Video — Consumed

1991 · Eleanor Coppola, Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper

Hearts of Darkness stands as the definitive behind-the-scenes documentary about filmmaking itself. Eleanor Coppola's footage reveals Francis spiraling as the production hemorrhages money, Martin Sheen suffers a heart attack, and typhoons destroy sets. The parallel between making a film about madness and descending into actual production madness becomes uncomfortably real.

What makes this essential viewing is how it demystifies the auteur myth. You watch Coppola admit on camera he doesn't know how to end his own film, see the friction between creative vision and physical reality, witness how a director's certainty can evaporate under pressure. The documentary doesn't glamorize the struggle, it shows the cost of uncompromising vision.

The editing juxtaposes finished scenes from Apocalypse Now with their chaotic creation, making you understand that great films aren't born from smooth processes. They're extracted from chaos through sheer will and sometimes luck. For anyone who makes things, whether films or products, it's a reminder that the gap between vision and execution is where the real work happens.