Steve writes,
> With all the problems making that film, the major
fault was that they
> shot the Brando ending FIRST, than made the rest of
the film. When they
> tried to put it together the ending related to the
movie they were going
> to make at the outset, not the film as it grew over
the year or so
> during which they shot it. And they couldn't get
Brando to come back to
> re-shoot the ending.
Respectfully, many would argue that the major fault was
including Brando at all. The last part of the film is
sluggish, self-referential posturing because (a) Brando took
over aspects of script and selection of rushes (b) Brando was
so huge he couldn't be made to look like a general in the
field (c) Brando didn't give them a choice as to when to
employ him and for how long and (d) Brando hadn't read Heart
of Darkness before he came. This is not to declare the
director innocent of transgressions against his art either.
The documentary Hearts of Darkness shows the process.
Enough--also see it as a flawed masterpiece--if you want to
read a more extensive account of the process, check my
article in the 3rd Norton Critical edition of Heart of
Darkness.
Bill Hagen
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