Apocalypse Now

Filmed predominantly in the Phillippines, a particular clip from the documentary reveals how the helicopters in the film belonged to the Phillippines and were used to fight rebels and insurgents.

Due to the “civil war in the south”, the narrator (Eleanor Coppola) says, “Every day the government sends different pilots who haven’t participated in the rehearsals, wrecking tens and thousands of dollars worth of shots.”

Since there were “rumours” about rebels being positioned just ten miles away from the shooting location, the Filipino commanders feared the safety of the cast and crew and remained stationed at the locations.

Coppola continues, “In the middle of a complicated shot, the helicopters [later revealed to be five in number] were called away to fight the rebels.” This led to a delay in the filming schedule.

My wife would have been a child in the 1979 Philippines. I'll have to ask her about all that.