Apocalypse Now
1979 American anti-war film inspired by Heart of Darkness.
Apocalypse Now, released in 1979, is an American anti-war film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The script, co-written by Coppola and John Milius with narration from Michael Herr, loosely adapts Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella *Heart of Darkness*, relocating the story from the late 19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. The plot follows Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) as he travels by river from South Vietnam into Cambodia on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a renegade Special Forces officer accused of murder and believed to be insane. The cast also includes Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, G. D. Spradlin, and Harrison Ford.
Interest in adapting *Heart of Darkness* to the Vietnam War began in the late 1960s with John Milius, who initially developed the project with Coppola as producer and George Lucas as director. When Lucas became unavailable, Coppola took over directing, influenced by Werner Herzog’s *Aguirre, the Wrath of God* (1972). Originally planned as a five-month shoot in the Philippines starting in March 1976, production stretched to over a year due to numerous problems: expensive sets were destroyed by severe weather, Marlon Brando arrived overweight and unprepared, and Martin Sheen suffered a breakdown and a near-fatal heart attack on location. Filming wrapped in May 1977, but the release was delayed multiple times as Coppola edited over a million feet of footage. These difficulties are documented in the 1991 film *Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse*.
The film premiered unfinished at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or. Upon its final release on August 15, 1979, by United Artists, it performed well at the box office, earning $80 million in the United States and Canada and $150 million worldwide. Initial reviews were mixed: Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography was widely praised, but some critics found Coppola’s treatment of the story’s major themes anticlimactic and intellectually unsatisfying. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Supporting Actor (Duvall), winning for Best Cinematography and Best Sound.
Now regarded as Coppola’s magnum opus and one of the greatest films ever made, *Apocalypse Now* was selected for preservation in the U.S. National
- Release Year
- 1979
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Country
- United States
- Genre
- Anti-war film
- Awards
- Palme d'Or, 2 Academy Awards (Best Cinematography, Best Sound)
Lore & Background
Milius became interested in adapting Heart of Darkness for a Vietnam War setting in the late 1960s, and initially began developing the film with Coppola as producer and George Lucas as director. After Lucas became unavailable, Coppola took over directorial control, and was influenced by Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) in his approach to the material. Initially set to be a five-month shoot in the Philippines starting in March 1976, a series of problems lengthened it to over a year, including expensive sets destroyed by severe weather, Brando arriving overweight and unprepared, and Sheen suffering a near-fatal heart attack.
Reader's Guide
Apocalypse Now was honored with the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished. When finally released on August 15, 1979, by United Artists, it performed well at the box office, grossing $80 million in the United States and Canada and $150 million worldwide. Initial reviews were mixed; while Vittorio Storaro's cinematography was widely acclaimed, several critics found Coppola's handling of the story's major themes anticlimactic and intellectually disappointing. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Duvall); it went on to win Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Apocalypse Now has been assessed as Coppola's magnum opus and retrospectively considered one of the greatest films ever made. In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the U.S. Library of Congress as 'culturally, historically or aesthetically significant'. Coppola later released Apocalypse Now Redux in 2001 and Apocalypse Now Final Cut in 2019, which is his preferred version.
Did You Know?
- The film was inspired by Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, with the setting changed from the Congo to the Vietnam War.
- Martin Sheen suffered a near-fatal heart attack on location during the shoot.
- The film premiered unfinished at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or.
- Marlon Brando arrived on set overweight and completely unprepared.
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