“At once anecdotal and revealing, this excellent film both illuminates the catastrophes that beset one particular project, and shows, by way of comparison, exactly what American film has foregone since the ‘70s.”
Screened in tribute to Eleanor Coppola (1936 - 2024)
In February 1976 Francis Ford Coppola arrived in the Philippines to begin shooting Apocalypse Now! - his Vietnam War-set adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness. After 238 days in the jungle, filming was finally completed - but only after a myriad of production problems that included bad weather, spiralling budgets, near-death experiences and an actual war. Cast and crew had all gone a bit insane and the whole thing was documented on film by Coppola's wife, Eleanor. Using this footage and Eleanor's on-set diaries Hearts of Darkness is the ultimate 'making of' documentary, a film that's as compelling as the one it chronicles. Even if you've never watched Apocalypse Now! this is a must see.
