Lionsgate Limited has released another quality piece of physical media in Hearts of Darkness: The Art of Eleanor Coppola. The 3-disc edition includes the movie Hearts of Darkness (1991) on 4k Blu-ray and Blu-ray, and a special features Blu-ray Disc.
Hearts of Darkness has previously been released on 4k Blu-ray, and is presented in 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR at 1.37:1 aspect ratio on a BD100. The soundtrack is provided in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound, with French, English, and English SDH subtitles.
The 4k quality of Hearts of Darkness is exceptional, and thankfully retains the celluloid quality of the 16mm film used by Coppola to document the making of Apocalypse Now and the turmoils her husband and crew faced during the making of the movie.
The documentary intercuts footage from Apocalypse Now, which was released on 4k Blu-ray in 2019, as well as in a SteelBook edition which has become one of the “holy grails” for disc collectors. The 4k release of Apocalypse Now easily makes our list of the best 4k Blu-rays of all time, delivering excellent quality in both video and audio.
Both feature presentation discs in this Lionsgate Limited edition provide the legacy bonus features “The Making of Hearts of Darkness,” and “Eleanor Coppola: Art Is All Around Us,” but with the addition of audio commentary from Eleanor & Francis Coppola (a Lionsgate Limited extra).
What makes this collection special, however, is the inclusion of eight documentaries and four shorts by Eleanor Coppola that have been made available in the US for the first time. These are all found on the second Blu-ray Disc (Disc 3), which also includes the original Apocalypse Now trailer.
Here’s a breakdown of the extras on Disc 3.
Lionsgate Limited Extras (Disc 3)
- Documentaries:
- A Visit to China’s Miao Country (1996)
- Circle of Memory
- Coda: Eleanor Coppola introduction
- Coda: Thirty Years Later (2007)
- Making of Marie Antoinette (2007)
- Francis Ford Coppola Directs The Rainmaker (2007)
- On the Set of CQ (2002)
- Making of The Virgin Suicides (1998)
- Shorts:
- Peeling a Potato Is a Work of Art (1976)
- Victorian House (1976)
- Joyce Goldstein (1976)
- Refrigerator (1976)
- o Hearts of Darkness Trailer (2025)
The modest packaging of Hearts of Darkness: The Art of Eleanor Coppola is highlighted by a photobook by Joseph Logan Design, which features archival photography from the Coppola family, new photography from Eleanor Coppola’s short films, and her own behind-the-scenes footage from Hearts of Darkness, The Virgin Suicides, and Marie Antoinette.
This special edition from Lionsgate Limited is a must-own for film historians and cinephiles, as well as fans of Apocalypse Now and its legacy.
A special thank you to Lionsgate Limited for providing us with a review copy.
