Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Directors:

Fax Bahr
George Hickenlooper

Writers:

Fax Bahr (writer)
George Hickenlooper (writer)

Release Date:

27 November 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The magic and madness of making "Apocalypse Now"

Plot:

Documentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.

Plot Keywords:

Francis Ford Coppola | Making Of | Actor | Video | 1960s

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Rona Barrett	...	Herself (archive footage)
Sam Bottoms	...	Himself
Marlon Brando	...	Himself
Colleen Camp	...	Herself
Doug Claybourne	...	Himself
Eleanor Coppola	...	Herself
Francis Ford Coppola	...	Himself
Gia Coppola	...	Herself
Roman Coppola	...	Himself
Sofia Coppola	...	Herself
Monty Cox	...	Himself
Robert De Niro	...	Himself
Robert Duvall	...	Himself
Laurence Fishburne	...	Himself
Harrison Ford	...	Himself
Frederic Forrest	...	Himself
Albert Hall	...	Himself
Dennis Hopper	...	Himself
George Lucas	...	Himself
John Milius	...	Himself
Fred Roos	...	Himself
Martin Sheen	...	Himself
Tom Snyder	...	Himself (archive footage)
G.D. Spradlin	...	Himself
Tom Sternberg	...	Himself
Vittorio Storaro	...	Himself
Dean Tavoularis	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Australia:M | USA:R | UK:15

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

Francis Ford Coppola initially had no desire to release Hearts of Darkness on DVD, due to him disagreeing with the way he is depicted in the documentary. It was finally released on DVD in late 2007, albeit with an optional Coppola commentary track that clears many things up.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the end credits for musical listings under the Doors song The End, Elektra (Records) is misspelled (as "Electra.")

Quotes:

Marlon Brando: I swallowed a bug.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness (2008) (V)

Coppola caused what he sought to expose

With "Apocalypse Now", Francis Ford Coppola sought to expose colonialism. But as his wife Eleanor's documentary shows, he ended up creating it in the process of filming his movie. "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" mostly looks at the problems that plagued the film's production and nearly bankrupted Coppola*. But it also shows how he went to a third world country, brought western technology, and made the people there work for him. The madness depicted in the movie is nothing compared to the events on the set.

All in all, it's an amazing insight into one of the greatest movies ever made. Still, you should see the movie before the documentary, just so that the story behind it doesn't bias you. Perfect.

*Apparently, as a result of his near bankruptcy, Coppola smashed four of his five Oscars and briefly separated from his wife.