Orson Welles’ Heart of Darkness

Halstead and Eric take a slightly different approach in the latest episode of the Inflection cut. They focus on Orson Welles' originally planned first film, an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novel Heart of Darkness. However, along the way, they can't avoid the '70s elephant in the room - Apocalypse Now. While it was finally brought to the screen by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979, it was initially planned to be directed by George Lucas in guerrilla fashion while the Vietnam War was still going strong! The team pulls on every thread on the crazy sweater, like:

• What do a hard-left socialist director and a right-wing, self-proclaimed 'Zen Facist' screenwriter have in common?
• Could Heart of Darkness have wound up even more groundbreaking and influential than Citizen Kane? 
• Why might Citizen Kane subject William Randolph Hurst end up helping Welles get Heart of Darkness made?

These questions and many more are answered in this month's The Inflection Cut!

Show notes