A “making of” documentary sounds like a rather mundane endeavor, a by-the-numbers exercise. But not when it comes to exploring how Francis Ford Coppola made his masterpiece Apocalypse Now, a notoriously punishing shoot in the Philippines that seemingly tested the sanity of nearly everyone involved and almost cost star Martin Sheen his life.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, the film that chronicles the making of Apocalypse Now, has reached iconic status itself. Now, 34 years after its initial release, the documentary has been restored in 4K and returns to theaters beginning July 4th in New York, expanding to Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities in the coming weeks. An Ultra HD collector’s edition becomes available July 28.
On the latest episode of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, we get the inside story on the making of the “making of” film. Our guests are Fax Bahr, who directed Hearts of Darkness with the late George Hickenlooper and the late Eleanor Coppola – wife of Francis Ford Coppola – and American Zoetrope’s James Mockoski, who oversaw the restoration process.
RELATED: Remembering Eleanor Coppola, Whose Quiet Contribution To Cinema Will Live On
Bahr and Mockoski tells us why a dozen years passed between the initial release of Apocalypse Now in 1979 and the premiere of Hearts of Darkness, a delay that speaks volumes about the traumatic experience for the production team and actors on the set of Coppola’s Vietnam War film. They also tell us how Eleanor Coppola managed to record unforgettable scenes even as her husband appeared to be coming apart at the seams under creative and financial pressure. And we debate what version of Apocalypse Now is the finest – the original ’79 version or Coppola’s expanded Apocalypse Now Redux.
Doc Talk co-host John Ridley called Hearts of Darkness one of the greatest films to document a work of cinema. I go further, calling it one of the greatest documentaries of all time, of any genre.
RELATED: Spike Lee Says ‘Apocalypse Now’ “F—ed Me Up” At Francis Ford Coppola’s AFI Life Achievement Tribute — Watch
That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk, hosted by Oscar winner Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The show is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.
