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War
is a subject that has been well-explored in the cinema long
before Apocalypse Now, and certainly will be long after. But,
even in comparison to the numerous other cinematic examinations
of war's inhumanity and seeming incoherence, Francis Ford
Coppola's surreal masterpiece is widely regarded as a cinema
classic and one of the defining moments of 70's filmmaking.
For
me, I have somewhat of a different perspective on the film,
since I've never seen it until watching this DVD (gasp!).
I did see clips and parts of the previous laserdisc, but have
never been able to just sit down and experience the film at
once. Since I hate catching bits and pieces of a film, after
I started this site I was determined to wait it out for the
DVD. I'm glad I did.
Coming
on the heels of my recent viewing experiences of Saving Private
Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Full Metal Jacket and Patton, I really
think Francis Ford Coppola got right with Apocalypse Now what
most of these other films often failed at. Coppola captured
an interesting dichotomy, a friction, of all the seemingly
contradictory forces at work in war. At
the risk of sounding pretentious, the film often relies purely
on visceral power as opposed to narrative drive or even logic.
The film does, however have a plot, which follows Martin Sheen's
burnt out, emotionally decimated mission to infiltrate the
"Kurtz compound," where a mad military chief rules
over what is becoming an increasingly cult-like and "apocalyptic"
situation. Beyond what is essentially very little action in
plot terms, the real story unfolds via Coppola's inspired
and hallucinatory vision of "war" in the overall
sense, if not in literal battle action.
To
be honest, I'm not sure I could describe what Apocalypse Now
is really "about." I could parlay scenes, dialogue
and feelings, or try and intellectually dissect it. However,
such blunt tools don't really suffice. For me, if we could
explain movies in words, then we wouldn't need movies anymore.
Some have argued that war films are essentially silly, because
only those who experienced it will ever really know how it
felt. Fair enough, but on the other hand, you could then say
the same things about all films that portray any experiences
we as viewers have never had personally. I certainly was not
aboard the Titanic, but admired and James Cameron's version
of the tale, and felt at the end that I had an experience
that even if only in a small way helped me better understand
the story and what it might have been like to be aboard that
sinking ship.
So
though I've personally never fought in real war, my belief
has always been that we live in and are surrounded by a constant
battle, in essence a microcosm of war. Though I'm sure it
cannot fully compare to the "real thing," the madness,
the infighting, the inhumanity, the violence...it is all around
us, every day.
Coppola wisely never tries for the phony "realism"
of a Saving Private Ryan. Instead, he captures the syntax
of this chaos, which we can all relate to on some level, and
use to look at war in a broader context. Funny as it may sound,
I usually look to superior artwork to explain a film. Just
take a look at the box cover image...specific yet vague at
the same time, and it captures the overall felling of the
movie quite well. So, for an "explanation" of Apocalypse
Now, well, it is better left just to experience instead of
trying to analyze.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Those
anxiously awaiting this release have no reason to worry: the
transfer is excellent. However, labeled as being presented
in the original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio, I have to
admit, checking it out, it looks to still be around 2.0:1.
Seeing as that in our recent interview with American
Zoetrope it was related to me that it would be in the
"original theatrical aspect ratio," this brings
up some questions. The film was shot in 35mm in the Technovision
process, which has an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It was shown
this way theatrically, but was also blown up to 70mm for some
prints, which has an aspect ratio of 2.0:1. So, the question
becomes what the "original theatrical aspect ratio"
was really intended to be. Previous video releases
were 2.0:1, which was approved by Cinematographer Vittorio
Storaro and Francis Ford Coppola. (Needless to say, I will
clarify this aspect ratio issue as soon as some reliable information
arrives. Or perhaps I'm just off my rocker...)
Despite
the aspect ratio question, this is certainly the best the
film has yet looked on video, short of high-definition. This
is especially high praise considering that the laserdisc was
already a benchmark, and still looks quite good. But,
this anamorphic DVD improves upon it, most noticeably in its
shadow detail and lack of edge enhancement. Colors are also
wonderfully saturated, but unlike the over-processed (in my
opinion) Saving Private Ryan disc, there is no excessive compensation
for the film stock. In
other words, a very pleasing film-like appearance that is
not overcontrasted or "corrected."
Fleshtones
are also right on, and black level is wonderful; a deep, rich
black. There are no artifacts apparent, and grain is present
but appropriate to the intent of the film. There is the occasional
scratch or nick, but it is clear this film has been preserved
well, and looks far better than most prints from 1979. A really,
really nice transfer.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The
5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is also quite good, with a darn
aggressive mix. As you'd expect from a surreal war film, there
is a pretty exciting mix of slam-bang pyrotechnics mixed in
with quieter ambient passages and the odd intermingling of
sounds. For me, the biggest worry with this track was that
ti would be so loud and overblown for the big scenes that
the more subliminal passages and effects would be lost. Though
occasionally I did find some of the explosions and such a
tad too loud, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the track
handles quieter, more subtle sounds.
Dynamic
range appeared to be quite broad, and the low end has some
serious kick. Thankfully, the track, even the dialogue is
not too harsh nor tinny, which is perhaps surprising in light
of the age of the materials. The music, such as the Doors
song "The End" (at the beginning) sound great. A
nice enveloping track, and kudos to American Zoetrope and
paramount on a nice job. There is also a 2.0 Surround mix
as well, which is a bit more subdued but sounds fine enough.
But, of course, go 5.1 if you can.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Though
not the extensive special edition some would have hoped, there
are a couple of extras included. First is an alternate ending
to the film that was shown to preview audiences, but eventually
discarded in favor of the more sublime finale of the film
now. This original version shows the destruction of the entire
Kurtz compound, and though more visceral, I preferred the
current ending. Mr. Francis Ford Coppola himself provides
some commentary, and he is a real animated guy, talking about
the footage and decisions that were behind it. A nice, if
brief look at some footage never-seen-before. Aside
from that, there is also a trailer in pretty good condition,
and English Closed Captioning.
Parting Thoughts
Though
not extensive in terms of supplements, this is very fine presentation
of a cinema classic. This film almost demands a big screen
and kick-ass sound system, but no matter want your setup,
I think you'll be pleased with the quality. The only caveat
is the lingering question of the proper aspect ratio, so the
video rating below is somewhat dependent on how you feel about
it. Still, recommended.
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