Product Description

This is an encylopaedic guide to all aspects of the film "Apocalypse Now".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #942564 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Karl French describes Francis Ford Coppola's seminal Vietnam movie as "one of a handful of works of art as famous for the process of its creation as for its finished form". It is a film which achieved notoriety even before release, coming under intense press speculation following Coppola's success with The Godfather and its sequel. The production lurched from mishap to mishap in the Philippines for eight months, fuelled by drugs and vastly exceeding its budget; Coppola contributed to the legend, screening his work-in-progress at the Cannes Film Festival and telling the audience "it was crazy...we were in the jungle, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane".

This A--Z guide is an attempt to dissect the madness of Apocalypse Now by breaking it down into snippets of information, the author describing his book as "a product of, and investigation into, the film's enduring fascination". French finds room to discuss parallels with myths and works of literature, aspects of the writing and production of the film, and its enduring legacy in popular culture. Sections on Joseph Conrad and T S Eliot appear alongside lyrics by punk band the Clash, transcripts of oft-quoted dialogue, details of longer cuts available as bootlegs, and biographies of stars who did not quite make it into the film. The result is a wealth of information which will enhance a viewer's appreciation and enjoyment of the film, and a volume which achieves a rare balance between trivia and critical insight. --John Oates

About the Author
Karl French is the co-author of Cult Movies and the editor if The Oficial Spinal Tap Companion.