10 Hidden Movies Secrets From Director's Commentaries
1. Apocalypse Now's Opening Scene Was An Accident
Now this is a director's commentary everyone should hear. Francis Ford Coppola speaks openly and candidly about his experiences shooting Apocalypse Now deep in the jungle, and he drops in a few surprises along the way.
Chief among them is his admission that the movie's famous opening shot of a huge explosion was filmed unintentionally, comprised of leftover footage the director fished out of the garbage.
Six cameras were used to shoot the napalm scene, and this was an unused angle one of them captured. Coppola liked the eerie geometry of the trees and the helicopters passing by overhead, so he order for it to be restored, coupled with a classic Doors song, and the rest is celluloid history.
The director also speaks at length about a scene he allowed Martin Sheen to perform drunk - so that's where Charlie gets it from - and his decision to keep the camera rolling even though the actor had seriously cut his hand. It's compelling stuff.