Apocalypse Now - Redux

Cast View all

	Marlon Brando	Col. Walter E. Kurtz
	Martin Sheen	Capt. Benjamin L. Willard
	Robert Duvall	Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore
	Frederic Forrest	EN3 Jay 'Chef' Hicks
	Sam Bottoms	GM3 Lance B. Johnson
	Laurence Fishburne	GM3 Tyrone 'Clean' Miller
	Albert Hall	CPO George Phillips
	Harrison Ford	Colonel Lucas
	Dennis Hopper	Photojournalist
	G.D. Spradlin	General R. Corman
	Jerry Ziesmer	Jerry / Civilian
	Scott Glenn	Lt. Richard M. Colby
	Bo Byers	MP Sergeant #1
	James Keane	Kilgore's Gunner
	Kerry Rossall	Mike from San Diego
	Ron McQueen	Injured Soldier
	Tom Mason	Supply Sergeant
	Cynthia Wood	Playmate of the Year
	Colleen Camp	Playmate / Miss May
	Linda Carpenter	Playmate
	Jack Thibeau	Soldier in Trench
	Glenn Walken	Lieutenant Carlsen
	George Cantero	Soldier with Suitcase
	Damien Leake	Machine Gunner
	Herb Rice	Roach

Crew View all

Director	Francis Ford Coppola
Writer	John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Herr, Joseph Conrad
Producer	John Ashley, Kim Aubry, Francis Ford Coppola, Gray Frederickson, Shannon Lail, Eddie Romero, Fred Roos, Mona Skager, Tom Sternberg
Musician	Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola
Photography	Vittorio Storaro

Personal

Notes

WSR Narrative Review

Story Synopsis:
“Apocalypse Now Redux” chronicles a mission led by Captain Willard (Sheen) during the Vietnam War to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Brando), who is rumored to have gone insane. Escorted to the mouth of the Nung River by Captain Kilgore (Duvall), Willard’s crew must travel up the river deep into the heart of Vietnam to get to Kurtz. On finally reaching their destination, they learn that Kurtz is worshiped by the local villagers. An American photographer (Hopper) who is caught up in the madness explains the villagers’ devotion to Kurtz, which causes Willard to question his orders. Twenty-two years after his initial theatrical cut of Apocalypse Now, Francis Coppola returned to the material and created this expanded and re-edited version. The Chapter Stop sheet indicates which chapters include new material.

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.00:1 DVD picture is a new transfer with, at times, a drastic improvement in image quality over the previously reviewed DVD. Edge enhancement is slightly reduced on the new version, while quite prominent on the previous DVD. There are also some framing differences between the two versions. The picture is cleaner, with less noticeable film grain and fewer artifacts, yet detail is nicely preserved. Many scenes are virtually identical when directly compared, while others are drastically different, with the new version being preferred for a cleaner, more detailed visual experience. Contrast and shadow delineation are well balanced, and the picture seems preferably brighter than the previous version. Edge enhancement and some pixelization remain a minor problem on the new version as well, but image quality is by far superior to the previous DVD. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel remastered soundtrack is similar to the landmark offering for the previous DVD release, but has a subtly, yet noticeably more prominent deep bass presence. Additionally, the sense of envelopment and spaciousness seems slightly more refined. The sonic remastering for the added scenes is very impressive, nicely integrating into the existing footage. As previously reviewed, the 5.1-channel soundtrack is an impressive remastering that restores the sound for a film which marked a milestone in filmmaking. The soundtrack was one of the first films released in Dolby Stereo 70mm magnetic six-channel sound with split surrounds. This was also, arguably, the film from which the concept of sound design came about-Walter Murch oversaw all creative aspects of the sound production. What is truly remarkable about this film's sound is that the overall fidelity holds its own with today's digital sound technology. Many films reissued during the same time period sound noticeably dated, but Apocalypse Now is definitely the exception. The opening sequence of the film, with full-360 panning of a helicopter's whirling blades, clearly delineates the innovative creativity with sound effects and dimension. The audio is loud and aggressive, sometimes strident, but shouldn't be overpowering. Martin Sheen's narrative is legendary, sounding close-miked, but never chesty. (The close-miking was actually intentional). The soundfield is always spacious, though generally biased towards the screen channels, and when appropriate, energized to transport the listener into the intense battles of war. The spaciousness of the surrounds is sometimes further enhanced through the use of a back surround channel decoder, such as the SMART® Devices Center Surround 3X™ adapter. Deep bass is powerful and explosive, extending to below 25 Hz. The intelligibility of dialogue in the midst of intense sounds is particularly noteworthy. The more quiescent scenes in the jungle are cornerstones in the creative use of ambient surround sound. The dialogue sounds somewhat dated but is clear and understandable. By all means, if you’re a fan of this film, or of film sound, or both, this is definitely one for your catalog of reference DVD titles. (Perry Sun)



This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Reference Quality
Superb Cinematography
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality

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