Apocalypse Now: Final Cut
Apocalypse Now has been a long time favorite but not watched in a long time, probably 2010 or 2011 when Full Disclosure version came out on Bluray for the Redux version. From what I remember, I didn't think the scenes added anything to the film and probably worsened it. But I guess I don't have to fully depend on my memory.
(hold while I conduct some searches)
This is what I could find from what I wrote back in 2010:
I do like some of the additional footage (French villa part was good), I am just not sure it added anything overall or just hammered home more of the same.
My BD shipped yesterday from Amazon so I should have it in a few weeks. Then I intend to get a few friends over who have not seen it and make a night of it. Though, I think I will save Redux for another time when I am alone.
I must have saw it in the Theatre release before ordering the BR and I don't believe I ever watched Redux again, possible I only watch Hearts of Darkness on the disk as then I lent to a friend and lost it for a number of years until I found out who had it.
Anyway, I had tried to get my wife to sit down to watch it a number of times but she wasn't having it. She doesn't really like "war films" or old films. But she eventually saw and enjoyed Godfather 1&2 as well as loves Dracula, so with the release of the 4K Final Cut version, now was my chance to try again
The Final Cut version ends up somewhere between the Original Release and the Redux version. They remove some of the addition scenes where they meet up with the Playboy bunnies again after the USO show. That was a smart move. But they left in the French Villa scene, so this clocks in right around 3 hours.
After watching that scene again, I think my original comment in 2010 was just wrong or I was somehow trying to find something positive to say. It would be better to have left it out or at least drop all the suggestive dinner glances between Sheen and the beautiful woman followed by a brief bedroom scene that contained no sex but having her remove her clothes to drop the mosquito next around the bed. It just seemed like out of place, like it was forced into the script.
For me, I think it is best to stick to the original. On the plus side, the original and the Final Cut get a nice 4K transfer with a remastered Dobly Atmos soundtrack which makes it worst to watch again if it has been a while and you have an Atmos setup.