This week, The Unenthusiastic Critic is venturing into the heart of darkness for her first viewing of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979), starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando.
Released 40 years ago this week—after a nightmarish road to production—Francis Ford Coppola's film introduced iconic characters and images, shaped the world's perception of America's war in Vietnam, and influenced an entire generation of filmmakers.
But does any of that mean anything to the Unenthusiastic Critic, who simply doesn't like war movies?
Listen along, as Nakea first encounters the horror, the horror, of Apocalypse Now.
Program
0:00: Prologue: from The Big Lebowski (1998)
0:39: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
11:57: Interlude: from the Original Trailer for Apocalypse Now
14:06: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion
57:21: Outro and Next Week's Movie
Notes and Links
—Movie Reviewed: Apocalypse Now (dir. Francis Ford Coppola, United Artists, 1979).
—Prologue: Jeff Bridges and John Goodman in The Big Lebowski (dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, Working Title, 1998).
—Documentary Referenced: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (dir. Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, and Eleanor Coppola, American Zoetrope, 1991).
—Reviews Referenced: Vincent Canby, New York Times; Frank Rich, Time; Roger Ebert in 1979 and 1999, rogerebert.com.
—Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation to support the podcast at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
—Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are very welcome.)
—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:38 — 54.0MB)
