Last night during a special screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War tragedy porno, Apocalypse Now (1979), at the Tribeca Film Festival, the public experienced a few incredible things for the first time.
The first was Apocalypse Now Final Cut, a new definitive cut timed with the film’s 40th anniversary that includes scenes originally removed by studio executives. While I did not attend the screening, the Guardian writes that “the just-right Final Cut splits the difference between the creative concessions of the original and the unwieldy sprawl of the Redux, a massive feat of film craft reined in to the general neighborhood of perfection.” Other critics who attended seem to be in agreement that this cut is “probably the most satisfying of the three versions.”
But something has been lost in all the excitement over the extra content within Apocalypse Now Final Cut and Coppola’s comments on working with Brando, which is the addition of “Sensual Sound.”
Sensual Sound creates a “visceral, deep low-frequency impact” that hits audiences in the gut, according to the people who made it. Developed by Coppola’s film company American Zoetrope in partnership with Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc. in Berkeley, Sensual Sound emits noises that reach viewers on a deeper physical level, making Apocalypse Now‘s helicopters, spears, and bombs feel like an immediate threat. Essentially, it sounds like artistic sonic warfare.
AV Magazine has the details:
Sensual Sound is implemented in both the post-production of the soundtrack and in the film’s exhibition using Meyer Sound’s VLFC very low-frequency control element. Unlike conventional subwoofers that roll off at the threshold of hearing (about 20Hz), the VLFC bridges across this threshold to deliver infrasonic response down to 13 Hz. All very low-frequency sounds are bolstered by a corporeal sensation of physical force.
“When you sense those extreme low-frequency sounds, immediately hormones are secreted into your bloodstream that tell you ‘get the hell out of here fast’ or ‘freeze and play dead,’” said Coppola. “When you see the B-52 strikes in this new version, you feel them and then you hear them. It’s the difference between just hearing something and being inside a room that’s shaking. You get scared when the room is shaking.”
I’ll admit, I’m a little scared of Sensual Sound. Imagine the water buffalo scene being even more sensual (😱). But I’m intrigued.
Watch the newly released trailer for Apocalypse Now Final Cut below and contemplate its sensuality:
Last night’s premiere screening of the Final Cut at the Beacon Theatre was outfitted with a special Meyer VLFC (Very Low Frequency Control), “a ground-breaking loudspeaker system engineered to output audio frequencies below the limits of human hearing, giving the audience a truly visceral experience,” according to promotional copy. At the screening, it was also announced that Apocolaypse Now Final Cut will be premiering in theaters August 15, although the full lineup of theaters (and whether they will include a version of Sensual Sound) is still TBA. Seattle’s Cinerama does have a Meyer Sound speaker system, so here’s hoping we get the experience come August.
Do you think it would make you puke?
