Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne & Dennis Hopper
Francis Ford Coppola presents a digital restoration of his hallucinatory masterpiece Apocalypse Now.
Heralded by many as the film that most perfectly crystallises the experience of the Vietnam War, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now has been painstakingly restored by his own Zoetrope studios under his close supervision.
Martin Sheen (TV’s The West Wing) stars as Captain Willard, a troubled man on a dangerous secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, a rogue Green Beret (Marlon Brando, The Godfather, On the Waterfront, Last Tango in Paris) who’s barricaded himself in a remote Cambodian outpost. Willard ventures deeper into the wilderness on a strange journey that inexorably leads him to Kurtz – but also forces him to face the terrifying heart of darkness located in us all.
With an all-star cast including Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Harrison Ford and Laurence Fishburne, Apocalypse Now so impressed the Cannes jury when shown as a work in progress that it still won the Palme D’Or that year, tied with Tin Drum. Vittorio Storaro’s stunning cinematography and masterful sound editing from the genius Walter Murch won the film deserved Oscars, just two of the many awards the film has been garlanded with over the years.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Francis Ford Coppola came to define the notion of the auteur with films such The Godfather trilogy, The Conversation and The Outsiders, but it was with Apocalypse Now that he demonstrated just how far you might have to go to realise such an incredible and particular vision (the film’s famously troubled, epically over budget shoot was explored in the fascinating documentary Hearts of Darkness).
Regularly topping polls of the Best Film Ever, this iconic investigation into the hell of war has captivated audiences for decades, so let your senses be assaulted by the power of unforgettable sequences such as the seven-minute opening montage set to the sounds of helicopters, air-con, and The Doors’ This is the End, the Ride of the Valkyries bombing sequence, and many, many more… now beautifully restored as you have never seen it before.
Awards
- Oscar for Best Cinematography – Vittorio Storaro
- Oscar for Best Sound – Walter Murch
- BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor – Robert Duvall
- BAFTA for Best Director – Francis Ford Coppola
- Cannes Film Festival – Palme D’Or and FIPRESCI Prize
- Golden Globe for Best Director – Francis Ford Coppola
- Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role – Robert Duvall
