10 Most Ambitious War Films Ever Made

This is one of those films that has become cemented in our collective consciousness. Even if you've never seen Francis Ford Copolla's epic Vietnam War drama, you've undoubtedly heard of it. The film is a cultural touchstone that is nigh inescapable even 40 years beyond its original release. But, let's talk about production.

Principal photography began in the spring of 1976, in Manila. A short delay occurred when Harvey Keitel left the production and was replaced by Martin Sheen. This pushed filming into May just in time for a typhoon to wipe out almost all of the film's sets, and production was again shut down.

Crew issues mounted, such as Marlon Brando arriving on set overweight and Martin Sheen suffering a heart attack during filming. Sheen's brother Joe Esteves had to fill in for the actor in a handful of scenes and voiceovers. Coppola, not happy with the original cut of the film, returned on location in 1977 to film a new ending. For the climactic scene an actual Water Buffalo was slaughtered by a local tribesman garnering the film an "unacceptable" rating from the Humane Society.

The film ran over time and budget, and Coppola had to take a loan out from United Artists to finish the production. Coppola departed from the screenplay frequently and admitted that he had to come up with a new ending because Brando was too fat to film the scenes that were written. This forced Coppola to completely retool the final act of his film.