New Apocalypse Now DVD set this year? (1 Viewer)

[BrettGallman]

I picked this up just because it's convenient for me. I've always wanted both the original cut and "Redux," but never got around to picking up either one. I would think it's an excellent set for anyone in that situation, especially with the price.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Same thing happened to me. The clerk has a real atittude about the $2 difference as well and I had to call a manager over. It's just the principle of the thing.

The DVDs look great-- this is a real deal.

 

[Andrew-V]

Couldn't the spreading of both cuts over two discs have something to do with the commentary? Apparently both versions share the same commentary track but the Redux version just has portions added.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Actually, it should be regarded that the 1979 version has portions REMOVED. I get the impression Coppola recorded a commentary for Redux and this was edited to go with 1979.

Anyway you look at it, I don't see why a commentary - which fills very little space - would necessitate splitting the film onto two discs...

 

[Andrew-V]

I was thinking either they use the same (basically) commentary track twice or they only include it with only one of the cuts. But you're right, the size is probably too insignificant to make a difference.

I just really wish each cut had its own disc.

 

[Haden]

I'm familiar with the Kurtz Compound scene, but what are the "Added Scenes and Expanded Themes" also included on the disc?

 

[Ray H]

"Added Scenes and Expanded Themes" is a featurette with Coppola, etc. discussing the Redux cut.

 

[Jonathon M]

okay... big question here, since branching is involved.

can anyone tell me which cut appears to be the primary source? is it 1979 + added scenes/different scenes from redux, or does it appear to be redux + an edit resembling the 1979 version?

or was FFC just full of shit when he claimed redux was cut from scratch?

 

[GuruAskew]

I don't know, but I do know that I've never once read an example of a case where a different take was used in "Redux" vs. the theatrical version. Aside from the additional scenes I believe the only significant change is that the scene where Mr. Clean listens to the radio and dances was moved (I believe it's earlier in "Redux").

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

That's awfully harsh, don't you think?

Walter Murch, in Michael Ondaatje's The Conversations, says that the film was recut from scratch, but also that he used his original notes. Murch is very precise -- it's no stretch to imagine that he would make identical choices twice, especially when he was working from his notes. He picks specific frames when cutting, because they are the best places to make the cuts. Even though many years had passed, his editorial decisions were still good ones.

Cutting the film from scratch was partially so that it assembled in an organic way, so that things didn't feel "dropped in" as they might if they were merely dropped in. It wasn't an exercise in purposefully altering every scene in the movie. It was also so they could go back to the original structure of the film before it was second-guessed, shortened and somewhat re-organized -- the idea for Redux was to create what they would have created if they didn't chicken out on the long version the first time around.

I can easily imagine that there are large chunks that are the same between the two versions of the film; if branching those sequences leads to an overall image quality improvement, then I'm all for it. What's the downside?

All that said, I am not a fan at all of Redux -- I saw it once, theatrically, and it just wasn't as good in my opinion. Interesting, but not as good. But as I only saw it once, I cannot tell you in any way about minor differences in the cutting.

 

[Jonathon M]

I didn't mean to be so harsh, but well said about Murch, I'd neglected to consider how meticulous he'd be. I'm just a little concerned that the only copy of Apocalypse that I'll own (not counting Redux, the only DVD release in Australia of AN) might be merely an edited Redux, which if there are small changes, would be a damn shame. I'm purchasing The Dossier for two reasons; a) the commentary, and b) finally getting around to buying the original AN, a version I feel is superior to Redux.

Thanks for the informative reply!

 

[rich_d]

Agreed, no need to be harsh about this, but something doesn't add up. In the documentary included on the new DVD, Murch flat out says that he wanted to go back to the original source material and create REDUX in that manner.

Clearly that didn't happen and the idea that Murch made the same choices twice is without foundation. Nobody looks at something 20 years later and carves out a 2+ hour film in the same way. Also, there were many many other editors involved in the project besides Murch, so a lot of it wasn't his editing choices to begin with.

I don't see any other reasonable conclusion to this than Murch creating his own hype.

 

[Mike Frezon]

THIS ARTICLE hit homemediaretailing.com today...

It says Coppola screened the DVD's special features with fans of the film.

Among other things it reinforces his distaste for Hearts of Darkness.

 

[PeterTHX]

Well, apparently they has no qualms about cropping a film NOT PROTECTED for 2:1 just to fufill Vittorio Storaro's agenda that film & video media should have that aspect ratio now.

They are great artists, but some of them are definately on the, um, eccentric side.

 

[Craig Beam]

I just came from Circuit City.... where they had NO copies of AN:TCD. Apparently they haven't received any yet, despite the fact that it's IN THEIR F**CKING AD THIS WEEK, and it streeted two days ago. Further, Target and CostCo didn't have any either (nor did my local Fred Meyer). Honestly, WTF? I've pretty much stopped caring about the bonus CC disc... I just want the damned DVD.

 

[ZacharyTait]

From Roger Ebert's review of Apocalypse Now Redux:

In a note released with the film, Coppola emphasizes that this new material was not simply shoehorned into the original version of the film, but that "Redux" is "a new rendition of the movie from scratch." He and his longtime editor Walter Murch "re-edited the film from the original unedited raw footage -- the dailies," he says, and so possibly even some of the shots that look familiar to us are different takes than the ones we saw before.

 

[Andrew-V]

I don't even know how Circuit City stays in business. I managed to find one with the bonus DVD but apparently there were only two in the entire store (I went on Wednesday). And there's never a cashier around to check me out either. That place is a pain.

 

[BrettGallman]

Not to get off topic, but I hate how CC handles checking out. Everyone always seems to be wandering around the store away from their check out station thing.

 

[Robert Grourke]

Why are you saying that when the HTF review debunks the seamless branching?

Some information on the layout of Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier: Both versions of the movie are spread out over the two discs and they share the same breaking point (right after Willard and the crew of the PBR Streetgang encounter the villagers on the fishing boat). Redux is not a seemless branching version of the theatrical version, but its own entity on the disc. The disc gives you the option of having a “Redux Marker” pop up on the screen when a Redux edit is happening. This is an excellent feature for those of us who are not scholars of this picture and want to know where the new footage is inserted.

 

[Jonathon M]

ummm, my comment regarding seamless branching was from a post in this thread - the poster commented that if the two main titles (AN79 and Redux) were to be copied to another DVD, it would take 8gb, rather than the 5gb the two titles take up on the authored disc. or something to that effect.

and i hadnt read the HTF review when i posted that comment - i dont think it was up yet.