In this new scene-by-scene break-down of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, contemporary culture critic John David Ebert frames the work in reference to an archaeology of the film's images. At the same time, Ebert connects this ancient history with"postmodern" contemporary critical theory, drawing upon Lacan, Derrida, Gadamer, and Cornelius Castoriadis, unpacking and analyzing Francis Ford Coppola's classic, one of the most famous and wildly inventive works in cinema history. In 23 chapters, Ebert interprets the longer Apocalypse Now Redux version, delving deep into the film's complex layers of literary meaning and aesthetic significance. John David Ebert has authored ten previous books, including Art After Metaphysics, Dead Celebrities Living Icons, The New Media Invasion, Post-Classic Cinema, and Gods & Heroes of the Media Age.

In 1975, after his two Godfather epics, Francis Ford Coppola went to the Philippines to film Apocalypse Now. He scrapped much of the original script, a jingoistic narrative of U.S. Special Forces winning an unwinnable war. Harvey Keitel, originally cast in the lead role, was fired and replaced by Martin Sheen, who had a heart attack. An overweight Marlon Brando, paid a huge salary, did more philosophizing than acting. It rained almost every day and a hurricane wiped out the set. The Philippine government promised the use of helicopters but diverted them at the last minute to fight communist and Muslim separatists. Coppola filmed for four years with no ending in the script. The shoot threatened to be the biggest disaster in movie history. Providing a detailed snapshot of American cinema during the Vietnam War, this book tells the story of how Apocalypse Now became one of the great films of all time.

A cinematic legend: The making of Francis Ford Coppola's epic about Vietnam and the folly of war, based on unprecedented access to Coppola's private archives

'It may be the most lucid account of the strain of epic moviemaking that we'll ever get. At it's center there's a great artist-hero caught in a trap - struggling to find the theme of the picture he's already shooting.' Pauline Kael, New YorkerIn the Spring of 1976, Eleanor Coppola, her husband, Francis Ford Coppola, and their children left California for the Philippines, where Apocalypse Now was to be filmed.As the months stretched into years, Eleanor Coppola's Notes became an extraordinary record not only of the making of a movie, but of the emotional and physical price exacted from all who participated in it.

Hired in 1976 by Francis Ford Coppola as the still photographer for his masterpiece Apocalypse Now, Chas Gerretsen’s private archive of hundreds of photographs propels readers immediately into the chaos and drama surrounding one of the most important movies ever made. Gerretsen was a renowned freelance photographer working in Vietnam when he got the call from Coppola, who was looking for a combat photographer for a war movie. Given unprecedented access to the film’s stars, extras, crew, and legendary behind-the-scenes drama he spent six months in the Philippines, shooting thousands of images. Culled from that archive, these full-color photographs offer an intimate glimpse of the turmoil and excitement of a Hollywood spectacle rising out of the unpredictable climate of the Philippine rainforest. Capturing the star power of Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Dennis Hopper, as well as the sprawling sets, he takes us into the beauty of the Southeast Asian jungle and shows us how its inhabitants were incorporated into the filming. Throughout the book, Gerretsen’s astute reflections of his experience on set are as fascinating as his photography. While Apocalypse Now remains one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, the making of the film is equally legendary. Nearly fifty years later, Gerretsen’s photographs remind us of Coppola’s artistic achievements and of a pivotal era in American cultural history.

These interviews show how the director of The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II evolved from hotshot film maverick to elder statesman of American cinema.

THE PUBLISHING SENSATION OF THE YEAR FOR EVERY FILM FAN The never-before-published edition of Francis Ford Coppola’s notes and annotations on The Godfather novel by Mario Puzo reveals the story behind one of the world’s most iconic films. The most important unpublished work on one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather, written before filming, by the man who wrote and directed it—Francis Ford Coppola, then only thirty-two years old—reveals the intense creative process that went into making this seminal film. With his meticulous notes and impressions of Mario Puzo’s novel, the notebook was referred to by Coppola daily on set while he directed the movie. The Godfather Notebook pulls back the curtain on the legendary filmmaker and the film that launched his illustrious career. Complete with an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola and exclusive photographs from on and off the set, this is a unique, beautiful, and faithful reproduction of Coppola’s original notebook. This publication will change the way the world views the iconic film—and the process of filmmaking at large. A must-have book of the season. Nothing like it has ever been published before