The Apocalypse Now Book [Paperback]

Peter Cowie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 2001

The movie took years to be filmed and edited, and was the subject of endless stories, rumors, and speculation. At a screening at Cannes in May 1979, Francis Ford Coppola said simply, "There wasn't a truthful thing written about [the film] in four years." That year at Cannes, Apocalypse Now won the Palme d'Or, going on from there to worldwide acclaim and etching itself in the memories of audiences with unforgettable sequences like the dawn helicopter attack scored to Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" or Lt. Colonel Kilgore's chilling "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Here, generously illustrated with evocative stills from the film and revealing photographs from the set, is the story behind the movie where Vietnam met Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. It is the extraordinary saga of Coppola and his crew and actors—who included Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Harvey Keitel, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford—battling hurricanes in the jungles of the Philippines, the calamity of a lead actor's heart attack, and crises both psychological and financial . . . in the end giving rise to a modern film classic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When you've seen "Apocalypse Now Redux," you should read Peter Cowie's "Apocalypse Now Book" ...It has far richer detail." -- ---New York Times 5/13/01

About the Author

Peter Cowie is founding editor of the annual International Film Guide and author of The Cinema of Orson Welles (available from Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group) and Ingmar Bergman: A Critical Biography. He is now senior international advisor to the publication and lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1ST edition (April 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306810468
• ISBN-13: 978-0306810466
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of information, with some glaring omissions, May 9, 2003

By 

Joe Kenney "buttergun" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Apocalypse Now Book (Paperback)

Talk about bad timing. After years waiting for a good Apocalypse Now book, Peter Cowie's comes out, right around the same time as "Apocalypse Now Redux." The irony being that Cowie wrote the book in 2000, a full year before Coppola unveiled his reworked masterpiece. This means that, due to how long the publishing process takes, the book has hardly any information about Redux, which is a shame. As Cowie's interview with Coppola took place in 1999, there are no quotes or thoughts from the director about what lead him to create Redux.

That being said, the rest of the book is very informative, in some cases too informative. The background, pre-production detail is nearly staggering. I would have liked to have learned more about screenwriter John Milius' original script idea, "The Psychedelic Soldier," which, after he was inspired by the idea to do a modern tribute to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," became Apocalypse Now. Cowie, however, does do a great job of mentioning many of the early drafts of the script, even quoting from the rarely-seen first draft, in which the VC speak in goofy subtitles, and Colonel Kilgore is known as Colonel Kharnage.

The level of research Cowie has performed leaves me wondering over many glaring omissions. For example, the highlight of the book is a chapter titled "Buried Treasure," in which Cowie goes over the 5 ½ hour work print. Though he gives detailed descriptions of the major scenes that are in the work print, but were not included in the original version (or the Redux), there's no mention of the Photojournalist's death scene, which is a major revelation of the work print. Likewise, Cowie doesn't mention how deadly Martin Sheen's Willard is in the work print; for example, in it he kills a child in the climax.

Cowie also fails to cover little bits and pieces that are interesting in the film. For example, he doesn't mention that Lee Ermey, who would later make film history as the drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket," plays one of Kilgore's helicopter pilots, during the beach raid sequence. And there is no detail about what scenes, exactly, Harvey Keitel filmed during the few weeks he spent on the set. But these little matters are trivial. The fact is, the book is a pretty good compendium of information about my favorite movie. There are no color photos, but there are some nice behind-the-scenes shots and stills, including a very nice one of Willard's head coming out of the swamp, enshrouded in fog.

The main thing I found interesting in the book was that cinematographer Storaro advised Coppola to end the movie on a pessimistic note. Watching one of the early edits, Storaro urged Coppola to integrate the scenes of Willard hacking at Kurtz with the caribou sacrifice, as well as the shots of Kurtz's compound exploding. The way Storaro envisioned it, Willard would kill Kurtz at the exact same time as the air strike, which would obliterate all of them. A very dark ending, but Coppola obviously didn't like it. The footage of Kurtz's compound being destroyed, by the way, is included as an extra on the Apocalypse Now (original version) DVD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun, Entertaining and Insightful Look At The Creation Of A Masterpiece, February 21, 2008

By 

Vladdy Trout (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Apocalypse Now Book (Paperback)

This book is a must read for any fan of Apocalypse Now. It goes into detail about the creation of the movie and offers interesting insights into the pre-production process, including excepts from transcripts of conversation between Coppola and Brando about the Kurtz character. The rest of the book is filled with a ton of information. There is a great section on the different cuts of the film, including a look at the 5 hour rough cut. This book makes a great companion when viewing Apocalypse Now Redux.

4.0 out of 5 stars It Fills In A LOT Of Blanks, January 21, 2012

By 

Stephen Bierce (Jefferson City, TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Apocalypse Now Book (Paperback)

I found this on a shopping trip years ago and had hoped to find additional copies for friends and buddies. This is a must-read, not only for fans of the movie, but for those curious about the era and of the process of filmmaking in those years.