Mailbox round-up: Apocalypse Now – The Complete Dossier

Aug 25, 2006- Permalink

Christmas came early the other day as I received a review copy of Apocalypse Now – The Complete Dossier.

Let’s start with the basics: the DVD comes with both the 153 minute 1979 theatrical version of the film as well as Coppola’s extended 2001 version, the 202 minute Apocalypse Now Redux. Slap on a director’s commentary and I’d be happy right there, but this DVD has over two hours of bonus materials that make it a master class on Coppola’s work.

The DVD includes twelve never-before-seen scenes that were left on the cutting room floor, an outtake of Marlon Brando’s complete reading of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men, a look at the sound design, color palette, and music. There’s also a reunion of the “PBR Streetgang.”

I’ll be spending many hours with this classic film and both filmlovers and filmmakers would do well to add this DVD to their collection.