Apocalypse Now | |
---|---|
Directed by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Screenplay by | John Milius Francis Ford Coppola |
Based on | Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad |
Produced by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Starring | Marlon Brando Robert Duvall Martin Sheen Laurence Fishburne Dennis Hopper Harrison Ford |
Narrated by | Michael Herr |
Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
Edited by | Lisa Fruchtman Gerald B. Greenberg Walter Murch |
Music by | Carmine Coppola & Francis Ford Coppola |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | May 10, 1979 |
Running time | 153 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $31,500,000 |
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic drama movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
It tells a fictional story which takes place in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. It tells the story of an Army Captain who is sent on a boat deep into the Cambodian jungle to capture a Special Forces colonel who, it is suggested, has gone insane. It was partly based on Joseph Conrad's novel about a journey down the Congo River, Heart of Darkness.
It is now thought to be a great movie, but in the making it ran into problems. Its key star Martin Sheen, is on the screen for almost all the movie. He had a breakdown, and a heart attack. Editing the mile plus of film took years. It was unfinished when it was shown in the Cannes Film Festival.
Apocalypse Now is today considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Duvall. It went on to win for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. It ranked #14 in Sight & Sound's greatest films poll in 2012,[1] and #6 in the Director's Poll of greatest films of all time.[2]
The film as now shown on streaming channels is the Director's "Final Cut". This was first shown in 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival.[3] It runs for 3 hours, 3 minutes.