‘The film Francis is making is a metaphor for a journey into self…’
Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever made but the story behind its creation is almost as compelling. While legendary director Francis Ford Coppola was mulling over committing suicide due to his inability to write an effective ending to his magnum opus, his wife Eleanor was tasked with shooting a making-of documentary – possibly just to keep her busy as she herself concedes. In 1990, the directing duo Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper dug up this footage and combined it with new interviews with cast and crew. The result is Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse…
There are troubled productions and then there is Apocalypse Now. Some of the trials and tribulations that Coppola and his crew faced included terrible weather conditions, spiralling costs and Martin Sheen, the star of the film, having an actual heart attack. All of this is narrated by Eleanor Coppola and her matter-of-fact delivery just makes the whole thing more incredulous, The sheer scale of the production is something that might never happen again in this day of CGI and focus groups. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine that any of this nonsense would be allowed today. Even at the height of the auteur era, this production was particularly outlandish. Surely it is only the fact that Coppola financed much of the film himself that the film was finished at all. Just when you think all the bad luck that could possibly befall a film set has already happened, Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper show up and luckily it appears they have both gotten into character by being absolutely fucking insane. At this point, you begin to question how this film was made even back in the 70s and perhaps more perplexingly than that even, how it was not only financially successful but also ended up being one of the greatest films of all time. Surely a one in a million chance?
Hearts of Darkness is a fascinating exploration of an artist working at the very top of his craft and still plagued with questions and self-doubt. Essential viewing.