Hearts of Darkness Review: When Apocalypse Now Nearly Broke Coppola

Blimey, if you think your job’s stressful, wait until you see what Francis Ford Coppola went through making Apocalypse Now. The re-release of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse isn’t just another making-of doc it’s a proper descent into madness that makes most Hollywood drama look like CBeebies.

When Reality Trumps Fiction

Remember that time you had a massive project go pear-shaped? Now multiply that anxiety by about a million. Eleanor Coppola’s intimate footage captures her husband Francis literally losing the plot while filming his Vietnam War epic. As someone who’s covered film sets for 15 years, I’ve seen directors throw wobblies over cold coffee but Coppola mortgaged his house and risked everything for this bonkers vision.

Eleanor Coppola: The Unsung Hero

Let’s give credit where it’s seriously due. While Francis was having his legendary meltdowns, Eleanor was quietly capturing everything on camera and holding the family together. Talk about multitasking! Her raw footage forms the backbone of this documentary, showing both incredible access and remarkable composure. In today’s world of carefully managed PR, you’d never get this level of brutal honesty.

The Making of Madness

The film tracks how Apocalypse Now went from ambitious war epic to total chaos. Typhoons destroyed sets, Martin Sheen had a heart attack, and Marlon Brando turned up massively overweight and barely knew his lines. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! It’s like watching the world’s most expensive car crash in slow motion you can’t look away.

FAQ: Your Burning Questions

Why is Hearts of Darkness considered the greatest making-of documentary?

Unlike modern behind-the-scenes features that basically serve as PR fluff, Hearts of Darkness shows the raw, unfiltered reality of filmmaking gone wrong. It captures genuine moments of crisis, including Coppola’s private audio recordings where he honestly believes the film will be a disaster.

How did Eleanor Coppola manage to film everything?

As Francis’s wife, Eleanor had unprecedented access to the production. She originally started filming just to document the process but ended up capturing one of cinema’s most fascinating meltdowns. Her personal connection to the subject matter gives the documentary an intimacy that wouldn’t be possible with an outside filmmaker.

Is the documentary better than Apocalypse Now?

While Apocalypse Now is a masterpiece in its own right, Hearts of Darkness offers something equally compelling: the true story of artistic obsession and the cost of pursuing creative vision at any cost. The documentary works brilliantly as both a companion piece and a standalone film about the price of ambition.

The Legacy Lives On

Watching Hearts of Darkness in 2025, it’s striking how relevant it remains. In an age where films are increasingly made in controlled environments with CGI, this reminder of old-school filmmaking’s sheer madness feels more vital than ever. Could anyone make a film like Apocalypse Now today? Would any studio let them?

As we continue to debate the future of cinema, Hearts of Darkness stands as a testament to a kind of filmmaking that’s nearly extinct where directors risked everything for their vision, for better or worse. And honestly? That’s properly brilliant.

Got a favourite making-of documentary? Or perhaps a legendary film production disaster story? Share your thoughts in the comments below!