Henry

Until today, I didn't consider Apocalypse Now to be an adaptation at all. The Rolling Stones/ water skiing scene felt out of place, and the presence of many other Americans at war doesn't give off the feeling that "Marlow" is an outsider at all; many others are in the exact same position as him. The Playboy performance also felt wrong. Women play a huge role in Heart of Darkness; the women we encounter on the river are mysterious natives. Here, the models in the show are clearly flown in from overseas, and while they are clearly "out of touch" like the women in Heart of Darkness, they do not give off the same mysterious vibe.

I thought the attack scenes were done well though. Coppola chose not to show any of the natives; we only see the arrows coming towards the boat. The sound of the arrows contrast well with the silence beforehand, which only emphasizes how scary it is for the men to be on a boat by themselves. The second attack was interesting as well. While the arrows were toys, there was also a real spear in the mix. We see that something that seems harmless in Vietnam can be harmful.