Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut....

Everything you say is true and it's why I didn't like the "Redux" rendition for years. However, I've come to appreciate the extended version(s) because they offer more detail and character dimension, which helps in discerning the most important messages of the film. (I say 'messages' because in "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" Francis said that he was trying to include like 47 messages in the movie; of course he was exaggerating a bit).

So, the Theatrical Cut is the right choice for people seeing the movie for the first few times or whatever, but the longer versions, despite their shortcomings, are worth embracing for those who want more balance and a better understanding of what was really going on.

For instance, what was the purpose of the relatively dull scene in the longer version where Kurtz reads TIME articles to Willard and the children are attracted to him? While it destroys the great mystique of Kurtz since it's the only time we get to see him clearly in broad daylight, it reveals that he isn't insane at all, as the Brass slandered him (in order to justify his murder and enlist Willard's services). Kurtz was just depressed due to being trapped in the remote jungle with no place to go because he dared to "get off the boat" of playing the game of war for the purpose of actually winning it (in his sector, at least). He could never go home now, but he wanted his son to know the truth. Willard proved himself to be the right bearer of that information, not to mention the right man to take Kurtz out of his misery.

The movie doesn't really need this scene, though, since Willard's initial conversation with Kurtz already established that he wasn't actually crazy. I'm assuming Coppola wanted to humanize the colonel after he beheaded Chef, not to mention give more screentime to Brando since he cost so much ($1 million per week).

It's true that the additional surfboard-oriented scenes add a goofy element and are jarring, as you say, but they reveal Willard in a broader light, rather than just a grim assassin. The "It was a good board and I like it" sequence is quirkily amusing and adds balance to the general lugubriousness of the proceedings. Isn't that the way life is -- hours of serious work and the corresponding dourness coupled with moments of levity or silliness?

The ghostly French plantation scene can be viewed as the calm before the storm of meeting Kurtz -- perhaps even a dream due to the fog bookends -- wherein Coppola is able to convey the aforementioned insights which, awkwardly executed or not, offer relevant info on the history and sociology of the setting & conflict. The lack of subtlety can be attributed to the meeting of visiting militarists with the entrenched French citizens, like passing ships in the night. In other words, they only have a brief time together and so they're going to get across their points (and needs) without beating around the bush.

Still, Francis was wise to omit this additional material for the Theatrical Cut. The movie was long enough as it was and the extra scenes were inferior in one way or another, as you point out.

" . . . my main complaint for the plantation is that it completely kills the flow and pace of the movie. It's shoved in there at the worst possible time, where all momentum building up to Kurtz is destroyed."

I feel the same way.

I can enjoy that scene parked on the side as an extra, but would rather not have it in the film for the reasons you state.

Then again, I feel that way about 99% of the films that insert ommited/deleted footage.