Adapted
from Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness” (written in 1899 and taking
place in the Congo ), this
film is set in Vietnam
by screenwriters John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola (with narration by
Michael Herr). Mr. Coppola produced and directed the film. To understand how
completely we are engrossed by Mr. Coppola’s vision I would suffice it to let the
filmmaker himself say: “My film is not
about Vietnam , it is Vietnam .” He thoroughly succeeds in
creating an experience by carefully using all that film has to offer (combinations
of light, sound, music and performances to present a mood which conveys the
themes of the film).
I hesitate to use the term theme because there has been a
lot of argument stemming from a pro- or anti-Vietnam War stance as well as the
apparent ambiguities in the novel itself; however, while a nice amount of credit
goes to Joseph Conrad, there is no denying that Coppola, if he had done nothing
else, would be famous for this film alone.
Nominated for Oscars in all three categories (Best Picture,
Screen Adaption, Direction), Mr. Coppola did not win an Academy Award. He did win a BAFTA for Directing and the film
garnered Oscars for Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro) and Sound. Mr. Coppola won Golden Globes for Best Motion
Picture - Drama and also for Best Original Score with Carmine Coppola and the
film won the coveted Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in
the categories for Best Editing, Art Direction – Set Decoration and Supporting
Actor (Robert Duvall). Other nominations
were received from WGA, DGA, and the Grammy Awards among others which are
listed on the film’s wikipedia webpage:
You might be crazy if you didn’t want to see this film after
learning who makes up the amazing cast.
The great performances perfectly serve Coppola’s narrative and that is why
this is one of my top ten favorite films
of all time. It stars Marlon Brando, Martin
Sheen (BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor), Robert Duvall, Frederick
Forrest, Albert Hall and Sam Bottoms.
Look for Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, Scott Glenn, R. Lee Ermey,
G. D. Spradlin and the notable appearance by Harrison Ford as Colonel G. Lucas
as well as cameos by Coppola and Storaro as a TV Director and Cameraman. Trivia note:
Charlie Sheen is an extra.
A Famous Quote: “I
love the smell of Napalm in the morning.” [spoken by Robert Duvall as Lt.
Colonel Bill Kilgore]
Genre: Adaptation,
Drama, Epic, War
Release Date: August
15, 1979
[Thank you for reading my first post. I am starting with my top ten films of all time (in alphabetical order).]
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