FILM REFERENCE:
TITLE: APOCALYPSE NOW
RELEASE YEAR: 1979
RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 15, 1979
DIRECTOR: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
WRITERS: JOHN MILIUS · FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
NARRATION: MICHAEL HERR
BASED ON: HEART OF DARKNESS BY JOSEPH CONRAD
PRODUCER: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
CO-PRODUCERS: FRED ROOS · GRAY FREDERICKSON · TOM STERNBERG
CINEMATOGRAPHY: VITTORIO STORARO
EDITING: WALTER MURCH · GERALD B. GREENBERG · LISA FRUCHTMAN
PRODUCTION DESIGN: DEAN TAVOULARIS
MUSIC: CARMINE COPPOLA · FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
PRODUCTION COMPANY: AMERICAN ZOETROPE / OMNI ZOETROPE
DISTRIBUTION: UNITED ARTISTS
GENRE: DRAMA · WAR
CAST:
MARLON BRANDO — Colonel Walter E. Kurtz
MARTIN SHEEN — Captain Benjamin L. Willard
ROBERT DUVALL — Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
FREDERIC FORREST — “Chef”
SAM BOTTOMS — Lance
ALBERT HALL — “Chief”
LAURENCE FISHBURNE — Tyrone “Clean” Miller
DENNIS HOPPER — Photojournalist
HARRISON FORD — Colonel Lucas
G. D. SPRADLIN — General Corman
SCOTT GLENN — Colby
CARE:
• Machine wash cold, inside out.
• Do not bleach.
• Do not iron directly over the print.
• Wash with similar colors.
IMPORTANT:
This is a contemporary H354 T-shirt featuring a graphic interpretation of Apocalypse Now. It is not represented as an original 1979 promotional or production garment.
THE STORY
During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is ordered to travel upriver into Cambodia and terminate Colonel Kurtz, a highly decorated Special Forces officer who has gone rogue and established his own brutal domain deep in the jungle.
The journey becomes increasingly surreal as Willard and the crew of the patrol boat encounter the bizarre realities of the war, culminating in Kurtz’s isolated compound.
The film’s narrative was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, relocating the novella’s journey into the context of the Vietnam War.
TRIVIA & BEHIND THE SCENES
A DECADE IN THE MAKING
The project began in the late 1960s. John Milius’s early screenplay was developed under the title The Psychedelic Soldier, and George Lucas was originally attached to direct a much smaller production. The project ultimately evolved substantially before Coppola directed it.
FILMED IN THE PHILIPPINES
Principal production began in the Philippines in March 1976. What was initially planned as a comparatively short shoot ultimately lasted more than a year, with the production facing severe logistical and environmental problems.
TYPHOON OLGA
A major typhoon destroyed several elaborate sets during production, forcing the filmmakers to suspend work and rebuild. The difficult Philippine shoot became one of the defining stories surrounding the film’s production.
MARTIN SHEEN
Martin Sheen replaced Harvey Keitel as Captain Willard early in production. Sheen subsequently suffered a serious heart attack while filming in the Philippines, further disrupting the already troubled production.
MARLON BRANDO AS KURTZ
Marlon Brando’s arrival created another major production challenge. Brando arrived considerably heavier than originally envisioned for Kurtz and had not prepared the role in the manner Coppola had expected. Coppola ultimately used lighting, framing, shadows, and close-ups to shape Kurtz’s imposing screen presence.
VITTORIO STORARO
The film’s extraordinary visual style was created by Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. His work on Apocalypse Now became one of the film’s defining artistic achievements and later earned the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
“THE HORROR”
The film’s final section was substantially shaped during the long production and post-production process. The combination of Brando’s performance, Coppola’s direction, and Walter Murch’s sound design created the deliberately hypnotic and unsettling atmosphere of Kurtz’s compound.
