Apocalypse Now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Frederic Forrest. It drew a wide audience and shaped its genre.
Plot
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American psychological epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola (credited as Francis Coppola). The screenplay, written by Coppola and John Milius, with narration by Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, with the setting changed from late 19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. The film follows a river journey from South Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who is on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a renegade Special Forces officer who is accused of murder and presumed insane. The ensemble cast also features Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, G. D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford.
Production
Written by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, the film was produced by American Zoetrope. Carmine Coppola composed the score. Vittorio Storaro handled the cinematography. The film runs 147 minutes. The crew and editing refined every shot.
Reception
On a budget of $31,500,000, Apocalypse Now grossed $150,000,000 worldwide at the box office. A critic consensus praised its screenplay and score.
Legacy
The film's influence spread across the century; its narrative and tone echo in much later cinema.
See also
References
- "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time". topfilms100. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- Ebert, Roger. The Great Movies. Broadway Books.
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