Apocalypse Now Redux (2001, DVD)

I was awed the first time I saw Apocolypse Now, and still get chills during some scenes, but I found the additional footage in this edition to be totally irrelevant, and a distraction from pace of the original film. This material would be better left to a "deleted scenes" feature for those interested, than re-inserted into the movie.

After seeing the older version of Apocalypse Now in the theater and walking away scratching my head with some degree of confusion regarding the story line, seeing this movie, which fills in the blanks, was wonderful! I didn't buy the film for myself but for my husband, who loved the old version. I wasn't really even considering watching it, but once it started, simply couldn't help myself. I was strongly drawn into the story from the first minute of it.

The whole movie has a cohesion that the older, first version of the film did *not* have. The characters are fuller, richer, more believable. Martin Sheen was outstanding, and seeing that young version of Harrison Ford was pretty sweet. I highly recommend this film, which gives a clear, straightforward view of the Vietnam war...uh...conflict. Told predominantly in first person, you get a much closer, personal view of what it must have been like for the military's men and women--whether an assassin or a grunt, one can literally feel the rain, smell the vegetation, know the feel of a boat moving on the river... and you can grasp the overall craziness that so many men felt at being "deposited" on those shores without knowing if they'd come home in a body bag, on their own two feet, or retaining their minds. You see their values as Americans take a nosedive in some cases, and in others, those values take on an even greater significance. The cast is incredibly well assembled. Seeing those young versions of actors that are Academy Award™ winners today was quite a treat--and it's easy to see that the casting director truly had an eye for talent, seeing as how those actors are STILL well known and loved now, years after Apocalypse Now was first made...

The musical score, I found to be bizarre...and brilliant. The Foley effects combined with the musical choices for each scene were nothing short of genius. Something that in a traditional sense would have had some scary-sounding piano or drum background, instead had what could have been a John Phillip Sousa composition blasting away, taking some of the fear out of it, and placing the one watching in the shoes of the one in the scene... By that I mean that the viewing audience isn't afraid for themselves but is on high alert--as is the character on screen. Truly an amazing work.

If you haven't seen this Redux version, buy it. Rent it. Watch it. If you like war movies, you will probably like this one!

owned the orginal, can see why Coppla had to cut it down to a managable 2hours...a little longish but stiil fantastic none the less!! Glad I purchased it

This motion picture was more an odyssey than anything else, but was indeed packed with unforgettable action scenes. Martin Sheen portrays an army colonel being sent on a secret mission to locate and terminate a fellow renegade Special Forces officer who has succumbed to the horrors of war by going apparently insane. The mission takes him deep into the heart of Cambodia to a heavily guarded fortress by forces under his direct command which includes primitive tribes of Vietnamese who demonstrate complete obedience and loyalty to him without question. He is accompanied by a group of American soldiers and sailors who all have different motives for being there and personalities. The group is totally unaware of Sheen's mission until only three of them are left, the others being killed in clashes with the unseen and elusive Viet Cong through violent ambushes. The most memorable scene in the entire movie is where an Army colonel or seargant leads his helicopter attack squad during a violent assault on a Vietnamese village occupied by North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerrillas. In doing so, he plays The Ride of the Valkryes by German music composer Robert Wagner during the height of the battle in an attempt to both scare the enemy as well as instill exilheration in his men. This film is not what most traditional war film buffs are used to because it resembles a big drug trip or odyssey through the minds of the men on the boat with Martin Sheen. I purchased this film because I had, and still have vast memories of it when it was first introduced to the silver screens in the summer of 1979 when I was nearly 14 years old. This film has incredible and breathtaking scenes of both action and bizarre psychodelic images and ideals which will not soon be forgotten by anyone who watches it. This particular DVD has previously unreleased footage which was not seen in its original film. A must see!

The redux is a little long, and the scenes that were added in could have been added as deleted scenes. But the movie is outstanding.

Once a great director has established himself and is no longer hungry to prove himself, he runs the great risk of sitting back on his laurels and making lukewarm extravaganzas that are, yes, high quality, but inarguably lack the spark of real creative desperation. Hence every film by Scorcese, Coppola, etc. in the last decade. Nevertheless, these directors have another option, even more deplorable: to go back and add useless flourishes to the masterpieces that made them famous to begin with (see: George Lucas, Star Wars Special Edition and Spielberg's censorious touch-ups of E.T.).
This is largely the case with Apocalypse Now Redux, although Coppola did resist adding four hundred CGI Kilgore clones shouthing in unison, "We love the smell of napalm in the morning!". While the "French Plantation" scene is probably the most superfluous, there are those "repetetive" sequences Coppola adds that in some way reinforce the underlying themes-- "Where's the CO" is a Willard quote that now gets repeated more often, and resonates in a world where there is no metaphorical "Commanding Officer", no God, no order. The Playboy Bunnies at the Medevac scene brings some sordid and chilling nudity to the film, and encapsulates the terrible arc of the film's tone from snide comedy to soul-wrenching horror.
I just wish there was an option on the DVD to view the "original" or the "redux" version.

This is a great moveie. Acting and photography is very impressive. Although it is slanted toward an anti Vietnam posture, it is still a geat movie. Makes you appreciate what our guys had to go through during the war, but also has some very funny parts to it. Robert Duval is great.

I have never liked watching a movie more than once but this one I watch every time it is on TV. That it why I bought it and figured that I could have the option to view it at my own will whenever I chose. I am new to the dvd world as I came from vhs. It has it's faults such as freezing.

The Best Vietnam war film ever made period. Francis Ford Coppola's characters are so in depth, and give remarkable performances. I think this is Marlon Brando's best performance, he makes it seem as though his character is actually himself. All of the dialog is so well written and gives a poetic sense of greatness. I have never seen a better opening to a movie, The End by The Doors against a napalm bombing background, is so perfect. The end of the film is also just as excellent as the beginning in its own stirring way, and with The Doors playing in the background again.

Recommended War Films:
Downfall (A movie covering the last days and downfall of Nazi Germany) 5/5
Saving Private Ryan (I don't think I need to say anything) 5/5
Apocalypse Now Redux (In my opinion the best Vietnam war film ever made) 5/5

I never recieved it!!!!!!!!!!! Not a whole lot to say to complete the 100 word minimum word requirement. I could go on about how I hate to get ripped off but every one does. So, I'll repeat, I NEVER RECIEVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!

i heard the music is good and you get an extra 50 minutes of movie for the money thats why I'm bidding on it.