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a very amusing moment(and yes, she is gorgeous) in a sex scene in a helicopter with Chef. Meantime, the other-an actual PMOY-delivers a long monologue to Lance, as he undresses her and makes her up, about how lonely it feels to be a Playmate. All very funny, beautifully photographed, and even sexy. But beside the point. It doesn't belong in this film. So far all the additions just add humor to the film, but that wrecks the atmosphere.

And then, the reason I rented it: the French Plantation scene, legendary since Hearts of Darkness came out. And it's excellent. Mostly expository, it tells you very swiftly just why the US is there, and why the French lost, things you almost never hear in films. This, I can't understand why Coppola cut. The whole sequence is perfectly placed and very well-done. As said by Willard, it is eerie, like a "family of ghosts." This belongs in the regular version-it provides another "station," like the Do Long Bridge or Kilgore-showing the gradual progression to Kurtz. Past the Do Long Bridge there are French ghosts, and from there the devil himself.

And then we come to Kurtz.

Again, not much new here, except we get to see Kurtz, in daylight, reading to Willard TIME stories about the war. I had heard about this and immediately assumed Kurtz, who first appears to Willard like a supernatural presence, like a dead moon hanging in space and then as some kind of dark god of war, would lose his mythic presence if seen in broad daylight, fat in his black pajamas. I'm happy to report that Brando is far better than that. Kurtz loses nothing by this scene, but gains nothing either. It's merely interesting; but it doesn't feel essential, either. It's fat, and nothing else, and its trimming hurt the film not at all. In addition, we hear more of Kurtz' thoughts as Willard goes downriver reading his letters. That fits in seamlessly, and in fact clarifies much of Kurtz' thinking in a very useful way.

So...the final verdict is: don't let this be the first version of AN you see. Watch this after seeing the real film. This is a supplement, not a "director's cut." Much of what's in THE GODFATHER SAGA is interesting too but I still would rather see the regular versions. This one lacks poetry in what it gains in narrative. Apart from the French plantation sequence(which should be re-inserted), it's interesting, nothing more.

More problematic to me is: when did Coppola last direct a bearable film? I think he ought to get out of the editing room and realize those films are complete, and make something new that I can stand to watch. Four good films is not a great career.

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