Eleanor Coppola chronicled the making of Apocalypse Now in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, which was made available on 4K Ultra HD in December.

While the Francis Ford Coppola film was released in 1979, this documentary didn’t arrive in theaters until 1991. Much of this is because Eleanor worked on it for over a decade before turning over her material to Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. Bahr and Hickenlooper shot new interviews with cast and crew, which were intercut with Coppola’s earlier material. Tropic Thunder would later spoof both this film and Apocalypse Now.

Synopsis

Hearts of Darkness chronicles the chaos and turbulence from disastrous inclement weather to actors’ health crises to local political upheaval that plagued the marathon production of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Filmed by filmmaker-screenwriter Eleanor Coppola, this extraordinary documentary features behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with cast and crew, and secretly taped conversations with the tormented Coppola as he grappled with every imaginable (and unimaginable) obstacle.

Bonus Feature

• The Making of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse

DIRECTORS/SCREENWRITERS: Fax Bahr with George Hickenlooper
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE DIRECTED BY: Eleanor Coppola
NARRATOR: Eleanor Coppola
FEATURING: Eleanor Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, George Lucas, John Milius, Martin Sheen

Triton Pictures released Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse in theaters on November 27, 1991.

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