User:Hdog1996/sandbox/Apocalypse Now
1979 epic war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apocalypse Now | |
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Directed by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Written by |
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Narration by | Michael Herr |
Produced by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
Edited by | |
Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | |
Running time |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $31 million[3] |
Box office | $100–150 million[4][5] |
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote the screenplay with John Milius and Michael Herr. The film is loosely based on the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The ensemble cast also features Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne and Dennis Hopper. Set during the Vietnam War in 1969, Apocalypse Now follows Captain Willard (Sheen) as he embarks on a river journey from South Vietnam into Cambodia to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Brando), a renegade Special Forces officer who is accused of murder and presumed insane.
Inspired by his college professor, Milius began developing a screenplay on in the late 1960s on the war by using Conrad’s novella, which was known for its unfilmabillity. Development began in 1969 when George Lucas joined the project to direct and Coppola producing. When Lucas left the project in 1974 to focus on the development of Star Wars (1977), Coppola took over directing duties while also self-financing the majority of the film’s budget. Filmed in the Philippines from March 1976 to May 1977, Apocalypse Now faced multiple production difficulties including typhoons, script rewrites, Sheen's near fatal heart attack, and problems with the actors such as reported drug use and Brando arriving overweight and underprepared. Initially budgeted at $12 million, costs had risen to $31 million by the project’s completion and took a mental, physical, and financial toll on Coppola.
Apocalypse Now received negative publicity for its troubled and prolonged production, which prompted Coppola to premiered the film unfinished at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where it was honored with the Palme d'Or. After numerous delays, the film was released on August 15, 1979 and earned over $86 million worldwide, becoming the ninth highest grossing film of year. Upon its release, the film received polarized reviews, with critics criticizing Coppola’s handing of the story’s themes and finding the ending anticlimactic. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography and Walter Murch’s sound design were critically praised, with the pair winning Academy Awards for their respective works, and Duvall’s performance as the bombastic air-calvary officer Kilgore was unanimously praised. Subsequent releases, including extended versions and re-edits by Coppola, have raised the film's worldwide gross to $104-150 million.
Since its release, Apocalypse Now has been critically reassessed and is now often regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. It has had It has had a significant impact on filmmaking with its sound design and its depiction of the Vietnam War, and influenced several medium across entertainment. Its enduring popularity has also prompted numerous books, parodies, and documentaries about its production. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2000.