Apocalypse Now: Final Cut a newly-polished old gem

How does Apocalypse Now: Final Cut differ from the original? Well you get roughly 40 minutes of “fresh” footage here. But that isn’t what bolsters the viewing experience to a whole new level.

Don’t get me wrong. Apocalypse Now will always be one of the greatest films ever made.

Yes, it is rambling, confusing and often simply directionless. But the chaos of its construction still makes perfect sense to anyone who dares to believe that cinema is an art form, rather than something that kills time between trips to the candy bar.

However, I can’t say that this ‘definitive’ new version of Francis Ford Coppola’s classic — assembled by the filmmaker to commemorate the 40th anniversary of release — brings all that much fruitful produce to an already bountiful table.

So how does this ‘Final Cut’ differ from the original?

Well, Coppola always felt he caved to commercial pressures the first time around, and was too ruthless with his edits.

The Final Cut involves 40 minutes of fresh footage.

Therefore you will encounter roughly 40 fresh minutes of footage here. (Of it course, it will depend on how you interpret the word ‘fresh’. Coppola did use a lot of this same material for a DVD expansion of Apocalypse Now nearly 20 years ago.)

Now nestled away inside Martin Sheen’s Vietnam-based journey into Marlon Brando’s heart of darkness are a quartet of extended sequences, which include a tortuously talky exchange of philosophical views at a French plantation, and an explanation of whatever became of those Playboy bunnies.

These scenes will be of major appeal to film buffs curious as to why Coppola had to initially leave them on the cutting-room floor, but they do not exactly push the movie to any new heights.

Instead, it is the minor tweaks added to the mix that bolsters the viewing experience of Apocalypse Now.

The journey taken is still as gripping as ever.

The sound design and visuals have been vastly improved, and a judicious expansion of scenes featuring Robert Duvall (he who loved the smell of napalm in the morning) is also a welcome bonus.

If you really must sneak a peak at this newly-polished old gem, make sure you see it on the biggest and best-equipped screen in your neighbourhood.

Just as the balance struck between coherent, accessible storytelling and grandiose cinematic ambition remains as risky as ever, that eerie journey upriver taken by the tormented Captain Willard (Sheen) to kill his rogue superior Colonel Kurtz (Brando) is as gripping as many will recall.

APOCALYPSE NOW: FINAL CUT (MA15+)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather)

Starring: Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne.

Rating: ****1/2

The old heart of darkness in a whole new light

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