Francis Ford Coppola was fond of saying 'Apocalypse Now' was "not about the Vietnam War; it was the Vietnam War", and this long overdue chronicle of the film's troubled production certainly proves his point. Using behind-the-scenes 16mm footage shot by Coppola's wife, Eleanor, and borrowing several passages from her published diaries, the documentary traces how what began as a modest wartime action movie (with nods to Joseph Conrad) would emerge, after several years, several tens of millions of dollars, and more than one physical and mental breakdown, as a brilliant, bloated, visionary epic. The production itself was often a living illustration of Murphy's Law: what could go wrong did go wrong, including a civil war, a devastating typhoon, a near-fatal heart attack suffered by actor Martin Sheen, and the appearance on the set of an unprepared, overweight Marlon Brando to play the emaciated Colonel Kurtz. Among the many revealing moments is Martin Sheen's drunken breakdown on camera (included in Coppola's finished film), and snippets of the fascinating, discreet audiotapes showing the director near the end of his wits. Invaluable hindsight is provided by cast and crew, including Coppola himself, who was never quite able to recover professionally from the experience.
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mjneu5926 November 2010
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ackstasis17 January 2007"My film is not a movie. My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam. It's what it was really like. It was crazy. And the way we made it was very much like the way the Americans were in Vietnam. We were in the jungle. There were too many of us. We had access to too much money too much equipment. And, little by little, we went insane."
Francis Ford Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now' is one of the all-time great triumphs, a film so mind-blowingly spectacular that we are immediately aware that this is about as good as any film can get. However, behind this epic piece of cinema lies a production story that is riddled with as much drama and uncertainty as the plot of the movie it created.
Originally slated as a 16 week production, 'Apocalypse Now' took more than double that to film, and Coppola invested millions of his own dollars to ensure that the picture was completed. Eleanor Coppola, wife of Francis, was asked to produce a video production diary of the film's completion, and her footage intercut with more recent interviews with the cast and crew became 'Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.'
Throughout her narration, Eleanor Coppola frequently compares the plight of Captain Benjamin L. Willard (played by Martin Sheen in 'Apocalypse Now') with that of her own husband. Just like Willard is simply unable to turn back down the river, as is Francis Ford Coppola. Having invested so much into this big-budget war movie, he feels that he must pursue it to the end. When asked if he ever considered quitting, Coppola replies with, "How am I gonna quit from myself? Am I gonna say "Francis, I quit?" I was financing the movie. How could I quit?"
The production period was certainly a tumultuous one. Just one week into filming, Coppola made the difficult (and very costly) decision to replace his main actor, discarding Harvey Keitel in favour of Martin Sheen. During the filming of the opening scene in a Saigon hotel room, Sheen got into character by drinking himself into oblivion, unintentionally smashing a mirror and threatening, at any moment, to attack the crew members or Coppola himself. When Sheen suffered a very serious heart attack, and almost lost his life, the following weeks were restricted to filming distant pick-up shots, with Willard's back to the camera while Sheen recovered.
Marlon Brando's somewhat uncooperative actions did not help production, either. Having demanded $1 million a week for three weeks (including a $1 million advance), Brando arrived on the set overweight and unprepared, having completely neglected to read John Conrad's novel 'Hearts Of Darkness,' the distant source for the script. At one point prior to this, Brando had reputedly even threatened to walk away from the film (taking the $1 million dollar advance with him), if production was delayed any further.
Even after watching this film, which documents the events of the production in a detailed and compelling manner, I can still only imagine the pressure that Francis Ford Coppola must have been under. In several instances, during conversations that Eleanor Coppola secretly recorded for future reference, Coppola contemplates suicide, absolutely convinced that his film is going to be terrible.
This is documentary film-making at its most gripping. If you don't emerge from this film with a newfound respect for Francis Ford Coppola and 'Apocalypse Now,' or even just for filmmakers in general, then I seriously doubt that you were even paying attention. For fans of the film, or of film-making itself, this is a must-see. -
SnoopyStyle5 July 2016In 1976 Philippines, Francis Ford Coppola would risk everything to make 'Apocalypse Now'. It's an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' to the world of the Vietnam War. The budget explodes and principal photography gets extended to 238 days. His wife Eleanor joins him filming the behind the scenes. Coppola replaces his lead Harvey Keitel. The military's help would often be diverted to fight the rebels. Martin Sheen has a heart attack. The big French section is unworkable. A typhoon destroys the production. It is absolute madness as the production becomes its own Vietnam. This is definitely not a standard production. It is a compelling watch for any film lover. It is one of the best behind-the-scenes film and should be seen as a companion piece to Apocalypse Now.
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howittsinstalled2 September 2018I took Abed's advice to watch this and it certainly is much better than Apocalypse Now!
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How lucky can a master filmmaker get when the tide is against you smacking you & your new movie deliberately in the face? Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola certainly knows. This documentary, probably one of the most fascinating & insightful examinations into the craft of filmmaking and the creation of art, chronicles Coppola's three year odyssey filming the surreal Vietnam War epic "Apocalypse Now". Directed & narrated by his wife Eleanor, who accompanied her husband throughout the entire shooting of the film, this is THE most splendid "making-of" documentary I've ever seen. The finished version of "Apocalypse Now" that we've come to know is a strange, mystical journey - which probably evolved out of Coppola's own bizarre experiences while making the film.
Most of these strange occurrences on the set of "Apocalypse Now" served to hinder the completion of the film. The fact that such a brilliant film was even salvaged from the wreckage that was Coppola's life at the time is a miracle, but the film also serves as a testament to the genius of Coppola that was already established with the massive success of the first two "Godfather" films. Plagued by constant typhoons, a mercurial Marlon Brando, an unreliable Phillipine army, a cast of actors whacked out on drugs & alcohol (especially the maniacal Dennis Hopper), endless financial woes, and Coppola's own self-doubt & inner demons ("I don't have the movie yet!"), there is no surprise in the eventual photo shown of an exhausted Coppola standing on the set of his film in a damp raincoat, pointing a revolver at his own head. This may be an experience other directors have experienced (many David Lean films were logistical nightmares), but how many directors can testify to enduring these types of repeated misadventures for three years, and still manage to find the light at the end of the tunnel?
The entire cast is interviewed (years afterward) about the making of the film - except, of course, for Marlon Brando (Larry Fishburne doesn't get much screen time in the documentary, but his character was relatively small anyway). Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, and Frederic Forrest provide the most insight. Sheen & Hopper seem particularly direct at disclosing the grim nature of their excessive drinking at the time. Actors Robert Duvall, Sam Bottoms, Albert Hall, co-screenwriter John Milius, and the Coppolas themselves also reflect back on the construction of the film. The film is loaded with deleted scenes, extended takes, and much behind-the-scenes footage (Coppola angrily berates a stoned Dennis Hopper for forgetting his lines). Eleanor Coppola must really love her husband, because it takes a strong person to document - on film, nonetheless - three years worth of strife & turmoil as you watch your spouse in their craft, fearful they are creating the genesis of their own demise as an artist. A powerful, absorbing documentary on the creation of one of the greatest films ever made. -
AnonII14 October 1999I agree with the most positive reviews of this film. It's probably THE best documentary about the making of a movie, about the emotions and tensions behind the scenes, about the psychic terror of a director/creator trying desperately to not merely hold on to his artistic dream, but to survive! A must-see for any cinemaphile, and every Coppola enthusiast.
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sydtech18 July 2003This is a fantastic documentary on the making of 'Apocalypse Now'. Essential viewing for fans of that motion picture, or just film students in general. It's a real shame that (as of July 2003) this still hasn't been released on DVD; the VHS release is long out of print and getting increasingly difficult to find...
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jzappa30 January 2009The making of a movie has never been documented with more power to discern the true nature of what is happening behind the scenes than in this account of the torment and the passion of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. That is because no other behind-the- scenes piece has ever had entrée of materials that are usually prohibited like shots that were never used, abandoned scenes, suppressed conflicts between the director and his actors, divulging of disheartenment and misery, including even arguments between Coppola and his secretly, patiently ambitious wife that she secretly recorded. I've always wondered how he felt about that.
The film may not be as mind-blowing as I expected, but it bares Coppola of all resistance or argument and still exposes him as a bold and daring filmmaker. It also exposes the chaos through which he put his cast and crew on location in the Philippines, and likewise what he suffered by them. Coppola, outraged that Martin Sheen's heart attack made its way to the media and the news could kill the production: "Even if he dies, I don't want to hear anything but good news until it comes from me." Dennis Hopper, his mind adrift on drugs, is unable to remember his lines and yet somehow improvises well what we see in the film. I love seeing authentic drug scenes in movies. Marlon Brando, at a cool million a week, finally shows up, yet unprepared and unexpectedly fat, and endlessly argues with Coppola about a character in a half-existent script he's barely read. Brando begins one scene and then walks away while the camera is still rolling. And Apocalypse Now premiered years after production had begun, shared the Palme d'Or, and went on to become one of the great mythic productions in film history.
Legends have blossomed from it. Coppola confessed he did not think the ending worked. Now we see what he was talking about. Originally set to be directed by the comparatively anemic George Lucas and scripted by Conan the Barbarian writer John Milius, the project went through so many changes that finally Coppola was writing it as he shot it, and actors were improvising. The production is harassed, plagued and badgered by rainstorms, morbidly obese budget overruns, health scares, and logistical horrors, as when the Philippine government rents Coppola the same helicopters it's using to fight rebels ten miles away.
Coppola shouted in despair to his wife, Eleanor: "I tell you from the bottom of my heart that I am making a bad film." And again, "We are all lost. I have no idea where to go with this." Yet Coppola's vision somehow remained secure. Milius, flown to the Philippines by a desperate studio to bring sanity back to the script, remembers that he walked in prepared to convince Coppola that the war was lost and they had to salvage what they could. When he left, Coppola had him convinced it would be the first film to win the Nobel Prize. That is what Francis Ford Coppola is made of, and why the film is so sad. It's like a dirge in that his glory days are long, long gone. Did he only have a handful of remarkable cinematic achievements in him? What has happened?
In the 1970s, he made the first two Godfathers and Apocalypse Now, assaulted with grave personal, political, and creative resistance that, as is evidenced here, almost dismantled him. The Conversation was made straight from his two bare hands. These films are masterstrokes. After Apocalypse Now, his work took a serious nosedive---The Outsiders? New York Stories? ---and even now, as he has returned to the helm with Youth Without Youth, he cannot seem to repossess his course. He had to fight for those masterpieces and that agony and ecstasy is what made them so unsurpassable. Though he at one point denies it in this documentary, Coppola must run on hectic despair and obstruction to make a great film. And that's what we see him do here. It's a curse.
Hearts of Darkness is based on footage that Eleanor Coppola shot at the time, and on recent interviews with both Coppolas, plus Milius, Lucas and the cast, including Larry Fishburne, whose appearance is fascinating because we see him as a naive, restless 14-year-old on a gigantic multi-million-dollar movie shoot and at the present, where he has changed and learned so much. We feel for once we are witnessing the true story of how a movie got made rather than a series of interviews about how brilliant person A is and what a beautiful soul person B is. -
padi198413 June 2004Hurricanes, Bickering Egos, heart ailments, and even war were all obstacles that Mr. Coppola had to overcome in making one of the most pivotal movies of the 1970's, and possibly the best film about the war, no, the experience in Vietnam, Apocalypse Now. Hearts of Darkness details the emotional distress and utter insanity of Francis Ford Coppola as he worked for three years to put the massive project on screen. Along the way, budgets spiraled, heat insued, and rumors of failure were abound, as Francis Ford Coppola tried to finish the nightmare that was Apocalypse Now. As the story begins, we see that Orsen Welles attempted the Heart of Darkness Story, and did not succeed, and how 30 years later, it turned into Apocalypse Now. The ambition of Francis turns to dread and near suicidal tendencies as the first film of his movie studio, American Zoetrope, is plagues with problems: typhoons wreck most of the sets, Martin Sheen has a Heart Attack, The film goes 15 million overbudget, Marlon Brando is unprepared, and a Phillilpino war against communism causes many shots to be ruined. Interviews and retrospectives give shed light on the hectic shoot that lasted 238 days.
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lee_eisenberg2 November 2009With "Apocalypse Now", Francis Ford Coppola sought to expose colonialism. But as his wife Eleanor's documentary shows, he ended up creating it in the process of filming his movie. "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" mostly looks at the problems that plagued the film's production and nearly bankrupted Coppola*. But it also shows how he went to a third world country, brought western technology, and made the people there work for him. The madness depicted in the movie is nothing compared to the events on the set.
All in all, it's an amazing insight into one of the greatest movies ever made. Still, you should see the movie before the documentary, just so that the story behind it doesn't bias you. Perfect.
*Apparently, as a result of his near bankruptcy, Coppola smashed four of his five Oscars and briefly separated from his wife. -
HuntinPeck8011 September 2023If there's one thing I took away from this famous documentary it was the desire to listen to Welles' radio production of Conrad's novella. That'll be what I do next.
In my later teens I saw Apocalypse Now (1979). It became my favourite film, and today it retains its place in my personal Top 10 movies. For just about as long, I feel, I've been hearing that Hearts of Darkness is as good or even better a story than that told by Francis Ford Coppola's magnum opus. It consists of fly-on-wall production footage recorded by Eleanor Coppola, FFC's wife (and presumably mother of the overrated Sofia), her own a posteriori narration, as well as interviews on set (and long after) and even audio recordings made without FFC's knowledge of him venting his concerns in the midst of the production's chaos. The documentary basically makes the claim that they lived somehow the madness, that their hanging-by-a-thread, brink of disaster existence was a mirror for the existential anguish of Willard and his enigmatic other, Kurtz.
I came away from it with certain details unclear, such as why Keitel was fired and replaced by Martin Sheen, how Brando's improvised ramblings achieved an acceptable form, how the production finally wrapped, and how the epic undertaking of editing the film was achieved. The editing process is after all one of the most unsung and most vital processes of moviemaking, but suddenly we jump to what was presumably footage of the premiere. I also didn't get a clear sense of why FFC was so unhappy with the plantation material that he abandoned it (later restored for the massive Redux movie cut of 2001).
Although basically everything that happens in Hearts of Darkness is interesting, it left me feeling a tad disappointed. I could have gone for more information, such as with regard to the musical scoring, the movie's reception (we get press materials reporting gossip about the production delays), clips from the Oscar ceremony perhaps?
Suffice to say it left me wanting more. -
Francis Ford Coppolla made a undeniable masterpiece with Apocalypse Now and became (for me at least) one of the greatest films ever made and the best war picture ever. To have this documentary sitting about is like having a documentary about success, failure and what life is, craziness. That is the essence caught in this film.
The film follows the events of the making of Apocalypse Now, including some moments of insight I almost couldn't believe (George Lucas might've been the director, Harvey Keitel was the original Willard, Coppolla almost gave up on the project, etc) and behind the camera footage I thought was ludicrous- in a good way. For instance, being a long time fan of Marlon Brando, it was as much cringe like as it was interesting to see deleted, improvised footage of Brando spouting lines and such. But the centerpiece here is Coppolla himself, as we see his descent into almost like what Kurtz went through, and that might be the most extraordinary part of all (considering that he is one of the best American directors of the last quarter century). One of the best pictures of 1991. A+ -
"Apocalypse Now" never appealed to me. There are probably five or more Vietnam War movies that I like better. The main reason I didn't do back flips for the movie like so many have is that it was too psychedelic, esoteric, artsy, and dare I say pretentious. Now, after having watched "Hearts of Darkness" I see why.
I do commend Francis Copolla for putting his heart, soul, time, and money into his work--I give him that. At the same time I can see how he would've been difficult to work for: an ever changing script, improv scenes, and dozens of takes. In many ways he was the proverbial artist never satisfied with his work until his idea of perfection--which is indecipherable to everyone else--had been attained. "Hearts of Darkness" seems to give the viewer an inside look of Copolla's head as well as his making of the movie "Apocalypse Now." -
dany-cancela7 February 2014A documentary that only shows one thing: Coppola being an immature and pretentious child that acts like he did not know what he was in for.
The tapes of the discussions between Coppola and his wife just contributes to this child play.
One hour and a half with complaining that are everything but surprising.
There are better behind-the-scenes documentaries than this.
Instead of wasting your time seeing this, use it for a second viewing of the movie it was based on, "Apocalypse Now".
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Good movies! -
General_Cromwell24 August 2002Best documentary about the making of a film ever. This is fascinating stuff. Scary,funny,and always compelling, watching this you wonder how the film ever got finished. All the main actors contribute interviews for the film, (except Brando of course)and all are quite revealing. There's also contributions from George Lucas and John Milius. Some of Milius's anecdotes are highly amusing, and we get to hear excerpts from his original screenplay, a lot of which was never used, unfortunately. Some amazing footage shot by coppolla's wife include, Martin Sheen drunk and dangerous on set, Coppolla trying to get an obviously high Dennis Hopper to remember his lines, and poor Coppolla trying to shoot the ending with an uncooperative Brando selfishly wanting to do everything his way,and get paid millions for the privilege! If you are a fan of Apocalypse Now or even if you have an interest in cinema, this is a must see.
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itamarscomix1 October 2011This is probably the best documentary you'll ever see about the process of filmmaking.
"Hearts of Darkness" documents the disastrous and painful filming of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Through interviews with cast and crew members and footage from the actual filming, you get a first-row view of the catastrophes that plagues the production - Marlon Brando's noncooperation, Charlie Sheen's heart attack and alcohol-fueled breakdown, the typhoon that destroyed half the set and equimpent, and more.
But more than that you get insight into Francis Ford Coppola's own psyche, and the painstaking process he went through with his last great film, and one he still considers a failure. It's the portrait of a man who allowed himself to become a dictator and a god, and then crashed to complete depression and despair - more than once.
"Hearts of Darkness" is essential for true film lovers, because it provides real insights into the process and the art of creating a film, and what it meant to be a director in the age of the auteur, when directors were given free rein with their films - and not always for the best. -
ma-cortes29 March 2019This fascinating , acclaimed documentary deals with the making of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece and is largely based on original stock footage filmed by his wife Eleanor , along with Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper who shot recent interviews with cast and crew members . Originally scheduled to be shot over six weeks , ended up taking 16 months , resulting in a Coppola's 40 million dollar great epic vision of the Vietnam war . In 2001 was realized a ¨redux¨ , a new reediting adding footage , the episode of the playmates and the French people encounters , where there's a lot of nudism . This new edition is today considered to be the official version . Considered by some to be the ultimate flick in its overall depiction of chaos , horror , and bloodletting , by others definitively overwrought and unrealistic . This was a splendid film with awe-inspiring battles , stunning photography , effective musical score and compelling montage . The original picture concerned the disillusioned Army captain Willard (Martin Sheen) who tells the story , he is assigned for a special mission : Kill renegade colonel Kurtz (an elephantine Marlon Brando) , American general highly decorated who the army officers believe has gone murderer and nut . His trip is punctuated by surrealist and weird battles and horrifying descent into a land where human rationality seems to have slipped away . Willard joins a misfit crew (Albert Hall , Sam Bottons , Frederic Forest, Larry Fishburne) making a risked and dangerous journey upriver towards Cambodia . Along the way they participate at a superbly coreographed attack by helicopters to the music of ¨Ride of Valkyrie¨ . They'll encounter a mad marine captain , fond of surf (Robert Duvall who gives 10 excellent minutes as a battle-obsessed Major) , as well as playboy bunnies and French military and a civil group (Christian Marquand and Aurore Clement) living lonely at a plantation since Dien Bien Phu defeat (1954) . The travel is dangerously developed until the fateful meeting with Kurtz . Marlon Brando/Colonel Kurtz and Captain Willard /Martin Sheen attempts to assassinate him form the hub of the tale . The perilous journey is narrated as a bizarre odyssey leading to the dreadful and terrible final but when the protagonists meet General Kurtz the scenarios are darkest and gloomiest . As Kurtz cannot be despatched by a weapon bullet , but he has to be hacked to pieces with a machete to symbolise the simultaneous slaughter of a sacrificial bull .
It is a stunning , riveting and absorbing documentary that is based on the known film that was inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella : ¨The heart of the darkness¨ and it goes on to be subject of debate . At once anecdotal and revealing , this top-notch picture shows the catastrophes that beset this particular project , and by way of comparison describes exactly what American film has foregone since the seventies . Both Martin Sheen and Coppola suffered emotional breakdown during the overlong shooting , as Martin Sheen had a heart attack during the filming and some shots of Willard's back are of doubles , including Sheen's brother Joe Estevez who was flown out specially . The documentary lists a catalogue of disasters : Sheen's stroke , problems with weather , including thunderous thypoons , and the Filipino goverment ruled by dictator Ferdinand Marcos who took the helicopters to wage war the communist guerrilla , massive over-expenditure , the upsettling actors , specially : Sam Bottoms and Dennis Hopper , spaced out whatever drugs were availble and an overweight Marlon Brando refusing to perform a fat role . Regarding the movie Coppola told the following : ¨It was a crazy , we had access to too much money and too much equipment , and little by little we went insane¨. This documentary is entirely in agreement with this verdict . There are several interviews to actors and crew , as Martin Sheen , Albert Hall , Dennis Hopper , Frederic Forest 15-year-old Larry Fishburne , Production designer Dean Tavoularis , producer Fred Roos , the great photographer Vittorio Storaro , and the screenwriter John Milius himself who explains the movie tackles issues of ethics and morality and the horror war . And cameraman Vittorio Storaro who carried out a spellbound and breathtaking cinematography , he won an Oscar , a very well deserved Academy Award . The movie in spite of the passed time is still powerful and astounding . The documentary was perfectly directed by Eleanor Coppola , pacing with great sensitivity and artistic ambition . Coppola's wife along with Fax Bahr and George Wickenlooper assembled from later interviews from some 60 hours of footage filmed on location in the Philippines , much of it by Eleanor . -
Ianfidel9 June 1999A tremendous look at the struggles that everyone went through (including Eleanor Coppola) to finally create Apocalypse Now. Perhaps the overwhelming impression that this film made on me was that I would never, ever want to have to work with Marlon Brando. In a cast and crew of hundreds of people working, suffering, and creating together, he stands out as someone who didn't care about the process, merely concerned with getting paid. Ugh. Of course, this does not detract from the quality of the documentary, which gives amazing insight into the filmmaking process, both as a broad concept and as relating to Apocalypse Now. Another idea explored is "what is an artist?" This is a film that no film aficionado should miss.
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This is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the making of Francis Ford Coppala's masterpiece, APOCALYPSE NOW. This documentary combines interviews with footage shot on location in the Philippines by Eleanor Coppola. This is certainly a must-see for anyone with the slightest interest in how Hollywood movies are made. This is a unique and privileged look inside one of the greatest films ever made.
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sundownlady12 November 2007Although "Apocalypse Now" is definitely one of my top 10 movies, after viewing this insightful, hilarious, amazing, and thoughtful documentary several years ago, I became even more appreciative of the movie.
Considering the characters Coppola had to deal with, it is truly amazing this film was ever completed. Just when you think Sam Bottoms is exaggerating the character of the animal trainer, you discover that the trainer's mouth really is on the side of his face as he discusses putting an animal down when it starts nibbling on your knees. This man has been nibbled on from head to toe.
This is only one of the many insights the viewer will find in this excellent documentary.
The greatest news of all, however, is that the DVD will be available in a couple of weeks!! You don't want to miss it this time around! -
bobsgrock8 December 2009Never before has a documentary so closely been able to capture the spontaneity, the ambition, the determination needed to make a movie. It is a well-known fact that Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola's epic tale of the chaos and confusion surrounding America's involvement in the Vietnam War, was at first glance a financial and monumental disaster. It took almost twice as long to shoot as expected, went way over budget and Coppola had numerous problems with actors and in writing the script. Yet, 30 years later, we look at this film and it is quite simply perfect. How could this be and what is it that drove Coppola to make this movie despite all outside forces against him? These questions are what is at the center of this fascinating documentary shot by Coppola's own wife, Eleanor. Shot without her husband's awareness, we get the full and unedited explanation of why things went so bad. Bad luck, bad weather and just plain bad results led to the debacle Coppola found himself in; driving so close as to contemplate suicide. In-depth interviews with many of the cast and crew reveal even more. But at the heart of this documentary, the film Apocalypse Now, and the career of Francis Ford Coppola, is a desire.
He mentions it several times; he always had the desire and ambition to go as far as he could, to make a great movie and not just make money. He put up all the money he had to make this one, a personal journey and one that very well may be the highlight of his career. Looking at movies today, I realize that this is what makes Coppola such a great filmmaker and auteur. He has that ambition and desire to go way above and beyond what most other directors do. No movie studio would even dare make another Apocalypse Now today because it is too incredible for their own good. One of the very last great filmmakers of all time, watching this documentary is an account of a personal journey of Coppola into the real heart of darkness: fear and anxiety that he would make a forgettable and deplorable movie. Thank God he did not. -
Cosmoeticadotcom29 July 2009Hearts Of Darkness glosses over one of the more important aspects of the film's creation, the hiring and firing of the first actor, Harvey Keitel, to portray Lt. Willard. We are simply told it was not working, and cut to Francis's hiring of Martin Sheen. But, we never see any of the footage shot with Keitel, we never learn if he was simply too different from Francis's vision of Willard to work, or was he simply doing a poor job, a malcontent, or clashing too frequently with Francis. For a so-called documentary to leave such wide open says much of the aims of the documentarian, in this case Eleanor. Also left open-ended is a much talked about aspect of the filming that the documentary does not cover, and that is Francis's infidelity on the set, and how that contributed to the distance between the couple. How this affected Eleanor's documentary, much less Apocalypse Now, is certainly ripe for discussion. This is the rare instance where such is not mere gossip for gossip's sake, but pertinent information about the director's state of mind in the improvisatory aspects of the film. Was his film more gloomy because of the infidelity's consequences? Hearts Of Darkness does a great disservice to its viewers by totally avoiding such questions, even as it claims a rare intimacy, due to Eleanor's claim to have surreptitiously recorded conversations without Francis's knowledge.
Overall, the DVD package is barely worth an investment, especially if a Coppola fan, but once again the studio that put out the DVD could have offered so much more for so little an investment. Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a good and worthwhile 'Making Of' feature for a DVD release, but, as a stand alone documentary, it is rather lacking. Thus, with two making of documentaries, and no real feature, the package is saved by the aforementioned pluses alone. Better than nothing, but most viewers will wind up asking, 'Well, that's it?'
'Tis. -
ntvnyr3029 April 2008This is a fascinating documentary of all the legendary problems that occurred during the filming of "Apocalypse Now." It is a must-see for all those who love films, as it documents the vicissitudes of a major film project.
As I wrote in my review of "Godfather III", I believe that Francis Ford Coppola is the modern-day incarnate of Orson Welles. Welles would sell off his personal assets and go into the red just to complete his film, just like Coppola. Welles' most famous account was during the filming of "Othello," which was filmed over 4 years! Welles would frequently run out of money, would act in a film (most notably "The Third Man") and use the proceeds to continue filming "Othello." He would also try to obtain financing through other sources. The amazing thing is that despite the sporadic filming of "Othello," it won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952 and is still a great film.
Like Welles, Coppola sold off his assets to complete "Apocalypse Now" and endured such legendary problems as Brando's obesity, Sheen's heart attack, a typhoon and an ever-changing script, to name a few. The fact that he completed the film is in itself a feat, but he made a classic film that will endure for years. I admit that this an arty, surreal depiction of Vietnam as opposed to other realistic films ("We Were Soldiers" for one) that probably are better examples of that war. However, the images in "Apocalypse Now" (i.e. Col. Kilgore, Dennis Hopper's photo-journalist, et al.) are exemplary.
Maybe it's not so much of a coincidence that Coppola based "Apoclypse Now" on "Heart of Darkness"--which was the chosen piece for Orson Welles' first film.
I had to bring up the Marlon Brando debacle: he didn't read the book on which the script was based like he was supposed to, he showed up grossly out-of-shape, he shut down production to find his character and didn't know his lines. In addition to that, he refused to be malleable during the shooting process, threatening not to show up but yet keeping his 1 million dollar bonus. My only question is: where can I find a job like this? -
Watching "Hearts of Darkness", it's hard to believe Francis Coppola was able to rein in such chaos emerge with the film that he did. Usually, you just have to worry about the rumor mill back in Hollywood when your production is troubled. But making "Apocalypse Now" brought every conceivable hurdle: a civil war, Brando's weight gain and lack of professionalism, a set-destroying typhoon, Sheen's close-call heart attack, Hopper high as a kite, trouble keeping the narrative of the film . . .
This guy was under unbelievable pressure, and it speaks to his force of will that he was able to come out the other side with such a celebrated piece of film. This is fascinating stuff.
7/10 -
malberts117 March 2002I've never seen a "making-of" documentary that made me hate the film involved more than this one. So self-important, so self-indulgent, so pretentious. All these come to mind where "Hearts of Darkness" is involved.
And to think--I used to like "Apocalypse Now."
3/10