“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos” — Apocalypse Now
What can be said of Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary war film that hasn’t already? The films infamous shoot has been covered to death, the imagery itself has been analysed by the strongest voices in film theory and criticism, and the films reputation as a solid-gold classic firmly established. Thanks to a recent restoration overseen by Coppola himself, Apocalypse Now returns to UK theatres this week, bringing with it, to use a cliché, the opportunity for a new generation to experience the film on the big screen.
We’ve already covered this particular restoration of Apocalypse Now here at Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second, thanks to the release of said restoration on US Blu-ray last year (the three-disc set, including Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper and Elena Coppola’s Hearts Of Darkness was deemed one of our releases of the year), and our overwhelming praise for the work stands; its magnificent, and an absolutely stunning achievement in film restoration.
Apocalypse Now, as a theatrical occurance, is something of a unique event within the context of the modern cinema experience. It ought to go without saying that tonally, and indeed literally, Coppola’s film is a work that stands worlds apart from the average Saturday night popcorn flick, with its tale of a spiralling madness brought to life with a veracity celebrating bleakness and acerbity that is very much different to the “cinema 2011”. The unprocessed nature of the work, as visceral and raw as one could ever imagine an American film, results in a work that is both harsh and beautiful at the same time, a work steeped in as much poeticism as it is bloodshed. No better is this exhibited than in the final showdown between Kurtz (Marlon Brando) and Willard (Martin Sheen), with both figures personal odysseys about to be brought to a dramatic halt.
Coppola declared from the Manila set of Apocalypse Now that “Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos”, a statement that would in turn become perhaps the most succinct appropriation of the film itself (incidentally Coppola’s statement has run along the bottom of Hope Lies at 24 Frames Per Second since the conception of the site). It wouldn’t actually be unfair to attach that statement to Coppola’s entire oeuvre, a body of work revolving around pandemonium if ever there was one.
On a related note, its great to see the director re-evaluating his work for the digital age. No doubt inspired by the incredibly positive critical response garnered by his restorations of The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2 Coppola has set out to give some of his works a second life. The Conversation is up next, while one can hope that one day the underrated One From The Heart will receive a similar treatment.
