“Apocalypse Now Final Cut” A magnificent epic depicting the chaos of the battlefield, a look behind the birth of the new version

Directed by Coppola, many different versions

This re-access to Apocalypse Now Now to create new versions like this is possible because Coppola owns the editing rights to the film [Note 1], and he has also released various other edits of his own films.

Particularly well known is "The Godfather TV Complete Edition," in which Coppola's masterpiece " The Godfather " (1972) and its sequel " The Godfather Part II" (1974) were disassembled and rearranged in chronological order, and unreleased scenes were added to broadcast them on television (as well as " The Godfather The Godfather Special Complete Edition," which added violent scenes that violated the broadcasting code). This was edited by Barry Malkin, who also edited Coppola's earlier work "The Rain Girls" (1969), and it created new market value by allowing viewers to watch another version, and more than anything, this re-edited version earned part of the production funds for " Apocalypse Now ."

Furthermore, the romantic opera One from the Apocalypse Now Now, was edited differently in the versions released in Japan and the United States, and the running time was also longer in Japan, at 107 minutes for the former and 101 minutes for the latter.

“One from the Heart” trailer

This was due to complicated distribution circumstances, and after its release by Columbia Pictures, Coppola led limited screenings at Zoetrope, and it seems that he re-edited the film each time [Note 2]. Furthermore, in 2003, a re-edited and digitally restored version, The 2003 Restoration of One from the Heart, was released, with an even shorter running time of 99 minutes. Not only do the running times differ in each version, but even the takes of some shots are different, and the differences between the versions of One from the Heart may be the Coppola work that is most in need of exploration at present.

On the other hand, another film that was lengthened like Apocalypse Now Now is the long version of The Cotton Club (1984), which is based on the legendary nightclub in Harlem in the 1930s, called The Cotton Club Encore. Coppola, who was unable to get the cooperation of distributor MGM in re-editing, invested $500,000 of his own money. The 128-minute feature length was shortened to 114 minutes, and 25 minutes of unreleased scenes were added to make a total of 139 minutes, which was shown at the Telluride Film Festival in 2017, and the more accurate finished version was shown at the New York Film Festival in 2019 (the restoration supervisor for this film was James T. Mockoski, who also worked on Apocalypse Now : Final Cut). The additional scenes are mainly related to the dancer Sandman played by Gregory Hines, and the roles are more equalized compared to the original, which placed emphasis on Dixie, the trumpet player played by Richard Gere (this is said to have made the film closer to the original script by Coppola and William Kennedy).

"The Cotton Club" trailer

Another attempt at lengthening was made with The Outsider (1983), a coming-of-age film that mobilized all the young adult stars of the time. After test screenings, the film was forced to be cut by the studio, and Coppola re-edited it to the original format he wanted. This revised version, called The Outsider Complete Novel, was released on DVD, and by expanding the scenes by about 22 minutes, some situations in the film are given more detail.

Incidentally , Apocalypse Now Now was also altered when it was released on DVD in the U.S. However, instead of the running time, the aspect ratio of the screen was reframed from 2.35:1 scope size to 2.0:1.

This was due to cinematographer Vittorio Storaro's unique frame recommendation to fit the aspect ratio of the film on 16:9 HD widescreen televisions, which he called "Univision," and all of the aspect ratios for the films he shot were set to 2.0:1 when they were broadcast on television or released as packaged software. Naturally, this was done with Coppola's approval, but there were also voices that respected the original and called Storaro's approach a "deterioration," and so the aspect ratio is now returned to the theatrical release when films are released on software, broadcast, or streamed.

“Apocalypse Now” (c)2019 ZOETROPE CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

However, the production of the " Special Complete Edition " on which the "Final Cut" is based was triggered by Lionsgate, the distributor of the film, contacting Coppola for a DVD release. Therefore, the changes made to this film, which were made for home theaters, cannot be said to be bad in general.

[Note 0] The original theatrical release exists in 35mm print and 70mm print without end credits, but for the purposes of this article they are not counted as separate versions.

[Note 1] Coppola's decision to take over the editing of the film comes from his respect for auteurism, the same as the founding purpose of Zoetrope. However, the space for this column is too narrow to go into detail, so I will save that for another time.

[Note 2] The reason why alternate edited versions could be prepared in such a short time is due to the "electronic cinema" concept advocated by Coppola, but as with [Note 1], I will explain the details another time. If you would like to know more, please refer to my article here .

＜Source＞

(*1)https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/08/apocalypse-now-final-cut-francis-ford-coppola-interview

(*2)(*5)From the video bonus "Interview with John Milius" on the Apocalypse Now 3Disc Collector's Edition (first production limited edition) Blu-ray (Geneon Universal)

(*3) " Film is Editing: Conversations with Walter Murch " by Michael Ondaatje, translated by Shuntaro Yoshida (Misuzu Shobo)

(*4) Steven Travers “Coppola's Monster Film: The Making of Apocalypse Now” McFarland & Company (2016)

Text: Kazuo Ozaki

Film critic and writer. His main writing sites include print media such as ``Figure King'', ``Champion RED'', ``Eiga Hiho'', and ``Hokkaido'', and web media such as ``Eiga.com'' and ``The Cinema''. In addition, he has contributed many explanations and essays to theater pamphlets, movie mook books, and DVD & Blu-ray software booklets. She also formed a cinema comedian unit [Movie Gachinko Brothers] under the name "Dolly Ozaki" and appears on TV and at talk events. Twitter: @dolly_ozaki

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"Apocalypse Now Final Cut"

Available for a limited time at IMAX(R) cinemas nationwide from Friday, February 28, 2020

Distribution: KADOKAWA

(c)2019 ZOETROPE CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.