The only movie more stunning than Coppola's masterpiece ‘Apocalypse Now’ is his wife's candid making-of documentary, ‘Hearts of Darkness: The making of Apocalypse Now.’ Seen together they are a remarkable testament to the thin line twixt genius and madness, creative brilliance and sheer dumb luck. Real helicopters taking part in a real war provide the now classic ‘Ride of the Valkyres’ themed attack on a village – operatic in scale and grandeur, pathos and sheer adrenalin. The most bizarre thing about this stunning anti-war epic is just what a great war movie it is! The violence, madness and drug-induced frenzy of the Vietnam conflict is all here on screen. Martin Sheen's Willard is simply his best performance… no wonder it led to a full-scale on-set in the jungle heart attack! Brando's overweight rame is hidden in shadow and silhouette, but he is still a powerful presence to be feared and reveared. Dennis Hopper features as a psyched-out photographer and even Coppola appears in a cameo as a news reporter, film camera and all, yelling “Don't look at the camera! Don't look at the camera!” Robert Duvall plays a Air Cav Colonel more interested in seeing a soldier surf than fight. His “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” still packs a punch. Thoughtful, provocative, beautiful, hallucinogenic, terrifying, funny, touching, action-packed – it's the greatest anti war, war movie ever made and this REDUX edition adds scenes that before now we could only wonder at whilst watching “Hearts of Darkness” and wish we could one day see. Well, now we can – and they don't disappoint. Read Joseph Conrad's brilliant novela ‘Heart of Darkness’ on which this is based and then watch the documentary and wonder at the original plan – with George Lucas directing the movie during the actual Vietnam War… in Vietnam! A stunning piece of must-see movie majesty that proves that, before John Woo, Coppola was the man to see if you wanted a heck of a lot of dynamite and bullets on set… and even better – it's largely all real! No CGI explosions here – this is the real deal! See it if only to get where Ben Stiller's ‘Tropic Thunder’ gained inspiration! Adz
