Apocalypse Now

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Apocalypse Now
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola
Written byJoseph Conrad (novel)
John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay)
Michael Herr (narration)
Produced byFrancis Ford Coppola
StarringMarlon Brando
Robert Duvall
Martin Sheen
Laurence Fishburne
Dennis Hopper
Harrison Ford
CinematographyVittorio Storaro
Edited byLisa Fruchtman
Gerald B. Greenberg
Walter Murch
Music byCarmine Coppola & Francis Ford Coppola
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
May 10, 1979
Running time
153 min.
202 min. (redux)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31,500,000

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic drama movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

It tells a fictional story which takes place in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. It tells the story of an Army Captain who is sent on a boat deep into the Cambodian jungle to capture a Special Forces colonel who, it is suggested, has gone insane. It was partly based on Joseph Conrad's novel about a journey down the Congo River, Heart of Darkness.

It is now thought to be a great movie, but in the making it ran into problems. Its key star Martin Sheen, is on the screen for almost all the movie. He had a breakdown, and a heart attack. Editing the mile plus of film took years. It was unfinished when it was shown in the Cannes Film Festival.

Apocalypse Now is today considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Duvall. It went on to win for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. It ranked #14 in Sight & Sound's greatest films poll in 2012,[1] and #6 in the Director's Poll of greatest films of all time.[2]

The film as now shown on streaming channels is the Director's "Final Cut". This was first shown in 2019 at the Tribeca Film Festival.[3] It runs for 3 hours, 3 minutes.

Awards and honors[change | change source]

Awards and Nominations received by Apocalypse Now
Award Category Nominee Result
52nd Academy Awards[4] Best Picture Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson, and Tom Sternberg Nominated
Best Director Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Robert Duvall Nominated
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
Best Sound Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs, and Nat Boxer Won
Best Art Direction Art Direction: Dean Tavoularis and Angelo P. Graham; Set Decoration: George R. Nelson Nominated
Best Cinematography Vittorio Storaro Won
Best Film Editing Richard Marks, Walter Murch, Gerald B. Greenberg and Lisa Fruchtman Nominated
1979 Cannes Film Festival[5] Palme d'Or Apocalypse Now Won
1st American Movie Awards Best Actor Martin Sheen Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall Won
33rd British Academy Film Awards Best Film Apocalypse Now Nominated
Best Actor Martin Sheen Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall Won
Best Direction Francis Ford Coppola Won
Best Original Film Music Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
Best Cinematography Vittorio Storaro Nominated
Best Editing Richard Marks, Walter Murch, Gerald B. Greenberg, and Lisa Fruchtman Nominated
Best Production Design Dean Tavoularis Nominated
Best Soundtrack Nathan Boxer, Richard Cirincione, Walter Murch Nominated
5th César Awards Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger) Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
David di Donatello Awards Best Foreign Director (Migliore Regista Straniero) Francis Ford Coppola Won
32nd Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
37th Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson, and Tom Sternberg Nominated
Best Director Francis Ford Coppola Won
Best Supporting Actor Robert Duvall Won[a]
Best Original Score Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola Won
22nd Annual Grammy Awards Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
1979 National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor Frederic Forrest Won
32nd Writers Guild of America Awards Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola Nominated
American Film Institute lists

References[change | change source]

  1. "Critics' top 100". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  2. "Directors' top 100". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. Lewis, Gordon (March 14, 2019). "Tribeca: Danny Boyle's Beatles Movie 'Yesterday' Set as Closing Night Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  4. "The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  5. "Festival de Cannes: Apocalypse Now". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  1. Tied with Melvyn Douglas for Being There.

Other websites[change | change source]