Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Year: 1979 (REDUX 2001)
IMDB / Wikipedia (Redux article)
A few months ago I read Joseph Conrad‘s novella Heart of Darkness, the original story from which this movie was made. While watching the REDUX version of the film I couldn’t help myself from trying to find the parallels between the source and the film. On the surface, there’s a good bit of similarity–everything from character names to some of the symbolism to many of the motifs Conrad used–but these, in their respective hearts, are two very different stories.
At this point, I’m going to post a Spoiler Alert for both the film and the book because it is essential to break down all of the events therein to give a good comparison. However, if you are not familiar with how the film ends (especially with Brando’s utterance of Kurtz’s famous last words) it means it is quite possible you have lived under a rock for the past 30 years or so.
I started to write about my gripes about the film but, as I wrote my thoughts I found I was pushing myself toward the inevitable conclusions and connections made by the screenwriters of the film. Everything in the film is a mirror to the book–save the ending–and the motifs and points made in the book were meticulously inserted into the film. With as many re-writes and revisions made during the filming, it’s a wonder they got it right (watch the Hearts of Darkness documentary to get a better perspective on this).
The only gripe I would have about the film is the main thing that kept the plot grounded in conflict: the Willard/Marlowe character (Sheen). In the book, it was really his own curiosity that sent him looking for Kurtz (the Company men saw this and took advantage in lieu of being ordered) and it was only to find out what happened in self-interest (would he share Kurtz’s fate on the river?). In the film, Willard was sent by the military to find and eliminate Kurtz as he was seen as a threat to National Security and to the harmony of the military operation in Vietnam. At the end of the book, Kurtz wanted to be taken away from the Inner Station and the life he built because of illness (he kept having a liter bear him down to the steamer) wherein the movie Kurtz’s want of rest and peace was only insinuated by Willard (though confirmed when Kurtz did not fight back when Willard slaughtered him). Perhaps this was to keep in with the war/battle-motif established by the film, but it seemed more natural and logical the way Kurtz died in the book, coming to a self-realization on his deathbed about the horrors he has seen and perpetuated, and then dies a less than noble death in a cot.
But, does having a knowledge of the original source detract from the film’s experience? Absolutely not. The film is certainly a masterpiece and the REDUX is the only version I will watch. There were a lot of holes and missing events that the REDUX restored meticulously and beautifully. Every scene had a purpose, every line had bearing on the plot and character development and, as a whole, the film became more like a tapestry of a story rather than a series of events. There is no passively watching this film because everything matters. If it weren’t R-rated and violent as all get-out I would recommend every high school US History and Literature class view this film in tandem with the reading of the novella to explore a wonderful story told in two very stark but relatable ways.
Most Valuable Actor: It’s hard to deny Brando’s brilliant performance in the film (the “How does it smell to you, soldier?” scene is as chilling as anything else in the film) or Sheen’s sacrifice for the sake of the film (he had a massive heart-attack on set) but I feel that the role Frederic Forrest played as Chef was the best because his character was the audience placed inside the story. His character was the best drawn of all of the boat’s crew, he had some great lines, and his demise was the hardest to take, not just because of the method used but because he was truly the last sane person in the story at that point. Take him out and you lose the moral compass needed to tell the light from the darkness in this story, something that is desperately needed.
Trailer:
These Things I Have Seen 