Overview
This video review compares Joseph Conrad's novella "Heart of Darkness" (1899) with Francis Ford Coppola's film "Apocalypse Now" (1979), discussing key similarities, differences, and offering a personal preference between the two.
Shared Themes and Plot Elements
- Both stories center on a Western protagonist who travels by river through a war-torn foreign land.
- The protagonist’s journey exposes him to violence against natives and attacks on their boat, resulting in a crew member’s death.
- Each narrative explores the destructive impact of Western imperialists/soldiers on the native population.
- The climax of both stories involves a powerful, rogue figure named Kurtz, who is revered by the locals and admired for his philosophical speech.
Heart of Darkness (Book)
- Written by Joseph Conrad in 1899 and set in 19th-century Africa.
- Framed as a story within a story, narrated by Marlow, who steers a river steamboat for an ivory trading company.
- Marlow is sent over 200 miles inland to check on Kurtz, a trading post commander gone rogue.
- The novella is acclaimed for its philosophical themes, sophisticated prose, and use of metaphor and simile.
- It presents a bleak, nihilistic view on imperialism and the human condition.
- Kurtz dies from fever, not direct violence.
Apocalypse Now (Film)
- Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, set during the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia.
- Protagonist is Captain Benjamin Willard, sent to assassinate rogue Colonel Walter Kurtz.
- Willard’s mission contrasts with Marlow’s; he is ordered to kill, not retrieve, Kurtz.
- Kurtz appears primarily in the film’s final act; Willard ultimately kills him.
- Notable scenes and lines, such as “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” and the use of Kurtz’s final words from the novella.
- The film adapts lines from the book, with some changes (e.g., “exterminate all the brutes” vs. “drop the bomb, exterminate them all”).
Book vs. Film: Personal Opinion
- Heart of Darkness is considered essential, thought-provoking reading.
- Apocalypse Now is described as a cinematic masterpiece and possibly the reviewer’s favorite Vietnam War film.
- Reviewer's verdict: Apocalypse Now, while a loose adaptation, surpasses its source material.
Audience Engagement and Next Steps
- Viewers are encouraged to comment on unnoticed similarities or differences.
- Upcoming video will compare "Moby Dick" book vs. movie.
Action Items
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