FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Apocalypse Now [1979] [DVD]

Apocalypse Now [1979] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: Francis Ford Coppola Actors: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper Studio: Pathe Distribution Category: DVD List Price: ~~£12.99~~ Buy New: £3.45 as of 19/3/2010 08:21 GMT details You Save: £9.54 (73%) New (18) Used (7) from £2.47 Seller: findprice Rating: 141 reviews Sales Rank: 1149 Format: PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Vietnamese (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5060002833230 ASIN: B0002W12VM Theatrical Release Date: August 15, 1979 Release Date: October 18, 2004 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of iApocalypse Now/i as if it was his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made. It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad's classic story "Heart of Darkness" into the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz(Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving war-time action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film's awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gunships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of "the smell of napalm in the morning." Like Herzog's iAguirre: The Wrath of God/i, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola's obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary iHearts of Darkness/i, directed by Coppola's wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. i--Jeff Shannon/i Amazon.co.uk Review In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of iApocalypse Now/i as if it were his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair, but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made. It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad's classic story iHeart of Darkness/i onto the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving wartime action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film's awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images, and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gun-ships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways on a peasant sampan and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of "the smell of napalm in the morning". Like Herzog's iAguirre, The Wrath of God/i, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola's obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary iHearts of Darkness/i, directed by his wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. --iJeff Shannon, Amazon.com/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 141 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...29 Next » The Special Features September 8, 2009 DavrosDigital (UK) 8 out of 8 found this review helpful This beautifully presented steelbook DVD contains both films... br / br /Apocalypse Now: original 1979 release. br /Apocalypse Now Redux: 2001 version with 49 additional minutes. br / br /Introduction by Francis Ford Coppola. br / br /Disc One:- br /The Hollow Men (17 min): br /-- A complete reading of T.S.Eliot's poem by Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) br /Monkey Sampan (3 min): br /-- A lost scene from the original shooting. br /Additional Scenes (26 min): br /-- 12 never-before-seen sequences. br /A/V Club Featurettes: br /-- A special section of bonus extras for young filmmakers and fans. br /The Birth Of 5.1 Sound (6 min): br /-- A brief history of film sound. br /Ghost Helicopter Flyover (4 min): br /-- An audio demo of the sound effects used in the film. br /The Synthesizer Soundtrack (by Bob Moog): br /-- An article by the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer. br /Technical FAQ: br /-- 6 of the most frequently asked questions about the film... with answers! br / br /Disc Two:- br /The Post Production of Apocalypse Now: br /-- 4 featurettes covering the fascinating stories of editing, music and sound; br /A Million Feet of Film (18 min): br /-- The editing of Apocalypse Now. br /The Music of Apocalypse Now (15 min). br /Heard Any Good Ones Lately? (15 min): br /-- The sound design of Apocalypse Now. br /The Final Mix (3 min). br /Apocalypse Then And Now (4 min): br /-- Cannes Film Festival, May, 2001. Coppola reflects on the reaction. br /PBR Streetgang (4 min): br /-- The crew of the Navy Patrol Boat gathers to celebrate the launch of Redux. br /The Colour Palette of Apocalypse Now (4 min): br /-- Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro discusses the film printing process. br /Redux Marker: br /When this special DVD feature is turned on by the viewer, an on-screen icon appears only during footage that was added to make the 2001 version called Apocalypse Now Redux. br / br /Just a shame it's not a triple DVD that includes Hearts of Darkness. awesome December 23, 2002 16 out of 18 found this review helpful I was somewhat cynical about messing with such a landmark film as the 1979 cinema version however, in my opinion, this version adds significantly to the overall impact of the film. I'm not sure if others found this, but the original version is brilliant up to where Duval exits the script then i found the trip upriver a little tedious until the weird and wonderful Brando turns up. There were numerous continuity slips (why does the camoflage make up go from almost non existant to complete within a scene, why do the characters change in their attitude to each other in such a short time etc). Well all is answered with the introduction of the bunny girls and the more pivotal french plantation scene. The plantation scene just oozes the arrogant attitude of all colonial powers and beautifully contrasts the attempts to hold onto all the trappings of wealth and power with the anarchy of the war taking place around them. The journey upriver is now one of the most compelling pieces of cinema I've seen and much more in keeping with 'heart of darkness' in the graduation of the transition from civilisation to madness, paganism and despair.brFrom a technical point of view the enhanced soundtrack is amazing and the photography and lighting effect are superb (especially in the Kurtz camp sequences). The downsides are that it takes some stamina to last out the whole run time and you don't get the wake up call of the Jimi Hendrix 'machine gun' screaming feedback guitar ending which i think was in the original.brInvest in a projector and a large screen, sit back and enjoy! The "anti-Private Ryan" movie, but still excellent! January 8, 2003 A. J. Kirke (Plymouth, UK) 35 out of 40 found this review helpful This is a Vietnam war film based on the short story "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. Originally set in the Congo back in the beginning of the ivory trade there, director Coppola has translated it to Vietnam in the 60s. Like "Saving Private Ryan" it is the story of soldiers journeying on a mission through a war-torn country. However, unlike Private Ryan, the film does not stand out for its exciting battle scenes, or message of redemption. In fact there is only one real battle scene in the movie, and if anything, it ends with an anti-redemption.pThe story goes: A top US Colonel, played by Marlon Brando, who was "one of us", is now a loose cannon and has disappeared into Cambodia and is committing atrocities with his own loyal private army. A seriously screwed-up and shell-shocked special forces soldier played by Martin Sheen is sent up the river by the US military on a secret mission to assassinate the Colonel. The director had a hellish time making this movie apparently, including going millions over budget (he put some of his own money in), and a lot of trouble with the actors. However what came out of the sometimes improvised filming was a brilliant journey into the heart of darkness, as Sheen travels up the river. pA series of "set pieces" occur during the journey up the river, some of which were removed in the original theatrical cut, and have been returned in the Redux cut. Some of these set pieces have become famous, for example the helicopters swooping in to attack a Vietcong occupied village, playing "Ride of the Valkyries" at full blast. The most satisfying parts of the movie however, are when Sheen reaches the true heart of darkness, the Colonel's camp. What transpires here cannot really be described adequately in words. You have to watch the whole movie to appreciate the end of the journey. pAnother aspect of this movie worth mentioning is the soundtrack. It is a product of the times chronicled by the movie, with the Doors and the Rolling Stones included. Actually the first part of the movie is a great chronicle of some of the spirit of 60s.pThings to watch out for: a brief appearance by Harrison Ford, the reading of the "Heart of Darkness"-related TS Eliot poem "Hollow Men" by Marlon Brando, and Sheen's alcohol-induced breakdown scene in his bedroom at the beginning (the actor was not acting at the time!)pOverall, this is great. A spectacular intelligent, beautifully filmed, rock-and-roll, poetic journey, with an ending that will echo in your mind. A cinematic masterpiece... easily Coppola's best. August 9, 2005 Jonathan James Romley (Dublin, Ireland) 22 out of 25 found this review helpful More than twenty-five years on since it's initial cinema release, Apocalypse Now still stands as one of the most powerful and hypnotic visionary depictions of the madness of war ever committed to film, with director Francis Ford Coppola using Joseph Conrad's legendary tome Heart of Darkness as the metaphorical backbone to this surreal, episodic and hallucinogenic rumination on man's capacity for tyranny, and his ultimate search for redemption.pThe basic crux of the story remains simple, with Coppola drawing on certain elements from the aforementioned Heart of Darkness, as well as various influences from the classic Werner Herzog film, Aguirre, the Wrath of God (in which Klaus Kinski's jungle trip mirrors that of the soldiers here) to give weight to his own cinematic ideas, manifested here by the two warring characters of Kurtz and Willard. Unlike the majority of Vietnam related films (like the Dear Hunter, Platoon, Casualties of War and Full Metal Jacket, to name the most obvious) Coppola's film relegates the technical and factual aspects of warfare and the period in which the film is set to the background, in order to more closely examine the relationship between the soldiers (particularly the abovementioned Willard and Kurtz) in this intense and to some extent dreamlike situation.pCoppola's depiction of 'Nam bares no similarity to those films listed above... with his Vietnam becoming a place where surf-mad soldiers bombard villages from helicopters to the piercing strains of Wagner; playboy bunnies entertain the troops in the middle of the jungle; out-posts are attacked at night by unseen mercenaries, whilst monotonous carnival music plays incessantly in the background; whilst the whole climax of the film juxtaposes rock music, arcane philosophy, decapitation and the ritualistic slaughter of a bull.pCoppola's visuals - aided by cinematographer Vitorrio Storaro, production designer Dean Tavourlarus, and editor/sound designer Walter Murch - are powerful and lingering, with the film offering up a number of astounding sequences and set-pieces (as well as some of the standouts listed above, the opening scene - which finds Willard freaking out to the sound of the Doors in a Saigon hotel room, whilst superimposed images of napalm explosions and juxtapositions of ceiling fans and helicopter rotor-blades drift across the screen - is a great way to introduce the sense of madness and escalating atmosphere that will build throughout the film). Much like the aforementioned Aguirre, Apocalypse Now has a great narrative momentum, with Coppola and co-writer John Millius (...though apparently, much of his contributions were scaled down) keeping the film moving forwards, much like the soldiers in the boat, by offering up a strong and enticing mixture of surreal visions, philosophical discussions, and abrasive action.pIt's probably the only film to take the idea of "the madness of war" and makes the description a reality, with the filmmakers evoking a Vietnam that is more like a carnival freak-show than something approaching the hyper-real depictions of combat found in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy (Platoon, Born of the Fourth of July and Heaven Earth). Some have, and indeed, still, criticise the final act of the film, in which Martin Sheen's no-nonsense Willard finally comes face-to-face with Marlon Brando's barmy colonel Kurtz, in which the king of method acting turned up over-weight, moody and baring a serious grudge against the director and his co-stars. Regardless of this, I think Brando's performance is exceptional, as great as his portrayals in films like Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, The Godfather and Last Tango In Paris, as he sits hunched over in the shadows, stroking his shaven head and mumbling about T.S. Eliot and the horrors of militaristic genocide.pHis appearance in the film is as iconic as the scene with Robert Duvall on the beach, with that oft-quoted line "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... smells like... victory" and is as tense and as surreal as any of the film's major (for lack of a better word) action scenes. The hallucinogenic atmosphere established throughout ties in with another Herzog film, Heart of Glass, and would be an influence on the Russian anti-war drama, Come And See, which is probably more important than Coppola's film... though it's certainly less accessible, and a lot more abrasive. Everything about this film is perfectly judged... from the production design, location work, sound design and music (the two are really integrated seamlessly here) and the heavily-colour-tinted cinematography (...getting away from the documentary-like approach of war favoured by many other filmmakers in favour or something more ethereal).pI'm not that familiar with the re-cut "redux" version, released in 2001... being much too attached to this version after years of watching it as a teenage. Also, as someone else pointed out, it's much easier to trust the directorial instincts of the man who just made The Godfather and The Conversation... but not so easy to trust the instincts of the hack that made Jack, and The Rainmaker. Apocalypse Now, in it's original 1979 version, more than stands up as one of the greatest films of the 20th century...blending together the gorgeous, hypnotic transcendence of Storaro's cinematography and Coppola's idiosyncratic take on warfare, with some startling moments of real-horror, philosophy, reflection and character. Can justifiably claim to be the best movie ever made. May 4, 2002 9 out of 10 found this review helpful I have never been someone who takes pride in having a favourite movie, or generally approves of movie polls, but the more often i watch this film the more convinced i become that it has a genuine claim to being the best movie of all time.br Endlessly re-watchable, the film begins to take on a mythical and spiritual aura that far transcends most modern art, stunningly complex, admirably pretentious and awesomely powerful. It is, if you like, the thinking mans war film,soaked in underlying meanings and symbolism, and yet it is also the ultimate in eye candy, visually the most stunning film i have seen. Every shot has been painstakingly conceived and is cinematically perfect, the images haunt you like some ongoing dream long after the credits roll.Each character is slowly absorbed into the intrigue and danger of the jungle, a setting that at once evokes both beauty and death.br Perhaps what makes this work so unique, alongside the bravely ambiguous stance it takes towards the war, is the sense of combining scenes that suggest the depths of hellish imagination and dreamworlds (parts of the film appropriately play like some acid trip hallucination, in fact the whole movie wreaks of the presence of drugs), with shockingly realistic sequences such as the much vaunted Vietnamese village attack. The acting is a masterclass throughout from all involved, Duvall capturing the essence of the american military egotism, whilst creating an impossibly charismatic character who briefly takes over the film, Sheen the stoney bystander whose path and character becomes inextricably linked with that of Kurtz, the man he is sent to assissinate( sheen was originally nominated for best actor but asked to be withdrawn). Brandos performance is effortlessly enigmatic and, for want of a better description, frankly godlike. His presence dominates the film as, in between the awe inspring set pieces,Sheens voiceover descibes the mystery of this fascinating man and his life. It is hard to imagine any modern actor coming close to capturing the pure balance of genius and evil that Brando achieves in his performance, a performance on which everything else hinges as, were this mythical man not to match our expectations,the film would probably fall flat on its face. brAs it is, this is an undeniably unforgettable masterpiece. Every scene is memorable, every line now sounding like a classic quote. It is all about the insanity of Vietnam, but it is so much deeper than that and explores so many other themes and aspects of morality, sanity and mortality. Incidentally, the dvd looks fantastic, the print flawless and the packaging superb. I guarantee this is one of the few films you will be revisiting for the rest of your life. Probably also the most riveting and beautiful opening sequence in the history of cinema. Showing reviews 1-5 of 141 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...29 Next »

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