Apocalypse Now 4K UHD (1979)

[MassiveG]

As I understand it, the cuts are ranked Theatrical > Final Cut > Redux.

But has anyone noticed any PQ/AQ differences between the 4K UHD cuts?
I know the review said, "I frankly noticed no huge quality variances between them in either their shared or different footage.". But I wanted to be sure.

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

As much as I agree with Chili's sentiments, let's all be thankful that Coppola's "senility" didn't preclude him from featuring the original '79 and Redux cuts in this package.

Absolutely. Thanks to him for including every version so everybody is happy, unlike The Outsiders Blu-ray.

Still desperately wanting the theatrical cut of Amadeus in HD (or 4K). My 1997 DVD looks bad, but at least it's 16:9 widescreen. Another masterpiece with a vastly inferior director's cut.

[captainsolo]

I picked this up for the extras, the amazingly low price and the fact that at least the new master was also on BD despite crappy encoding.
The packaging is nice but comes across as flimsy and cheap-and the barebones quality is apparent along with Lionsgate's cheapness. It's ridiculous this doesn't have a slipbox as even compared to the Full Disclosure set it's laughable. I went through all four in store copies and finally picked the one that seemed the least damaged. It's also odd that all four BDs have plain silver labels in addition to the in between tray inner spines being completely blank.

But this is all secondary to the supremely low price for the materials...until you realize all the reasons which this release is not definitive and easily could have been. The BD encodes are impressively bad and make the new discs only slightly better than the older DNR'd Blu-ray release. Then there is the lack of the original audio as an option for the the theatrical 4K disc.
I don't have Atmos at home but even without the height channels the new mix seems relatively faithful-though I will always opt for the original legendary track and only spot checked through the new audio.

On the plus side almost all extras are ported over, the original mix is at least still in the set, it seems some extras have been re-encoded, despite the poor compression the new BDs are from the newer transfer, the street price is stunningly low for the format and contents and most importantly you can still choose between which version you like although the new Final Cut is merely the painful experience of Redux minus a few bits that make you want to seek them out so might have watched Redux anyway.

In the long run I still have all my other versions of the film anyway so I have better packaging and my history with the film visibly on the shelf.
This release is very highly recommended but should have been perfected.

[ninfan81]

Originally Posted by MassiveG

As I understand it, the cuts are ranked Theatrical > Final Cut > Redux.

But has anyone noticed any PQ/AQ differences between the 4K UHD cuts?
I know the review said, "I frankly noticed no huge quality variances between them in either their shared or different footage.". But I wanted to be sure.

From my understanding Redux was the basis for everything and the other cuts were assembled from it. There was only 1 transfer as a starting point so the shorter cuts are literally from the same source, just edited.

[pbz06]

Originally Posted by HotTastyChili

Watch the theatrical cut. I'll go one by one for you.

The French Plantation scene sucks because it adds twenty unnecessary minutes of run-time to a movie that was paced pretty well in the original incarnation, but now feels bloated and off balance because of its inclusion. It simply delays the Kurtz reveal to a point that it's annoying, and the French really don't have anything of value to say whatsoever. Nothing that the rest of the movie doesn't clearly articulate anyway in a much more subtle way. Plus it disrupts the flow of the journey upriver, and kills the tension that is kept alive in the original theatrical cut due to the absence of the scene.

The playboy typhoon scene is only in Redux, not the Final Cut. But it happens after the surfboard scene and I dislike them (think they suck) for a similar reason, so let me address the surfboard scene first.

Captain Willard stealing Kilgore's surfboard and laughing like a frat boy is awful, completely out of character, and ruins the distrust between Willard and the crew. It's a bonding moment for them in the film, but they're not supposed to bond. In the beginning of the movie they view Willard as a hard-ass, until they rendezvous with the boat with the puppy, and then they mistrust him even more, coming to view him as a monster. The stupid prank just doesn't fit, and there's absolutely no reason for it to be there at all. It's so pointless which makes it even worse. At least with the Plantation sequence Coppola was trying to say something, the surfboard crap serves no fuction. It also disrupts the great edit of Kilgore's chilling comment "Some day this war is going to end", and Willard addressing that statement in his narration directly after. In the theatrical cut, he addresses the statement almost immediately after Kilgore says it. In Redux and The Final Cut, he does the surfboard prank first. Then a lot of time goes by before talking about Kilgore's comment from scenes earlier. It just seems out of place and strange. Again, it doesn't mesh at all with the mood of the film.

The playboy thing is similar. When they run back into the models in Redux during the typhoon, there's just no reason for it to happen. It also is a tonally inconsistent bonding moment between Willard and the crew, since Willard gets them laid in exchange for gas. Just totally against Willard's character, particularly jarring after his comment during the first playboy encounter "No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command’s ass. The war was being run by a bunch of four star clowns who were gonna end up giving the whole circus away." If he thinks that kind of recreation is reprehensible in one scene, why would he suddenly want to indulge the crew a few days later? Just stupid, bad, and never should have been put back in.

I think Francis Ford Coppola knows deep down in his heart that the theatrical cut is clearly the best and least messy version of the film. Obviously all opinions are valid, I just personally don't understand why he made any of the additions found in the new versions of the film, or how anybody could think they improve upon the original masterpiece. I presume Coppola enjoys the cash flow increase generated by exploiting an old classic by pumping it full of crap it doesn't need and saying it was always supposed to be that way. I don't really blame him that much, the production was awful for him, who wouldn't want to milk it for every cent that it's worth?

Thank you so much for the detailed information. Exactly what I needed.

[dcx4610]

Just got done watching the 4K. As far as the 4K goes, it's definitely the best looking and sounding it ever has. Some of the scenes weren't the sharpest and it's a pretty dark movie over all but it feels natural at the same time. I'm happy with the transfer.

As for the movie, Apocalypse Now is a movie I just look at as art. It's very hard for me to give it a score and rate it even today. As a piece of film, it's incredible. I'm still blown away by all of the shots, sets and work done to make the movie.

My only critique is that this the first time seeing the final cut and man does that French scene completely derail and kill the pacing of the movie. It's interesting to see but it absolutely should have been cut. It felt like going to a completely different movie and then going to the Kurtz section right after is completely jarring and ruined the build up.

Regardless, still a fascinating film. It's a hard film to recommend unless you really appreciate film making and bizarre films but if you do, it needs to be on your bucket list of movies to watch.

[oilers73]

Originally Posted by HotTastyChili

Absolutely. Thanks to him for including every version so everybody is happy, unlike The Outsiders Blu-ray.

Still desperately wanting the theatrical cut of Amadeus in HD (or 4K). My 1997 DVD looks bad, but at least it's 16:9 widescreen. Another masterpiece with a vastly inferior director's cut.

Directors can change their movies as much, and as often, as they like. However, I am a firm believer that every version should be readily available. I was horrified by the changes made to E.T. in 2002, but I'm sure there are others who like the changes. This updated version is only on DVD and I don't think it's right. Bravo to Coppola for giving us all three versions of Apocalypse Now.

[dcx4610]

Anyone know if the original/redux cut is mastered to the same quality as the final cut? After watching the final cut, the theatrical is definitely my preferred version and just wondering if it is the same quality.

With AN not being the most rewatchable movie out there, I probably won't get back around to it for quite some bit.

[Kakihara]

For The Final Cut, the plantation scene would've worked better for me had it kept the politics and history lesson from the French while completely eliminating the love scene.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

Anyone know if the original/redux cut is mastered to the same quality as the final cut? After watching the final cut, the theatrical is definitely my preferred version and just wondering if it is the same quality.

same master and answer is 3 or 4 posts above yours lol

Originally Posted by ninfan81

From my understanding Redux was the basis for everything and the other cuts were assembled from it.
There was only 1 transfer as a starting point so the shorter cuts are literally from the same source, just edited.

and from page before regarding encoding/bit rate differences

Originally Posted by professorwho

The only real difference between the 2 UHD discs is the bitrate- the opening scene averages around 50 mbps on the Final Cut UHD, and around 40 mbps on the other. I could see no loss in clarity between the two discs, so choose your favourite cut and you'll get an equally amazing experience.

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

For The Final Cut, the plantation scene would've worked better for me had it kept the politics and history lesson from the French while completely eliminating the love scene.

That would've helped.

[OutOfBoose]

So Final Cut is under 3 hours without credits...

[bfrazer1]

Originally Posted by OutOfBoose

So Final Cut is under 3 hours without credits...

Yes, credits start at 2:55:50.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by oilers73

Directors can change their movies as much, and as often, as they like. However, I am a firm believer that every version should be readily available. I was horrified by the changes made to E.T. in 2002, but I'm sure there are others who like the changes. This updated version is only on DVD and I don't think it's right. Bravo to Coppola for giving us all three versions of Apocalypse Now.

I kept the 2002 DVD of E.T. for that reason. Not that it's my preferred cut of the movie, but it's kinda bizarre how Señor Spielbergo has disowned it completely, particularly while he indulges himself with digital fixes to his other movies (CE3K, SPR, Jaws) and pretends that he hasn't changed a thing.

[Kazuma-]

i'm a simple man. if the redux version includes all scenes of the theatrical & Final cut, than is the longest version the best for me. (So i can enjoy dolby vision longer)

[Geoff D]

As this is a new page, here is the news to no-one in particular, seeing as it was aksed twice on the last page alone:

ALL THREE CUTS ON UHD AND BD HAVE BEEN REMASTERED FROM THE SAME NEW 4K RESTORATION

[bookcase]

I think I can count on one finger when a "director's cut" is superior to the original: Kingdom of Heaven. FFC can tinker with this as much as he wants, and as long as the theatrical cut is preserved (hello, George Lucas), I'm happy. This is the perfect package because it has all 3 cuts in 4K, so one wasn't given the cold shoulder, and you can watch the version you prefer. For me, that is the theatrical version.

[ROSS.T.G.]

This is why I upgraded 2 years ago. I checked this out Saturday morning while the wife was out. I wanted to listen as loudly as possible. Easily one of my top home theatre experiences. Nothing really to add but PQ is just gorgeous. The reds were about as lifelike as I’ve seen. No idea what people are talking about with the lack of height effect. This was one of the best remixes I’ve heard. There was moments where I could hear things rattling upstairs. My room was completely pressurized from the LFE.

[dallywhitty]

Hey, guys. Are the theatrical and Redux versions in 4K, or just The Final Cut?

[ROSS.T.G.]

All cuts = 4K