over.  And as great and flashy as those supporting performances are, Sheen’s is just as strong.  Willard is the soul of the story, the centerpiece, and Sheen plays this burnt out, morally corrupt man with a restrained and gritty presence.  He holds his own with absolute legends. 

Speaking of legends, Marlon Brando delivers an incredibly quirky and subsequently engaging performance as the insane Kurtz.  Brando is mesmerizing just sitting there staring off into the distance speaking in a barely audible mumble.  Brando had that ability to garner your attention doing the most mundane or strange things, he was just an amazing actor (almost unparalleled).  And he had a chance to really shine here in his full Method weirdness.  And as amazing as Brando is here, the best performance is the Oscar-nominated performance from Robert Duvall as the unforgettable surfing maniac that just loved the “smell of napalm in the morning”.  Duvall is both hilarious and scary as hell as this disturbed and charismatic character.  He chews the scenery up and his presence is so striking and memorable that he is sorely missed for a while after he disappears in his helicopter searching for his stolen surfboard.  Dennis Hopper has a very weird and drugged out performance as the photojournalist under Kurtz’s spell.  Not sure if it’s really acting since it is well known Hopper was on drugs almost all the time back in these days.  Some other notables would be the very young Lawrence Fishburne, Scott Glenn and Harrison Ford in small but pivotal and memorable roles (especially Fishburne’s character).  This is an amazing, legendary cast delivering unique and brilliant performances.       

THE VIDEO

The transfers for both are presented in new but very controversial 2.0:1 anamorphic widescreen.  Most fans are clamoring for a 2.35:1 transfer as the films are ideal for widescreen, and I for one am definitely a bit disappointed it isn’t restored in all its fine widescreen glory.  But this is definitely the best the films have ever looked and the transfers are almost perfect.  So it’s hard to be too disappointed when the films look so amazing with virtually no clarity or grain issues to be found. 

THE AUDIO

Apocalypse Now and Redux are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the audio presentations are terrific.  The dialogue comes through crystal clear and the balances seemed spot on.  The surround is extremely active during the battle and action scenes (using deep bass during the explosions and shoot outs).  The films sounded fantastic just enveloping the room in the sounds of war and horror, which helps to complete the experience.

THE EXTRAS

The extras in this set are outstanding (there are over 5 brand new extras for this release and the rest are carryovers from prior DVD releases), there are so many goodies for fans to search through, you can’t really ask for much more.  Although, if they wanted this to be the absolute definitive collection, they should have included the masterful documentary Hearts of Darkness, which followed the making of the film and is well regarded as perhaps the best making of documentary in film history.  But this is a terrific DVD set with a boatload of great extras.

Watch the films with Francis Coppola – There are two brand new commentaries from the director advertised with the set (for the two versions of the film), but actually it’s really just one new commentary track (plus some additional comments for the Redux version).  He also has two new introductions to both versions of the film.  This an outstanding, compelling and fully engaging commentary track that provides a terrific amount of insight and illumination on the making of the film, the fractious building of the film, the horrid post production, the intense responses to it, and much more.  This is one of the best commentaries I’ve experienced in quite a while.

The Hollow Men – This is the never-before-seen full 17 minute (!) scene of Brando’s Kurtz reading of the poem by T.S. Elliot (pieces of it were used in the film).  Combine this with the commentary track from Coppola and you really do have every reason you need to buy this DVD set (even if you own both versions in their other DVD versions).  This is a very strange, somewhat disturbing, and completely mesmerizing sequence showing the brilliance that was and always will be Marlon Brando.  An absolute must see for fans of the film and fans of Brando.

Monkey Sampan – This is a brand new lost scene from the film that was not included in either version.  This is a creepy little scene involving what seems to be an abandoned boat passing by Willard’s river boat that looks like it was taken over by ravenous monkeys who are all over the deck of it.  There is also a dead body tied to its sail.  Strange, but effectively creepy scene; not to be missed (although the quality of it is obviously pretty rough).

Additional Scenes – These are 12 never-before-seen sequences from the film that never found their way into the two versions of the film.  It includes all new scenes involving more shots of Saigon in the beginning, more of Sheen in the beginning getting washed up by the soldiers and also during his briefing, a sequence where Sheen meets the boat crew, more action on the river, more with Brando around Sheen’s cage that he puts him in, and two extended scenes with Hopper’s wacked out photojournalist, and a couple with Scott Glenn who played Colby, one of Kurtz’s zombie-like soldiers.  Most of these play as extended scenes but I still did find these interesting and worth a quick look.  I especially liked the new scene with Brando around the cage and the one with Hopper’s character around the boat; it gives you more insight into these characters.  I can see why most of these were cut as most do not add anything of significance, but I can’t really see why they weren’t all included in Redux since they added back so much anyway (with the exception of the scene with Hopper’s killing which was a bit off in tone). 

A/V Club Featurettes – These are 4 featurettes that focus on the sounds and images of the film that is great for aspiring filmmakers and fans of the film.  The film won the Oscar for Best Sound and the processes used are looked at extensively (it helped establish the Dolby 5.1 sounds used today).  The featurettes look extensively into the sound and the great score used in the film and is terrific for those interested in it. 

The Post Production of Apocalypse Now – These are 4 featurettes that deal with the arduous, three-year post production process on the film.  The four features look at the editing process, the music, the sound design, and the final sound mix.  These are very detailed and interesting featurettes that include interviews with Coppola and his team of artists and technicians.  The final sound mix took over nine months to complete and one of the biggest contributors to the sound was Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.  These featurettes give you a great sense of the time and dedication it takes (and intense teamwork) to complete a masterful film (it’s not just the filming, which is only half the battle). 

Apocalypse Then and Now – This is an engaging and interesting interview with Coppola discussing the reactions his film first garnered at Cannes as a work in progress and then the reactions it got again at Cannes when Redux was premiered in 2001.  The film received standing ovations both times and was universally acclaimed.  Editor Walter Murch discusses the recutting of the original for Redux and the process that was undertook to make that revised version a reality.

PBR Streetgang – This is a great little extra that reunites the cast of actors that portrayed the crew of the river boat in the film including Lawrence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Frederic Forrest, and Sam Bottoms as they reminisce about their experiences filming.  This was shot for the premiere of Redux and it’s very entertaining.  The group became great friends during the shoot.

The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now – Oscar-winning cinematography Vittorio Storaro and Coppola discuss the process of cleaning up the original version for Redux and using a dye printing process to get the film to the level Storaro had hoped for back in 1979.  This is a nice extra for those interested in cinematography.  

Redux Marker – This is a cool little feature you can use when watching Redux to understand what footage was added.  A little icon pops up so you know it was an added scene.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier is an amazing DVD set of an absolute masterpiece.  Even with the two minor disappointments (the exclusion of Hearts of Darkness and the 2.0:1 aspect ratios), this is a must own for fans of the film (throw away those single disc versions), for Brando fans, and for fans of great 70s filmmaking.