Re: Apocalypse Now - theatrical end credits scene explosion director's

[bruvvamoff]

I saw this movie for the first time on TV and it showed the explosion ending. I fell in love with the movie, ran out and bought it on DVD. No explosion at the end. Then I heard of a redux directors cut, so I ran out and bought that on DVD. No explosion at the end. Then I gave up.

[SUPACORBIN]

see ya guys im goin to kill my kill myself now love you

[telecom79]

..yeah Francis...thanks for taking out these ending credits in the released DVD. dumbass. 

[Kylev2]

IMO they should've interspersed brief flashes of this in the "official" ending.

[artupior]

My personal opinion, after watching the Redux version an hour ago and still remembering blasts that kept me several years ago in my theatrical chair to very last line of credits, is that Coppola - despite what he is saying in commentary - deliberately confuses the ending. As he is not at all sure what rules this world - sanity or order, hope or horror. Which one expresses better condition of life and war. Just like his characters: Kurtz and Willard - who practice one to value the other.

[AlexanderFuSheng]

Please, Mr. Coppola don't try to explain your reasons and give me back 19.90 euros! I've just bought your double dvd cause i really wanted to see a restored version of the '79 theatrical release, an uncut one, of course, and...(swell!) you've cut off the great ending credits.I've grown up with that credits! In '79 you edited and put them in the movie,you can't remove them 30 years later, it's unfair.Not even as an extra, completely erased.There's already the redux one to ruin your masterpiece!

[aruiz90]

I dont understand why people want this included. The ending of the original cut is perfect with the fade to black with the sound of rain and NO end credits. I was very disappointed when Coppola put credits in the Redux version

[21stcenturyfilmdocs]

This is why Coppola (like many great artists) needed a good editor to remind Coppola that sometimes American audiences really prefer to be clunked over the head with an ending that explains everything...Chaka like pretty explosions... Like Kinoptika, THIS is how I saw the ending of Apocalypse Now when it came out on HBO way back in 1984 (or 1985?, was really young).

Thanks very much...I made my own homage to AN...set to Metallica's "One"

[kinoptika]

Unfortunately , this IS the ENDING of the film, or and ALTERNATE ENDING to the film because this is the way I saw it several times since I was a kid until later on in life. Therefore it's engraved in my mind and if Coppola didn't want this to be considered as an ending he shouldn't have used it, though I believe it's tattooed in many as the films closure

[Biznz]

My personal opinion is this scene needed to be in the movie. I'm a male. When I feel hours of building tension, I expect an explosive release.

[MileyFuckFaceCyrus]

@Biznz True that man, the real ending just wasn't enough.

[artupior]

My personal opinion, after watching the Redux version an hour ago and still remembering blasts that kept me several years ago in my theatrical chair to very last line of credits, is that Coppola - despite what he is saying in commentary - deliberately confuses the endings. As he is not sure at all what rules this world - sanity or order, hope or horror. Which one expresses better condition of life and war. Just like his characters: Kurtz and Willard - who practice one to value the other.

[Zikan13]

The best war movie ever!

[FalconKPD]

But wasn't an airstrike planned tp destroy the compound?

[hazelbury77]

Good to see the discussion around this. Forgive me if this has been posted before, but perhaps the inclusion of this ending in the original film would have provided a cyclical feeling to the film; that the film begins and ends with destruction. However, I am still in favour of the 'true' ending of the film; I'm merely spectulating in the spirit of this being included in the Redux edition.

[trollcrusher242]

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2009

Biznz ...

Thanks for your other upload of this video sans FFC's narration. I sincerely appreciate it.

P.S.: I like to think that Capt. Willard did indeed contact HQ "Almighty" from "PBR Streetgang" and call in the airstrike in order to erase all traces of just how far off the deep end Kurtz had gone.

In addition, even Kurtz had hinted at the idea to do so with his "Drop the bomb, exterminate them all" inscription written in one of his books. Great movie.

[trollcrusher242]

Friday, October 9th, 2009 (10-09-09)

Hello Biznz,

I have one kind request for you ... would it be possible for you to upload this exact same video -without- Francis Ford Coppola's narration?

I am looking for an extended audio version of this scene and I'd be most grateful to you if you could upload it - I think that the DVD gives the viewer the option to view this scene with or without Coppola's narration. Let me know if U can.

Thanks for your time and assistance,

trollcrusher242 :-)

[whatuswattingat]

I prefer the darkness ending to the explosive one. I've seen both versions of this movie since it was first released, and a die-hard fan. And I can understand Coppola's reasoning behind it.

[raymesquite]

As cool as this scene is, I prefer the ending where no airstrike is called solely because it would keep the same theme of the book Heart of Darkness. In the novel, Marlo leaves Africa with disgust over the brutality of the Company's treatment of the natives. Marlow realized that Kurtz had could not live with the hypocrisy of imperialism. Although Kurtz dies of his illness, Marlow respected Kurtz's views. In other words, Marlow would not destroy the village.

[itsmerussell]

Like so many filmakers lately they cop out on there original and try to make themselves seem more thoughtful and benevelant. the fact is the origial version was about the horror of war , like blowing up all the people in the compound at the end. thats the horror of war , not hey let all live happy time know , oh yeah I just choped a guy to pieces but know 2 min later Im mister nice guy and just go on my way. now they change it and put some bull commentary that off they go to a better world. ????

[vokshumana]

The reason to keep this scene in the movie is that ``Almighty`` kills his children to show his might, and the reason not to keep the scene is that the ``world will end not with a bang, but with a whimper``.

[DamirPejic]

It's a damn shame they deleted this scene in Redux version. In my opinion, whole movie is changed without it. Now, the final touch is missing. For me personally, as this is the second best movie EVER (2001: a space odyssey), Apocalypse IS now only in original release.

[stoogefest16]

I agree

[mst3k3000]

why don't you try it without the director's commentary because it's a whole lot cooler and there is no talking during it?

[kozmon0t]

Why is Coppolla so overboard in saying "that's not part of the movie," okay dude it's not part of the movie... but it's still great to have in there as the other side of the coin. To show what it would have been like if he hadn't made it a happy ending. In that sense it's still an "alternate" ending. Something else that coulda happened, even after the real ending. And probably would have, after intelligence wrote Willard off as MIA. He should have told the villagers to run like hell.

[yes55]

This was, indeed, the ending I recall seeing in the original broad release, with titles over this footage, as a teen. Coppola is correct, it was confusing. I can remember talking about this after the screening - "Wait, did he call in the strike? Is this an imaginary event? Is that the point?" The effect in the cinema was brilliantly disturbing, of course, after an already very dark "experience," and it's good this sequence isn't lost, but Coppola was correct in taking it out, probably.

[hankaaron1961]

I have to admit that for me, this is the ending. It's the logical conclusion to everything that went before (i.e., the horror of war).

[BitterPoetMadman]

The ORIGINAL theatrical release had no credits. These credits weren't in theaters, just for general release in 35mm for TV and VHS man.

[vokshumana]

This scene would end the movie in Yugoslavian way, without it movie ends in American way - the job has to be done, and is done.

[Methadone4Life]

That is quite an awesome shot. Great visuals..one can only imagine what it took to get these shots. Very cool. I guess most know about the urban legend that there really was a situation similar to this and that it wasnt really based totally on Conrads "Heart of Darkness". The legend is that an American SF captain went AWOL and crossed into LAOS and started living with some natives in the jungle. He was supposedly training them in weapons and tactics and a team was sent to "exterminate" him.

[Methadone4Life]

Of course there is NO evidence to support this and it has been denied by all involved with the film and,of course,the military as well. I heard this a couple of times and actually read a story once from an American LRRP that claimed that he was on the mission. The mission was told to most as a mission to eliminate a NVA high ranking official. Anyway,we will never know the true story of all that happens in war,however,it is a cool little myth at the least.

[BitterPoetMadman]

Of course the military would just come out and say something like that happened... lol Probably bullshit... but when it comes to truly classified ops... we never hear about it.