Video:
The picture appears in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Generally, the quality is poor since the footage was shot with 16mm cameras. Some scenes were shot or mastered on video, so parts of the documentary is dark and muddy. The raw footage that Francis Ford Coppola shot for his movie was un-restored (scratches, sprocket jumps, etc.), though scenes from the finished film look very good. The source could be analog video, which would explain ghosting and mild interlacing.

Audio:
The only audio option is the movie’s original DD 2.0 surround English track. It has survived the ages well; voices and on-set recordings remain crisp and untouched by pops/drop-outs. However, the movie is a straightforward documentary, so expect much of the sound to come from the front center channel.

Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio. Extras:
The big extra here is an audio commentary by Francis and Eleanor Coppola. The two were not recorded together, with Francis on the right-hand speaker and with Eleanor on the left-hand speaker. He defends and explains his behavior, though he doesn’t repudiate anything that we’re shown. She provides context about the history of her involvement in Hearts of Darkness.

CODA: Thirty Years Later is practically a feature film of its own. Eleanor Coppola shot a documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth. There are clips from the new film as well as home videos of Francis as a child. CODA is much more laudatory of Francis than Hearts of Darkness, and I think this is due to CODA’s function as a promo piece rather than as a retrospective analysis.

Still, fans of Coppola will want to see everything that they can, so enjoy.

--Miscellaneous--
A cardboard slipcover accompanies the usual keepcase.

 - David McCoy