81. APOCALYPSE NOW

Lit to Lens

The guys discuss one of the all-time classic film adaptations, APOCALYPSE NOW, which is based on the century-old (also) classic British novella, HEART OF DARKNESS. … HEART OF DARKNESS tells a story within a story, following Charlie Marlow, who recounts his adventure to a group of men onboard an anchored ship. Although his job was to transport ivory downriver, Charlie develops an interest in investing an ivory procurement agent, Kurtz, who is employed by the government. Preceded by his reputation as a brilliant emissary of progress, Kurtz has now established himself as a god among the natives in “one of the darkest places on earth.” Marlow suspects something else of Kurtz: he has gone mad. ... APOCALYPSE NOW tells the story of Captain Benjamin Willard, a troubled soldier sent on a dangerous mission at the height of the Vietnam War, ordered to terminate the mysterious Green Beret Colonel Walter Kurtz. It is suspected that Kurtz has gone deep into the Vietnamese jungle, recruited his own personal army, and taken the war into his own hands. … The film adaptation was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who has directed THE GODFATHER trilogy, THE CONVERSATION, THE OUTSIDERS, THE RAINMAKER, and the upcoming film MEGALOPOLIS (in theaters September 27). The script was written by John Milieus and Francis Ford Coppola, while the film stars Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Larry Fishburne, Dennis Hopper and Harrison Ford. … Topics of discussion include the loose nature of the adaptation and thematic fit for the Vietnam War, a literary criticism of HEART OF DARKNESS by Chinua Achebe (author of THINGS FALL APART), the controversy and lore behind the filmmaking process, how the adaptation stacks up to the source material, and whether or not a water buffalo was actually slaughtered on film. … (0:00) From the book… (1:20) Fast facts, recap, trivia… (22:24) A word from our sponsor… (22:57) Studio pitch & novel breakdown… (49:55) Trailer (51:36) Learn you something, differences from the book… (1:58:04) Coming up next, and outro…. … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: [email protected] … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens