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Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (28th November 2007). |
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The Film
 Having reviewed "Apocalypse Now" (1979) The Complete Dossier edition released last year I was disappointed in the omission of "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalyse" the documentary which chronicles the devastating film shoot, surely a release with the moniker 'Complete Dossier' would include this crucial film as part of its supplements? Alas it did not and after many, many years the film finally gets a release on DVD. Long coveted by film fans and collectors the Laserdisc release was a prized item. Fans spoke out for a DVD release but for some reason or another it never happened. Now in, 2007, we finally have it, "Hearts of Darkness" is finally here and is probably among the last of the most anticipated films to bow on DVD a list that also includes the original "Star Wars Trilogy" (1997-1983) and the "Indiana Jones Trilogy" (1981-1989) which also took a monumental amount of time to be released on the shiny little disc. The film production of "Apocalypse Now" is now the stuff of legend, and during that process which nearly devastated the film's director, behind-the-scenes of all the madness was Frances' wife Eleanor Coppola who photographed and filmed her husband's ordeal as he tried to cope with the over budget production, a recluse star that refused to co-operate, weather that destroyed sets, and many other problems that spanned 16 months and nearly drove Coppola bankrupt as he financed the picture himself. The footage would prove valuable stuff, and filmmaker's Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper took that precious footage shot by Eleanor and created "Hearts of Darkness" brilliantly weaving a passionate story of a filmmaker on the edge with the narrative structure of the Joseph Conrad novella, which ironically Coppola himself used as influence for "Apocalypse Now" but instead of Kurtz sinking into the depths of insanity it's Coppola as he tries to maintain control of his production. Years after its release the film has gathered some heat, specifically with the directors, whose involvement in the film seems non-existent to the average moviegoer. But to the uninformed it seems as if this film is the brainchild of Eleanor Coppola, who only realistically provided the raw footage. Perhaps a case of credit hogging? Whatever the case it must have left a sour taste in the mouths of Bahr and Hickenlooper. Their non-involvement in this DVD release is maybe a sign of their separation from the Coppola's who announced would be providing a commentary track on the disc, and the two director's do not appear. It's a shame that neither Bahr or Hickenlooper have been given the chance to revisit their films and provide some additional insight. In any case the film is a remarkable documentary that belongs on every film fan's bookshelf along side other notable documentaries of film productions gone horribly wrong such as "Burden of Dreams" (1982) and "Lost in La Mancha" (2002). But where Gilliam failed in getting his Don Quixote epic off the ground Coppola succeeded after all the torment and issues flung in his direction, the stress and the pressure "Apocalypse Now" was finished, was released and remains a brilliant film. One has to travel through the darkness in order to see the light and this film offers a rare peek at the complexity of filmmaking and goes above and beyond what you normally see as documentaries on the making of a film on most DVDs. I can only highly recommend this film, whether you're a film buff or not, whether you like or hated "Apocalypse Now" you can only watch in awe, sadness and wonder as Coppola struggles getting his pet project made.
Video
Presented in the film's original ratio of 1.33:1 this full screen transfer is not the best, considering you're dealing with rough footage shot some 30 years ago the quality isn't going to be great. As a result the image is a bit soft and features some dirt and scratches; even the footage of the film used in the documentary is a bit soft. Grain is dominant in many shots, colors are bland and flat and black levels are murky. I also spotted some ghosting and interlacing problems throughout the print. It's a shame that this film wasn't given a proper restoration, although the home video footage will always likely look bad the rest of the film could have been cleaned up.
Audio
The only track included here is the film's original English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track, I'm glad that there aren't any flaws with this audio. I was expecting some hiss, pops and perhaps a drop out after my initial impression with the image transfer but I'm glad to report that the sound is very good and presents the dialogue clearly and without distortion, which is about as much as one can really say about this soundtrack. Optional subtitles are included in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
Paramount has released this film with an audio commentary and a new documentary on Coppola's next film. The major extra on this release is the feature-length audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola and wife Eleanor Coppola. In this track we learn about the background of the project and how it came about as Eleanor comments on her involvement in the film and shares her memories from the production including the footage she shot for the film, she also recounts the days in the Philippines while Frances spends his time providing what I can only assume is context to the scene which make him look like a raving loon as he provides his side of the story and he seems constantly apologizing for his actions. It's an interesting track and certainly worth of a listen with some genuine insight into the film and their take on it, but I couldn't help but feel it was lacking considering directors Bahr and Hickenlooper were not asked to take part. Also featured is "CODA: Thirty Years Later" a new documentary by Eleanor Coppola that takes a look at the making of "Youth Without Youth" in Romania and runs for 66 minutes 10 seconds and is not a typical making-of and doesn't really follow and narrative structure but loosely follows Francis as he's in the process of making his latest film and also takes a look at the parallels of other productions, the fact that this is his first film in 9 years, the feature includes a lot of behind-the-scenes footage to what honestly looks like will either be a masterpiece or an incredibly boring film. I guess I expected the same sense of drama and insanity as "Hearts of Darkness", which I suppose is an unfair assumption but regardless I wasn't taken or captured by this documentary.
Packaging
This DVD is packaged in an amaray case housed in a cardboard slip-cover.
Overall
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