“When a great artist in one medium produces a work based on a masterpiece in the same or other medium, we can expect interesting results” (E. N. Dorall: Conrad and Coppola: Different Centres of Darkness).
In his essay The Rethoric of Narrative in Fiction And Film, film critic Seymore Chatman observes that
‘a lot of ink has been spilled in recent years on film adaptations of novels (…). Too much of the discussion has centred on questions of story content, with particular respect to ‘fidelity’, as if the source novel were some sacrosanct object whose letter as well as spirit the film had to follow.’
He continues that this approach ‘often leads to an unproductive prescriptivism that finds the film inadequate because it does not ‘read’ like the novel’. It seems that John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola who both wrote the screenplay for the movie Apocalypse Now, had the same thoughts in mind when they decided to adapt Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness -as Milius stated himself – ‘in some shape or form’. They certainly did not want to spill any ink and he also did not see the novel as a sacrosanct object. Apocalypse Now is not a conventional film adaptation of Conrad’s novel since -at least at first glance- it does not pay particular respect to ‘fidelity’; a Vietnam war movie does not seem to have much in common with a novel written in 1898 and dealing with colonialism. However, it is said that HD can be seen as the ‘root’ for AN, because ‘a seventeen-year old John Milius heard his English reader, Irwin Blackter, extol the splendour of Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness”. And if we take a closer look at the movie, the parallels to Conrad’s novel become obvious. This essay will be divided into two major parts. The first one of will focus on the comparison of the plot and narrative structure of HD and AN. It will establish a general overview of the formal aspects of novel and film as well as of the similarities of characters appearing in both HD and AN. Special attention will be paid to the symbolic value of the plot of the story- the metaphorical meaning of darkness- appearing in both Conrad’s novel and Coppola’s movie and the question of how and why the screenplay-writers of AN applied Conrad’s ideas on their film adaptation. The second part will be with special focus on Coppola’s film adaptation of Conrad’s novel. The analysis of several scenes will pay special attention to details of techniques for visualisation and sound used by Coppola to depict the plot.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction: A question of fidelity
II. Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now
1. The plot structure of Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now
2. The Characters of Marlow, Willard and Kurtz
3.The rivers as symbols for the inner journey
4. The Heart of Darkness within: the metaphorical meaning of darkness in the novel.
5. The narrative structure
6. The question of point of view
III. The Language of Film: Signs and Syntax
1. The syntax of film: Mise-en-scène and Montage
1.1. Mis-en-scène
1.2. Montage
IV. Film analysis with special focus on the implication of darkness
1.The beginning
2. River sequence: The Mekong Delta
3.The air raid of Vin Drin Dop (00:24:00- )
5.Du Lung Bridge (1:36:00)
5. River sequence: The arrow attack
6. The Kurtz Compound
V. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
The academic paper examines the thematic and structural parallels between Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppola’s film Apocalypse Now. It investigates how Coppola translates the symbolic use of darkness and the narrative journey into a cinematic language, exploring the psychological transformation of characters and the critique of colonial and military power structures.
- Comparison of plot and narrative structure in both works.
- Character analysis of Marlow, Willard, and Kurtz.
- Symbolic significance of the river as a metaphor for an inner, psychological journey.
- Metaphorical meaning of "darkness" and its implication within the context of war and culture.
- Analysis of cinematic techniques (mise-en-scène, montage) used to convey themes of horror and insanity.
Excerpt from the Book
The Heart of Darkness within: the metaphorical meaning of darkness in the novel.
“In the interior you will no doubt meet Kurtz”(HD, 22). As Marlow starts his account of his journey to rescue Kurtz, the ‘darkness’ seems to stand for the goal of that journey, the unknown. But, we gradually begin to wonder, does this centre of darkness have geographical, metaphysical , or psychological significance? In his essay Heart of Darkness: “Will and Wilderness”, Nic Panagopoulos proposes that ‘the jungles of the Congo can be seen as a metaphor for a society where men have been reduced to beasts through the loss of that ethical and rational order which their religious beliefs used to provide.’ He applies the theory of Schopenhauer’s ‘will’–the dark primeval force through which human beings are ‘intimately allied to the wilderness of life’.
‘Marlow is not just discovering the truth about colonialism in going to Africa’ , and Willard is not just discovering the truth about war in going to Vietnam: both protagonists also discover the truth about themselves and life in general. ‘Conrad’s novel reflects the post- Darwinian idea that at the heart of man is not a metaphysical soul but a blind and instinctive natural force, the object of which is to maintain the individual at all costs. Metaphorically speaking, just like Africa was an uncharted region on a map for Marlow in his boyhood, man’s centre has ‘ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery … It had become a place of darkness’(HD, 12).
Therefore, the jungle which is depicted in HD can be seen as a metaphor for the heart of darkness which lies in each of us, the ‘inclination of evil that lurks in each of us’, on which centres lies Kurtz. As Marlow tells us, Kurtz ‘lacked restraint in the gratification of his various lusts’(HD, 57).
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: A question of fidelity: This chapter introduces the theoretical debate surrounding film adaptations of novels and outlines the essay's focus on comparing the narrative structures of Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now.
II. Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now: This section provides a detailed comparison of the characters, the symbolic role of the river, and the metaphorical meaning of darkness in both the novel and the film.
III. The Language of Film: Signs and Syntax: This chapter defines key cinematic terminology such as mise-en-scène and montage to provide a basis for the subsequent technical film analysis.
IV. Film analysis with special focus on the implication of darkness: This section applies the previously defined cinematic concepts to analyze specific sequences in Apocalypse Now, such as the air raid and the Kurtz compound, to show how Coppola depicts darkness.
V. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes how Coppola successfully adapted Conrad’s critique of human nature and society into a visual medium, emphasizing that both works reveal the dark side of man.
Keywords
Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, Joseph Conrad, Francis Ford Coppola, Film Adaptation, Colonialism, Vietnam War, Narrative Structure, Darkness, Symbolism, Marlow, Willard, Kurtz, Mise-en-scène, Montage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness into Francis Ford Coppola’s film Apocalypse Now, specifically examining how themes and symbols are translated between media.
What are the primary thematic areas explored?
The main themes include the psychological journey of the protagonists, the critique of colonialism and war, the metaphorical meaning of darkness, and the representation of the "inner self."
What is the primary goal of the research?
The goal is to analyze how the film adaptation maintains the spirit of the novel while utilizing specific cinematic techniques to address contemporary themes in the context of the Vietnam War.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes literary comparison and formal film analysis, incorporating concepts like mise-en-scène and montage to critique the visual language of the film.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body examines plot structure, the roles of key characters (Marlow, Willard, Kurtz), the river as a symbol, and a detailed analysis of specific sequences in the film, such as the Du Lung Bridge and the finale.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include literary adaptation, symbolic darkness, cinematic syntax, colonial critique, and psychological degradation.
How does the author characterize the difference between Marlow and Willard?
While both travel upriver, Marlow is depicted as a moral force who resists the darkness, whereas Willard is presented as morally unstable, gradually descending into the "horror" that he was sent to terminate.
What significance does the "Du Lung Bridge" sequence have in the film?
It represents the final "civilized" point before entering the lawless world of Kurtz, serving as a visual metaphor for the chaos and pointlessness of the American military operation in Vietnam.
- Quote paper
- Silke Weishaupt (Author), 2003, Conrad and Coppola and the Heart of Darkness Within:The Symbolic Value of Darkness in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/24189
