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Such a moment came with the August 2001 release of "Apocalypse Now Redux," the expanded version of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam classic. That this new version was presented to audiences the same week as disposable widgets like "Rush Hour 2" and "American Pie 2" isn't as telling as the fact that it was released at all. And while "Redux" is required viewing for everyone, it's not for the reasons one might think. But we'll get to that later.

As a film, Apocalypse Now Redux is not as effective as the original. The fact that 49 minutes of sheer tonnage was added to it's long, yet slender 1979 frame ultimately dilutes the original's vague, dreamlike trip up its symbolic river, a river that held within it's banks the worst in human behavior and redemption for it's main character, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen). In the film, (co-written by Coppola and John Milius, and based on Joseph Conrad's novella, "Heart of Darkness") Willard is sent far upriver through Vietnam into Cambodia with orders to find and kill renegade Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a brilliant but out-of-control career solider who has become the god-like lord of a military cult in the jungle.

Apocalypse Now was a legendary nightmare to film, and although the specifics will not be detailed here, let's just say that Sheen had a heart attack during filming and was actually given last rites by a priest. Coppola's classic quote, from a news conference at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival was, "We had access to too much money and too much equipment. And little by little we went insane."

Once the 16-month shoot was finished, Coppola spent almost two years editing it and, in the end, was forced by the distributor, United Artists to make cuts. Finally, after the release date was pushed back numerous times, Apocalypse Now was released to mixed reviews. However, it won the Golden Palm for best picture at the Cannes Film Festival and was up for eight Oscars, winning statues for cinematography and sound.

Now, twenty-two years later, Coppola, along with sound designer Walter Murch, has reedited the film, adding scenes and rearranging others. The most important added scene is the 25-minute sequence in which Willard and his crew stop at a French plantation, where descendants of the original Gallic colonizers of Vietnam still live and steadfastly refuse to leave. Over dinner, they argue about the war and later Willard has sex with the beautiful widow Roxanne (Aurore Clement). Another new scene involves the return of the Playboy playmates, who in the original were last seen being helicoptered away from their disastrous USO show. In "Redux," Willard runs into the playmates again, this time trading fuel so his men may partake of their sexual favors. There is also a brief new scene with Brando, where he reads an actual Time Magazine article about the war to a captive Colonel Willard.

The new footage is seamlessly and beautifully restored by Coppola and Murch. That much is never in question. However, as a film, Apocalypse Now Redux is a brilliant curio when compared to the original. More in length, yet less in substance, "Redux" is a more bloated, slow and pretentious film then the 1979 version. And interestingly, "Redux" suffers in comparison to the original by making more sense. Its ambiguity (and even the messiness that ensues after Willard reaches Kurtz and the original script is completely thrown away) is what allows it to transcend counterparts like "The Deer Hunter," still brilliant, yet now seen as "a 70's movie." Apocalypse Now is a product of a time, but it could be about any time, about war in general or about human nature. Coppola inches "Redux" more towards the overtly political, which, while effective within itself, blunts its impact as a transcendent film.

To return to the main point, there are two reasons why "Redux" is required viewing at this moment in film history: Firstly, Apocalypse Now in any form, calls into question a generation that is becoming increasingly enamored of computer effects and their ability to create rolling vistas and roiling violence that were once impossible to film. But just because you can, doesn't mean you should. As "Pearl Harbor" proved, there is something not quite real about even the most polished CGI, and I defy anybody to choose that film's centerpiece attack sequence over Apocalypse Now's thrilling helicopter attack, with Robert Duvall's Colonel Kilgore destroying a village as "Ride of the Valkyries" plays on his reel-to-reel.

And secondly, "Redux" comes at a time when mainstream entertainment like "Gladiator" wins the Oscar for Best Picture while discerning movie-goers save their money for the last two weeks of December, when all the quality films sheepishly pop their heads into the marketplace for a quick Oscar qualifying run before more financially viable product can take it's place. The 70's, generally regarded as the last great period of American filmmaking, saw an influx of films that embraced a style replete with grit, flair, honesty and experimentation. That Apocalypse Now Redux fails to improve on the original, doesn't minimize the fact that it succeeds in putting today's output to shame.
Finally, to compare Apocalypse Now to "Redux" is to say this: if it were possible for Da Vinci to repaint the Mona Lisa with the Hope Diamond around her neck, we would all agree that the Hope Diamond is beautiful. But the new Mona Lisa would be a different, not better, piece of art. Apocalypse Now Redux is a different, not better, piece of art.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

When the original Apocalypse Now was released on DVD, Paramount claimed they were presenting it in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. However, to eagle-eyed cinephiles it seemed more like 2.0:1. So with this new release, fans hoped the studio would finally come across with the 2.35:1 presentation they felt the film deserved. However, Paramount announced that the "Redux" DVD would feature a 2.1:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, which even led to an online petition (at petitiononline.com) to get Paramount (or, more appropriately, American Zoetrope and Francis Ford Coppola) to change its mind. And while such grass roots action may have convinced Warner Home Video to release a widescreen edition of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," no such change of heart was in the offing at Zoetrope. However, it should be noted that the 2.1 aspect ratio is the preferred composition of director of photography Vittorio Storaro, and does not reflect a compromise of the filmmaker's intentions.

Aspect ratio aside, the transfer is excellent. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography looks more vibrant than ever. For the theatrical release of "Redux," prints were struck from the three-dye Technicolor process that was used for its theatrical run in 1979. This little-used process rendered the colors rich, refined and natural, and they've been faithfully reproduced on the "Redux" DVD. Colors are well saturated, without being over-saturated. Black levels are deep and consistent, and although they do reveal some grain, it's never distracting and hardly worth mentioning. There is an occasional scratch, but they're few and far between. There are also a few instances of pixelation, especially during fades to black, but I've seen brand new films look worse, let alone a film from 1979. There is also a welcome lack of edge enhancements and shadow detail is quite good. Fleshtones are spot-on. Overall, the "Redux" transfer seems a hair brighter then the original's transfer, a change I actually prefer.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Like the original DVD release, "Redux" features a wonderful, aggressive mix. With its array of quietly hypnotic passages and fiery explosions, the Dolby 5.1 Surround has its work cut out for it. And luckily, both ends of the sound spectrum are tended to with much care. Fidelity is broad, the bass has some kick to it and there are absolutely no hisses, distortions or dropouts. The surrounds are fully engaged during the battle scenes, and there is some nice imaging. Helicopters sometimes fly from front-to-back, sometimes left- to-right. The confusion of war, with soldiers screaming in pain and officers barking orders are all lively and enveloping. I have no real complaints about the sound. Like the video transfer, it's a polished, professional presentation.

The DVD features only English subtitles. There are no foreign language subtitles or foreign language audio tracks.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Paramount and Coppola's Zoetrope Studios consider "Redux" the ultimate version of "Apocalypse Now," however the resulting DVD is sadly lacking in extras. Much of the reason is because the film is now 3 hours, 22 minutes and not much else is going to fit on a dual layer disk. The first DVD included the film's alternate ending (complete with Coppola commentary) and excerpts from the 1979 theatrical program handed to moviegoers since the 70mm presentation had no end credits. Many fans were hoping this new DVD would be a two-disc set featuring "Hearts of Darkness," the acclaimed 1991 documentary that chronicled the making of the film. Alas, the only extra on "Redux" is the theatrical trailer, which looks a bit disappointing. Although presented in widescreen, the trailer has too much grain for my taste and features some edge enhancements. Also on my unfulfilled wish list for this DVD was a branching feature that would allow the viewer to watch the film with or without the new scenes.

Elsewhere, menus are colorful, but only the main menu is even partially animated. The good news is that in the Chapter Select menu, scenes not in the 1979 version have an asterisk next to their chapter name, making them easy to flag. The bad news is that none of the chapter names are accompanied by a screen grab, making it harder to skip to your favorite scene. After twenty years, I know where the chapter "Kurtz dossier" will take me, but newer fans may need a still from that chapter to remind them.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts