A Reel 40: APOCALYPSE NOW

“I couldn’t believe they wanted this man dead.”

This month marks the 40^thanniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s APOCALYPSE NOW. 

Regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, APOCALYPSE NOW was a Vietnam War film inspired by the classic novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The film followed the journey of Captain Willard, who is secretly sent upriver to terminate Colonel Kurtz; a U.S. Special Forces commander who has raised his own army and secluded in his own outpost…where he is worshipped as a demi-god. 

In the 1970’s, there was a revolution in filmmaking happening. Filmmakers such as Coppola, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Milius, and Martin Scorsese were re-defining the way films were made, marketed, and distributed…and that was just the business side. New approaches to filmmaking were being used by these men, which embraced the classic style of storytelling while breaking boundaries. For APOCALYPSE NOW, the journey up the celluloid river began as far back as 1969, when John Milius was encouraged by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to write a Vietnam War film. Milius came up with the idea of using Heart of Darkness as the plot, and changed the setting from the 19^thcentury Congo to late 1960’s Vietnam. Milius wrote over 10 drafts amounting to over a thousand pages, and came up with the title APOCALYPSE NOW after being inspired by a badge popular with hippies that said,  “Nirvana Now”. 

Milius did not want to direct the film and felt Lucas was perfect for the job. The two worked for four years developing the film, alongside Lucas’ work for his dream project, STAR WARS. The initial idea was to film on-location in Vietnam with real soldiers while the war was still happening, but due to safety concerns that was scrapped. Coppola was determined to make the film and got the job, while Lucas went off to that far, far away galaxy. 

Filming began in 1976 with Harvey Keitel cast as Willard, but he was replaced by Martin Sheen just three weeks into production. Kurtz was played by Marlon Brando, who had worked with Coppola on THE GODFATHER…along with Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, G.D. Spradlin (another GODFATHER alum), Scott Glenn, and a 14-year-old Laurence Fishburne. 

The production, taking place in the Philippines, had more than its share of problems; so bad that the cast and crew went through their own journey through darkness in a surreal way of life imitating art. Storms devasted sets, scripts were re-written and re-written again, payroll was stolen, Martin Sheen had a heart attack, and Brando showed up for work very overweight. At one point the film was six weeks behind schedule and $2 million overbudget, and Coppola had to offer his car, house, and his profits from THE GODFATHER as security to finish the film. 

The gamble paid off. Principal photography wrapped in 1977, and after a lengthy editing process, the film was ready for a 1979 release. In won best film at its debut at Cannes, and performed well at the box office. Critical praise was initially mixed, but the film gained more appreciation and near-mythical status over the years. It was nominated for eight Oscars and won two, and also won three of the four Golden Globes in was nominated for. In 2000 it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, and today it is considered to be a masterpiece of the New Hollywood era. 

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APOCALYPSE NOW is one of those films that becomes more legendary as time goes up the river. From its many stories of a disastrous production to the entire crew going insane, its reputation is as great as the viewing experience itself. Amazing to look at and stunning in its storytelling, it transcends the typical war picture by straying away from the old bombs and bullets, and works as a character piece so deeply that the film feels like a dream; ethereal and spiritual. It is set in an ugly war but feels beautiful, and has a timeless quality which earns its label as greatness.

“Someday this war’s gonna end…”