There have been few sharper portraits of the film maker as alchemist than hearts of darkness. With dennis hopper, martin sheen, marlon brando, george lucas. It told a story about vietnam that was inspired by joseph conrad s novella heart of darkness, about a journey up the congo river in search of a man named kurtz. Although this is a very interested documentary about the filming of apocalypse now i would have liked it to have been longer and contain some bonus. Dec 12, 2007 war is a hell whose story takes a brave soul to tell, let alone successfully capture on film. Just a great, powerful, and timeless movie that will. The original movie which the documentary was about had been directed by francis ford coppola and starred marlon brando, martin sheen, and. In apocalypse now he integrated themes from joseph conrads heart of darkness into a story about the vietnam war. A filmmakers apocalypse combines the usual documentary interviews with outtakes from the film and rare documentary footage, some shot on the set by eleanor coppola. A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 documentary chronicling the troubled production of francis ford coppolas apocalypse now, and how it not only nearly destroyed the career of the director, but also threatened both the mental and physical health and even lives of not only himself, but also members of the cast and the crew.
A filmmakers apocalypse, directed by fax bahr and george hickenlooper 1991. A filmmakers apocalypse combines the usual documentary interviews with outtakes from the. Problems in production, actors, story, editing, financing and. Not to be confused with heart of darkness 1993, an adaptation of the original novel upon which apocalypse now is based. Shot in the philippines, the film would eventually take years to complete and include 238 days of principal photography, the lead actors firing, the replacement stars heart attack, a typhoon on the set, difficulties with an overweight marlon brando, ritualistic. The awardwinning documentary about the fascinating and harrowing making of. A filmmakers apocalypse again for the first time in a few years, i was struck by the sheer egomaniacal drive that spurred apocalypse now director francis ford coppola forward this is a man who, seemingly quite literally, went incrementally insane in the philippine jungle. That is eleanor coppola actually comment on the documentary. Hearts of darkness is a monumental documentary about the making of apocalypse now. Problems in production, actors, story, editing, financing and directing are revealed. Directed by fax bahr, george hickenlooper, eleanor coppola.
An intimate look at the making of francis ford coppolas 1979 classic apocalypse now, hearts of darkness. Hearts of darkness a filmmaker s apocalypse washington post. Dec 31, 2014 this documentary chronicles how francis ford coppolas war movie masterpiece apocalypse now 1979, was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems, which nearly. Not to be confused with heart of darkness 1993, a film version on which original novel apocalypse now is based. Using behind the scenes footage, and narrated by eleanor coppola, it chronicles how production problems including bad weather, actors health and other issues delayed the film, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and. Dramatically, the film which fax bahr and george hickenlooper have. A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 american documentary film about the production of apocalypse now, the 1979 vietnam war epic directed b. Hearts of darkness a filmmakers apocalypse download mp4 version of hearts of darkness here. A filmmakers apocalypse is that there is commentary to the commentary. A filmmaker s apocalypse is a 1991 american documentary film about the production of apocalypse now, the 1979 vietnam war epic directed b. Shot in the philippines, the film would eventually take years to complete and include 238 days of principal photography, the lead actor s firing, the replacement star s heart attack, a typhoon on the set, difficulties with an overweight marlon brando, ritualistic.
A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 documentary film about the. If you read the excellent, recently reprinted notes, youll understand that eleanor had noble artistic intentions in doing a makingofapocalypse. I dare anyone not to watch this without getting the urge to throw on apocalypse now seconds after the documentary ends. Apocalypse now premiered in 1979 at cannes, shared the palme dor, and went on to become one of the great mythic productions in film history. And though still under contention if apocalypse now is an overt war movie, or a suspense film on a epic scale. Hearts of darkness is a documentary that becomes almost as masterful as the film itself when paired with it side by side. Harrowing and funny, a fine film on its own, hearts. The awardwinning documentary about the fascinating and harrowing making of apocalypse now, one of the most celebrated films in american. A filmmakers apocalypse, details the making and unmaking of francis ford coppolas apocalypse now. This documentary chronicles how francis ford coppolas war movie masterpiece apocalypse now 1979, was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems, which nearly destroyed the life and career of the celebrated director. War is a hell whose story takes a brave soul to tell, let alone successfully capture on film.
It strips coppola bare of all defenses and yet reveals him as a. Because of the money and stakes involved, studio movies tend to be so completely worked out in advance that shooting them is about executing a creative vision rather than discovering one. Documentary that chronicles how francis ford coppolas apocalypse now was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting. Eleanors secret tape recordings were also made available, and the result is fascinating. Featuring several hours of eleanor coppolas documentary footage of the philippines productioncomplete with secret audio recordings she made of her husbandthe film details the directors selffinanced creation, teetering on the. But for francis ford coppola, at least on his phantasmagorical 1979 vietnam epic apocalypse now, filmmaking is an openended process, beginning with questions that he hopes the movie will answer. A filmmakers apocalypse reveals that apocalypse now easily could have turned out a fiasco, and its really only due to luck that francis ford coppola has a career after.
With this film, we get to see the making of this epic war film, and the chaos it took to create such a monumental. Featuring several hours of eleanor coppolas documentary footage of the philippines productioncomplete with secret audio recordings she made of her husbandthe film details the directors selffinanced creation, teetering on. Francis ford coppolas adaptation of joseph conrads novella, heart of darkness. Hearts of darkness is an engrossing, unwavering look back at francis coppolas chaotic, catastropheplagued vietnam production, apocalypse now. A filmmakers apocalypse again for the first time in a few years, i was struck by the sheer egomaniacal drive that spurred apocalypse now director francis ford coppola forward this is a man who, seemingly quite literally, went incrementally insane in. Using behind the scenes footage, and narrated by eleanor coppola, it chronicles how production problems including bad weather, actors health and other issues delayed the film, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of francis ford coppola. Francis ford coppola began to film apocalypse now in february 1976. This documentary chronicles how francis ford coppolas war movie masterpiece apocalypse now 1979, was plagued by extraordinary script.
The above cut is a mix of orson welles reading of heart of darkness, apocalypse now and the documentary hearts of darkness. As we already know, the movie is based on conrads book heart of darkness. A filmmakers apocalypse 1991 documentary that chronicles how francis ford coppolas apocalypse now was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director. I guess every makingof ever made wanted to be something like hearts has accomplished. A filmmakers apocalypse is part of the filmmaking subgenre of documentary 7. The film, seen late last year on showtime cable, is now opening theatrically. Between march 1976 and august 1979, coppolas wife eleanor shot 60 hours of documentary material on the spot. Hearts of darkness, written and directed by fax bahr and george hickenlooper, is based on documentary footage that eleanor coppola shot at the time, and on recent interviews with both coppolas, plus milius, lucas and actors martin sheen, frederic forrest, robert duvall, dennis hopper, timothy bottoms and laurence fishburne, who incredibly was only 14 when he played one of the patrol boat crew. With this film, we get to see the making of this epic war. Documentary that chronicles how francis ford coppolas apocalypse now 1979 was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problemsnearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director. Deriving its name from joseph conrads novella on which apocalypse now is based upon, hearts of darkness. A filmmakers apocalypse 1991 starring francis ford coppola and martin sheen on dvd and bluray. This documentary chronicles how francis ford coppolas war movie masterpiece apocalypse now 1979, was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting. The title is derived from the source material for apocalypse now, the joseph conrad novella heart of darkness.
A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 american documentary film about the production of apocalypse now, the 1979 vietnam war epic. Curb your caulicravings and prepare one of our most sought after recipes in your own kitchen. A filmmakers apocalypse is a documentary record of that pitched creative battle. A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 documentary film about the production of the 1979 epic vietnam war feature film apocalypse now. It is a stunning, riveting and absorbing documentary that is based on the known film that was inspired by joseph conrads novella. The above cut is a mix of orson welles reading of heart of darkness, apocalypse now and the documentary hearts of. A filmmakers apocalypse is a 1991 american documentary film about the production of apocalypse now, the 1979 vietnam war epic directed by francis ford coppola.