Apocalypse Now (UK)

Yep this film rocks. Probably to such an extent that I would say that it was one of the best war films of all time. Aye!

This copy of the film does not have much in the way of extras but what is there is ok. The wee bit of footage of the destruction of the Kurtz compound is quite interesting and strangely mesmorizing.

This copy of the actual film is pretty good. It is in a decent anamorphic 2:1 transfer so it looks pretty nice on a nice enough tv.

Video: There is little visible grain or scratchiness and the colours come through pretty nicely. The helicopter strike section near the start of the film looks especially pretty damn nice.

Audio: As I dont have the full DD 5.1 kit I cant really judge that but I can judge it as a stereo thing. From what I heard it was pretty sweet but not too "active" if you know what I mean. I really liked how the menus had a kind of swing from left to right with the helicopter swooshy noise. It took me by surprise as I had the sound up really loud and most menus are usually fairly boring on the sound front.

All in all this is a decent copy of a really good film but it is not totally using the format to the max. If this had a few documentaries with it (including the excellent heart of darkness one) then it would be perfect, but this will do for now.

I actually have the American version of this, but I rented this to see if the print quality was any better. It is but only slightly.
There does seem to be problems with the particular master that this came from.

This is a tremendous film, and a tremendous disc. Coppola`s film is mesmerising, shocking and powerful. Plus it is presented as it was in its original release, with no titles or end credits. The original programme is provided as an extra.

The picture is clear and sharp, not perfect but then it is over 20 years old. The anamophic transfer is not in the original aspect ratio, but as this has been changed by the original cinematographer you can`t really complain. The colours are vivid and the darker scenes are handled well.

The DD 5.1 sound is a revaltion if you last watched the film on a stereo VHS tape as I did. The film takes on a whole new dimension, and although its the famous helicopter attack (Wagner and all) that will really kick your system into life, the ambient efects are also impressive.

The extras are OK, however Copolla only gives a short commentary over the footage of the destuction of the Kurtz compound and there are some production notes too. It would have been nice to have the "Hearts Of Darkness" documentary included on the disc instead of these notes.

All in all, an essential disc.

Not the REDUX Version.

Apocalypse Now is definitely one of the best remembered films of the 1970s. With the shoot taking roughly 12 times as long as originally expected and legendary director Franci Ford Coppola threatening to commit suicide several times throughout shooting, it is a surprise that the film was finished at all. The film is extremely dark and explores man`s character in its fairly mammoth two and a half hour running length. Martin Sheen heads the cast brilliantly as the assassin and Marlon Brando instantly made cinematic history with his portrayal of bald-headed Colonel Kurtz. Look out for an extremely young Laurence Fisburne making an appearance as one of Willard`s military travelling companions - he lied about his age just to get the part. This is also the film that had Robert Duvall speak his much-referenced lines, such as `Charlie dont surf` and `I love the smell of napalm in the morning`. To sum it up, Apocalypse Now is definitely a landmark in cinematic history - watch it now if you haven`t already done so.

The story is a bit of an acquired taste as it starts out strange and only gets deeper and darker as the movie progresses. This is not light viewing where you just sit back and watch stuff blow up. The star is Martin Sheen playing the intelligence officer pursuing Colonel Kurtz played by Marlon Brando. You`ll also catch appearances in the movie by such big names as Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Laurence Fishburne just to name a few.

What can I say that hasn`t already been said a thousand times? Its an epic adventure into the more dank corners of the human psyche, its director and many of its actors are now legendary or soon to be so, and it absolutely refuses to paint anything in black and white, forcing the viewer to really think. Its one of the great films of our times and would certainly have to be in my top ten. Only its egregious lack of extras pulled its score down.

Why oh why was this not a special edition? Why did Copolla not do a commentary track? If there was ever a disc that deserved the special edition treatment, this is one of them.

Check out the REDUX edition, because I`m sure you can`t get this edition any more. Lucky you.

Content:

Have just come out of my home theatre after a little over 3 hours of watching a fantastic movie. This is one of the very few "long" movies that I watched without once checking the clock to see how long is to go.

Video:

This is an excellent trasnfer, by most standards, but when you think of the age of the film it really does show how much work has gone into this.

Audio:

A fantastic soundtrack, the surrrounds are always being used, whether it be with missiles, gun fire and helicopters flying around the room or creating fantastic ambience as the jungle ambience captivates you.

Features:

A bit of a disappointment really that there`s no Coppola commentary. A few bits and pieces here and there but, considering the efoort that has gone into the rest of the DVD it`s a bit of a let down.