Blog #4

                                         The Fearsomeness of Brando's Kurtz

In the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, the story of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness novella was revised and retold from a different view. Many concepts between the film and the novella were similar, for example the character’s names, their role in the story, and the location of where the story took place. Although there were multiple smaller similarities, like the few previously described, there was one that was captured perfectly in the film. The similarity was the fearsomeness of Marlon Brando’s character, Colonel Kurtz.

            One concept from the film that made Brando’s Kurtz so frightening was his physical features. Brando was a heavier set, tall, man who was very good with his facial features. He pulled off looking angry all of the time, which over time made the viewers understand the importance of his character, knowing that he was something more than insane. It was obvious that he had all the power just by watching the way the other characters looked at him and followed him, even though they all knew he was deathly ill. In the scene where the viewers first meet Kurtz, it is plausible to assume that Kurtz is going to be a big, dangerous, and crazy man, which I believe was performed well in the film.

            Another concept that made Brando’s Kurtz so frightening, and possibly the most important concept, was the lighting involved in the film. The lighting was used in a unique way. It was used to accentuate the different sides of Kurtz. The light would hit half of his face so that the other half would be completely dark, giving the viewers a literal black and white concept. The usage of this kind of lighting was so important because it made the viewers really think of the fact if Kurtz was actually insane or not.

            Overall the film was very interesting and I thought that it was a well-done revision of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The cast was perfect and the main points from the novella, like the darkness of the jungle and the loss of morality was portrayed very well. The physical features of Brando’s Kurtz and the way the lighting was used, were two very significant ways of showing how frightening Kurtz really was. The film gave me a different perspective of the novella, and actually helped me understand it a little bit better due to the fact that Conrad’s Heart of Darkness was a very difficult novella to read and comprehend.