Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now

(mouse over title image after page fully loads to see Redux Title)

directed by Francis Ford Coppola
USA 1979

Apocalypse Now is one of the great films. Photography, score, acting and direction are without flaw. Coppola never scaled such heights subsequently. It seems the sheer effort to produce such a work extinguished much of his creative spark. Stravinsky frightened himself with the awesome force of his Sacre Du Printemps, and changed directions after, never to match this achievement; Richard Strauss fled into Neo-romanticism after writing the disturbing Elektra and Salome, unable to equal their innovation and power. But these seminal works (Le Sacre, Salome, Elektra, Apocalypse Now) remain as peaks of Art. Like the great classics of literature, each viewing of this film reveals deeper levels of meaning. It's stupid to even apply an arbitrary rating to this work. It would be like writing, "Brothers Karamazov gets out of ." It cannot be rated.

Excerpt from Ramcharan's Review Found HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 15, 1979 & August 3, 2001

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Paramount (The Complete Dossier - Disc 1) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Paramount (The Complete Dossier - Disc 2) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. FPE (Fox Pathe Europa) - Region 2- PAL (redux) vs. Paramount (Original) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Paramount (Redux) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Enrique B Chamorro and Vincent BOUCHÉ for the the Screen Caps!

(FPE - Region 2- PAL LEFT vs. Paramount (Original) - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Paramount (Redux) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

Distribution

Paramount

Region 1 - NTSC

FPE (Fox Pathé Europa)

Region 2 - PAL

Paramount

Region 1 - NTSC

Paramount
Region 1 - NTSC

Distribution	Paramount Region 1 - NTSC	FPE (Fox Pathé Europa) Region 2 - PAL	Paramount Region 1 - NTSC	Paramount Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	2:27:00 + 3:22:18	3:13:59 (4% PAL speedup)	2:27:00	3:22:18
Video	2.00:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.00:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.30 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	2.00:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.27 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	2.00:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.80 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate: FPE
Bitrate: Paramount (Original).
Bitrate: Paramount (Redux)
Audio		English and French DD5.1	English DD 5.1, DUB: French D 2.0	English DD 5.1
Subtitles		French, None	English, none	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Paramount Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.00:1 Edition Details: • Apocalypse Now - 1:20:36 (Disc 1). 11 chapters • Apocalypse Now Redux - 1:39:15 (Disc 1) 21 chapters • Extras on Disc 1: • Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola • Introduction to AN by Francis Ford Coppola (2:33) • Introduction to ANR by Francis Ford Coppola (4:04) • The Hollow Man (Marlon Brando reading the complete poem by T.S. Eliot) (16:55) • Monkey Sampan (unusual • 12 deleted scenes (26 minutes) • The Birth of 5.1 Sound (5:47) • Ghost Helicopter Flyover (3:50) • Technical FAQ (6 questions and answers on text screens) • 2 easter eggs DISC 2: Edition Details: • Apocalypse Now - 1:12:39 (Disc 2). 9 chapters • Apocalypse Now Redux - 1:42:52 (Disc 2). 15 chapters • Extras on Disc 2: • Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola • A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of AN (17:54) • The Music of AN (14:43) • Heard Any Good Movies Lately?: The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now (15:19) • The Final Mix (3:07) • PBR Streetgang (4:10) • Apocalypse Then and Now (3:40) • The Color Palette of AN (4:05) • 4 easter eggs DVD Release Date: August 15, 2006 Digipack	Release Information: Studio: Studio: FPE (Fox Pathé Europa) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.00:1 Edition Details: • Bonus Material on Disc 2 • Theatrical Trailer (English) 2:25 • 1979 Cannes Press Conference (English) 3:23 • Claude Berri interview (French) 3:39 • 2001 Cannes Press Conference (mostly English) 45 min. • Kurtz Compound (alt. ending) with or without commentary by Coppola (English) 5:48 DVD Release Date: 6 March 2002 Digipack Chapters 36	Release Information: Studio: Paramount Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.00:1 Edition Details: • Animated Menus • 1979 Theatrical Trailer 3:50 • End credits play seperately 6:13 • Kurtz Compound (alt. ending) with or without commentary by Coppola 6:02 • Single Page Chapter Insert • Excerpts from the original theatrical program - 13 stills • VOB File Dates 09/25/99 DVD Release Date: 11/23/99 Plastic Keepcase Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Paramount Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.00:1 Edition Details: • Animated Menus • 2001 Thratrical Trailer 2:31 • End credits are part of the film • Additional scenes, edits, cuts expands the film over 49 min. • Single Page Chapter Insert - new scenes/chapters in yellow • The alt. ending is NOT incorporated into Redux • VOB File Dates 09/21/01 DVD Release Date: 11/20/01 Plastic Keepcase Chapters 36
Comments	ADDITION: Complete Dossier - Oct 06': Both versions are divided into 2 parts over 2 discs. The versions are branched, so there's really no need to compare prints. For the same reason, the bitrate graphs are incorrect, so I'm not uploading them. First 4 captures are from disc 1 and last 4 are from disc 2. 2 versions have different end credits, so I included captures for both (1st is Redux, 2nd is 1979 version). There're a lot of extras on The Complete Dossier, but without Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse documentary, can it be actually be called complete? Paramount also decided to release third disc of extras to be sold exclusively at Circuit City with trailers to both versions, a very short featurette about expanded scenes from Redux and a bonus scene of destruction of Kurtz compound with optional commentary by the director. Not much, but that still makes The Complete Dossier only partially complete. Gregory Meshman *********** ADDITION- FPE Region 2 (July-04) - colors seem very true in the Fox Pathe Europa and sharpness is on a par with the Region 1 counterpart, but contrast is superior in the US edition (see large capture #2). Menu options and extras are the same. It does offer a 5.1 French DUB. French extras are best - It has the alt. ending from the US and extras not on the US edition. Gary Tooze The theatrical presentation was 2.35:1 and many have complained about Coppola using 2.00:1. Now it becomes apparent that by using 2.00:1, he was able to re-center the scenes in the new edition at will. Notice in capture 1 both versions have the same framing, but 2 & 5 of the original version has more info on the left while 3 & 4 has more info on the right. The revised version seems to have the key element of the scene shifted to dead center of the framing. Capture 6a demonstrates the quality of the alternate ending on the original DVD, while 6b displays the quality of the newly inserted scenes. Capture 7a & 7b demonstrates how the credits are displayed. The handling of the credits stem from trying to recreate the feel of watching the film in a theater, the 1979 movie played without a title and end credits, just as the 2001 begins without any title. The new version has just as many supporters as opponents, perhaps it just reflects Francis at different points in his own life. If Apocalypse Now is a journey into a personal hell, we face different demons along the way as we grow older. - Enrique B Chamorro Colors are a little richer on the Redux, but I think sharpness is a draw. I see a little more grain in the original and I have trouble determining where my preference lies. I can't definitively say either are superior quality. Contrast looks very good on both. I think the Redux is slightly brighter (and the colors tend to enhance the image further). So lets go with the Redux in image. The Extras are too similar to give a strong opinion. The original has a French audio DUB where the Redux has 5.1 in the new scenes (that aren't in the original). I prefer the white subtitles in the original. Gary Tooze Though it may not seem too different initially between the older theatrical version and expanded REDUX, the color on REDUX is much better, with more ivory whites, very jet blacks and warmer greens among its many strengths. The reason is simple. The older prints have regular tri-pack color (Eastman, Deluxe, etc.), while Redux was one of a small handful of films issued theatrically from 1997 through 2001 that were released in Technicolor’s revival of three-strip dye-transfer printing. The result is a full, more naturalistic experience that makes watching the film even more watchable over and over again. All REDUX theatrical prints had this treatment, which is why there is less grain and more smoothness throughout the image. They are a marvel to sit through. Such Imbibition (IB) printing makes for the best prints and cheers to master cinematographer Vittorio Storaro for suggesting it as the film needed some restoration upgrading. The DVD follows these color schemes extremely well. This is one of the great cinematic achievements and the extra footage is welcome, adding nuances that many who criticized this cut missed. Furthermore, the Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 mix on REDUX is one of the few ever issued that can compete with DTS, though the DVD should have absolutely had DTS tracks. It is certainly superior to the older DVD and is a must-have for all home theater systems for its brilliant sound design and fidelity rarely found in Dolby Digital anywhere. Nicholas Sheffo from FulvueDrive-In.com**

DVD Menus

(Paramount (The Complete Dossier (Disc 1)) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Paramount (The Complete Dossier (Disc 2)) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

(FPE - Region 2- PAL LEFT vs. Paramount (Original) - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Paramount (Redux) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures