“Apocalypse Now”: Unveiling Coppola’s war epic: Disasters, drugs, a heart attack and the overweight Brando

No film project has been as fraught with difficulties as Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 war epic, “Apocalypse Now.”

With the re-release of the documentary “Hearts of Darkness,” the director and two crew members shed light on the tumultuous journey of creating the cinematic masterpiece. “The way we made the film mirrored how the Americans were in Vietnam,” Coppola revealed after the screening of “Apocalypse Now” at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. “We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had too much money and equipment, and gradually, we lost our minds.”

The troubled production of Coppola’s intense, psychedelic war epic had already been widely reported, with challenges ranging from financial woes, actor changes, health scares, to extreme weather. However, the full extent of the chaos was only unveiled in 1991 with the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.”

The documentary, crafted from extensive footage shot by Coppola’s wife, Eleanor, during filming, paints a picture of a production that was as grand in scale, ambition, and vision as it was chaotic, drug-infused, and riddled with seemingly insurmountable hurdles. Young directors Fax Barr and the late George Hickenlooper were given the monumental task of sifting through countless hours of footage to weave together the story of the film. Now remastered in 4K, the documentary is returning to US and UK cinemas this weekend.

Barr remembers the first time he laid eyes on Coppola’s footage, which had lain virtually untouched for over a decade. “Some reports suggested that a lot of the material was murky, but the films we viewed were of excellent quality. The footage was clear and beautiful. It was evident that Eleanor had meticulously documented everything. It was a goldmine.”

The Full Disclosure: A Litany of Problems

“Apocalypse Now,” loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella “Heart of Darkness,” is hailed as one of the greatest achievements in film history. However, its production was teetering on the brink of collapse at multiple stages. Filming, which began in the Philippines in March 1976, was initially slated to last five months but stretched out over a year. Coppola dismissed lead actor Harvey Keitel just weeks into shooting and replaced him with Martin Sheen, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack on set. Hurricane damage, parasitic infections, and rampant partying and drug use wreaked havoc on film sets.

Marlon Brando, cast as Colonel Kurtz, arrived on set overweight and unprepared, forcing director Coppola to rewrite the film’s ending to accommodate him. As production costs spiraled, Coppola took on the financial burden himself, risking bankruptcy if the film did not recoup its costs. In her book Notes, Eleanor Coppola revealed that even in post-production, Coppola only gave himself a 20% chance of salvaging a credible film from the chaos.

The documentary depicts a production trying to replicate the Vietnam War, ironically mirroring the same attitudes seen in the soldiers. Dutch war photographer Chas Gerretsen, who documented the six-month shoot in his 2021 book Apocalypse Now: The Lost Photo Archive, remarked: “The Vietnam War was crazy; Apocalypse Now was slightly less so.”

The harsh conditions were a shock for many. “The crew grumbled about the heat, humidity, accommodation, insects, and mosquitoes,” Gerretsen recalls. “Trudging through knee-deep mud was a real challenge.” Damien Luc, who played the gunner, remembers, “Stepping off the plane, the humidity hits you like a wet mop. I thought I knew humidity from New York, but this was something else.” The water was undrinkable, geckos climbed the walls of his hut, and the weather was reminiscent of a deluge. “It rained daily, as if nature itself was wrathful.”

As the production dragged on, homesickness set in among the crew and cast. “It was like the soldiers in Vietnam, who had never been farther away from Canada,” Gerretsen reflects. “There was intense longing for home. Some crew members would make the arduous three to four-hour trip to Manila nearly every weekend, renting a room with a view of the airport, just to watch planes flying towards the U.S.”

Coppola’s vision was progressively unraveling, particularly the finale, which still exists in multiple versions. “I call this film Idiodyssey,” the director himself confessed, as recorded in Hearts of Darkness. “None of my usual techniques or tricks are working for this finale. I’ve tried so many times that I know I can’t do it. Perhaps it’s a victory to acknowledge that I can’t. I can’t write the ending to this film.” Despite everything, the cast remained loyal. “The actors would walk through fire for Francis,” says Luc, “because he affords them such freedom and a sense of ownership over their scenes and characters. He then molds it to his vision.”

“You couldn’t ask for more.”

While many were overcome with nostalgia, Luc had a different experience. “Those were the most incredible three weeks of my life. I spent time with the Filipinos, who I grew to love. I fell for a beautiful girl and if my role in the movie had been larger, I might still be there. I was completely smitten.”

Revealing the Truth: The Story Behind the Camera

As Barr began to sift through the footage, he was struck by the sheer miracle that the film even existed. “I knew it was an extremely challenging film, but until you see the minute details within the footage, you can’t grasp the enormous hurdles they had to overcome.”

The task of revealing the story behind the story posed its own set of challenges, as he had to comb through about 80 hours of footage. “The initial cut of the documentary was four and a half hours long,” he explains. “Because Eleanor (Elie) continued filming even after production had wrapped, we ended up with an entire post-production department.” The drama didn’t end when Coppola and his team returned from the jungle. “One of the editors vanished with the film and checked into a hotel,” Barr recalls. “No one could locate him and there were fears that the footage had been stolen. He would send burnt film in envelopes with notes saying ‘I’m destroying the film scene by scene.’ Panic ensued.” Thankfully, the creative differences that sparked this incident were resolved before any significant damage was done.

Barr remembers the moment he realized the documentary had unveiled something profound. “Unearthing the recordings Elie made of Francis was a revelation,” he says, referring to the audio featured in the film. “Elie was the only person in the world who could capture him in such a way – up close and personal. She brought you right beside an American master during his most private moments, providing a genuine glimpse into the heart of creativity: the doubts, the concerns, the anxiety, and the evolution of ideas. It was truly extraordinary.”

It was truly extraordinary.

Coppola granted Barr and Hickenlooper complete creative freedom with the material, on the condition that they remained truthful. “He said, ‘Bad things happened here, but if you tell the story honestly, I’ll support it’.” His only request was to have his wife’s narration re-recorded, as the material was hers and the story needed to be told from her perspective. This decision added an even deeper layer of authenticity and intimacy to the documentary.

“The greatest compliment people give me about the documentary is that it’s essential to understanding Apocalypse Now,” Barr says. “They tell me, ‘I watched Apocalypse Now and loved it, but after seeing your documentary, I gained a deeper understanding.’ That’s the highest praise.”

For Barr, Apocalypse Now is in a league of its own. “This film holds a unique place in cinematic history. I doubt anyone could ever replicate it. Not only because Francis was willing to gamble his entire fortune, but also due to his audacious ambition. He was determined to journey to the Philippines and recreate the Vietnam War for the film crew, providing an immersive experience for all involved. It was a stroke of genius,” said Gerretsen.

For Gerretsen, his experiences on set have become indistinguishably intertwined with his memories of actual war zones. “The explosions, the vibrant smoke, the long hours spent setting up tents, it’s all a jumble,” he admits. The final film had a profound impact on him. “It was astonishing how it all came rushing back. It was undeniably a masterpiece, but it took me years to muster the courage to watch it again. The Vietnam War, Cambodia, and Apocalypse Now continue to haunt me, as the madness of war is ever present.”

Information sourced from the BBC