Welcome to the Layman's Review, where we give you a simple overview and a rating of some of history's most famous films. We're here to entertain you with facts and trivia, and to help you decide if any of these films are worth your time and interest. For a full list of movies on review, check out my previous post 'The Very Sciency Science Behind Film Choices'.
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I absolutely love and highly recommend both ‘Apocalypse Now’ and its inspiration, ‘Heart of Darkness’. Now-renowned director Francis Ford Coppola threw himself, his heart and his soul into an extremely provocative and very risky film - a risk that many would agree more than paid off. Coppola chose to update Conrad’s original story (‘Heart of Darkness’ was published in 1899 and follows a transport sailor on a mission along the Congo River), translating it in a way that both reconciles and rebuffs the inherent self-indulgence and barbaric violence of mankind. Each tale - at it its core - is a reflection on human nature, and each begs the question: where will we go from here?
Film: Apocalypse Now
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Year: 1979
Running Time: 153 minutes
Big Names
Martin Sheen - Captain Willard
Marlon Brando - Colonel Kurtz
Robert Duvall - Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore
Laurence Fishburne - Tyrone ‘Clean’ Miller
Harrison Ford - Colonel Lucas
Dennis Hopper - Photojournalist
Plot Summary
An adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s classic novella ‘Heart of Darkness’, ‘Apocalypse Now’ follows Captain Benjamin L. Willard on a journey to find a rogue lieutenant by the name of Walter Kurtz. Kurtz, once heralded as a top soldier and commander, is now considered a threat to US operations taking place during the Vietnam War. Alongside his hodgepodge crew, Willard is sent into Cambodia and travels up the Nung River in search of Kurtz, moving ever-deeper into the bleak obscurity of war, wilderness and a web of ethical indecencies.
Top Quotes
“I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours…the whole hill. Smelled like…victory.”
- Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore
“Everyone gets what he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service. It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I never wanted another.”
- Captain Willard
“Terminate with extreme prejudice.”
- Civilian
“Charlie don’t surf!”
- Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore
“This is the way the fucking world ends!…Not with a bang, but with a whimper.”
- Photojournalist
“No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command’s ass. The war was being run by a bunch of four-star clowns who were gonna end up giving the whole circus away.”
- Captain Willard
“You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.”
- Colonel Kurtz
Fun Trivia
- Finding the right actor to play Willard turned out be a bigger task than expected. Nick Nolte, among others, practically begged Francis Ford Coppola for the role, which the director originally gave to Harvey Keitel. However, within a week of shooting, Coppola fired Keitel and replaced him with Martin Sheen.
- Clint Eastwood and Al Pacino were first choices for the role of Willard, but both turned it down. Steve McQueen agreed initially, but was put off by the probability of ongoing on-location shooting, and backed out. Jeff Bridges also auditioned for the part, but was not chosen.
- Al Pacino was also considered to play Kurtz, alongside Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford. Coppola had selected the three men as backup options, because he knew it was possible that Brando would pull out of the project.
- Speaking of Marlon Brando, the iconic actor gave his director so much grief, there were times when Coppola asked his assistant director (Jerry Ziesmer) to take over. Coppola also - allegedly - threatened suicide more than once over the course of the 16-month shoot.
- Ziesmer also appears as an unnamed civilian at the beginning of the film, when Willard is being given his assignment (see Top Quotes section above).
- Sheen’s performance in the hotel room was completely unscripted. Sheen got drunk and tapped into his character, and Coppola instructed his crew to keep the cameras constantly rolling.
- Despite being two paramount characters in the film, neither Robert Duvall nor Marlon Brando actually appear onscreen for very long. Duvall’s scenes add up to 11 minutes in total, and Brando only appears in the last 20 minutes of the movie. His scenes amount to approximately 15 minutes.
- Marlon Brando arrived to set late and overweight, and proceeded to argue with Coppola over the script. Brando had never read ‘Heart of Darkness’, the book on which ‘Apocalypse Now’ is based.
- After being told he could name his own character, Harrison Ford settled on Colonel Lucas, in honor of George Lucas, who had originally been slated to direct the film.
- The film is set almost entirely in Cambodia, but was shot almost entirely in the Philippines. Coppola was even given use of Pilipino government aircraft and soldiers; however, pilots were often called away for military duty, making continuity very difficult for Coppola.
- Laurence Fishburne was 14 when filming began, and became addicted to heroin with the “help” of fellow-actor Dennis Hopper. It is also rumored that Emilio Esteves (Sheen’s son) lost his virginity while he was visiting the set; he was also 14.
- Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack during filming and had to be removed from set for several weeks. His brother, Joe Esteves, was brought in to help out as a double for scenes where Willard’s face is not shown. Coppola lied and claimed that Sheen had suffered from “heat exhaustion” to avoid the bad news getting back to investors and executives.
- By the time Sheen returned, there was concern that he looked too healthy to play the now-worn-out Willard. Keen audiences will notice the change in Sheen’s face and body in the final boat scenes before he encounters Kurtz.
Ratings
Jessica’s Rating: 5 Martini Glasses
I absolutely love and highly recommend both ‘Apocalypse Now’ and its inspiration, ‘Heart of Darkness’. Now-renowned director Francis Ford Coppola threw himself, his heart and his soul into an extremely provocative and very risky film - a risk that many would agree more than paid off. Coppola chose to update Conrad’s original story (‘Heart of Darkness’ was published in 1899 and follows a transport sailor on a mission along the Congo River), translating it in a way that both reconciles and rebuffs the inherent self-indulgence and barbaric violence of mankind. Each tale - at it its core - is a reflection on human nature, and each begs the question: where will we go from here?
Jeni’s Rating: Additional review pending until the end of ski season. Please feel free to blame France.
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