I'm just here to report about the Final Cut

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2019)

I just watched the Final Cut and it looked and sounded great! But I saw the Redux version 20 years ago and was hoping Coppola would have listened to the critics and removed that plantation scene. Alas, it's still in there, in the final cut. It's the one major flaw in his revisions of his film. I feel the original theatrical cut got it right. The pacing was perfect, and it just kept the build up going. But this nagging french plantation, while interesting, so very out of place. It stops the movie dead in its tracks for a good 20 minutes. I kind of understand why Coppola wants it in there, because they give a bit of a history lesson on how things came about in the Vietnam conflict, with the french being the original colonialists. But the movie, the way I see it, is bigger than just the conflict. While it's set in Vietnam, it wasn't specifically anti-vietnam war. It was more like anti-war in general, and anti-colonialism, like the book. But by doing the history lesson in the plantation scene, it kind of ruins the metaphorical aspect of the film.
Anyway, that's my rant on that scene. It's a wonderful film to watch, at least I know the aforementioned scene is a good spot to go for a bathroom break!