Apocalypse Now - Greatest movie of all time

[classicrawker]

If you want to argue one of the greatest War flicks I am with you but it is not even Coppola's best movie IMHO

Edited October 22, 2013 by classicrawker

[wasted]

The Godfather is no way as good as Apocalypse Now. Mario Puzo is hack writer and Conrad is a literary genius. Godfather is filmed nice, but every on AN is on another level. Think of all the set pieces and scenes in Apoc now compared with Godfather.

Also the history of the world is war. In my opinion of course.

It's called Heart of Darkness and it's almost better than the movie. Coppola is making pasta "I'm making a 50 million dollar disaster movie and nobody cares!!!" I read that during the making of apocalypse Now or one of his movies he'd shut down production to fly to New York to fuck one of his girlfriends and his wife was back on set working on the movie. How did this fat, ugly, bastard get any pussy at all, let alone get to live like Don johnson.

The documentary is good, it ratchets up the drama, Martin Sheen has heart attack a few weeks before shooting. Brando is a jumbo sized and hasn't bother to read the book. Hopper is pretending to be an improv master, "Dennis you have to learn the words so you can forget them."

The Brando dialogue about needing "good men without judgement, because it's judgement is what what defeats us" and Hopper "you can't go to space on fraction" rant. I doubt that stuff was in the script.

Charlie Sheen was there and pretty much left to his own devices hanging with Laurence Fishburne in the Philippines at 13-14.

It is a great documentary, seeing a bunch of lunatics together on an island falling apart at the seams mentally and physically. Hopper was trying to get his career back on track and this movie helped him in a big way.

Doesnt charlie reinact a scene from Apoc now in hot shots part deux. Edited October 23, 2013 by wasted

[dalsh327]

Hot Shots parodied a bunch of movies including that one.

[Georgy Zhukov]

You know what was a great Coppola film? The Conversation. Definitely in his top five. Also enjoyed Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Really want to see The Cotton Club.

I've enjoyed Apocalypse Now but I not sure how I feel about the Redux version.

[appetite4illusions]

Someone should write a book about the making of AN. As great as Hearts of Darkness is it only scratches the surface of the debauchery and desperation that went on during production. There is a fantastic story waiting to be told, more than just mere anecdotes. The drugs, the infidelity, the indecisiveness, the excess, the horror, the horror...

Roach is my favorite character in that flick. "Hey, GI! Fuck you!"

Edited October 24, 2013 by appetite4illusions

[wasted]

You know what was a great Coppola film? The Conversation. Definitely in his top five. Also enjoyed Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Really want to see The Cotton Club.

I've enjoyed Apocalypse Now but I not sure how I feel about the Redux version.

Have you seen Youth Against Youth? Coppola re-upped. It's like his time travel movie.

The Conversation I have on dvd, there's tons of awesome sax playing in it. It's one of about 10 dvds I have.

[wasted]

Someone should write a book about the making of AN. As great as Hearts of Darkness is it only scratches the surface of the debauchery and desperation that went on during production. There is a fantastic story waiting to be told, more than just mere anecdotes. The drugs, the infidelity, the indecisiveness, the excess, the horror, the horror...

Roach is my favorite character in that flick. "Hey, GI! Fuck you!"

Easy Riders and Raging Bulls by Biskind and The Kid Stays in the Picture covers it from different angles, it's floating around. Maybe a Coppola bio or Martin Sheen book would have anecdotes. Harrison Ford is in it at the beginning and I think he was drinking with Dennis Hopper and he ended up naked up a flagpole in the town center. I can't remember if Evans claims Apoc Now is his or if that was the Godfather where he got final cut. There's also some weird Star Wars ref in that Ford scene where the name of the Cornnel he's talking to his name plate on the desk says Con. Lucas or something like that.

That's the thing with AN, it has a bunch of movies roled into one. The coming of age rites of passage of the kids sent to Vietnam. And they kind of doing it on road movie into the jungle. Plus there's the detective story, which is really more emphasized in the book, he's like on a secret detective mission. But as you float down river it gets more surreal before going completely tribal. Kind of like look at yourself in Vietnam, what are you doing? The primitive scene they find has nothing to do with what people in the US think the Vietnam war is about. The eyes of the audience are opened, and the main character has almost like a spiritual awakening like in an artsy movie, vert character focused, then there's all these action scenes and Gung ho set pieces.

Didn't Coppola hire Noreiga's choppers to do those scenes. They're using the Nicaraguan military to make the movie, fuck hollywood!!!

[classicrawker]

Someone should write a book about the making of AN. As great as Hearts of Darkness is it only scratches the surface of the debauchery and desperation that went on during production. There is a fantastic story waiting to be told, more than just mere anecdotes. The drugs, the infidelity, the indecisiveness, the excess, the horror, the horror...

Roach is my favorite character in that flick. "Hey, GI! Fuck you!"

Easy Riders and Raging Bulls by Biskind and The Kid Stays in the Picture covers it from different angles, it's floating around. Maybe a Coppola bio or Martin Sheen book would have anecdotes. Harrison Ford is in it at the beginning and I think he was drinking with Dennis Hopper and he ended up naked up a flagpole in the town center. I can't remember if Evans claims Apoc Now is his or if that was the Godfather where he got final cut. There's also some weird Star Wars ref in that Ford scene where the name of the Cornnel he's talking to his name plate on the desk says Con. Lucas or something like that.

That's the thing with AN, it has a bunch of movies roled into one. The coming of age rites of passage of the kids sent to Vietnam. And they kind of doing it on road movie into the jungle. Plus there's the detective story, which is really more emphasized in the book, he's like on a secret detective mission. But as you float down river it gets more surreal before going completely tribal. Kind of like look at yourself in Vietnam, what are you doing? The primitive scene they find has nothing to do with what people in the US think the Vietnam war is about. The eyes of the audience are opened, and the main character has almost like a spiritual awakening like in an artsy movie, vert character focused, then there's all these action scenes and Gung ho set pieces.

Didn't Coppola hire Noreiga's choppers to do those scenes. They're using the Nicaraguan military to make the movie, fuck hollywood!!!

AN is a great movie, one of my favorites but it is not better than the Godfather....IMHO of course.....

[wasted]

Someone should write a book about the making of AN. As great as Hearts of Darkness is it only scratches the surface of the debauchery and desperation that went on during production. There is a fantastic story waiting to be told, more than just mere anecdotes. The drugs, the infidelity, the indecisiveness, the excess, the horror, the horror...

Roach is my favorite character in that flick. "Hey, GI! Fuck you!"

Easy Riders and Raging Bulls by Biskind and The Kid Stays in the Picture covers it from different angles, it's floating around. Maybe a Coppola bio or Martin Sheen book would have anecdotes. Harrison Ford is in it at the beginning and I think he was drinking with Dennis Hopper and he ended up naked up a flagpole in the town center. I can't remember if Evans claims Apoc Now is his or if that was the Godfather where he got final cut. There's also some weird Star Wars ref in that Ford scene where the name of the Cornnel he's talking to his name plate on the desk says Con. Lucas or something like that.

That's the thing with AN, it has a bunch of movies roled into one. The coming of age rites of passage of the kids sent to Vietnam. And they kind of doing it on road movie into the jungle. Plus there's the detective story, which is really more emphasized in the book, he's like on a secret detective mission. But as you float down river it gets more surreal before going completely tribal. Kind of like look at yourself in Vietnam, what are you doing? The primitive scene they find has nothing to do with what people in the US think the Vietnam war is about. The eyes of the audience are opened, and the main character has almost like a spiritual awakening like in an artsy movie, vert character focused, then there's all these action scenes and Gung ho set pieces.

Didn't Coppola hire Noreiga's choppers to do those scenes. They're using the Nicaraguan military to make the movie, fuck hollywood!!!

AN is a great movie, one of my favorites but it is not better than the Godfather....IMHO of course.....

there's definitely better, more crafted movies out there, this is movies there's so many of them. Like I said up there maybe, Tin Men is untouchable. But Apoc now has the kitchen sink, it's a like more excessive than Godfather, I think I like Godfather 2 more.

[Georgy Zhukov]

You know what was a great Coppola film? The Conversation. Definitely in his top five. Also enjoyed Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Really want to see The Cotton Club.

I've enjoyed Apocalypse Now but I not sure how I feel about the Redux version.

Have you seen Youth Against Youth? Coppola re-upped. It's like his time travel movie.

The Conversation I have on dvd, there's tons of awesome sax playing in it. It's one of about 10 dvds I hav

Do you use VHS or something? Blu Ray?

I enjoy Youth Without Youth actually, been wanting to watch Tetro. Coppola has become this indie filmmaker which is what he always wanted before he did The Godfather. He produces under his studio American Zoetrope. George Lucas was the co-founder in the 70's. The studio was in financial problems and when Robert Evans for Paramount wanted Coppola to direct The Godfather, Coppola said no but Lucas talked him into it.

[classicrawker]

Someone should write a book about the making of AN. As great as Hearts of Darkness is it only scratches the surface of the debauchery and desperation that went on during production. There is a fantastic story waiting to be told, more than just mere anecdotes. The drugs, the infidelity, the indecisiveness, the excess, the horror, the horror...

Roach is my favorite character in that flick. "Hey, GI! Fuck you!"

Easy Riders and Raging Bulls by Biskind and The Kid Stays in the Picture covers it from different angles, it's floating around. Maybe a Coppola bio or Martin Sheen book would have anecdotes. Harrison Ford is in it at the beginning and I think he was drinking with Dennis Hopper and he ended up naked up a flagpole in the town center. I can't remember if Evans claims Apoc Now is his or if that was the Godfather where he got final cut. There's also some weird Star Wars ref in that Ford scene where the name of the Cornnel he's talking to his name plate on the desk says Con. Lucas or something like that.

That's the thing with AN, it has a bunch of movies roled into one. The coming of age rites of passage of the kids sent to Vietnam. And they kind of doing it on road movie into the jungle. Plus there's the detective story, which is really more emphasized in the book, he's like on a secret detective mission. But as you float down river it gets more surreal before going completely tribal. Kind of like look at yourself in Vietnam, what are you doing? The primitive scene they find has nothing to do with what people in the US think the Vietnam war is about. The eyes of the audience are opened, and the main character has almost like a spiritual awakening like in an artsy movie, vert character focused, then there's all these action scenes and Gung ho set pieces.

Didn't Coppola hire Noreiga's choppers to do those scenes. They're using the Nicaraguan military to make the movie, fuck hollywood!!!

AN is a great movie, one of my favorites but it is not better than the Godfather....IMHO of course.....

there's definitely better, more crafted movies out there, this is movies there's so many of them. Like I said up there maybe, Tin Men is untouchable. But Apoc now has the kitchen sink, it's a like more excessive than Godfather, I think I like Godfather 2 more.

Don't get me wrong as I love AN as I had it on VHS and DVD before I bought the Full Disclosure version on Blu-ray....I also pefer the Redux version as I think the extra added part where they stop at the old French plantation is brilliant but I find AN to be a collection of basically random war scenes stitched together and the story line to be not as well developed or flow to be as smooth as the Godfather. To me the Godfather I&II are Coppola's best work and some of the best movies ever made.........

[wasted]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

[classicrawker]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

really? and how was it his sellout movie?

[hellobeatle]

Do you guys prefer the original or the redux?

As they exist in their current form, I would put the original above the Redux.

The Redux is just too long and drags. IMO, I would like a Redux with the French Compund scene cut completely and the scene with the Playboy girls edited to a shorter length. Other than that I enjoy the additional scenes - especially the extra scenes with Brando and Duvall.

[appetite4illusions]

I find AN to be a collection of basically random war scenes stitched together and the story line to be not as well developed or flow to be as smooth as the Godfather. To me the Godfather I&II are Coppola's best work and some of the best movies ever made.........

That's because the script was basically a collection of the best Nam anecdotes that John Milius could find. All "voyage" movies are episodic, in that, there scenes are basically different pieces stitched together until the destination is reached. I believe Apocalypse Now was meant to evoke the Oddesy by Homer.

If it feels disjointed its also because the production was so haphazard that no one really knew what was going to make it in the movie or how it was going to be ultimately arranged.

Your right. The Godfather movies are highly polished and operatic. They know where they're going and are very deliberate. I think the beauty of Apocalypse Now is how scatter-shot it is. It is madness. But it's madness interspersed with humor and pathos. There's a haunting vibe to it and it operates on a way more cerebral level than the Godfathers.

[dalsh327]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

I don't know if it's a sell out movie as much as trying to prove himself in as a worthy director in the Hollywood system.

"One From The Heart" documentary goes into what went wrong. 26 million budget and a 600K return, for starters.

[Georgy Zhukov]

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II was Coppola at his most confident. The studio wanted him to do something different. Re-Cast Michael Corelone, get someone else than Brando, set it in modern times, set the film in St. Louis. He said no and that was it.

Apocalypse Now was Coppola challenging himself.

[wasted]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

really? and how was it his sellout movie?

i was replying to Georgy post about making of Godfather. Coppola didnt really want to do it, he kind of did for the studio for the money to get support for his other projects. Its all in Easy Riders book.

But thats not a slight against the movie, its a good choice movie as any other for best ever.

[wasted]

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II was Coppola at his most confident. The studio wanted him to do something different. Re-Cast Michael Corelone, get someone else than Brando, set it in modern times, set the film in St. Louis. He said no and that was it.

Apocalypse Now was Coppola challenging himself.

bcos the studio wanted him to direct he had the power to tell them what he wanted.

Apoc is him betting all the money he made from Godfather on his personal project nobody wanted to make. He put his house up for it. Thats why the doc is so great hes up in the jungle having a melt down cos its cost him 50 mil of his money and Brando turns up a 30 stone buddha who hasnt read the book.

Edited October 26, 2013 by wasted

[wasted]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

I don't know if it's a sell out movie as much as trying to prove himself in as a worthy director in the Hollywood system.

"One From The Heart" documentary goes into what went wrong. 26 million budget and a 600K return, for starters.

sell out is a bit strong. But to them, they wanted control over their art. All three were power hunger.

"They wanted to make it at a very inexpensive budget, which was probably why I was hired. I was young; I had two children and a baby on the way. I didn't have any money really. So, I was swept along (pause) by the studio basically wanting to make this film." At that time, Coppola had directed five feature films, the most notable of which was the adaptation of the stage musical Finian's Rainbow although he had also received an Academy Award for co-writing Patton in 1970. [10] Coppola was in debt to Warner Bros. for $400,000 following budget overruns on George Lucas's THX 1138, which Coppola had produced, and he agree to do it after Lucas convinced him it could be his Star Wars.

Edited October 26, 2013 by wasted

[Georgy Zhukov]

They wanted him to direct Part III but called the shots that time. He was given very little time to do the film.

[wasted]

To me the Godfather are studio movies, Robert Evans even claims it was his final cut. Godfather is like no. 2 on the official lists behind Citizen Kane. Its a movie that adheres strictly to the Hollywood conventions.

[dalsh327]

Godfather was his sell out movie. American Zoetrobe was hilarious. He just spent millions on editing rooms, saunas, restaurants, chef, it was just like his palace. Hemorraging money. But its dwarfed by Skywalker ranch. Now Zoetrope actually puts out movies. I bought a bottle of Coppola wine once. It was alright dont no much about wine. It wasnt acidic.

I don't know if it's a sell out movie as much as trying to prove himself in as a worthy director in the Hollywood system.

"One From The Heart" documentary goes into what went wrong. 26 million budget and a 600K return, for starters.

sell out is a bit strong. But to them, they wanted control over their art. All three were power hunger.

"They wanted to make it at a very inexpensive budget, which was probably why I was hired. I was young; I had two children and a baby on the way. I didn't have any money really. So, I was swept along (pause) by the studio basically wanting to make this film." At that time, Coppola had directed five feature films, the most notable of which was the adaptation of the stage musical Finian's Rainbow although he had also received an Academy Award for co-writing Patton in 1970. [10] Coppola was in debt to Warner Bros. for $400,000 following budget overruns on George Lucas's THX 1138, which Coppola had produced, and he agree to do it after Lucas convinced him it could be his Star Wars.

Coppola took big gambles and a few of them paid off, but I think the studios wanted to rein some of the directors in, back in the late 70s-early 80s. Coppola and Cimino were hung out to dry.

[wasted]

Thing was Apoc Now came in aces but Heavens Gate they fucked it up. But when the directors cut of Heavwns was released it said as great, its one of the real injustices of cinema history. Im nore how Waterwrld fits into. But im looks to read something about that.

[Georgy Zhukov]

Thing was Apoc Now came in aces but Heavens Gate they fucked it up. But when the directors cut of Heavwns was released it said as great, its one of the real injustices of cinema history. Im nore how Waterwrld fits into. But im looks to read something about that.

Heaven's Gate brought an end to over-indulgent directors. Coppola also messed up with One From The Heart. It did not put an end to big budget films. They still made Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. Period pieces such as Amadeus, The Untouchables, . They just only made films that were going to make money. It just meant certain directors such as Coppola are no longer allowed to get away with going over budget. The Godfather Part III was the result of that. Coppola only had a year to work on it, the budget was fixed and the length of the film can be no more than 2 hours and 49 minutes.

They've fucked up big time with Once Upon a Time in America.