Apocalypse Now (Zoetrope, 1979), Fred Roos' Custom-Bound Combined Script with Continuity Draft, Press Materials, and B...

Description

Apocalypse Now (Zoetrope, 1979), Fred Roos' Custom-Bound Combined Script with Continuity Draft, Press Materials, and BTS Photos. Offered here is producer Fred Roos' extraordinary vintage original custom-bound reference volume documenting the final phase of production on Apocalypse Now, one of the most ambitious and chaotic shoots in cinema history. Bound in green covers with brads, this unique compilation includes Zoetrope Studios' "Combined Continuity Script No. 013," dated June 25, 1979, with the original studio wet stamp, as well as inserted pages of Willard's voiceover narration dated June 27, 1979. These documents capture the shaping of Apocalypse Now in postproduction, following nearly five years of development and 238 punishing days of principal photography, originally scheduled for just 16 weeks. Francis Ford Coppola famously staked his personal fortune and sanity on the film. Drawing from screenwriter John Milius' original draft, an operatic, ultra-masculine take on the Vietnam War, Coppola reshaped the material into something darker, stranger, and far more personal. He later explained: "I was going to take John's script and mate it with Heart of Darkness and whatever happened to me in the jungle... that was my concept." As the production spiraled out of control in the Philippines, that concept became reality. The finished film is not only a war story but also a reflection of Coppola's own descent into chaos. The long and troubled shoot, which included cast changes, monsoon damage, and mounting financial pressure, became inseparable from the narrative itself. This is the moment where filmmaking and madness merged and where Apocalypse Now became something more than just a movie. This custom volume opens with an extensive studio press kit, including synopses, cast and crew biographies, and production notes. It concludes with original press clippings documenting early reviews. Also included is a four-page draft of the film's original ending, in which Willard returns to the United States to tell Mrs. Kurtz of her husband's death, an ending ultimately abandoned by Coppola, who later admitted, "I always thought the ending was weak." Marlon Brando's involvement added further turmoil. He arrived late, overweight, and refused to read Milius' original script. He threatened to walk off the project and keep the one million dollar advance Coppola had personally paid him. Instead, Brando insisted on reworking his scenes, replacing much of Milius' extended monologues with fragmented lines he rewrote during filming. Among the inserted materials is the now-iconic scene in which Coppola appears on-screen as a frenzied war correspondent shouting at Willard's patrol, "Don't look at the camera, just keep running by..." The volume also features several tipped-in studio production photos, including rare images of Martin Sheen as Willard, Marlon Brando as Kurtz, and candid moments with Coppola, Brando, and Roos on set. Also includes Roos' personal photographs from the 32nd Cannes Film Festival, where Apocalypse Now premiered unfinished and still won the Palme d'Or. The behind-the-scenes chaos chronicled in this volume would later be explored in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Journey, the 1991 documentary directed by Eleanor Coppola. Fred Roos produced the film, and it is likely that materials from this bound volume, including scripts, notes, and photographs, were drawn upon to reconstruct the story of the film's legendary production. More than a script, this volume is a snapshot of creative obsession. It reveals how Coppola fused Milius' mythic narrative with his own unraveling in the jungle to produce one of the most haunting and celebrated films of the twentieth century. This script, along with lots 38416, 38418, 38419, and 38420, reveals the many changes and creative decisions that shaped the film before it reached its final, celebrated form. Measures approximately 9" x 11.25" and nearly 2" thick. Covers show minor handling wear and a faint horizontal indentation on the front. Interior pages exhibit mild toning from age but remain clean and well-preserved. The poster is for reference only and is not included with this lot. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Estate of Fred Roos.

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