Apocalypse DVD Weirdness

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I've heard from several people that there's been some kind of unadvertised deal between Paramount Home Video and Circuit City to provide an Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier DVD package that contains 3 DVDs if -- and only if -- you buy it at Circuit City. And here's a review on DVD Talk that mentions this Circuit City-only "third disc" version. And yet these versions were apparently recalled a few days ago and can no longer be found at Circuit City stores.

The review, amended on Sunday, 8.20.06, says, "Thanks to DVD Talk reader Ryan, who passed along this detailed information about Paramount's bizarre decision to offer excised material from the first two DVD incarnations of Apocalypse Now as a bonus disc exclusively carried by Circuit City in limited supplies: 'Please note that there is a Bonus Disc Three available exclusively at Circuit City. The disc has this written on it: 'The Added Scenes and Expanded Themes of Apocalypse Now Redux'; Destruction of the Kurtz Compound with Optional Commentary; 1979 Theatrical Trailer; 2001 Trailer.

"The disc is packaged inside the cardboard outer sleeve and behind the digipack. Editions with the bonus disc will have a sticker on the outside which says "Exclusive Free Bonus Disc With Purchase of this DVD While Supplies Last." Editions with the free bonus disc have a different UPC barcode: 032429010995." It's also worth noting that the 'excerpts from the original theatrical program' found on the first DVD have still not turned up anywhere, so again, Apocalypse Now enthusiasts would do well to hang onto at least the first DVD release."

And yet I've called four Circuit City stores today (Saturday, 8.26) and spoken to six or seven employees, and they all said that (a) the Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier double-disc set isn't sitting on the shelves, and (b) they had no idea there was a three-disc version being offered exclusively at Circuit City. The awareness and sophistication levels of these people was not impressive. Two asked me repeat the name "Apocalypse Now", as if it was the name of some exotic herb.

Only one Circuit City employee had a clue about what I was talking about. Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier has been recalled, said an assistant manager at the Burbank Circuit City branch on First Street. The discs were sent back "about four or five days ago," she said. The double-disc version is available in all the other stores at a price of $16 dollars and change (or thereabouts). Circuit City was asking $14.99 when they had them.

Reader Ernie Souchak writes, "I don't know if Circuit City is a Viacom company, but this deal is really obnoxious, and should piss off everyone else who's selling this package, not to mention fans whose 'Dossier' is less complete than others'." A friendly clerk named Lon at West L.A.'s Laser Blazer says two or three people have come into the store talking about the Circuit City-only, three-disc version and said they'd bought it, etc.

It's looking like those three-disc Dossier DVDs are going to acquire the reputation of that Yesterday and Today "butcher block" Beatles album from 1966 with the severed baby-head and chopped-meat cover photo. The purported offensiveness of this immensely cool cover photo resulted in a sudden recall by Capitol Records before the album arrived in record stores.

If Paramount wanted to set this whole thing straight, they would assemble a genuine Complete Dossier with George Hickelnlooper and Fax Bahr's Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apcalypse, a truly great 1991 documentary about the making of the film, and then issue that sometime later this year -- a four-disc set in all.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 26, 2006 at 12:39 PM

comment #1

Kristopher Tapley says ...

What a crock of shit.

Posted by Kristopher Tapley at August 26, 2006 2:49 PM

comment #2

Kristopher Tapley says ...

Okay, get on this Jeffery. It turns out a few of these are popping up on ebay. I went ahead and grabbed one for $39 because I can easily see this thing getting out of hand once word gets out.

Here's a link to the dossier on ebay. There are maybe ten or so that say "Cicuit City 3-Disc" on it. I was lucky enough to get one with a "Buy it Now" function, but a lot of them are already in heated bidding:

http://search.ebay.com/apocalypse-now-complete-dossier_W0QQfromZR8QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQsbrsrtZl

Posted by Kristopher Tapley at August 26, 2006 2:54 PM

comment #3

blythecummings says ...

If you own the other DVD incarnations of NOW, you already own this "bonus" disc.

Jeff, this practice has been going on for years now. The studios now intentionally hold back DVD content just to create these bastard discs. It's a dangerous situation that's pissing off many DVD fans.

The biggest complaint? The only people who really have the advantage of buying the bonus disc packages are the ones who don't have a job.

If you work on Tuesdays, you're pretty much fucked.

Posted by blythecummings at August 26, 2006 3:18 PM

comment #4

ZacharyTF says ...

I had a fun experience tracking down this 3-disc set. I wasn't aware of the disc only being available in stickered copies. I figured they were pack on every copy at Circuit City.

I bought a copy and was told by the cashier that the disc was inside. I paid for it, went out to my car, opened it, and saw that there was no bonus disc. I took it back inside and tried to get my money back, but couldn't since it was an opened copy. I wanted to talk to a manager since the dumbass cashier had lied to me, but I had to go home and meet the landlord so that he could fix something. I jumped online and found out about the stickers.

The next day I went back to the same store and looked. Nothing. I figured the next day (Monday) would be a better bet since they would need to replenish their supply. Sure enough, when I went back there, the one spot on the shelves holding the DVDs was full again and I quickly found a stickered copy and took it to the return desk and exchanged. I even opened it right then and there just to make sure it was in there.

If I would've known about the high prices people are paying, I would've grabbed one or two more and sold them on eBay.

Posted by ZacharyTF at August 26, 2006 8:24 PM

comment #5

THX5334 says ...

This footage will end up in the same DVD quality online and I will simply just download it when it becomes available. Fuck Viacom and Circuit City.

There is no content in the world that doesn't eventually end up online somewhere. And in situations like these, I have no problem downloading said content.

Posted by THX5334 at August 26, 2006 10:54 PM

comment #6

MathewM says ...

Anyone paying extra for this is a fool. Besides the material being available on the first two releases (which every AN fan already owns), within a couple of years we will have the HD-DVD release of the film. Here's the bottom line: Once you see what HD looks like on a 8ft. wide home theater screen you will not want to go back to standard definition. If there was one definitive film that I want on HD it's Apocalypse Now. So save your pennies, screw the studios and Circuit City and hold out for the HD version.

Posted by MathewM at August 26, 2006 11:46 PM

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

Wow. Looks like my hard-and-fast rule of "never buy the first DVD edition of anything" is now changing to, um, well, never buy any DVD edition of anything. I'm still pretty steamed about the decision to re-relase LOTR in the "both films on one disk" edition (I know, Jeff, they suck, why did I even bother?). Maybe we should all follow Rita Rudner and refuse to buy anything until we get a written promise that they'll never invent anything more.

Posted by Rich S. at August 27, 2006 5:02 AM

comment #8

Kristopher Tapley says ...

Thanks Matthew, and if you want to form over the available cash for me to buy one of your beloved 8 foot screens, I'll be happy to join you in your bliss. In the meantime, I'll stick with paying an extra 15 bucks on ebay for the full set of the Dossier that I want. Guess I'm just a big ole' fool!

Posted by Kristopher Tapley at August 27, 2006 2:28 PM

comment #9

MathewM says ...

Re: Rich S.

Actually you don't need a lot of cash. For under $2K you can have a 8ft. screen, projector and at least an HDMI upscaling DVD player. I was a little harsh on regular DVD: I just calibrated my bro's Panasonic AE900 and now even regular DVD looks great. I myself don't own one since my basement is not yet finished and you really do need a dark room to fully appreciate front projection.

" I'll stick with paying an extra 15 bucks on ebay for the full set of the Dossier that I want. "

That's fine. I still think it's foolish to pay extra for something that was supposed to be available last week for $14.

Posted by MathewM at August 28, 2006 7:12 AM

comment #10