| once again.. without the words |
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| written by psychodrama311 |
May 20, 2003 - 7:07 PM PDT |
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2 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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watching this movie the first tyme around when i was around 15.. i was awestruck.. i never really imagined the inner depths of the soul like brando portrayed. duvall, hopper and sheen are mere students watching the teacher. it was amazing.
with redux.. scenes are added to which lengthens the movie considerably. the infamous playboy playmates scenes brings a debauchery factor to the film. while the french plantation scene adds the look of film noir with the dinner part. although the tyme adds considerable more tyme spent with visual/narrative aspects.. i found it all worth it. still an epic of deep soul searching. |
| Leave well enough alone. |
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| written by FOlmstead |
January 9, 2003 - 7:14 AM PST |
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7 out of 10 members found this review helpful
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When I first saw Apocalypse Now twenty some years ago, it blew me away. I was never in Vietnam, but I absolutely believe this is what it was like. Nobody really knowing what was going on. Soldiers out there on their own, with no CO, stoned out of their minds, firing at nothing in the darkness. Craziness, like Robert Duvall's obsession with surfing, even under enemy fire. Missions that made sense to no one.
At the time I was working at ABC News and I asked Ted Koppel, who was there, about it. First off, he said he hadn't seen the film because he wasn't ready to revisit it all. Then he told me a story about being dropped off on a beach somewhere with a group of newly arrived totally green soldiers, and as the chopper flew off, realizing that somehow, there was no commanding officer with them. Suddenly they came under fire, and Koppel took command, because he was the only one there who'd seen combat.
Anyway, I hadn't seen this film since it's original release, but it certainly ranked up there on my list of all-time greats.
In this new version, "Redux", I don't know what was added, but I do know it seemed way too long. Also, I don't know if any of the music was redone, but there were some scenes where it came off pretty sappy. Maybe those were added scenes? Or, maybe music styles and my tastes have changed.
Granted I'm borderline ADD, and have problems with any film that's over 2 hours, but 202 minutes is just too much. The performances and depiction of the Vietnam insanity were still great, but it just didn't hold me till the end. I finally decided I'd watch the last hour or so the next night, but couldn't bring myself to come back to it. I tried the night after that, but I still couldn't do it. I finally gave up and mailed it back.
In the end, I wish I had rented the original. For anyone who's never seen this picture or who wants to revisit it, that's what I suggest. Why take something that was really great and turn it into something that's just pretty good? |
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