Film Forum

U.S., 1991
Directed by Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola
Featuring Eleanor Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, George Lucas, John Milius, Martin Sheen
Approx. 96 min. DCP.

In the late 1970s, director Francis Ford Coppola, accompanied by his family and cast and crew, travelled to the Philippines to begin work on what would become APOCALYPSE NOW. But it soon became one of the most notorious shoots in cinema history, spiraling into a hellish, life-threatening nightmare. Chronicling the drama was Coppola’s wife, the late Eleanor Coppola, who shot extensive behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot in 16mm, and recorded audio interviews with her husband and others involved in the movie’s making.

In the early 90s, Eleanor turned her 16mm footage and audio interviews over to filmmakers George Hickenlooper and Fax Bahr, who then interwove it with new interviews with the movie’s cast members (including Martin Sheen and Dennis Hopper) and observers (like George Lucas). After a year of editing, the new documentary debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. It had its New York theatrical premiere at Film Forum.

Says James Mockoski, Film Archivist and Restoration Supervisor at American Zoetrope, “For the past 30 years, Eleanor’s 16mm behind-the-scenes footage has been three to four generations removed from the original elements. For this new release and restoration of the documentary, Francis decided to scan the original sources in 4K. The extensive excerpts from the feature are now presented in their original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, rather than being letterboxed into a 4x3 frame.”

Restored at American Zoetrope and graded at Roundabout Entertainment. Restoration supervised by Francis Ford Coppola. Special thanks to James Mockoski, American Zoetrope's Film Archivist and Restoration Supervisor.

A RIALTO PICTURES RELEASE

Reviews

“The greatest ever making-of documentary... The time has come to acknowledge Eleanor Coppola’s magnificent achievement here as first among equals of the credited directors in shooting the original location footage (later interspersed with interviews by Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper), getting the stunningly intimate audio tapes of her husband Francis’s meltdown moments and, of course, in unassumingly keeping the family together while it was all going on.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“A fascinating window into the arduous making of a masterpiece.” 
–  Zachary Barnes, The Wall Street Journal

“THE MAKING OF A FILM HAS NEVER BEEN DOCUMENTED WITH MORE PENETRATION AND TRUTH.”
– Roger Ebert

“If there were an Oscar® for a real-life performance in a documentary, Coppola would deserve it… No actor has ever played a superstar director with such articulate authority, and anguished self-doubt — not even Mastroianni in Fellini’s 8½.”  
– Joseph Gelmis, Newsday.