Eavesdropping At The Movies

Francis Ford Coppola's classic 1979 war epic, once renovated already in 2001's Redux, now sees a second altered version, restored in 4K from the original negative, 40 years since it first came out - Apocalypse Now: Final Cut. And what an extraordinary film it remains. José has endless praise for the genius work of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro - this film defines painting with light - and in the cinema it visually dazzles, iconic, bold imagery in every frame. The scale of Coppola's production still amazes, particularly in those early scenes with Robert Duvall's manaical Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore orchestrating helicopters, napalm, infantry, smoke, music and surfers to insane, theatrical effect. And in its long fades between images, superimposing almost abstract compositions over one another, José feels the influence of the avant garde and marvels at what was possible in that era. Marlon Brando's famous role as Kurtz at the end is shorter than José recalls, in part because the French plantation segment, no