Watching Apocalypse Now Redux at this moment - what does the 'Plantation Scene' say to you?

[Taverner]

I lived in Thailand for 3 years, visited Vietnam twice, Cambodia once, Laos once....

I saw the effects of the Vietnam War, as well as our continued presence there...

What did this movie say to you?

To me, this is the most realistic, least accuate account :)

Your thoughts?

[Orrex]

1. I really don't like the Redux version

Far too much is added with zero payoff IMO, except giving Coppola a chance to force us to revel in his own sublime genius.


The Plaid Adder has an excellent write-up of this extended version, by the way. Well worth seeking out.

[Taverner]

2. Gimmie a link!

As for the previous generation, I understand. You grew up with this. Its partially your baby.

But for the GenXers out there - this is a masterpiece.

It makes sense!

[Orrex]

7. Easy there, junior.

I'm a GenXer, and I still prefer the original. Maybe it's because that's the one I saw first, or maybe it's because the added scenes make the movie seem longer than The English Patient. I don't know.


Anyway, I'm looking for the link. Stay tuned.

[gmoney]

13. Impossible... nothing is longer than "The English Patient"

[Orrex]

14. I admit that I was only speculating

I started watching The English Patient in 1998 or so. I think I'm about a third of the way through it.

[elehhhhna]

20. the book's waaaay better. seriously.

[TheMightyFavog]

22. Two Words:

Doctor Zhivago

[elehhhhna]

19. the playboy bunny addition is a waste, imo. lose it, coppola!

[Orrex]

12. Found it

http://www.plaidder.com/apocalypse.htm

[trof]

3. How can it be "most realistic, least accuate account"?

Realistic as to conditions?
Least accurate as to what brought them on?
No, I haven't seen the 'redux' edition.
What IS redux, anyway?

OK, I wikied it.
"The term has been adopted by film-makers to denote a new interpretation of an existing work by the restoration of previously removed material. This trend began with Apocalypse Now Redux, which Francis Ford Coppola released in 2001, re-editing and extending his original 1979 movie."

I guess I'd have to see it.

[Taverner]

4. Just misquoting the reviews of HST's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72"

[Aristus]

5. The plantation scene seemed as surrealistic as the rest of the film, but it did point

up an interesting aspect of post-colonial beliefs and behaviors. The French planters remain behind in a post-colonial Vietnam, long after their time had come and gone, trying to hold on to a world of privilege, wealth, and perceived superiority to their Asian "underlings". They're dead inside, spiritually empty, and living in the past.

This was also true of the British in Malaya and Singapore, and the Dutch in Indonesia, just before World War II. The handwriting was on the wall, European imperialism was on its death bed, and Asian peasants would soon be dominated by Asian imperialists.

I thought the measured, slow, and dream-like plantation sequence was interesting, but I don't need to see it again. My DVD of "Apocalypse Now", is of the original theatrical cut. That's good enough for me.

One good thing about "Redux" was finally getting to see the Playboy Playmates in the altogether... :evilgrin:

[Taverner]

6. EXACTLY!!!!!

You get that scene, in my opinion, 100%!

The legacy of colonialism...

[elehhhhna]

21. Indochine contains thoswe themes -- and it's gorgeous.

Have you seen it?

[Dr Morbius]

8. My favorite scene in the movie is one of the scenes in the boat.

The guy in charge of the boat points out a bridge, and he says, "You see that bridge? Every day we build it up; every night they blow it up. Think about it, man. Think about it."

I think it's a brilliant movie. I can't imagine a better way to portray the inherent insanity of war.

[Aristus]

10. That's close, but not exactly it. The exact quote really points up the bureaucratic insanity

of the war.

"Every night, Charlie blows up the bridge, and every day, we built it back up again, just so the brass can say the road is open."

And what would the brass say, do you suppose?

"That's right, Mr. President. The road at Do Long is open. We've got the VC and the NVA on the run. We've turned the corner, and victory is in sight!"

Some things never change...

[REP]

9. It says "Long movie is LONG!"

I know the history of the region and I know the source material, so it was interestng to watch - once. I prefer the heatrical release as a piece of filmmaking; Rudux really you feel just how long the move is. Long movie is long.

[Taverner]

23. Break it up into 3 nights

Works great that way, no segment over 90 min

[edbermac]

11. That French chick had nice bewbies.

That was about all I got from the plantation scene. The Redux really sucked, original was way better.

[Yavin4]

15. One Crazy Thing About That Movie Laurence Fishburne and Martin Sheen

That was one of Laurence Fishburne's first movies. He was 18 years old. He was actually the same age as some of the soldiers there. Martin Sheen was 39 years old at the time.

Today, both Martin Sheen and Laurence Fishburne look like they're the same age.

[MrMickeysMom]

16. I actually think Fishburne said he was 18, but he was younger...

Didn't he say he was younger?

No matter, if he lied it was for a good cause.

[Aristus]

25. Yeah, he was actually fourteen!

From Wikipedia:

"Fishburne later earned a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, in which he played a 17-year-old sailor nicknamed 'Mr. Clean'. When production began in March 1976 he was just fourteen, apparently lying about his age to get the part. Filming took so long that he was already seventeen upon its completion."


Full article here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Fishburn

[MrMickeysMom]

17. Redux was good to watch one time...

... precisely for things like "plantation scene", very strange, but made the point of colonialism...

So many things are great about AN! We were just saying last weekend that it's about time to watch it again.

By the way, I did not care for the playgirl scene added into Redux, but my husband did. :-)

[Taverner]

24. It shows the perception of women as the mythical objects they were becoming

The obsession with the ideal, rather than the reality...

[elehhhhna]

18. The documentary of the making of that movie is as good as the movie itsself.

fyi