“APOCALYPSE NOW” DOCUMENTARY “HEARTS OF DARKNESS” GETS A MAKEOVER

The 1902 book Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad was the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola‘s 1979 Vietnam War drama Apocalypse Now. The books name became the name of the documentary directed by Max Bahr and George Hickenlooper that chronicles the making of Apocalypse Now. In film school this excellent documentary was required viewing for anyone wanting to get into the business. It’s a harsh look at the highs and lows of creating a film like this and having no idea if it will ever get finished while Hollywood producers are breathing down your neck. The film which stars Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford and Lawrence Fishburn is a classic in every sense of the word. Large explosions, amazing acting, epic sets and…explosions ( yeah I know I said it already) gives this already very dark masterpiece a timelessness never to be captured again on film. Now on the 33rd Anniversary of “Apocalypse Now” film editor Brian Carroll has meticulously edited footage from Apocalypse Now with footage of the documentary Heart Of Darkness with late actor Orson Wells (Citizen Kane) reading excerpts from the Joseph Conrad book. Win! Win! Win! Real quick the film your about to see contains music from one of my favorite bands from the 90’s “The Toadies”…enjoy!

The following was taken from the creator and film editor Brian Carroll’s Vimeo Site:
August 15, 2012 is the 33rd Anniversary of the U.S. premiere of Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad’s story is about a boat captain named Marlow who travels along a river deep into “the heart of an immense darkness” in order to find a man named Kurtz. One of the many themes of Heart of Darkness is the idea that a person can lose their mind the further they travel away from civilization into the unknown.This theme is paralleled in Apocalypse Now and by Coppola’s own journey in completing his most personal film. The documentary, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is a compilation of Eleanor Coppola’s interviews, on-the-set footage and secret audio recordings of her husband at his most exposed moments. Coppola’s many struggles included an unfinished script, Marlon Brando showing up overweight, typhoons destroying entire sets and Martin Sheen having a heart attack during production. The above cut is a mix of Orson Welles’ reading of Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now and the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.