Apocalypse Now Redux

Apocalypse is one of the best films made about the futility and absurdity of war.
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Buena Vista HE Dir: Francis Ford Coppola, 194 minutes, 1979

When Coppola's new cut of Apocalypse Now was screened out of competition at Cannes, with additional material at the beginning and end, it was difficult to imagine anything new being able to compete with it. I include the film in my 100 DVDs as a tribute to Coppola, and to Marlon Brando, who died last week.

Perhaps Coppola's The Godfather contained Brando's greatest performance, as old Don Corleone, but in the finale of this film - even though you can hardly hear some of his lines because, as so often was the case, he mumbles them - he remains an extraordinary presence.

In this latest version of the film, which includes more footage of Brando, his portrait of Kurtz holds you like a vice. If he wasn't necessarily the greatest movie actor ever, he was certainly up with the best. And Apocalypse - made with blood as well as money, exhausting almost everybody connected with it - is one of the best films made about the futility and absurdity of war.

It is unlikely to be equalled as a metaphor for a whole nation's confused aspirations, and the dogged obstinacy with which it pursued a cause it couldn't win.

Someone once called it a dumb movie made by an intelligent man. If it is that, then bring on more dumb movies. For all its flaws, and there are plenty, what a piece of filmmaking this is, particularly unforgettable in its 70mm format.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in