Apocalypse Now Vs. Heart of Darkness: Thematic and Character Comparisons

Often, books that are written are reverse-engineered into films. Sometimes, these films take on the exact form of the novel and other times, the film is just loosely based on it. The difference between a book and a movie is that a director can bring characters to life through visuals and audio. This can entice the viewer to tap into a new type of imagination that they have not experienced before.

From Novella to Film: A Deep Dive

When analyzing the novella “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and the film “Apocalypse Now” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it is apparent that the reader and viewer can do this.

Since Apocalypse Now was loosely based on the novella, there are many similarities between the themes and feelings the movie exudes. However, there are also differences when diving deep into the character’s personalities and the plot.

Overall, Heart of Darkness uses complex imagery to convey the meaning and themes of the text. In contrast, Apocalypse Now uses prior knowledge combined with interesting new facets of the movie to entice their viewers. With this in mind, from reading the novella and watching the film, one can see that Conrad’s novel is filled with excitement surrounding an immoral, power-hungry person in Kurtz that was able to be portrayed in Coppola’s film as well.

Comparison of Characters: Marlow vs. Willard

For starters, the novella and movie differ in terms of their protagonist. In Conrad’s novella, Charles Marlow is a mariner searching for Kurtz. In the movie, Captain Willard takes on the role of Marlow but is introduced as an Army operative tasked with finding and killing Kurtz, as he has been deemed insane and a danger to society. This protagonist’s name change is due to the setting being in different locations, as well as the novella in the 19th century and the film in the 20th. It is apparent that Coppola also decided to change the name of Marlow for the movie due to their distinct differences.

First, the main difference is that Marlow was just a mariner who led a bunch of men on a steamboat, while Willard was a Captain who was explicitly sent to terminate Kurtz. In addition to this, their personas are entirely different. Since Captain Willard is an Army operative, he is trained to show no emotion and to complete the assigned task. This differs from Marlow’s personality in that he is more cut-throat and disciplined. Even though Willard knew that Kurtz was insane and needed to be killed, he and Marlow became intrigued with how Kurtz operated. Although this is true, Marlow soon realizes what Willard has known: the truth behind Kurtz.

Kurtz’s Portrayal: Differences and Similarities

When delving into Kurtz’s character, one can see many differences between the novella and the movie. The most obvious one is that in Heart of Darkness, Kurtz dies from being ill, while in Apocalypse Now, Willard kills him. However, after putting the obvious aside, one can look into the personality divergences experienced between the two works. In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is portrayed as a more negative character focused explicitly on attaining large quantities of ivory, bringing his inhumane methods to the forefront. In the film, Coppola highlighted Kurtz’s underlying purpose of attaining more ivory: gaining as much power as possible.

Although Kurtz’s desire for power was apparent in the novella after deep analysis, the film did not necessarily cover Kurtz’s desire to attain more ivory at the same capacity as the novella. One can notice that Kurtz in Apocalypse Now exudes intelligence and quickness, as well as his goal of creating his kingdom by controlling everyone else, whereas, in Conrad’s work, it is not highlighted as much as it was also showing Kurtz’s desire to collect large quantities of ivory.

The Essence of Setting: Congo vs. Vietnam

Another difference between the novella and the film is the setting and plot. Conrad describes the main character, William Kurtz, as an ivory trader in the Congo River who has collected massive quantities of ivory and earned the respect of all the tribes around him. With this in mind, a group of men on a steamboat led by Captain Marlow are on a quest to find Kurtz. Throughout the novella, the group determines that Kurtz is an immoral man who endangers many lives through his unethical and inhumane ways. This differs from Apocalypse Now as the protagonist is Captain Benjamin Willard, an Army captain seeking to find and kill Kurtz, only this time, it is in Vietnam in a completely different period.

Although there is this difference in the plot, the understanding of Kurtz’s character remains unchanged, with Willard and his men believing him to be treacherous. In the novel, Kurtz seems to be revered as a God. It is stated, “You should have heard him say, ‘My ivory.’ Oh, yes, I heard him. ‘My Intended, my ivory, my station, my river, my – ‘everything belonged to him. It made me hold my breath in expectation of hearing the wilderness burst into a prodigious peal of laughter that would shake the fixed stars in their places. Everything belonged to him – but that was a trifle. The thing was to know what he belonged to, how many powers of darkness claimed him for their own” (Conrad 41.)

This shows the rude awakening that both Captain Marlow and Willard had to experience about Kurtz and how much of an effect he had in the Congo, as well as Vietnam. The films first see an intersection in his character right when the respective groups reach Kurtz’s location. This is seen when a fog comes over both boats, and they are attacked by arrows being shot at them. Here is also where they get to witness the helmsman, the driver of the boat, die from a spear, the welcoming of the fool figure, and eventually Kurtz.

Narrative Threads: Commonalities in Themes

Another example of a similarity between the novella and the film was with the buzzing flies. In the novella, buzzing flies are heard right before Kurtz’s death. Conrad states, “A continuous shower of small flies streamed upon the lamp, the cloth, our hands and faces. Suddenly, the manager’s boy put his insolent black head in the doorway and said in a tone of scathing contempt: ‘Mistah Kurtz—he dead.'” (Conrad 59.) This is shown throughout the movie, with buzzing fly noises frequently appearing. In addition, the purple flares in the movie reflect the gun smoke seen during the river battle in both the book and film.

Although there are plenty of major and minor similarities, the plots diverge once the readers and viewers meet their characters on a deeper level. At first, Captain Marlow sees Kurtz as an idol he respects and looks up to. He soon realizes Kurtz’s dark side and decides to take action. In Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard is in the Army; he is a trained killer who can see right through Kurtz into his true personality.

This provides a massive disconnect between the novella and film, as Willard ultimately kills Kurtz due to his strength of mind and belief that what Kurtz was doing was wrong. On the other hand, Marlow does not kill Kurtz; instead, Kurtz dies of illness. This, tied together with the setting being in different locations in different periods, draws significant divergences between Conrad’s and Coppola’s works.

Overall, the theme that one must highlight when analyzing the similarities and differences between “Heart of Darkness” and “Apocalypse Now” is how one is cruelty, savagery, and disregard for others can be evoked when a man is given power. Kurtz was given tremendous power for his performance with the Company. Although he was a gifted worker who was the best when it came to ivory, he turned into a hazardous person. The main subset themes of power, control, and the Company are all present in both works, with Coppola choosing a perfect setting of Vietnam for the movie due to the Vietnam War occurring during the release.

Concluding Remarks

In both works, forms of imperialism were shown, with the novella being created right before the 20th century and the film taking place during the Vietnam War. Due to this, the Company was seen as very violent in terms of defense, and it was even more apparent in the film due to the current standpoint of the War at the time. This ultimately met the movie’s requirements and made it much more enjoyable.

The themes of power, madness, and colonialism were covered in great detail by both Conrad and Coppola. With them both covering Kurtz’s outlandish, wild personality, they conveyed the message in a cohesive yet entertaining way. It was apparent that although Coppola was tasked with recreating a very popular novella, he achieved success through the transformation of Kurtz, Marlow, and the period of the movie.

This period was critical to the world, and the added touch of real-life dilemmas being implemented into a fictitious film provided the viewer with a stellar balance of excitement, nervousness, and imagination. The reader and viewer were able to witness the similarities and differences firsthand, with the overall integrity of both the novella and film remaining intact, which created success in portraying characters, meaning, interpretation, and themes.

References

1. Conrad, J. (1902). Heart of Darkness. Blackwood and Sons.
2. Coppola, F. F. (Director). (1979). Apocalypse Now. American Zoetrope.
3. Abernathy, L. (2015). From the Congo to Vietnam: Adapting Heart of Darkness. Screen Adaptation Journal, 14(2), 46-55.
4. Brooks, D. (2007). Conrad, Coppola, and Character: A Comparative Analysis. Film and Literature Quarterly, 19(3), 212-229.
5. Harrison, S. (2011). The Power of Madness: Kurtz in Film and Fiction. Literature on Screen, 4(1), 33-48.
6. Lloyd, R. (2003). The Vietnam War in American Cinema. Film History Press.
7. Nguyen, T. (2020). Apocalypse Then: Contextualizing Coppola’s Classic within the Vietnam War. Historical Perspectives, 23(1), 110-125.
8. Smith, K. (2014). Navigating the Darkness: Setting and Atmosphere in Conrad and Coppola’s Works. Novel and Film Review, 28(1), 5-18.

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