Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

100% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
91% of users liked it
(8,023 ratings)

An intimate look at the making of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 classic Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse combines the usual documentary interviews with outtakes from the film and rare documentary footage, some shot on the set by Eleanor Coppola. Not long after the arrival… More An intimate look at the making of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 classic Apocalypse Now, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse combines the usual documentary interviews with outtakes from the film and rare documentary footage, some shot on the set by Eleanor Coppola. Not long after the arrival of Francis Ford Coppola and crew in the Philippines, the shooting schedule begins spiraling out of control; the film's cost has soon far surpassed the original budget, with the ending still unwritten. As the problems mount, from lead Martin Sheen's heart attack to the disappearance of several helicopters needed for a scene (because they went to fight in a nearby war), the making of the film begins to frighteningly resemble its subject -- an unending tale of madness and obsession in the jungle. The film provides a remarkably immediate look at the filmmaking process and the personalities involved, especially Coppola, who publicly acts the autocrat but privately proclaims his belief that he is making an awful film, and Marlon Brando, whose rambling, mumbled improvisations are among the documentary's highlights. Even more impressively, the documentary explores how, despite the chaotic environment, the filmmakers somehow managed to produce an acclaimed, lasting work of art. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper
Genres: Documentary, Television, Special Interest

In Theaters: May 1, 1991 Wide
On DVD: Nov 20, 2007
Studio: Showtime Network

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A fascinating 1991 postmortem on the making of Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
There have been few sharper portraits of the film maker as alchemist than Hearts of Darkness: A Film Maker's Apocalypse.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The making of a film has never been documented with more penetration and truth than in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
As the portrait of an artist in crisis, Hearts of Darkness is unparalleled.
Joe Brown, Washington Post
Harrowing and funny, a fine film on its own, Hearts leaves us with a new appreciation for the Vietnam War epic it documents.
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com
It's a mesmerizing portrait of a production spiraling out of control in the face of personal upheavals and natural disasters, and a filmmaker struggling to hold it together...
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
an utterly absorbing documentary
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
For a portrait of cinematic obsession and unbridled megalomania... one would be hard pressed to find a more satisfying piece of work than Hearts of Darkness
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
It does a good job of painting an honest portrait of out-of-control egos and the excess of Hollywood in the '70s, while also being informative and entertaining.
Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views
There is something very carnal about watching the production fall apart and see the reputation of Coppola hang in the balance.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
We come away from the documentary with a profound admiration for Coppola, if only because he didn't kill himself or someone else.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This is an interesting docu but some important issues are missing, such as Coppola's infidelity during the shoot and the question of whether or not the chaos on the set had bearing on the artistic quality of Apocalypse Now, acknowledged as a masterpiece
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
At once anecdotal and revealing, this excellent film both illuminates the catastrophes that beset one particular project, and shows, by way of comparison, exactly what American film has foregone since the '70s.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
A phenomenal documentary about one of the most notorious film shoots of all time.
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News
One of the best documentaries ever made, more fascinating an exploration of obsession than the film it's about.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a great insight and document of one of the most notorious film shoots in the history of cinema. It exposes the madness and obsession throughout the history of the story from the people who wanted to make it, the crew that eventually… More
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a great insight and document of one of the most notorious film shoots in the history of cinema. It exposes the madness and obsession throughout the history of the story from the people who wanted to make it, the crew that eventually made it and the cast who went mad and nearly died making it. Some of it I found exaggerated. When all your money is in a project that is rapidly falling apart, the safest way to get a return is to make sure people see the film by making it 'notorious' and that is exactly what Coppola did. This film exposes him as a great marketing man but a bad director. You have to wonder if it is the big budgets and great actors alone that have made his career and not necessarily his 'Artist input'. I found him and his wife to be extremely annoying, naive and stupid throughout this documentary, Apocalypse Now is great film but it's a shame it couldn't of happened to a nicer man. This is essential viewing for anyone seeking a career in film making but as more of a how not to do it guide but then again, all you really need is a lot of luck and a lot of money, this film is proof of that. Fascinating watching all the same.
Thomas B

All the more amazing for the fact that it's real. Full review later.
Ken S

Best Making of Documentary Ever... I think I swallowed a bug
Tim S

Interesting, but a little self indulgent documentary about the filmmaking process. Francis Ford Coppola should be commended for being so honest about his own shortcomings that arise during the making of one of his landmark films and it's crazy to watch all of the overall bad luck… More
Interesting, but a little self indulgent documentary about the filmmaking process. Francis Ford Coppola should be commended for being so honest about his own shortcomings that arise during the making of one of his landmark films and it's crazy to watch all of the overall bad luck that he encountered while shooting. The self indulgence makes it a little hard to swallow and makes it hard for me to feel anything for the actual actors. I can't imagine being a part of this crew during this shoot. I just kept feeling bad for the grips and production assistants who had to sit by and watch as these assholes had to make their epic. At least they got paid, but you wonder if they were paid overtime.
Stella D

i learned some interesting stuff including that heart of darkness was orson welles' first planned film project. he ended up making citizen kane instead. fascinating insight into the film making process... and it's a wonder brando got any work with his attitude :p
Conner R

A powerful story of one man's journey to make the most important/relevant war movie of the time. Francis Ford Coppola poured his heart and soul into Apocalypse Now and it definitely shows that in this documentary. If you didn't respect the man before, you certainly would… More
A powerful story of one man's journey to make the most important/relevant war movie of the time. Francis Ford Coppola poured his heart and soul into Apocalypse Now and it definitely shows that in this documentary. If you didn't respect the man before, you certainly would after seeing the documentary. To him it was more than just a movie that he was making and not about the money or fame.
Jennifer X

Weird that I like the behind-the-scenes documentary better than the actual movie. But Apocalypse Now is a polarizing movie. I like Coppola so much more as a person than as a director. He has a noncompromising idea of what he wants the movie to be and that's why it was finally… More
Weird that I like the behind-the-scenes documentary better than the actual movie. But Apocalypse Now is a polarizing movie. I like Coppola so much more as a person than as a director. He has a noncompromising idea of what he wants the movie to be and that's why it was finally made after all that tortuous junk. From what I saw that movie didn't seem all that great given certain scenes but the overlay of narration and music and crosscutting gave it the unique feel if you watch it now. Tropic Thunder was definitely parodying this.
Michael S

Intense Documentary.
Tim S

A fascinating glimpse into the making of a masterpiece.
Michael G

If you're a fan of the film Apocalypse Now you need to see this.
Mike T

This is definitely one of the best documentary films I've ever seen, and one of my favorites. This is a brilliant portrait of the lengths a great artist will go to in order to fulfill his vision. Ontop of making me admire Apocalypse Now even more, it also gave me a greater… More
This is definitely one of the best documentary films I've ever seen, and one of my favorites. This is a brilliant portrait of the lengths a great artist will go to in order to fulfill his vision. Ontop of making me admire Apocalypse Now even more, it also gave me a greater appreciation for Coppola as a storyteller in general. Essential viewing for fans of its subject.
Alec B

Watching this documentary proves that the mere fact that Apocalypse Now was even completed was a miracle, that it turned out to be one of the greatest movies ever made is something that is beyond comprehension. As with many documentaries on subjects like this, I wish there was more… More
Watching this documentary proves that the mere fact that Apocalypse Now was even completed was a miracle, that it turned out to be one of the greatest movies ever made is something that is beyond comprehension. As with many documentaries on subjects like this, I wish there was more but the film is an interesting exploration of the environment that created the classic film. It suggests that the fact that things were so fucked up on set 24/7 for nearly four years is the reason the film is so great.
Christopher B

Amazing doc chronicling the making of Apocalypse Now. What's so incredible is the viewer gets to see one of the toughest shoots to create one of the greatest films of all time. If you're an Apocalypse Now fan you must see this ASAP.
Wu C

Interesting inside look on the making of 'Apocalypse Now'.