Apocalypse Now (1979 Francis Coppola & prod, co-scr)

Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper, Jerry Zeismer (also First AD!)

Written by John Milius, Coppola and Michael Herr (narration), inspired by Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'.

"Who's in charge here?"
"Aint you?"

Psychedelics, pyrotechnics in the jungle, helicopters, the most beautiful explosions, Wagner and helicopters. I mean, who cares about the plot?

Music by Carmine and Francis Coppola.

Photography by Vittoria Storaro in Technovision and Technicolor won Oscar.

Walter Murch on how the film was edited: 'So in general, Richie Marks took the second half of the film, and I took the first half, and Lisa Fruchtman did the Playboy concert and some of the other scenes here and there.  With the notable exception of the helicopter battle scene, which Jerry Greenberg was already working on, which is a feature film in itself." I don't know what Evan Lottman did on the film - maybe the assembly? They were Oscar nominated.

The original cinema release with that amazing end credits scene, 153 minutes. 

Watched it at the Odeon, Cemetery Junction, and smoked like a chimney. First time I'd heard The Doors 'The End' - bought the album immediately. Went back to the cinema and saw it again thirteen days later. It made quite an impression. Also on 7/10/82 and in 70MM on 25/3/92, from when my review reads 'Series of wonderfully executed set pieces filled in with monotonous narration and pretentious bullshit. More a dream journey into Conrad's Heart of Darkness than a war film, it takes itself rather seriously. Sheen is a blank centre'!

The legion of stories about its making are insane. There's a whole documentary about it, Hearts of Darkness and the stuff about it in Jerry Zeismer's book 'Ready When You Are, Mr Coppola, Mr Spielberg, Mr Crowe' is fascinating, especially about pristine white-suited Storaro in the jungle and his loyal team of Italian technicians.

Walter Murch in conversation with Anne Coates:

WM: In Apocalypse Now, I came on in August '77 after they finished shooting, and we didn't know it but we had two years to go -- it was two years in post-production. Most of the material had already been assembled. I came on and took over from the beginning through that massacre in the sampan in the middle, which is roughly halfway through. With the notable exception of the helicopter battle scene, which Jerry Greenberg was already working on.

 AC: Just that scene.

WM: Just that scene, which is a feature film in itself. I think there were 300,000 feet of dailies for that, with many thousand-foot loads of multiple cameras, eight cameras shooting simultaneously. And then Jerry left the film in the spring of '78. By that time it was in very good shape. So I continued to work on it, but in the overall interest of cutting things down. In the end it was a 25-minute sequence. So in general, Richie Marks took the second half of the film, and I took the first half, and Lisa Fruchtman did the Playboy concert and some of the other scenes here and there.