He told the New York Times that " Apocalypse Now is an important work of art, but that doesn't mean I'm going to bow down before it.

Murch realized that the script had originally been narrated but Coppola abandoned the idea during filming. Nevertheless, the depiction of Kurtz as a god-like leader of a tribe of natives and his malarial fever, Kurtz's written exclamation "Exterminate all the brutes! TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD.Hubert de Marais argues that French politicians sacrificed entire battalions at Điện Biên Phủ, and tells Willard that the US created the Viet Cong (as the Viet Minh) to fend off Japanese invaders. Around the dinner table, a young French child recites a poem by Charles Baudelaire entitled L'albatros. I also own "Hearts of Darkness" - the documentary DVD made by Coppola's wife about the production of the movie. Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter Kurtz, a highly decorated United States Army Special Forces officer with the 5th Special Forces Group who goes rogue. Coppola said that he made up for cutting this scene by having the PBR pass under an aircraft tail in the final cut.

Apocalypse Now was honored with the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished. There have been, to date, many variations of the end credit sequence, beginning with the 35 mm general release, where Coppola elected to show the credits superimposed over shots of the jungle exploding into flames. Here, generously illustrated with evocative stills from the film and revealing photographs from the set, is the story behind the movie where Vietnam met Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Coppola was drawn to Milius's script, which he described as "a comedy and a terrifying psychological horror story", and acquired the rights. A 289-minute First Assembly circulates as a video bootleg, containing extra material not included in either the original theatrical release or the "redux" version.Apocalypse Now won the Palme d'Or for best film, along with Volker Schlöndorff's The Tin Drum – a decision reportedly greeted with "some boos and jeers from the audience". Tavoularis and his team stayed on to scout new locations and rebuild the Playmate set in a different place.