Friday, April 23, 2010

Apocalypse Now Redux ~ in all its glory


I'm no film scholar, and I don't know that there's a whole lot I can say about Apocalypse Now that hasn't already been said.  Some general (and completely random) observations:
  • This was the extended version of the film, and somehow it really did move along fairly quickly.  I expected to be peeking at my watch at least a few times, and that didn't happen.  No intermission either.
  • I had been under the impression that Walter Murch would be in attendance.  This was not the case.  And what this truly means is that I could not have my photo taken with Mr. Murch, a photo that I would have forwarded directly to my film history professor, who would have promptly voiced his jealous hatred.
  • I had seen the original version of the film years ago, and I remembered the general layout of what happened - the key milestones - but I had misplaced a lot of the details.  As such, in some ways it was like seeing it for the first time.  Quite an experience.
  • Clearly the script is rife with absurdity, as perhaps was the war itself.  Yet for some reason I felt like this was even more so the case in this extended version.  Robert Duvall's character seemed more over-the-top than ever.  The Playboy bunnies are soldiers in their own right (or so says a fellow festival-goer who saw that scene through a completely different lens than my own...)  And the French plantation scene seemed like it just didn't belong.
  • The projection was flawless; are James Bond and his partner back in the projection booth this year?
  • Um, no possibility of a disclaimer stating that no animals were harmed during the making of this flick, that's for sure.  The slaughter of an ox on camera?  And people ask me how I get by without eating meat.  Seriously?
  • Post-film discussion panel was lead by David Bordwell.  Face it, the man is fascinating.  And Michael Philips is another favorite - I enjoy his humor and sensibilities.  Here is a photo that I took from the front row of the Virginia Theater.
My dad bought me Conrad's Heart of Darkness a few years ago, and I am now finally ready to read it.  But first I may watch Mrs. Coppola's documentary.  Time to get the real dirt on the making of this masterpiece.

Photo:  Ali Arikan, Michael Philips, (a gal whose name I did not catch,) and David Bordwell.

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