This film is, perhaps, the greatest "making-of" film ever made. Such a claim is warranted when one considers what the directors of "Heart of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" had available to them when creating this film.
In exploring the making of "Apocalypse Now," directed by Francis Ford Coppola, directors Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper had at their disposal scenes edited out of the final version, as well as shots aborted while the cameras continued filming.
They had interviews with cast and crew taken during filming, as well as several years later to provide a revealing juxtaposition. On top of this, they had the journal of Coppola's wife Eleanor written during the 238 days of principal photography, along with secret tape-recordings she made of their conversations.
The film is most effective in taking the audience into the mind of its principal subject, Coppola, whose obsession with finishing the film and seeing his vision recreated on the screen become more important than anything else.
After lead actor Martin Sheen's nearly fatal heart attack is leaked to the trade papers, Coppola shouts in rage, "Even if he dies, I don't want to hear anything but good news until it comes from me!"
The story of the film's mammoth production problems was not a secret during the late 1970s, as newspapers frequently reported the director's budgetary problems.
Much like Kevin Costner's personal investment in his recent, and very over-budget film, "Waterworld," Coppola mortgaged his house to provide capital for the film.
The film came across all sorts of problems. When shooting a scene using helicopters and pilots hired from Ferdinand Marcos' Philippines Air Force, the helicopters uniformly flew off the set without explanation. It was later learned that they were called away to fight against rebels 10 miles away from the set.
Monsoon season hit unexpectedly, completely demolishing the entire set. Conditions were difficult, as the weather was generally unbearable, and cast and crew alike turned to drugs of all sorts to make the going easier. All said, this was not the model for a successful shoot.
What it does provide, however, is the perfect model to capture this term's film series. In exploring how films are made, and delving into the way in which life, and those involved in the creation of an art form, often imitate that art, the film provides a very clear understanding of what the Dartmouth Film Society would like for viewers to get out of this term's series "Reflections: Movies in the Movies."
It provides a great insight into the work that goes into the creation of a film, and who the major players are (along with what their motivations might be) that provide the impetus for such a creation.
This having been said, it is important to note that although the film carries a deeply ingrained sense that Coppola is both a great director and a great character, it is extremely interesting to watch.
