I was a little bitter when I heard about a release date for Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse earlier this year. I was certain the key documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now would lead to yet another special edition of the Francis Ford Coppola film, not having faith in studios to release the documentary on its own. Part of this stemmed from the fact that the most recent version of Apocalypse Now, titled “The Complete Dossier,” was missing the documentary – a notable absence from what was an otherwise perfect release. It appears I was wrong, as Hearts of Darkness is scheduled for a November 20th DVD release.
For those who don’t know, Hearts of Darkness was filmed by Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, Eleanor, as the director undertook the film that almost cost him his life. The documentary shows the trials Apocalypse had to go through to get made, from hurricanes and heart attacks, to the lack of a definite ending for the story after 238 days of shooting.
This new separate DVD release includes a new commentary for the documentary by Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola. The disc will also include a new documentary, CODA: Thirty Years Later, which shows Francis making his first feature film in ten years, Youth Without Youth.
If you’re interested in seeing the challenges behind a classic film, this is definitely worth checking out. While I much rather would have seen the documentary included in “The Complete Dossier,” I’m glad to see it finding its own release November 20th.
