So it comes down to this. After all these years of writing reviews about movies and DVDs, I'm finally going to get called to the carpet about my credibility as a reviewer. You see, there is this little film called "Apocalypse Now" that is revered by critics and audiences alike. It is considered a classic in the grandest sense of the word and often called the greatest achievement in filmmaking to ever grace the silver screen. Director Francis Ford Coppola was hailed as genius and to this day is it called his masterpiece. Yet, for all its accolades, "Apocalypse Now" just never did it for me. (Let the flaming comments begin…) That said, I cannot deny its mastery of presentation. The cinematography by Vittorio Storano is breathtaking and fully deserving of its Academy Award win. The story, which follows the journey of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) as he travels to hunt down and kill the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) during the throes of the Vietnam War, is stellar and full captivating. And the performances by Sheen and Brando, along with Robert Duvall are outstanding.

Yet even though I recognize the film for all of its merits, for some reason it never 'spoke' to me. I got into it as much as any casual viewer might, but none of the incredibly haunting images stuck with me once I finished watching it for the first time so many years ago.

Being that as it may, since Paramount was releasing an all-new DVD presentation of the film, I resigned myself to watch it again and allow myself to put away all of my earlier judgments and see if the film might take me away this time. I even had two choices of versions to watch, the original theatrical version or "Apocalypse Now Redux", which offered a lengthier re-edit done by Coppola in 2001. I opted for the original, if for no other reason that I had been told by countless friends that it was actually the better of the two versions. So I sat down and started the movie.

I can only say that I stand by all of my original comments. Both in terms of the positive where I refer to its technical mastery and powerful performances and the negative where I can only call it a 'good' movie. Watching it again after all these years, I can see that it was a movie made for the film auteur, not for the masses. It is a very well made movie, far better than most… but I cannot help but believe that the heavy symbolism had to me lost on any average moviegoer. After I watched this DVD I went so far as to ask a few of my more mainstream movie friends and they argued that "Apocalypse Now" was the most important film ever made. But when I asked them why, they had no answer for me. It was akin to those who proclaim modern art as 'genius' because they are told to think its 'genius'.

So a couple of days I opted to watch "Redux", because after all… it was being offered on the same set. Finally, there was a place for me to agree with most "Apocalypse Now" fans. The original theatrical version was infinitesimally better. It was tighter and more cohesive. The "Redux" version seemed more like the bloated older brother who used to be so skinny and good looking until he started drinking beer. There were a few sequences added that helped define some of the characters, but the movie simply flowed better without them. If you are going to watch any version, I'd have to recommend the original.

So as I mentioned, Paramount is releasing the "Apocalypse Now: Dossier", which is being touted as the ultimate DVD release for this film. And I would have to almost agree, considering the fact that it contains both edited versions and a ton of extra features (which I'll get to shortly). But where it is lacking is in the exclusion of "Heart of Darkness", which was the definitive documentary on the making of the film. It is a documentary that I found far more interesting than the actual movie itself. It was in this documentary that we learned how much the journey of Coppola almost mirrored that of Kurtz, with him taking his crew into the wild to film this movie in an attempt to keep the studio suits as far away as possible. It was a fascinating documentary that was included on one of the earlier DVD releases of "Apocalypse Now", but is missing here. So 'ultimate' is a bit of a misnomer.

But as for extra features… there is a ton. First off, you'll find two brand new introductions (one for each film) and a brand new feature length commentary. It is a single commentary for both versions, but where the "Redux" has additional scenes, there is additional commentary. I will say that Coppola is very well-spoken and there are very few throwaway comments that he makes. He goes into great detail about the production as opposed to just describing the scenes, like many directors do. You'll also find quite a few deleted scenes that are not in either version of the film. There is also a 17 minute sequence of Marlon Brando (as Kurtz) reading the poem "The Hollow Men" by T.S Eliot. This scene is absolutely compelling and showcases just how much of a talent Brando was. Additionally, there is a rough cut of scene involving an abandoned boat that appears to have been taken over by vicious monkeys.

But don’t put the set away yet. Once you've made it through these extras, be sure to check out the 4 featurettes that focus heavily on the sounds and images used in the film, including the awesome score. There are also 4 more featurettes about the three-year post-production process the movie went through prior to its 1979 release. There is a fascinating interview with Coppola where he talks about the reactions "Apocalypse Now" received both as a work in progress at Cannes as well as the premiere of the "Redux" version. Add to these a featurette that reunites some of the actors who made up the crew of the riverboat (Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Frederic Forrest and Sam Bottoms) and allows them the opportunity to reminisce about the experience, a look at the color palette of the film as it is discussed by Coppola and Storaro, and a feature that allows for a little popup marker to show you which scenes were added to the "Redux" version and you have quite the well-rounded DVD set.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the packaging, which resembles a little 'dossier' folder, complete with a little Official Wax Seal (actually Velcro) holding the package closed.

So regardless of how I might feel about "Apocalypse Now", there is no way I cannot recommend this new release to avid fans of the film. The transfers of both versions are superb and the extra features are terrific.

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms
Extras: Commentary by: Francis Ford Coppola (both films), Contains both the 1979 and 2001 versions, Exclusive featurettes, Lost "monkey sampan" scene, Outtake: Marlon Brando's complete reading of T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men", Apocalypse Then and Now retrospective, "PBR Streetgang" - cast members' reunion, 12 never-before-seen segments from the cutting room floor, Apocalypse Now A/V Club for aspiring filmmakers, Study the sound design and final mix of Apocalypse Now in depth,
The color palette of Apocalypse Now
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/15/2006
Region 1
Website

We'll give Apocalypse Now: Dossier a B+.