nickboldrini A revealing documentary about the trials of making the classic film, which is a fascinating story in its own right.

Scarecrow-88 I've never seen behind-the-scenes documentary filmmaking quite like this, except for something like Werner Herzog's Burden of Dreams, where a nightmarish series of events kept occurring, including a massive monsoon, military unease(the Filipino government for which he worked out a partnership, kept taking helicopters from him during key moments in his movie!), constant re-writes(Coppola was constantly "revamping" John Milius' script), casting issues(the lead had to be changed even though Harvel Keitel's name was printed on the poster advertising the movie!), cast and crew succumbing to numerous crises both physical(Martin Sheen has a heart attack, his role is so incredibly demanding!)and psychological(director Francis Ford Coppola nearly had a nervous breakdown and claims to almost go mad while going through the 200 day process of bringing APOCALYPSE NOW to the screen)and dealing with budgetary problems(Coppola had to put up his own money and house as collateral)as the movie's delay made the media rounds with much scrutiny(one headline read:APOCALYPSE WHEN?). Coppola's wife documented footage, pieced with interviews with the likes of Martin Sheen and Lawrence Fishburne(who was 14 or so when he starred in the movie). Coppola had audio interviews with his wife that she secretly kept for the documentary to elaborate the toll for which the movie was taking on her husband. The heart attack of Sheen really set back Coppola as did Marlon Brando's eccentricities(the way he needed constant discussion with Coppola of the character and script). The most eye-opening moments include the late Dennis Hopper, obviously in a bad state with drugs(his bouts with Coppola are fascinating as it pertains to asking Hopper to commit to a scene with Brando). This film truly shows a man suffering for his art, doing whatever it takes to get it made, even if there were plenty of times where he was more than a bit critical of the work that was being made. The scene where Coppola wants Sheen to reach down to the very lower depths to present a pain his character is going through, the darkness overtaking him and being spilled forth, is startling. Coppola truly gave all that he had for this film and it is presented for us--all the afflictions, wear and tear, that one is burdened with during the movie-making process is shown, honest and open for us to experience.

bobsgrock Never 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.

ntvnyr30 This 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?