BY LEE PFEIFFER
On April 28, director Francis Ford Coppola appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival to unveil "Apocalypse Now: Final Cut" which he feels is the definitive presentation of his landmark 1979 film. Coppola, looking trimmed down and very fit at age 80, was greeted by an enthusiastic sold-out audience at Manhattan's historic Beacon Theatre. The event inexplicably got off to a delayed start of almost 40 minutes as eager cinephiles began to grow restless. However, once Coppola took the stage to introduce the film, all was forgiven. He made a few brief remarks and indicated that he felt the original cut of the film was too short and his 2001 "Redux" version was too long. Then to the delight of the audience, he introduced an actor who had appeared in numerous Coppola films- Robert Duvall, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as the self-described "goofy fuck", Lt. Colonel Kilgore. Duvall only spoke briefly, joking that he is grateful he is still around to see the 40th anniversary screening of the film. He then got a cheer from the audience when he shouted in parting, "Charlie don't surf!", a key Kilgore line from the film.
(Photo copyright Tony Latino. All rights reserved.)
When the film began, it became apparent that the sound system would greatly enhance the magnificent visuals. When explosions occurred, seats vibrated in the manner not seen since the days of Sensurround. There was a slight problem with the sound mixing for this presentation. In at least some parts of the theater, the background sounds often overwhelmed the dialogue, making it muffled and sometimes unintelligible. It appears that it was eventually corrected as the second half of the film did not demonstrate this issue. The sound mix was indeed impressive during the famous helicopter attack set to Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries". The visual components were truly stunning with the viewer gaining even more appreciation for the ingenious achievement of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.
How does "Final Cut" compare with previous editions? The following observations assume the reader has at least a general knowledge of the film. I first saw the movie in its opening engagement at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan. The presentation contained no opening or closing credits. Instead, attendees received an illustrated program listing the names of cast and crew. However, unions complained that participants were being denied proper credit in the film itself. Additionally, theater owners worried that when the movie was to go into general release, audiences would be perplexed by having the film end "cold" without any end credits. Thus, for the film's subsequent engagements, Coppola used fiery footage at the end of the film, representing the destruction of Kurtz's compound over which credits were unfurled. In 2001, Coppola reissued the film in the "Redux" version, adding significant scenes that had been deleted from the original cut. "Final Cut" leaves intact most of these scenes:
- Extended footage of Kilgore's mad quest to initiate surfing amidst a raging battle and Willard's prank of stealing Kilgore's beloved surfboard. He also keeps in a later scene in which the voice of Kilgore can be heard from a helicopter demanding the return of the board, as the men hide below in their boat, obscured by the jungle.
- The extended French plantation sequence in which Willard and his team come upon heavily-armed members of a proud French family who are determined to retain control of their beloved mansion and plantation. The soldiers are welcomed in to stay the night and Willard allows himself to be seduced by a glamorous widow who smokes cigars in an elegant manner.
Gone from the "Redux" version is a scene of the soldiers having a
dalliance with some Playboy bunnies who are there for the infamous USO
stage show that almost turns into a massive case of sexual assault. Also
missing is an additional scene of Kurtz explaining to Willard the
rationale for the killings he has been responsible for.
How does "Final Cut" stack up compared to both previous versions? I still vote for the original cut for these reasons:
- The character of Willard worked best when he was an opaque figure
who does not demonstrate much emotion. By including the mischievous
theft of the surfboard, Coppola introduces a "regular guy" element to
his character that we don't see previous to this scene or afterward. It
also doesn't add anything to the plot. The point seems to be that
Willard is at heart much like any other soldier when, in fact, the film
takes pains to demonstrate that he is anything but.
- Cutting the pointless sexual encounters with the Playboy bunnies is a
welcome decision by Coppola. I recall it being quite boring.
- The retention of the French plantation scene is a mistake, as it
comes out of nowhere and throws the main story line off course. The
dinner conversation with the impassioned family patriarch goes on
interminably and will only be of interest to those with a passion for
studying Franco-Vietnamese political relationships of the era. The scene
in which Willard is seduced is also out-of-kilter and doesn't fit the
character or narrative at all. What does work is the early
encounter with the French paramilitaries who afford the character of
Clean a dignified soldier's funeral. Coppola should have left the
encounter there and resumed the search for Kurtz.
- I believe it was a mistake not to keep the extra scene of Kurtz
explaining his motives to Willard. It gave greater context to his
character and helped explain his actions. Given how limited Marlon
Brando's on-screen time is, it's puzzling that Coppola would revert to
sacrificing this scene.
- The film eliminates the bombing of Kurtz's compound over the final
credits, thus reverting back to the original version of the film that
lacked credits and left unclear the fate of Kurtz's kingdom. However, it
was Coppola's original intention to show the kingdom being bombed and
he actually filmed a spectacular sequence depicting this, only some of
which was used in the film's end credits. "Final Cut" presents a more
traditional credits roll over a simple black background.
So for this viewer, I'll stick with the original cut of the film.
However, this is nit-picking because any version of "Apocalypse Now"
demonstrates masterful filmmaking and Coppola suffered enough during the
production of the film that he has earned the right to tinker with it
as often as he feels necessary. The movie is undeniably a masterpiece
that seems to become more impressive as the technology that presents it
on screen keeps improving. (The original cut with end credits ran 153
minutes, "Redux" 202 minutes and "Final Cut" 183 minutes.)
Following the screening, Coppola was interviewed for about an hour by
Steven Soderbergh, who said that the film was a major influence on him
to become a director. Fortunately, Soderbergh proved to be an astute
interviewer, unlike some of the hacks who have virtually squandered such
opportunities. Coppola spoke candidly about the frustrations of making
the film. He said he and his family ended up owning it because nobody
else wanted it. He expressed surprise that after having two hit
"Godfather" movies that there was no interest in "Apocalypse Now" by any
studio. He ended up financing the film himself, putting all his assets
on the line. At one point, his debts reached $30 million. But a good
reaction to the unfinished film at Cannes whetted studio appetites and
he was able to salvage himself by selling off territorial distribution
rights. ("Final Cut" is distributed through Lionsgate.) He said he
initially wanted to end the film with a traditional big action scene and
compared his vision to "The Guns of Navarone". But as the film became
more esoteric, he felt it best not to do so, comparing the Vietnam War
to his decision by indicating it, too, wasn't a traditional conflict
with a traditional ending. He essentially credited Martin Sheen for
saving the production after the young actor suffered a major heart
attack, forcing Coppola to shoot around him for months using distant
shots of Sheen's brother to cover for him. Sheen courageously decided to
return to the film, thus averting a complete close down of the the
production by insurance companies. Coppola made an interesting
comparison to filming in the Philippines, saying the arrival of the film
company en masse with a lot of money and influence bore some comparison
to the American situation in Vietnam. He credited his wife Eleanor for
preserving the behind the scenes drama through her documentary "Hearts
of Darkness" and diary which was published under the title "Notes". He
came across as humble and generous, giving his cast and crew most of the
credit for the film's worthiness. He cited editor Walter Murch (who was
in the audience) and screenwriter John Milius as being especially
deserving of credit. He went easy on Brando, whose career he revived
with "The Godfather" only to have the actor shake down Coppola for a ton
of money shortly before filming began. He compared Brando to a "big
kid" but also called him a genius both in acting and in his views on
life. He said Brando, who worked on the film for three weeks at $1
million salary per week, wasted the entire first week without filming at
all. Coppola knew he was trying to run out the clock so that Coppola
would have to extend his participation and thus earn him more money. He
also said that Brando admitted to lying about having researched the
Kurtz character and hadn't read Joseph Conrad's source novel until he
arrived on location. Still, Coppola professed a great love and respect
for the iconic actor.
(Photo copyright Cinema Retro. All rights reserved.)
Those who were present at the screening were a part of a memorable evening in film history.
"Apocalypse Now: Final Cut" will be released to theaters in
August followed by a deluxe Blu-ray edition that contains the Tribeca
interview with Coppola.