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What are the various changes in cast and staff that produced "Apocalypse Now"?

(c)2019 ZOETROPE CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

What are the various changes in cast and staff that produced "Apocalypse Now"?

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"Apocalypse Now" synopsis

At the end of the 1960s, as the Vietnam War intensifies, Captain Willard of the U.S. Army is ordered to carry out a special mission by the military's top brass. It was an order to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, who was building his own kingdom in the jungles of Cambodia, ignoring military regulations. Willard and four of his men sail up the Nun River in a patrol boat.


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Steve McQueen also left the role of Colonel Kurtz



Substitutions are inevitable in film production. People say things like, ``This role was originally supposed to be played by so-and-so,'' or ``That director was involved in the planning.'' The Hollywood film industry, which is said to take three to four years from planning to release, is full of such behind-the-scenes stories. And the alternation in Apocalypse Now (1979), one of the most famous films in the history of movies, even makes one wonder if another, different film could have been made. Therefore, what I am writing here is a ``if only'' story.


Joseph Conrad's novel ``Heart of Darkness'' is a project that Orson Welles dreamed of turning into a movie. The film failed in 1939, and his directorial debut was Citizen Kane (1941). In 1969, even more time has passed. Francis Ford Coppola, who founded the film production company American Zoetrope, was given the task of adapting ``Heart of Darkness,'' which George Lucas and John Milius had planned while attending the University of Southern California. At that time, the Vietnam War was in full swing. Lucas and Milius' project, which changed the setting of ``Heart of Darkness'' from Africa to Vietnam, was difficult to film.



“Apocalypse Now” (c)2019 ZOETROPE CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


Francis, who later became a billionaire with the success of `` The Godfather '' (1972), raised the $13 million production cost for ``Heart of Darkness'' himself. The film adaptation of ``Heart of Darkness'' becomes a reality as ``Apocalypse Now.'' The details of these events are detailed in ``Notes Coppola and My Apocalypse,'' written by Francis' wife Eleanor Coppola (renamed to ``Complete Record of the Filming of Apocalypse Now'' when published in paperback). The documentary film ` `Heart of Darkness/Coppola's Apocalypse '' (1991), which was reconstructed based on the audio sources of tapes recorded by Francis (sometimes without permission from Francis) and video footage, is `` The content can be described as "another Apocalypse Now." This is especially true since the title is a nod to the fact that the original title of ``Heart of Darkness'' is ``Heart of Darkness.''


Marlon Brando, who plays Colonel Kurtz, who built his own kingdom deep in the jungle, appeared on set looking different from the image written in the script. Francis recalled that Colonel Kurtz's physical condition was set in such a way that ``the story itself was changed'' to fit Brando's body type, which was obese. On set, he showed no remorse for his lack of health management or lack of preparation for his role, and on the contrary, he made inconsistent statements about his character creation, and the use of Brando was one of the causes of confusion. It is said.



“Apocalypse Now” (c)2019 ZOETROPE CORP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


In the first place, casting the role of Colonel Kurtz was difficult. For example, Steve McQueen, who was originally a candidate for the role, was frustrated by the grueling filming of Papillon (1973) and withdrew because he was unable to accept filming in the jungle.



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  1. CINEMORE
  2. movie
  3. Apocalypse Now
  4. What are the various changes in cast and staff that produced "Apocalypse Now"?