When Francis Ford Coppola unveiled "Apocalypse Now" at the 1979 Cannes film festival, his epic story of the Vietnam War was already 200 days late and $18million over budget. And it still wasn't finished. But, even though the media had begun to rename the project "Apocalypse When?" (or more cruelly, "Apocalypse Never"), the incomplete cut of the film still managed to win the coveted Palme d'Or.
Coppola's problems during the making of the movie have become the stuff of film legend: star Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack, a typhoon wiped out most of the carefully constructed sets, and the Philippines army's helicopters were constantly being taken off the set to fight the Communist rebels in the hills.
The final cut that Coppola released in 1979 was 153 minutes long. Most critics considered that an artistic indulgence rather than a compromise, but as the imminent release of the 202-minute "Apocalypse Now Redux" suggests, Coppola's vision was far grander than anyone expected.
The "Redux" version adds the missing French plantation scene (which contextualises the Vietnam conflict against the background of Indochina). It also adds new footage to Willard's journey up river (including a second meeting with the Playboy girls) and an extra sequence in Kurtz's compound. These new additions, along with the re-mastered sound and visuals, guarantee that audiences will finally witness Coppola's epic spectacle the way he intended. Whether it proves that this Vietnam War film deserves to be known as "Apocalypse Wow" remains to be seen.
Bigger, Longer and Unwatched: what Kim Newman has to say about director's cuts.
