20 Things You Somehow Missed In Apocalypse Now
1. Willard's Narration Of Apocalypse Now Was Unplanned
While editing the million-odd feet of developed film into a cohesive story, Coppola, Milius, Murch and the other editors found there was something missing in communicating the narrative. The plan had been for the main story points to be explained during the briefing scene, with further details added as Willard reads the dossier on Kurtz on the boat. The story wasn't coming through, however, and the decision was made to have Sheen provide a voice-over narration to allow the audience to not only see the action through Willard's eyes, but also hear it in his voice.
To help write the narration, Coppola brought in author Michael Herr, who had written a book on America's involvement in Vietnam called Dispatches, exploring the conflict from the point of view of American soldiers. Herr, Coppola, Milius, and Sheen collaborated to record the narration of several long sessions.
The narration was a risk, as it can significantly alter how the audience consumes the film. Look, for example, at Ridley Scott's Blade Runner from 1982, which uses voice-over narration. Scott's 1992 Director's Cut omits the voice-over, and is most definitely stronger for its absence. It would be difficult to imagine Apocalypse Now without Sheen's soft-spoken voice-over, however.