And this week's Friday night movie has been... Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse!
It has been many moons since I saw Apocalypse Now so it is indeed inevitable that I would come to this: A legendary documentary chronicling the trails and tribulations of making that very movie.
It's fair to say that the making of this film has become the stuff of legend. And it is all here: Filming in the Philippines whilst a civil war is waging nearby; star Harvey Keitel being dismissed when filming's already underway; replacement star Martin Sheen having a heart attack; sets being destroyed by a typhoon; animal sacrifice and the near-insane vision of Francis Ford Coppola and his equally bonkers determination to see it through.
Needless to say, this was a compelling watch and never once dull.
Some say that Heaven's Gate was the endpoint of both the New Hollywood era and auteur-driven movies. But the same could equally be said about this: Given the effort, astronomical expense, the afore-mentioned madness of vision, one would think that this would be a career killer.
Strangely enough, that is not the case: Despite the insanity of the production, Apocalypse Now was, and still is, highly regarded. Which is a miracle in itself.
Mind you one can only wonder how Apocalypse Now would've turned out had the original choice of director, one George Lucas, took the job.....
