Apocalypse Now DVD Release





Apocalypse Now



IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE STARTING MAY 27th

OUT ON BLU-RAY: JUNE 13

What can I say about legendry director Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now that hasn’t already been said – and probably more eloquently? Not a lot.
But to give a bit of background on the film I’ll just say that Apocalypse Now is a film of Joseph Conrad’s novel, entitled Heart of Darkness, which was crafted into a screenplay by John Milius for Francis Ford Coppola.

Willard (Martin Sheen) a top secret military assassin is given the job of braving the Cambodian jungle to find and kill a renegade Special Forces operative by the name of Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).
We also know that the film comes in two versions – the 1979 two-and-a-half-hour theatrical cut and the need-a-snack-halfway-through, three-hour Redux cut as released in 2001. This blu-ray set features both versions now restored and presented in HD.

So on to what I can tell you that is new and interesting. You most probably know the film inside and out, what you want to know is what is this new HD presentation of the film like? Well I can tell you that it is excellent. The colours are brighter and more vibrant – the greens of the jungle and the reds of explosions - whilst the blacks are deeper and richer and more sinister and give the picture improved contrast. I should point out that I’m certainly no expert on picture quality but I can tell the difference between good and bad and the difference between older looking transfers and newer, brighter, sharper transfers. I think that the picture quality is excellent and it’s clear that a great amount of effort has gone into upgrading this film for the blu-ray market. The sound has also been improved over the DVD versions of the film and the whole of my 5.1 surround sound system was given a workout, from front and centre to the rears.

Of course with any new release these days special feature or extras as they are known are also very important to buyers and this set won’t disappoint. There is a feature length commentary by Coppola which has admittedly been taken from the DVD disc, but it still interesting and informative as well as.
There are interesting new extras as well such as an interview with the writer John Milius. There is also a dialogue between Coppola and Martin Sheen which is just under an hour long and has plenty of detail. And there are a number of shorter featurettes as well including music, sound design, editing and casting plus deleted and additional scenes.

This highly anticipated Blu-ray Disc premieres in 1080P High Definition Widescreen in a 3-Disc Full Disclosure Edition. Also for the first time, these movies will be presented for home entertainment audiences in their original theatrical aspect ratios (2.35:1).
The 3-Disc Full Disclosure Edition will include Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now Redux with more than nine hours of bonus material including new interviews with on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent, as well as the acclaimed making-of feature documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. In addition, the set features a 48-page collectible booklet with a special note from Francis Ford Coppola, never-before-seen archives from the set, behind the scenes photos and more! The Full Disclosure Edition will be packaged in a keepsake case featuring archival poster images designed by Japanese artist Eiko Ishioka.


Full List of Disc Content and Extras:

Disc 1:

• Apocalypse Now feature
• Apocalypse Now Redux feature
• Audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola


Disc 2:
• Interview with John Milius (49 mins)
• Interview with Fred Roos (casting Apocalypse) (12 mins)
• A Conversation with Martin Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola (60 mins)
• The Mercury Theatre on Air: Hearts of Darkness Nov 6 1938 (37 mins)
• The Hollow Men (17 mins)
• Monkey Sampan “Lost Scene” (3 mins)
• Additional Scenes (27 mins)
• Kurtz Compound Destruction with credits (6 mins)
• The Birth of 5.1 sound (6 mins)
• Ghost Helicopter Flyover (4 mins)
• Apocalypse Now: The Synthesizer Soundtrack by Bob Moog (still images)
• A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now (18 mins)
• The Music of Apocalypse Now (15 mins)
• The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now (15 mins)
• The Final Mix (3 mins)
• Apocalypse Then & Now (4 mins)
• 2001 Cannes Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola (39 mins)
• PBR Streetgang (4 mins)
• The Colour Palette of Apocalypse Now (4 mins)
• Disc credits


Disc 3:
• Hearts of Darkness feature
• Audio commentary by Francis and Eleanor Coppola
• John Milius script excerpt with Francis Ford Coppola notes
• Storyboard Collection
• Photo Archive: unit photography, Mary Ellen Mark photography
• Marketing Archive: original trailer, radio spots, theatrical program, lobby card and press kit, photos.