Pirates Ahoy!

[Jan Klimkowski]

And I completely agree about redux except for one thing, the playboy bunnies at the camp. If that scene alone had been in the original I think Willards character would be truly terrifying. Finding the bunnies drugged up and being used as sex slaves, Willard uses it to his advantage. His river escorts had no problem continuing up river after that. And Willard is stripped of any humanity, or compassion that the viewer may have begrudgingly bestowed upon him prior to that.

Excellent point. Which again highlights the fluid nature of storytelling.

If Apocalypse Now had just the drugged up Playboy bunnies scene added, Willard would be even more the character you describe. Their obedient slave blind to everything except his mission.

However, in the context of Redux, with the extra scenes (eg stealing the surfboard) and smiling and joking with the crew of the boat, I interpret Willard's actions in the Playboy bunnies' metal bunker as more compassionate than ruthlessly manipulative.

When making documentaries, working with a great editor, I've found that cutting room problems with a film can often be solved by cutting out a scene, changing the order of another, restoring a couple of reaction shots etc.

The Playboy bunnies in the muddy hellhole is a great example of two things:
the power of a scene both to change the overall meaning of a film;
and the manner in which a scene can have different meanings in different contexts.

It was dropped from the original Apocalype Now. However, if it had been added and not another frame of the original had been changed, Willard would - as you say - have been an even more terrifying character.