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APOCALYPSE NOW Blu-ray: Oct. 19, 2010 (2 versions) (1 Viewer)

David Wilkins

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Ron,


For a fresh revisit after a twenty year absence, I highly recommend the theatrical cut. The value of the extended cut is highly arguable, and at the very least, the theatrical cut will retain all the impact you remember. The extended cut, even with its arguable pluses...can get a bit tedious.
 

oscar_merkx

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Originally Posted by David Wilkins

Ron,


For a fresh revisit after a twenty year absence, I highly recommend the theatrical cut. The value of the extended cut is highly arguable, and at the very least, the theatrical cut will retain all the impact you remember. The extended cut, even with its arguable pluses...can get a bit tedious.


Yes I would second that opinion
 

TheBat

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I was too young to see the theatre version. I did see the re-release in the theatres. I did watch the theatre version on blu ray. probably best to go with the theatre version.


Jacob
 

Steve Tannehill

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I am going to start with the theatrical cut, as I did when I saw it theatrically.
 

Brian Borst

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As someone who first saw the Redux version, start with the theatrical one. The first time I saw the Redux version, I thought it was a bore, the first time I saw the theatrical version, I completely fell in love with the movie.
 

TheBat

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I should add that I did see the theatre version of tv ages ago. I had seen the theatre version before I saw redux.

I would highly recommend the coppola commentary on redux.


Jacob
 

Ronald Epstein

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Not sure how long this is going to get....


Firstly, thank you David, Oscar, Jacob and Steve

for pointing me towards the theatrical edition. That

is exactly what I watched this afternoon.


Now, because I tend to be brutally honest, I have

a confession to make. I have never completely

watched Apocalypse Now up until this afternoon.


I never saw the film theatrically. I believe the first

time I watched it was on VHS in the early 80s and

was pretty bored with it halfway through. I felt as if

the film had no direction to it.

After watching the Heart of Darkness documentary

I can see why I felt that way at the time. However,

I am getting a bit ahead of myself.


Over the years I have watched bits and pieces

of this film from start to finish on cable so I can

claim that I have seen 90% of the film. What

is interesting is that I have bought it on Laserdisc

and multiple DVD reincarnations that remained forever

sealed. I was convinced that watching Apocalypse Now

would be laborious but felt it was an important enough

movie that I needed to own just to say I had it.


When the Blu-ray was announced I had no intention

of purchasing it. The only reason that I did end up

buying it was for Heart of Darkness, which I had

heard over the years was a tremendous documentary

on the making of the film that had to be seen. So,

rather reluctantly, I plopped down $50 for this Blu-ray.


This afternoon I committed myself to giving Apocalypse

Now another chance even though I knew it would be

a difficult sit-through.


What I experienced instead was a rather remarkable

viewing experience.


I was astounded by the quality of the film transfer.

It was as if each frame was a perfectly painted picture.

The colors are highly pronounced. In fact, the most

important color in this film is its blacks. This is perhaps

the last film I will be watching on my DLP display before

I obtain a LG plasma 3D display next week. It's my fear

that I may never see black levels like this for a while.

The blacks add strong texture to the film, particularly

memorable in the initial scenes between Willard and Kurtz.

The DTS lossless audio mix is crisp, full of booming

bass and completely encompasses the viewing experience.


For the first time ever I found myself completely enjoying

this film. I blame that on the fact that the transfer is so
utterly stunning that I found myself held captive by it.

Even today I still feel that the film is a bit long in the tooth

with parts that I still find tedious to watch, particularly the

ending which I always felt was bogged down a bit.


Immediately after watching the film I jumped into the

documentary Heart of Darkness. It certainly lived up
to its reputation of being one of the best documentaries

about the making of a film ever done. It almost came

as no surprise to me that Coppola was a little reckless

in how he filmed Apocalypse Now, shooting a lot of

footage hoping to throw it together into something coherent.

That is exactly the kind of disconnect I had with the film

when I first watched it some 28 years ago.


Revisiting Apocalypse Now on Blu-ray has given me
a whole new appreciation of the film, it's cinematography

and the way its been edited. And, through Heart of

Darkness, knowing all the complications involved with

the making of this movie I find myself amazed that it

turned out to be the masterpiece that it is considered to be.
 

Steve Tannehill

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I am watching the theatrical cut now. I am so glad it's 2.35x1. You can tell that nearly every shot is framed to perfection. Cropping it to 2x1 for home video was a travesty.

Like Ron, I will follow this in release order and watch Hearts of Darkness. I may even squeeze in the commentary track.

I saw this in 1979 after it went from 70mm to 35mm and added the destruction of the Kurtz compound. It made an everlasting impression.

I've not revisited Redux since seeing it theatrically. I'm not sure I'll watch it again, but I am glad to have that option.
 

Sam Favate

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Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Now, because I tend to be brutally honest, I have
a confession to make. I have never completely

watched Apocalypse Now up until this afternoon.


I never saw the film theatrically. I believe the first

time I watched it was on VHS in the early 80s and

was pretty bored with it halfway through. I felt as if

the film had no direction to it.

I don't think your experience is unique to viewers of a certain age, Ron. I remember very well the huge media presence the film had in 1979, but I was too young to really want to see it (I was 12), although the inclusion of Harrison Ford as a "Col. Lucas" made me interested. I saw the movie on HBO in the early 80s, but as was often the case with watching a movie on cable, it wasn't an "appointment" as watching a VHS tape (or now, a DVD) was, so I didn't follow it thoroughly. Go forward several years, and I was about 18 and decided to rent the movie. Same reaction as you, I was kind of bored.

Go forward again, to the dawn of the DVD age, and it was a whole new experience. I loved the movie, couldn't read enough about it afterward. I devoured every inch of The Complete Dossier, and Hearts of Darkness a while later. (FWIW, I prefer the theatrical version too, although Redux adds some very interesting segments, not least of which is the French plantation.) I absolutely think both of these movies are masterpieces, and I think they'll be watched and appreciated by mature audiences as long as people watch movies. But the key there is "mature audiences." This isn't kid stuff.


Looking forward to getting the Blu-Ray.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Sam,


Appreciate you posting your experiences. It was a

struggle to come out and admit that I had not completely

sat through one of the greatest films ever made. The

backlash from members could have been significant.


...but really devoting myself to this incredible transfer,

I feel as if I am reborn watching this film. My absolute

favorite scene is the last bridge up the river that is
shrouded in darkness, lit up by its lights and flares.

There is an incredible sense of disarray -- especially

when Willard asks a soldier who the commanding

officer is only to be replied, "Aren't you?!" It's such

a tense scene and beautifully rendered on Blu-ray.
 

Charles Smith

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Picked up the 3-disc set today, and not one of the discs could be read by my 1-month-old Panasonic player. Got a 10/5/10 firmware update installed, and all is well. Just mentioning this in case anyone else runs into it. (This isn't one of their higher end players, but the lesser 3D one bundled with the VT25. Hey, I'm so frickin happy with the TV that they could have bundled a lump of coal with it for all I'd care now.)


Back on topic: BEAUTIFUL. Stunning. Just sampled it -- I'm saving the movie for an evening when no one's around.


(I went to see this in a theater back in the day, but honestly can't even remember exactly when or where. That's unusual for me. I more or less remember the film, but not to any great degree, so basically, this is new territory for me. Can't wait.)
 

oscar_merkx

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bosque

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Sad news and so young. George Hickenlooper is the guy Mrs Coppola gives a brief mention to on the Hearts of Darkness commentary, when she makes the comment that he was brought in to help out with an editing problem.
 

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