I first saw
Apocalypse Now when the Redux cut was released in cinemas circa 2001. Beyond the unforgettable experience of the film itself, discussion regarding the changes from the 1979 theatrical cut provided fertile ground for deepening my understanding and appreciation of cinema. I'd previously heard of the 2019 "Final Cut" that strikes a balance between the shorter 1979 release and the longer 2001 Redux version, but have only now got around to seeing it via 4K Blu-Ray.
This "Final Cut" runs 183 minutes against the 153 minutes of the 1979 release and the 202 minutes of the Redux. The Final Cut release keeps most of the smaller additions from the Redux version, but excises the second "Playboy Bunny" scene and significantly trims the controversial French Plantation sequence to focus less on the abstractions of politics and history and more on the personal interactions between Willard and Roxanne. I've yet to compare the two versions of the latter directly, but I can't help but think that this is a compromise that suits nobody. Either you appreciate the French plantation sequence as an effective pause in the film, a breath before the plunge, or you regard it is an unwelcome and unnecessary distraction from Willard's journey into madness.
Whether one regards
Apocalypse Now simply as another American "Vietnam War" film, or more allegorically as a film about the darkness that lurks within all human hearts beneath the veneer of civilised life, it remains a remarkable cinematic experience. The film's score and cinematography play a large role in that, and this new 4K/Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos release allows those elements to shine in the home environment as never before:
