Hearts of Darkness: a Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Eleanor Coppola was asked by her husband Francis to record the events leading up to the shooting of with a 16mm camera, just to keep her busy during this extraordinary long, exhausting and very complicated shoot. She captured amazing footage that was made into this very exciting documentary. In precise, diary-like episodes, she unveils the terrible experience of the actors and crew working under the pressure of the logistical disaster the shoot turned out to be, including the screenwriter's own insecurities, excitements, dilemmas and despair. Being so close to him, Eleanor captured his most intimate conversations, and we can hear (sometimes it's only audio) the struggle of an artist. Coppola faced numerous problems. The script had not been completed yet, and the project was logistically very complex. The United States military refused to cooperate, and the helicopters rented from the Philippine army were constantly called away to fight rebels. Protagonist Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack. Another huge problem was Marlon Brando's struggle, and his threats to walk off the set. But one of the darkest and biggest obstacles was Coppola's fear that he was blowing a huge amount of money ($20 million) on a bad film.