Apocalypse Now

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Perhaps one of the finest American movies ever made, Apocalypse Now is based on the classic Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness, although the setting has been changed from late-19th century Africa to Vietnam and Cambodia in 1969. After a hellish production that lasted for over a year (instead of the projected five months), during which time the cast and crew had to deal with the morbidly obese Marlon Brando, the devastation caused by Typhoon Olga on the Philippine sets, and more, including Martin Sheen's heart attack (which caused further setbacks). As laborious as the shoot sounds, it certainly paid off: the film was a commercial and critical success, and won the coveted Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival (it actually tied for the prize with The Tin Drum, a German film).
Since many of us will be reading Heart of Darkness in school, I don't want to spoil the plot too much, but suffice it to say that Apocalypse Now is a dazzling film, featuring what is probably the best-known film scene in history, featuring the American air cavalry launching a helicopter assault on a Vietnamese village to Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." The ending may be confusing, but it is still extremely good.
Apocalypse Now is available in both theatrical (1979) and 2001 "Redux" cuts (the latter features new scenes, and rearranges and deletes others). Both versions are available on DVD, although only the latter is now considered official by director Francis Ford Coppola. Nevertheless, the original cut is considered superior by many (although your mileage may vary).

Rating: 4/4