Hearts of darkness A filmmaker's apocalypse

The "making-of" featurette has become de rigueur on many feature film DVD releases, particularly on "special" or "deluxe" editions. But few can stand as documentaries in their own right like this warts-and-all behind-the-scenes peek at Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Relying on secretly recorded audiotapes and 16mm footage shot on the film's Philippines set by Coppola's wife, Eleanor, Bahr and Hickenlooper have assembled an eavesdropping look at the infamously troubled production, which went on more than a year past its planned shooting schedule. Coppola is captured dealing with multiple problems, from Martin Sheen's heart attack to Marlon Brando's obesity to a sudden typhoon, not to mention an unfinished script-his own brand of egomaniacal brilliance. As an added feature, Eleanor Coppola once again tracks production of her husband's filmmaking with his most recent film, Youth Without Youth, in an hour-long making-of piece, Coda: Thirty Years Later. Long overdue for release on disc, Hearts has at last arrived-albeit in a digitally unscrubbed version that reveals all of its technical flaws. Better late (and imperfect) than never. For most collections.-Jeff T. Dick, Davenport, IA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.