Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is widely regarded as one of the greatest war films ever made. Set during the Vietnam War, it is loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s novella *Heart of Darkness* and chronicles Captain Willard’s (Martin Sheen) journey up the Nung River to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a rogue officer who has established himself as a god-like figure among a local tribe.
The production of *Apocalypse Now* was notoriously difficult and plagued by problems, which have become as legendary as the film itself. The movie was filmed in the Philippines, and production faced a series of catastrophic delays due to bad weather, including a typhoon that destroyed many of the sets. In addition, the lead actor, Martin Sheen, suffered a heart attack during filming, which added further stress to an already chaotic shoot.
Marlon Brando’s involvement in the film was also a source of controversy. Brando arrived on set overweight and unprepared, forcing Coppola to rewrite large portions of the script and shoot the actor in shadows to obscure his appearance. Despite these challenges, Brando’s portrayal of Kurtz remains one of the film’s most memorable performances, adding to the aura of mystery and madness surrounding his character.
The film is noted for its surreal atmosphere, blending nightmarish war imagery with philosophical reflections on the nature of conflict, power, and morality. One of the most iconic sequences is the helicopter assault on a Vietnamese village, set to Richard Wagner’s "Ride of the Valkyries." This scene exemplifies the film’s juxtaposition of the beauty and horror of war.
Coppola famously declared, “This film is not about Vietnam, it **is** Vietnam,” reflecting the chaos and moral ambiguity of the war itself. The film’s troubled production mirrored the madness it sought to portray, with Coppola even suffering a nervous breakdown during filming due to the pressures of the project.
*Apocalypse Now* won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning two for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Its impact on cinema is profound, and its themes of war, insanity, and the human condition continue to resonate with audiences today.
廖志峯是新潮叢書老友，他提起的文庫或其他出書系都有點意思，如 白鯨記為老曹導讀，或此次異鄉人之翻譯
今天整理下週要到文藻外語大學分享法文書籍出版的心得，失敗的多，成功的少，倒是出到蒙迪安諾《在青春迷失的咖啡館》，從此把我拉上了街道，成為晃遊者。我最早讀的最有感的法國作家作品是異鄉人吧？那種不辨解、不抗爭、無所謂的表象背後是最深層的反動。昨天和朋友聊起異鄉人，我說張清吉先生的諸多出版事功，就是讓詩人莫渝翻譯卡繆的異鄉人⋯⋯。這次到巴黎，好像找到一種寫作的動力，不過，與亞蘭德倫無關，買到他的電影寫真，純屬意外。說起那家左岸小書店，黑髮的女店主，聲音低沈，像個低音大提琴，說起話時，感覺書店裡的書都有些震動，我是因此看到書嗎？我不知道。喜歡書的人，從不無聊，不過，賣書，是另一回事，不辨解。
你們是否知道英國文學最重要的作家之一是波蘭人？今天是約瑟夫·康拉德（Joseph Conrad；或者更確切地說：Józef Teodor Korzeniowski）誕辰166週年。康拉德不到17歲的時候就去了法國，在那裡他找到了一份水手的工作，並在那裡度過了幾十年。約瑟夫·康拉德在英國船隻上工作時才學會了英語。在東南亞洲（《吉姆勳爵》）和非洲（《黑暗之心》）的經歷是他著作的核心，在書中他堅定地批評了當時的殖民壓迫。你們可以在這裡閱讀更多關於他的生活：https://culture.pl/en/article/joseph-conrads-forgotten-relationship-with-political-activism
根據康拉德的著作《黑暗之心》改編，法蘭西斯柯波拉執導、馬龍白蘭度主演的電影《現代啟示錄》。
Did you know that one of the greatest writers in the English literature was Polish? Today is the 166th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Conrad, or rather Józef Teodor Korzeniowski. When he was less than 17 years old, Conrad went to France, where he took a job as a sailor. It was while working on British ships that Joseph Conrad learned the English language. His experiences in Southeast Asia ("Lord Jim") and Africa ("Heart of Darkness") were central to his books, in which he steadfastly criticized the colonial oppression of the time. You can read more about his life here: https://culture.pl/en/article/joseph-conrads-forgotten-relationship-with-political-activism
Based on Conrad's book "Heart of Darkness", Francis Coppola directed the movie "Apocalypse Now" with Marlon Brando in the main role.
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