‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse’

Creating a classic against the odds

R | 1h 36min | Documentary, Film History | Nov. 27, 1991

There haven’t been many feature films made about other films (fewer than 10), and the only one worth the investment of your time is “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” (“Hearts of Darkness”).

Upon arriving in the Philippines in 1976 to begin filming “Apocalypse Now,” director Francis Ford Coppola (with his entire family in tow) asked his wife, Eleanor, to shoot a “behind-the-scenes” visual diary.

In “Hearts of Darkness,” Ms. Coppola can’t recall if her husband did this to keep her busy (as if minding three young children in a foreign land wouldn’t already do that) or to capture imagery for posterity’s sake. Whatever the case, her footage was never intended for public view or general release. Unbeknownst to Mr. Coppola at the time, his wife made audio recordings of their private meetings, saying things he certainly wouldn’t want to be public knowledge.

Francis Ford Coppola directs a scene in "Apocalypse Now," in "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." Triton Pictures

However, 11 years after the 1979 release of “Apocalypse Now,” Ms. Coppola turned over her footage to upstart filmmakers George Hickenlooper and Fax Bahr, who then augmented and added to what she had shot with then present-day interviews with cast members (Martin Sheen, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Albert Hall, Dennis Hopper, Frederic Forrest, and Robert Duvall) as well as original director George Lucas, screenwriter John Milius, assorted producers and technical personnel, and Mr. and Ms. Coppola themselves.

Overruns and Other Troubles

The opening scene in “Hearts of Darkness” shows Mr. Coppola at a news conference stating that his new movie isn’t about Vietnam; it is Vietnam. This blustery proclamation flies directly in the face of comments from Mr. Coppola in the upcoming months of filming when he is increasingly, one might say, “humbled.”

As the production of “Apocalypse Now” progresses (scheduled for 16 weeks but ultimately lasting 238 days), we witness Mr. Coppola going through a series of intense self-doubt meltdowns wherein he states emphatically that his $20 million movie (initially budgeted at $12 million) is a complete and utter disaster and, at one point, states that he’s committing artistic and metaphoric suicide. There is a still photo included here showing Mr. Coppola holding a .38 revolver to his own head.

The final budget turned out to be $31 million ($130.2 million in 2023 dollars).

Adaptations

One of the more interesting facets of “Hearts of Darkness” is the inclusion of the performance history of previous adaptations based on the original novel on which “Apocalypse Now” is based: the 1899 novella “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.

In the original novella set in the Congo, the man charged with neutralizing ivory trader Kurtz (played by Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now” as a rogue Army colonel) was a sailor named Charles Marlow. In “Apocalypse Now,” the Marlow character is an Army captain named Willard played by Mr. Sheen.

The most fascinating of these adaptations was the November 1938 Mercury Theater Radio broadcast written and narrated by Orson Welles. So pleased was Welles with the program that he planned to make it his first film with RKO studios and got as far as ordering set design models and makeup tests of himself as Kurtz. Due to probable cost overruns, RKO canceled the production, and Welles instead made “Citizen Kane.”

Marlon Brando (L) listens to Francis Ford Coppola on the set of "Apocalypse Now" in "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." Triton Pictures

The Welles connection wasn’t lost on Ms. Coppola, who took dozens of his audio clips from the broadcast and repurposed them as narration throughout “Hearts.” The RKO choice to cancel the production takes on a form of reincarnation here, with “Apocalypse Now” financiers United Artists having to pick up the tab due to Mr. Coppola’s many overruns. As we soon find out, money was the least of his concerns.

After viewing the dailies from the first week, Mr. Coppola and co-producer Fred Roos made the tough decision to fire lead Harvey Keitel and replace him with Mr. Sheen, thus making everything filmed up to that point useless.

During production, Mr. Sheen (then 36) suffered a heart attack and couldn’t return to work for three weeks, forcing Mr. Coppola to shoot around him.

On more than one occasion, seasonal monsoons partially or completely damaged sets. One set was so wiped out that a key scene was scrapped entirely.

Francis Ford Coppola (L) and his wife, Eleanor, at Cannes in "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." Triton Pictures

After agreeing to work for three weeks for a fee of $1 million per week, Brando first threatened not to show up at all while still keeping his $1 million deposit. When he finally arrived, he was overweight, hadn’t read “Heart of Darkness” as promised, demanded that his dialogue be changed daily and written on cue cards, and then changed the dialogue during filming.

Because the U.S. Army refused to assist Mr. Coppola in any way, he ended up making a deal with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to rent his army’s helicopters. As shooting took place during a rebel insurgency, Marcos would without notice regularly commandeer some or all of the helicopters, leaving Mr. Coppola in the lurch.

A Classic

In watching the theatrical first cut of the film, there’s no indication whatsoever of a troubled production. Upon release, “Apocalypse Now” was deemed by most critics as an instant classic and remains one of the most revered movies of all time.

On the website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 98 percent critics rating and a 94 percent audience score. It received three Golden Globe Awards, two Oscars, and won the coveted Palme d’Or Award at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.

In the closing credits, it’s stated that “Apocalypse Now” has taken in $150 million globally, but on the website Box Office Mojo that figure is over $104 million.

“Hearts of Darkness” more than accomplishes what it set out to do: portray Mr. Coppola as a man who suffers the same doubts and insecurities as the rest of us (with Mr. Coppola’s on a monumentally larger scale). He was able to see his vision through to completion while exceeding any and all expectations, including his own.

If there ever was a true “tortured artist,” it would be Mr. Coppola between the years of 1976 and 1979. His is one of the greatest filmmaking accomplishments in the history of cinema, and his wife’s tribute to him is equally as inspirational and uplifting.

Bully for both of them.

Eleanor Coppola shot a “behind-the-scenes” visual diary, which became the documentary "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse." Triton Pictures

The film is available on multiple incarnations of home video and streaming on YouTube and Apple TV+, and is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse’ Documentary Directors: Eleanor Coppola, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr Running Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes MPAA Rating: R Release Date: Nov. 27, 1991 Rating: 5 out of 5

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