STRANGE STORIES from Making the Kurtz Compound | Ep21 | Making Apocalypse Now
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the surreal and chaotic production tales behind 'Apocalypse Now', highlighting bizarre incidents like a revolt by an army of monkeys, the near arrest of the crew for using real dead bodies as set decor, and the creative challenges of realizing the Kurtz compound. It also pays tribute to Eleanor Coppola, whose diary provides an intimate look into the film's production, and discusses the intricate set design and cultural authenticity, all while navigating the blurred lines between art and reality.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The production of 'Apocalypse Now' was fraught with unusual incidents, including a revolt by an army of monkeys and a near-arrest for using real dead bodies on set.
- 📅 The timeline of the Kurtz compound scene was filmed in September 1976, several months before Martin Sheen's heart attack in March 1977.
- 🚢 Director Francis Ford Coppola drew inspiration from photos of a Borneo ceremony for the Kurtz compound scene, aiming to depict Willard's state of mind as newborn-like and confused.
- 🎨 The makeup process for the boatmen scene was extensive, taking six hours, and was ruined by an unexpected underwater explosion that sent the extras into the water to collect dead fish.
- 🐒 'Monkey Island' was the site of a revolt by the hired monkeys, who attacked the set dressers and escaped into the jungle, forcing the production to use human extras instead.
- 📽️ The documentary 'Aliens Expanded' is a deep dive into the making of 'Aliens', featuring interviews with the cast, crew, and James Cameron himself, set to release in June.
- 🔥 The Kurtz compound set was designed with surreal elements like fire coming from the water, adding to the film's expressionistic and psychedelic nature.
- 🏰 The construction of the Kurtz temple and compound was a massive undertaking, using primitive methods and local labor, and was intended to be realistic enough to be destroyed in the film's climax.
- 🗝️ Dean Tavoularis, the production designer, faced numerous challenges, including the confiscation of weapons and the controversy over the use of real cadavers for the set decoration.
- 🎭 The use of real people and objects, such as the Ifugao tribe and actual trash, contributed to the authenticity and surreal atmosphere of the film.
- 🚫 The Philippine military's investigation into the use of real cadavers and the grave-robbing supplier added another layer of real-life drama to the already troubled production.
Q & A
What was the unusual incident involving makeup and an underwater explosion during the filming of the Kurtz compound scene?
-During the filming of the Kurtz compound scene, makeup artists had spent six hours applying white makeup to the boatmen extras. However, when a special effects technician set off an underwater explosion as a test, all the extras jumped into the water to collect dead fish, ruining their makeup and the day's shoot.
Why was the Kurtz compound set difficult to build?
-The Kurtz compound set was difficult to build because it was constructed on location using three hundred pound adobe blocks made on-site without the aid of modern construction machines. The set also included intricate decorations and had to accommodate a large number of extras and equipment.
What was the 'Monkey Island' incident during the Apocalypse Now production?
-The 'Monkey Island' incident occurred when the production team released thirty 'non-swimming' monkeys on an island to act as inhabitants. Instead of staying, the monkeys attacked the set dressers and then swam away into the jungle, escaping the island.
How did the production of Apocalypse Now affect Dean Tavoularis, the production designer?
-Dean Tavoularis was deeply affected by the production of Apocalypse Now. Living at the Kurtz compound location, he slipped into a depression due to the surrounding atmosphere of death and the use of real cadavers during the set dressing.
What was the controversy surrounding the use of real bodies on the set?
-A prop man had arranged for real bodies, supposedly sourced from a supplier who provided cadavers for medical schools. However, it was later discovered that the supplier was a grave robber, and the production was investigated for a week by the Philippine military to determine if they had any involvement in the deaths.
Why was the Kurtz compound designed the way it was?
-The Kurtz compound was designed to signify Kurtz's 'descent into madness' and was inspired by the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia. It was meant to appear overgrown and reclaimed by the jungle, part of a former civilization, and a fortress.
What was the significance of the Ifugao tribe in the production?
-The Ifugao tribe was hired to play Kurtz's Montagnard army because they naturally fit the role and did not require daily wardrobe changes. They also helped in decorating the set by carving totems and building parts of it themselves.
How did the production handle the portrayal of violence and death in the Kurtz compound scene?
-The production used a combination of real and fake elements to portray violence and death. They used real bones with rotting meat and maggots for authenticity, as well as fake blood, dummies, and rubber-made weapons for safety and practicality.
What challenges did the production face with the Kurtz temple set?
-The Kurtz temple set faced challenges such as the need for manual construction without modern machinery, sourcing and transporting materials like bones for decoration, and maintaining authenticity amidst the harsh conditions and smell from the decaying organic matter.
What was the role of Eleanor Coppola's production diary in understanding the making of Apocalypse Now?
-Eleanor Coppola's production diary, 'Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now,' provided an intimate and in-depth look into the production process, the challenges faced, and the personal experiences of those involved, offering a unique perspective on the creation of the film.
How did the production manage the use of real and fake elements in the Kurtz compound scene?
-The production managed the use of real and fake elements by employing real actors for close-up shots and dummies for background decoration. They also used real bones for authenticity and fake blood and rubber weapons for safety and practical effects.
Outlines
🎬 Apocalypse Now Production Mishaps
This paragraph delves into the unusual and challenging experiences during the production of Apocalypse Now. It narrates how the Kurtz compound set was decorated, leading to unexpected incidents such as a revolt by an army of monkeys and a near-arrest of the crew for using real dead bodies. The timeline is set in September 1976, prior to Martin Sheen's heart attack in 1977. Director Francis Ford Coppola's vision of Willard's arrival at Kurtz's compound is explored, with the patrol boat pushing through white-painted boatmen symbolizing birth. The makeup and preparation of the extras, the accidental underwater explosion, and its impact on the shoot are detailed, highlighting the improvisation and resilience required in filmmaking.
🐒 Monkey Island and Montagnard Army Insights
The narrative shifts to the peculiar story of 'Monkey Island,' where the plan to populate the island with monkeys went awry as they attacked the set dressers and escaped. The paragraph also discusses the casting of the Montagnard army in Kurtz's compound, utilizing an entire tribe from the Ifugao province of Luzon, who were natural fits for the roles without the need for costumes. The tribe's unique contract, which included provisions for food, salary, medical care, and animals for sacrificial purposes, is highlighted. Additionally, the Ifugao tribe's historical resilience and their contribution to the set decoration is noted, adding an authentic touch to the film's production.
🔥 Surreal Imagery and Set Construction Challenges
This section examines the surreal and psychedelic elements of Apocalypse Now, such as unexplained flames and fog, emphasizing the film's expressionistic approach over realism. The construction of Kurtz's compound is detailed, describing the use of adobe blocks and the challenges of building a massive set in a remote jungle location without modern machinery. The use of traditional construction methods, local labor, and the unfortunate accidents that led to the death of two workers are recounted. The set's design inspiration from the Angkor Wat temple and the meticulous planning that went into creating an immersive and realistic environment are also highlighted.
💀 Descent into Madness: Temple of Decay and Controversies
The final paragraph focuses on the decaying temple set designed to symbolize Kurtz's descent into madness. It describes the use of real bones, maggots, and trash to create an authentic atmosphere, despite the discomfort it caused the actors. The controversy surrounding the alleged use of real cadavers obtained by a grave robber is explored, along with the subsequent investigation by the Philippine military that nearly implicated the production team. Dean Tavoularis's personal experience living at the compound and the overall atmosphere of death that permeated the set are discussed, concluding with the denial by the movie's press office of using actual cadavers in the film.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Apocalypse Now
💡Kurtz Compound
💡Production Challenges
💡Expressionistic Approach
💡Eleanor Coppola
💡Makeup and Prep
💡Special Effects
💡Montagnard Army
💡Set Dressing
💡Cadavers
Highlights
The production of 'Apocalypse Now' encountered bizarre incidents, such as a revolt by an army of monkeys and the crew nearly being arrested for using real dead bodies as set decorations.
Coppola's idea to portray Willard's state of mind as a newborn baby upon arrival at Kurtz's compound, symbolizing a fresh perspective on the chaos he encounters.
The use of real boatmen from the Philippine island of Pagsanjan, who were sprayed with white makeup and had unique hand-painted designs on their faces, adding authenticity to the scene.
A humorous incident where a special effects test led to extras jumping into the water to collect dead fish, ruining hours of makeup and preparation.
The story of 'Monkey Island', where non-swimming monkeys attacked the set dressers and escaped, leading to the use of human extras instead.
Eleanor Coppola's detailed production diary, providing an intimate view of the challenges and creative process behind 'Apocalypse Now'.
The challenging construction of Kurtz's compound, built without modern machinery and using traditional methods, reflecting the film's themes of primitive power and madness.
The tragic deaths of two Filipino construction workers, highlighting the real-life risks and sacrifices made during the production.
The use of real bones and trash to create an authentic and disturbing atmosphere for the Kurtz compound, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
The controversy surrounding the alleged use of real cadavers as set decorations, which led to an investigation by the Philippine military.
The surreal and psychedelic imagery in the film, such as unexplained flames and fog, reflecting an expressionistic approach to storytelling.
The unique casting of a full tribe from the Ifugao province of Luzon to play Kurtz's Montagnard army, adding authenticity to the film's portrayal of indigenous people.
The innovative use of adobe blocks for the construction of the Kurtz temple, which were made on-site and embossed with designs to create a realistic and ancient look.
The film's connection to the Montagnard people, who were known for their resilience and warrior culture, mirroring Kurtz's own descent into a primitive state of power and control.
The meticulous attention to detail in the production design, including the creation of a large Buddha head sculpture modeled after a young Filipina maid.
Transcripts
The stories behind the Apocalypse Now production just keep getting weirder and weirder,
and while you’d think that simply decorating the Kurtz compound wouldn’t be that bizarre,
in this episode I’ll be telling you some crazy stories including a revolt from an
army of monkeys and the entire crew nearly getting arrested for decorating the set
with real dead bodies. But first, a story about how these guys ruined a whole day of shooting.
Chef, keep moving. Lance, keep your hands away from the guns.
The patrol boat finally arrives at Kurtz’s compound and sees hundreds
of people watching them with around a hundred and twenty done up in white
paint and standing on small boats called bancas blocking their way.
To give you some sense of the timeline, this shot was done in September of 1976 and Sheen’s
heart attack we discussed in the previous episode happened in early March of 1977.
Coppola got the idea from photos of boatmen performing a ceremony in Borneo (Zeismer 266). He
was trying to work out Willard’s state of mind when he arrives, deciding to, instead of having
Willard be angry, he would be like a newborn baby (Zeismer 266, Hearts of Darkness). Throughout
much of this sequence, we see Willard on the edge of confusion or some kind
of profound experience as he tries to wrap his mind around what Kurtz has done.
In keeping with this newborn idea, Coppola would have the patrol boat slowly push
through the boatmen like a birth (Zeismer 266). The production had traveled all over
the largest Philippine island looking for people to play the boatmen with each being
brought to Pagsanjan to be housed, fed, and rehearse the scene (Zeismer 266-67). The
makeup people filled paint sprayers with white makeup to spray down their bodies,
but their faces had to be done by hand and each one had a unique design (Zeismer 266-67). It
took six hours to get everyone made up and ready to shoot (Zeismer 266-67).
At one point, it began to lightly rain and the makeup people got into a huddle to figure
out what to do if their six hours worth of makeup started washing off (Coppola 136).
The boatmen paddled into position and got ready. The camera was positioned on top of the patrol
boat and as cinematographer Vittorio Storaro got the camera ready, the boat was slowly pulled
back to its starting position (Zeismer 267). Special effects technician Jerry Endler radioed
to Assistant Director Jerry Zeismer on top of the boat asking if it would be alright if they tested
the size of an underwater explosion (Zeismer 267). Storaro wasn’t quite ready for the shot yet so
Zeismer told Endler to go ahead and set off the explosion (Zeismer 267). As soon as the explosive
charge went off, all of the boatmen extras jumped into the water and swam toward where the explosion
went off–they wanted to collect all the dead fish to sell at a local market (Zeismer 267). Six hours
of makeup and prep was ruined in an instant. Sheen turned to Zeismer and said, “It’s their
first movie, Jer '' and laughed (Zeismer 267). They ended up just filming reaction shots of Chef,
Lance, and Willard on the boat and pushed the shot of the boatmen to the next day (Zeismer 267).
I ain’t coming in there! Them bastards attacked us!
The next story involves what was known as ‘Monkey Island’. But first, you might remember
when I partnered with the new documentary Aliens Expanded to help them get funding for what will be
the definitive documentary on the making of James Cameron’s Aliens. Well, a year and a half later,
the documentary is about to be released this June! Aliens Expanded is from the makers of the super
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and novelizations, and the man himself, James Cameron. If you know this channel,
you know I love taking the time to get into the nitty gritty of a movie, so I’m super excited for
this. They are taking pre-orders until May 5th with tons of fun extras, but most importantly,
your support here will allow them to keep going with more deep-dives into single movies.
Click the link in the description to check out the cool bonuses you can get and remember,
the pre-order window closes on May 5th!
Now, to monkey island…
When the patrol boat pushes past the boatment, we see stairs leading up from the water to the temple
ruins. What’s interesting is the story behind this little island to the left of the stairs.
The production called it “monkey island” because the original plan was to have it
inhabited by monkeys (Zeismer 270). The set dressers had constructed little homes and
perches on the island for thirty “non swimming” monkeys they bought, caged, and boated to the
little island (Zeismer 270). The set dressers released the monkeys from the cages on the island,
but before they could get back on the boat, the monkeys revolted and attacked the set dressers,
chasing them around the island, biting and scratching them (Zeismer 270).
Watch out! Those goddamned monkeys bite you, I’ll tell you!
The set dressers huddled together on the island where they were screamed at
by the little monsters and then these “non swimming” monkeys jumped into the river,
swam to the shore, and ran off into the jungle (Zeismer 270).
They would end up dressing the little island with people instead.
In her diary, Eleanor Coppola writes, “Yesterday I was standing on the dock at the set,
watching the second unit shoot. They were placing Vietnamese extras on the steps of
Monkey Island and pouring blood on them. There were dummies floating in heaps in the water
lilies. Special effects fires were burning, and about 150 Ifugaos were placed along the far shore
and among the sandbags along the wall behind me. The shot was a point of view for the PBR
as it approaches Kurtz Compound. The exhaust from the engines was floating in a misty trail behind
the boat. It was late afternoon and the light and smoke looked theatrical. I began thinking
that it was like being in a theater that was a full 360 degrees around me” (Coppola 140).
I want to take a moment to acknowledge that Eleanor Coppola passed away between
the last episode and this one. Her efforts on Hearts of Darkness and
her production diary are the reason that we are able to get so in-depth
with what it was like creating one of the greatest movies ever made. But beyond that,
I highly recommend reading her production diary ‘Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now’ because,
while I’ve only talked about the aspects of the diary that relate directly to the production,
we get an intimate view inside the mind of such a unique and interesting person finding herself in
such unique and interesting circumstances. We get to hear her thoughts on not just her struggles and
fascination with navigating being the backbone of a family on an adventure taking a huge risk,
but her own thoughts on art and being an artist, her fears, and her dreams. I don’t think I’ve
ever felt such an empathetic connection to a person through a book. Let’s continue…
The most jarring aspect of this scene is a pansless man hanging over the water.
Stunt Coordinator Terry Leonard had a Filipino stuntman hang from the tree and because it was
so close to the where the patrol boat docked, the stuntman wound up in most
of the shots of that first conversation with Dennis Hopper (Zeismer 270). So
that stuntman had to hang like that for hours while they filmed (Zeismer 270).
Here’s a pic of them getting him into position. By the way,
the speedboat was Coppola’s and named Part II after the second Godfather movie.
Letterman: “The film one from the heart. we have been led to believe maybe,
we shouldn't be believing this, but it looks like if this one doesn't work,
there goes your house, there goes the speedboat, there goes the vacation. There goes the studio.”
Coppola: “The Speed boat went on Apocalypse Now. Oh, and, you know, and truly, the speedboat was
called The Godfather Part two. I remember, and you really, really was a speedboat but it’s gone now.”
Tavoularis visited a museum in Paris where they had Montagnard clothes on
display (Cowie 30). “Montagnard” was a term used by the French Colonial government to
refer to “mountain people” who lived in the “Central Highlands of Vietnam” (UNCG).
Villages of the Highlands are inhabited by many races, each with a tradition and a way of life
distinctly its own. Known to the outside world by the French term Montagnards or Mountain people,
they are known to themselves by such tribal names as Rhade and Hmong are vastly different
from the light skinned islanders, whom the world knows, as Viet Nam is believed to be the original
inhabitants of the region before the arrival of the Vietnamese is more than 2000 years ago, most
of the mountain roads continue to live a Stone age existence in the midst of the 20th century.
Tavoularis had to design tons of costumes for Kurtz’s Montagnard army (Cowie 30).
To help fill out Kurtz’s Montagnard army, the production hired a full tribe of natives from
the Ifugao province of Luzon to make it easier than attempting to individually hire actors to
play all of the extras (Hearts of Darkness). These people could also appear as is and didn’t
need to be changed into wardrobe everyday because this is what they actually wore (Coppola 116).
Fred Roos: “We sent one of our production assistants, a girl named Éva Gárdos, who would be
a film editor and director herself, we would send her up to these villages in the mountains and she
would make friends with the village and she would bring back the right Humung for that sequence”
They would be bussed down from the north to an area of the location where the production
had cleared out coconut palms and built bamboo huts (Zeismer 269, Coppola 116).
The Ifugao’s contract “[included] food, salary, medical care and a number of chickens,
pigs and carabao for sacrificial purposes' (Coppola 116). We’ll talk more about that in
a future episode on Kurtz’s death. They lived at the location and created a little village,
further blurring the lines between the reality of the movie and the reality
of production. Many of them went to work helping Tavoularis decorate the
location by carving totems and building parts of the set themselves (Cowie 86).
What’s interesting is that the Ifugao have never been conquered,
even by the Japanese during World War II and Zeismer was told by Eva that it “wasn’t too
many years ago that the Ifugaos were still headhunters” (Zeismer 272).
During this time, Coppola reflected on Kurtz’s motivation for cutting ties with
the South Vietnamese in favor of the North Vietnamese writing, “Kurtz simply has no
respect for these South Vietnamese, but he has respect for the North Vietnamese and he does
believe this kind of warrior/samurai code in which you tell the truth . . . He uses
his little montagnard kingdom as a metaphor, which is essentially that, well, this is ours
because we have the force to keep it, but we have the strength to maintain it” (Cowie 86).
Kind of reminds you of the French Plantation sequence, doesn’t it?
But here, we don’t lose. This piece of Earth, we keep it. We will never lose that. Never!
Besides the pantsless man,
another bizarre thing you’ll notice is this fire inexplicably coming from the water.
Production designer Dean Tavoularis and his team had asked the special effects team to
rig a “gas jet under the water” and make it so fire was coming out (Zeismer 270). Zeismer asked
Tavoularis where the fire would be coming from in the world of the story, but Tavoularis
brushed him off (Zeismer 270). Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro overheard and said to Zeismer,
“Jerry, what is wrong with the fire? I like the fire!” (Zeismer 270). Sheen said, “Maybe there’s
something down there?” (Zeismer 270). Coppola walked by asking what was up–they said that
they were talking about the fire and Coppola said that maybe it was a bit much and to turn it down,
but Tavoularis left it as is, probably in agreement with Storaro (Zeismer 270).
In Coppola’s 1975 rewrite of the script a description reads,
“Fire literally burns from out of the ground” (Screenplay).
In this sequence, there is a lot of bizarre unexplained imagery like flames, colored smoke,
and fog seemingly coming from nowhere adding to the surreal and psychedelic nature of the
story. It shows the audience that the movie isn’t too concerned with realism, instead,
taking a more expressionistic approach, which clues us in that nothing should be taken at
face value. The themes and feelings that exist underneath the surface of what you
are seeing are more important than the explicit story of Willard and Kurtz.
The production design of Kurtz’s compound communicates this more
than any other set and it was the most difficult to build.
Apocalypse Now never filmed anything on a soundstage, instead, taking on
the difficult task of building sets “from scratch” on location (Cowie 47). Perhaps
the most intricate and massive set would be the Kurtz temple and surrounding compound
which was built using three hundred pound adobe blocks that were made on-site (Coppola 116).
Production designer Dean Tavoularis said, “'It wasn't just being able to build the
set…You had to get the extras in there, and be able to operate. We
found the right spot with helicopters - a little bend in the river” (Cowie 30).
It reminds me a lot of Bridge on the River Kwai, where a massive piece of architecture was built
in the middle of a jungle using extremely difficult techniques from long ago. Kwai
used elephants to transport materials and Apocalypse used carabao (Cowie 30)
The Kurtz temple was built for real and built without the aid of modern
construction machines and vehicles. Eleanor Coppola wrote, “Four men would shoulder a
bamboo sling and carry a block to one of the building sites. Bamboo hoists,
with a long line of men pulling on thick ropes, lifted the blocks into place. Barges ferried men
and materials across the river to the work on the other side. I was amazed at how primitive
the construction methods were. John La Sandra told me that manpower costs less than machine
power here. He said it was more efficient to explain what he wanted built and then let it
be done in the local way. He told me that there were nearly seven hundred laborers all together,
with all the wood carvers, mold makers, carpenters, etc.” (Coppola 116).
Tavoularis: “Hollywood or New York. If you want another person, it's quite a big deal with the
fringes and their salaries–thousands of dollars. So for a dollar a day, or three dollars a day,
I hope we weren't taking advantage of people, but that's what they were paid.
Tragically, two of the Filipino construction workers died–one was
killed by a falling log and the other died from rabies (Biskind).
According to Peter Biskind’s book, Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, there was no doctor on set the crew
were treated with pouring “diluted Clorox and vodka on their cuts and sores” (Biskind). The
worker who died of rabies was actually buried “in his Apocalypse Now T-shirt” (Biskind).
Part of the reason the production built the compound for real was because the script called
for an airstrike to blow it up at the end of the movie. Tavoularis said, “You can't put scaffolding
up and clad it with skins or Styrofoam and then blow it up. We experimented, and I said we have
to build it up with blocks and it has to be something that you can dynamite and that'll look
realistic. We finally settled on a composition of earth and cement, with a bit of straw - so
this was a concoction from which we'd make blocks, each one measuring 2 meters by 1 meter. Some were
just smooth-sided and would sit on top of each other, but most of them faced out- wards and
had to be embossed with the design or decor. So they needed to be modeled in clay. We constructed
special molds, then the block would be poured into these molds, and pulled out once dry” (Cowie 30).
Every time we see an interior of the temple, it is the actual temple built at the location
in the jungle. The production also built a road from the highway a half a mile to
the “edge of the compound” where they had a base camp set up for equipment
and everything (Zeismer 269). This allowed the production to shoot on the massive set
and point the camera in any direction without seeing trucks or tents or anything like that.
Tavoularis even placed ruins and giant Buddha heads over a square half mile of jungle, so that
what you could see in the distance would be decorated (Zeismer 269).
The Kurtz compound was described in John Milius’ 1969 draft of the script as “A
fortified encampment, built around the ruins of a former Cambodian civilization. Stone lions,
barbed wire, cracked pyramids and sandbags mark the fort” (Cowie 38). In the margins,
Coppola adds that it should be [quote] “Overgrown, as though the jungle is
trying to reclaim it - it is part jungle, part ruin, part fortress” (Cowie 38).
Tavoularis decided to base the design on the “Angkor
Wat temple in northwest Cambodia” (Zeismer 269).
Before the production left for the Philippines, Tavoularis got in touch with a sculptor to make
a small model of the compound (Cowie 30). At the production headquarters in Manila,
they had a large studio where a sculptor and several assistants carved the large buddha
heads and temple decorations in clay (Coppola 23).
The large head sculpture that closes the movie was modeled
after a “beautiful young Filipina maid from a nearby boardinghouse” in Manila (Coppola 23).
Building up the compound over the course of the massively complex production made
things even more difficult. Close to three hundred fake marijuana plants were ordered,
but “never picked up” and a large shipment of weapons “was confiscated at customs in Manila”
because three of the guns weren’t on the declared list (Cowie 71).
Tavoularis designed the decaying temple to signify Kurtz’s “descent into madness” (Phillips 156).
Tavoularis said, “Where the steps come down to the water, I wanted a big pile of bones (not
forgetting some of the local snakes they called nagas). So I told my assistants, contact all the
restaurants and butcher houses you can, and start collecting bones. Stack them here, the bigger the
better — ribs, heads, whatever” (Cowie 85). A lot of the bones had rotting meat on them and were
full of maggots, which Tavoularis thought added to the authenticity for the actors (Cowie 85).
They had also gotten garbage trucks from Manila to
dump all of their trash on the set (This Is Oklahoma).
It smelled so bad that Martin Sheen’s wife called producer Gray Frederickson
saying that Sheen wouldn’t work with all of the maggots around,
so Tavoularis dumped lime on the bones (Cowie 85, Neon 113). They hired a bunch of guys to
come in and clean all of the trash (This Is Oklahoma). But here’s where things get insane…
Gray Frederickson: “The prop guy said to the production designer
should we tell them about the bodies I said, ‘woah woah woah, what bodies?’ ‘Never mind,
never mind.’ They had found a guy in Manila who said he could give them bodies that he would take
he delivered bodies to medical schools for cadavers he said i'll just bring them out for
you guys so they took me into this tent and there's like 15 oh this gray dead cadaver's
laying we can't have dead bodies and and I said, ‘Francis..’ and he says, ‘Oh I dunno.’ He knew.”
The crew got upset and the “cadavers were gone the next day” (Zeismer 274). According
to Eleanor Coppola, the prop man told her it was a pile of burning bodies (Coppola 126).
I highly doubt that shots of actual bodies made it into the movie because there isn’t a point
in using cadavers without burning them given how many extras they hired to play dead bodies
and how difficult it was for the actors playing the severed heads–which we’ll talk about later.
This is the only shot I could find that could possibly have burning bodies,
but I really don’t think there are any.
Then, if that wasn’t crazy enough, the Philippine military showed up on set and
said that the guy who supplied the cadavers was actually a grave robber and they had him
in custody (This Is Oklahoma). They took everybody's passports while they spent a
week investigating whether the production had these people killed (This Is Oklahoma).
Tavoularis lived at the Kurtz compound location
while he was working on it and eventually slipped into a depression because of the
general atmosphere of death all around (Phillips 156). Tavoularis described the whole production
as a nightmare and of the use of real cadavers he said, “It became such a low level in my life
that somehow putting blood on staircases and rolling heads down steps seemed natural to
me” (Neon 113). The movie’s press office denied that real cadavers were used (Phillips 156).
The fake blood cost thirty-five dollars a gallon and they used a lot of it (Coppola 144).
There were lots of dummies made on location to
decorate the set. Here we can see them making hands and feet
and then the heads. They also made machetes and large guns out of rubber the same way.
For the bodies closer to the camera, they used actors.
What’s interesting is that there is a bit from Milius’s original script where a kid
in the Kurtz compound is shown eating a severed hand. We can see this in the
behind the scenes footage, but I don’t think it made it into the final film.
On the next episode, we meet a crazy photojournalist played by
Dennis Hopper. Again, fiction and reality blur because crazy as the character seems,
Hopper’s eccentricities would cause another big problem for the production.
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Meet Kilgore: The Story Behind One of Coppola’s Most Complex Scenes | Ep9 | Making Apocalypse Now
The Story Behind The 'Mission Briefing' Scene | Ep7 | Making Apocalypse Now
Clean's Death Scene: What This Scene is REALLY About | Ep18 | Making Apocalypse Now
The Events that Led Coppola to Apocalypse Now | Ep1 | Making Apocalypse Now
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