John Milius: The Story Behind Writing Apocalypse Now | Ep12 | Making Apocalypse Now
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2022
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John Milius originally wrote the Apocalypse Now story for George Lucas to direct under Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope studio, but when Lucas decided to do Star Wars and Coppola decided to make Apocalypse Now himself, a re-write was in order. But what happens when two brilliant screenwriters swaying toward opposite sides of the political spectrum collaborate on a script about the Vietnam War?
And how did Milius’ life leading up to Apocalypse Now, shape the story? We’ll find out in this episode of Making Apocalypse Now.
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This video is by Tyler Knudsen.
Affiliate Links:
(Coppola) Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now by Eleanor Coppola: amzn.to/3K9B9XH
(Cowie) The Apocalypse Now Book by Peter Cowie: amzn.to/3Zh8rZp
(Travers) Coppola's Monster Film: The Making of Apocalypse Now by Steven Travers: amzn.to/3ZybjS1
(Commentary) Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut: amzn.to/3npMry6
(Playboy)The Playboy Interviews: The Directors: amzn.to/40Ez8IO
(Martin) New Waves in Cinema by Sean Martin: amzn.to/3FSCdge
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse: amzn.to/40CnoGB
(Phillips) Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola By Gene D. Phillips: amzn.to/3lCPlzj
Sources:
[Cinephilia & Beyond] Incredible collection of resources on Apocalypse Now: bit.ly/35Mvv7M
(Segaloff) Big Bad John: The John Milius Interviews by Nat Segaloff
(ThePoliticalLion)John Milius on how liberals in Hollywood blacklisted him - bit.ly/3Q1USZq
(History.com) Great Society -bit.ly/3Rdirzb
LBJ’s Great Society Speech - bit.ly/3AuLnMe
(WGA.org)Screenwriter John Milius on Apocalypse Now - bit.ly/3KoLfCB
(Rolling Stone) Francis Coppola Interview by Greil Marcus - bit.ly/3KryoiY
(Austin Film Festival) On Story: 107 War on the Big Screen: Oliver Stone & John Milius - bit.ly/3AoqGSd
(Schrader) John Milius: Master of Flash by Paul Schrader - Los Angeles Weekly News
Music:
Epidemic Sound 
Развлечения
Have seen the Big Lebowski like 100 times and never noticed that connection between Milius and Walter
It hints at how the Coens see Millius too, don't you think? Walter is outspoken, but still manages to be the very thing he accuses Donny of being, out of touch. Makes you think that's what the Coens see Millius as being.
They've stated that they didn't base his character on Milius, but I expect that was to avoid insult and/or conflict. It's easy to see they took inspiration from him, though.
They were separated at birth.
@@NefariousKoel They also opened Fargo with the text "based on a true story". I love their playfulness with the truth because it ultimately challenges the consumer to discern fact from fiction. An exercise that is far too often neglected these days.
Excellent essay. It's always mindblowing how close the club of Milius, Coppola, Spielberg, De Palma, Schrader, & Lucas, etc were in the '60s/early '70s. That's like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, & Tchaikovsky attending the same high school in the same year.
And _Jeremiah Johnson_ is a masterpiece.
Beautifully said...
I wonder how George Lucas's Apocalypse Now would have turned out. And if he had got Coppola to direct Stars Wars for him instead.
@@simonhandy962 apocalypse now would have been like every other anti war art house film and star wars would have been jodorowsky's dune?
Got to be a reason behind it. I don't believe its skill or talent!
And Kurosawa
John Milius doesn’t get enough love
He was brilliant.
No thanks to those useless corpos.
The fusion of Milius and Coppola working from opposite ends of the political spectrum to create this masterpiece, it's brilliant. It needs the absolute madness of Milius' hawkish outlook to convey the full reality.
I hate Zen. I hate Anarchy. But I like Milius.
Well Milius is crazy, but in a good way, I don't think he's really for anarchy 'cause he'd be for the bullshit goin' on in Portland and elsewhere, he's just an anti authoritarian like me, doesn't like bein' told what to do, he just has a militant approach to doin' the right way, besides just because Milius says something outrageous don't mean he'd do it, besides the guys who've done the worst, most outrageous stuff in the entertainment industry are absolutely unhinged, like Phil Specter, that guy made Milius look like Gandhi in terms of crazy and he was insane, Milius from what I've heard never waved a gun around or threatened anyone with it.@@marknewton6984
@@marknewton6984 Pretty much guarantee you know nothing about what anarchists actually want.
It's interesting that little, grotesque, fat guys that often pretend to be "hawkish" and mumbling about "will of power". Quite a clinical issue.
@@kristoffer3000 Anarchists have the advantage of knowing their ideas will never be implemented on a wide scale, so they can pontificate with confidence.
See: Libertarian Party.
MILIUS ROCKS! He taught a screenwriting class at our film school, was honest and very funny. I still feel guilt for taking him off his diet by sneaking him pizza during breaks. He even showed us a rough cut of Conan with scenes so intense they were removed from the final cut. Hail to the "Movie Brats".
_Conan the Barbarian_ alone is enough for me to always be grateful for Milius.
CTB was the first rated R movie I ever watched. It was the borderline between my childhood innocence and my growing suspicion that the adult world was filled with horrors and madness.
I saw the film in the theater when it was first released.
My stepdad was awesome and let me watch Conan at 8 years old. And Bladerunner, and Road Warrior. He didn't let me see any nudity of course, but now that I'm a dad, I know WHY he had me watch them.
Wow he let ya watch Conan 1 but didn't let ya watch any nudity, Conan 1 had a bunch of nudity, granted nothing like a Verhoeven film, but still quite a bit.@@jkdbuck7670
Man your research and essay is worth a prize. These videos are nothing but a treasure.
Uh , go watch MILIUS the documentary . The DVD is not an American version BUT you can watch it somewhere on one of the free streaming sites . Most of the facts in this video was from the documentary
For a man who says he was born into the wrong time. He had an exceptionally lucky life and even a year earlier he wouldn't have known Lucas or Coppola getting a $77,000 job and no need to work up the tanks. His families wealth being a big help also for him to go on this weird winding life path.
Well, having this conflict between the present time and nostalgic ideas of the past can be very inspirational to a writer. For example, if you spent a few months living on the mountains, the ruleset you live by gets simpler each day, and it can feel surprisingly natural, reasonable and meaningful. When you come back to "the civilized world", chances are you will be shocked by it's superficialities and falsehoods. Then you'll remember "Oh yeah, there's still culture, there are books, music and movies in this place", which makes it meaningful but on an another level. Maybe Milius' experience was something like this? Without any conflict it's hard to know what to write about, except nice post cards, so it's well possible Milius, being a good writer, sort of creates conflicts on an ideal level just to excel in his work.
Luck is relative. His career was also cut short due to Hollywood politics and he had a stroke that has crippled him for the last 12 years. Coppela gave him that 70k because he knew his talent; he became the Hollywood golden boy script writer without Coppelas help- remember he wrote the script for Apocalypse Now ten years before it came out. I highly suggest you watch the documentary Milius, it's free on RUclips.
@@aaronthompson192 Yes you make your own Luck. I know lots of Rich guys who died young. Talent is not relative.
@@marknewton6984 agreed.
Exceptionally lucky?
Gary Busey's "I'm not crazy!" scene in "Big Wednesday" shaped my life! Haha. Screaming "I'm not crazy!" as crazy as you can is like screaming "I can't breathe!" whilst hyperventilating! Hilarious
What a golden generation of film makers and writters. Great essay.
Would Kurtz be transgender today?
@@marknewton6984 Bro are you okay lol
@@LordVader1094 I'M fine. Don't miss the metaphor. I was just commenting that they couldn't make that movie today!
@@LordVader1094 Bru are YOU ok lulz xD
It's a shame Filmmakers no longer get this level of freedom any more with big budget Films.
To be fair, Coppola basically bet his entire net worth and studio on the film. I don't know a filmmaker these days who would do the crazy shit Coppola did to get the film made.
@@punishedbarca761 Yep. Well said. And while the young generation of “Raging Bulls” were given an unprecedented amount of creative freedom up until the commercial failure of HEAVEN’S GATE in 1980, no one was ever handed a blank check. Whatever freedom Coppola had to make APOCALYPSE his way, he paid for.
Really? I thought strong woman good, orange man bad and wypipo evil were all very original ideas. Oh and dude weed lmao.
@@michaelhall2709 You always pay to play. Nothing is free.
You do if you pay for it yourself.
Thank you Cinema Tyler, for continuing this amazing series. Truly, this is the highest caliber of film analysis. This should be a Netflix series. Bravo!
Ironically it's Netflix and other streaming services that will kill the cinema experience.
Agreed
Right on.
The way the film came together and how it turned out is truly a miracle of cinema.
Lightning In a bottle
I sincerely hope that someone associated with Coppola is watching this series. It should be an extra on a future release of the film some day, as it is so well done.
Left, Right, Middle. Everyone just wants to create a god dang good movie.
One of the great films of our generation gets the best analysis I've ever seen. Once completed, I will revisit the entire series. Brilliant.
Really like how much info you've been able to arrange and format into so many videos about apocalypse
Whenever i read or see about Milius i'm always left wanting, such an interesting character of which are becoming rare in Hollywood
Likewise. An unusual Hollywood personality for sure. Plus his regular trolling of his many fellow Hollywood movers and shakers who held different opinions provides plenty dark humor to laugh about. There's a reason the over-the-top caricature of him in The Big Lebowski is a standout.
Well he's the guy who despite his off the wall idiosyncrasies, is a guy who Hollywood has always hated, a guy who don't walk their 'white line" (which to be honest is anything but), who don't play by their rules, and spat in their face and said F--- OFF, despite Milius sayin' "I am a Communist", the people in Hollywood he detests are just that.
@@NefariousKoel Milius was unique. Hollywood today is full of errand boys.
Love Milius. I've never been a fantasy guy whatsoever..just not my thing but I absolutely fkin adore Conan and it feels like a actual RPG at moments which is fascinating considering how much fantasy is utilized in those games.
I love Milius's work, I think the man was a massive asshole and not infrequent real piece of garbage
Its crazy how insane writers and directors complete masterpieces. Art is always some form of insanity. 😁
I never thought of MILIUS as crazy . I think of him as a tough guy .
An epic film. The eerie synth music really adds to the atmosphere, particularly when they approach the Kurtz compound.
The true stories that got written in are the best part. My dad's best friend in the Mekong Delta was the guy who got court martialed for water skiing behind the boat.
What a drag, gettin' CM'ed for water skiin' behind a Mekong gun boat, of course it really would've sucked it some Charlie Cong in the bush got cheeky and decided to use him as target practice, or a mortar barrage started up, and then that really wouldn't have been cool.
Well done. I've watched the movie a couple dozen times since it first hit the theaters, in every version. Watched the documentaries and interviews. And still learned new things from this video.
BTW, I had no idea how much John Milius sounds like John Goodman.
Were they separated at birth?!
Ha, thought he looked like Goodman too. Then, all these guys gaining weight look like Goodman.
The actor Elliot Gould came to mind for some reason.
Just want to say a big thank you for this episode. It's nice to see you do an episode dedicated to Milius' involvement. It is something that is usually side-lined or completely ignored (for whatever reason) in celebrating or acknowledging the epic that is Apocalypse Now.
It takes extraordinary people to create masterpieces. Sometimes they are on the edge of madness and are at the edge of going too far. But that can be what it takes.
Apocalypse Now is brilliant on so many levels.
Thanks for the video.
You sort of see how Apocalypse Now which is meant to be an anti war movie in it's final form, is often seen through a pro war lense espcially the Ride of The Valkyries scene. Through John Milius's influences, and not re-reading Heart of Darkness again, seen as it's an anti-imperial book.
Like Heart of Darkness, the film was designed to show the war in a growing more brutal and negative night as you go up the river. The Ride of the Valkyries is at the mouth of the river and its all high tech warfare in clean uniforms with beach parties. But at each stage up the river, it becomes more brutal and chaotic. You get to the bridge scene in the jungle and nobody is in command, the fighting is senseless and nobody wants to be there. The book had the same structure. At every stage deeper up the river you get further from the civilization and the values of the people on the outside.
The problem with "antiwar" films in general is that they tend to highlight the absurdity of the military especially in wartime. Thing is, when I was on active duty in the Army I'd hate to tell you how many NCOs and officers were quoting bits of this movie. Think of it, we were all like, "A bunch of Hollywood libs who never served are gonna tell _us_ how screwed up the military is? Hold my beer!
Lefty movies get embraced by the right. Rightwing authors get adapted by the left. Anti-war movies become pro-war. Mass hysteria!
@@MacSmithVideo it’s like how most hard right meat heads love Rage Against The Machine. They flat out don’t understand.
@@FIREBRAND38 Well 'Nam was a f---ed up war, but films like Shit Splatoon and Full Metal Jackoff basically were films showin' our guy's as a bunch of murderers and rapists and that shit had been goin' on long before we got there, but I think the true "Anti War" films are films like Saving Pvt. Ryan, Windtalkers, etc. etc .etc. in the vein of those films that show the reality of the war, but ya see the heroism and bravery, but it shows the effects the war has on 'em, it humanizes 'em and shows they're regular guys who feel like everyone else, instead of dehumanizin' them like the afforementioned war films at the start did.
Milius, bless his heart, always seemed to have the opposite of a surfer's body 😄
Thank you, Tyler, for this treatise on one of the last great adventurers of filmmaking. Milius was a true mad lad that we as filmgoers are better off for knowing (or should I say, experiencing).
Milius also wrote and created the HBO Series Rome one of the greatest TV Shows ever made.
Using my Easter break to binge this collection.
As well as being a huge fan of Martin Sheen, I was also a Jan Michael Vincent fan girl. Thankfully, Martin exorcised his demons; such a shame that Jan Michael did not.
Thanks for your hard work!
Milius is the last true Rebel who got to work within the studio system.
Yes he would be banned today.
@@marknewton6984 Because Hollywood is overrun with idiotic leftards who care not for the Art or People involved in its creation, instead only caring about the profits & regressive politics.
What a legend this guy is. Thanks for this!
I am now a Big Milius Fan!!
The main takeaway for me is how brilliant George Lucas was in his early days. He was the main idea guy of that entire group. Please consider doing an in-depth expose of George Lucas!
I feel like I should mention, Vonnegut, who was right in the middle of Dresden in 1945, mocked, "Duke Wayne" as a draft dodger.
When Vonnegut was writing his classic anti war novel “Slaughterhouse-Five,” he assured the wife of a friend that there would be no part for John Wayne to play in the film version.
This is the most impressive RUclips channel I have ever seen. Following your work is like getting the best film essays from the best film magazines, but even better and with sound and vision. It's truly amazing how good this is.
Idk what it is but it’s fascinating to me that two opposing political sides created one of the greatest movies of all time. Great video.
nice to see this guys talent explored without a bunch of political pontificating really informative and entertaining watch
Thanks for covering John Milius! Amazing Voice! It was a crime that Rome didn't get more seasons.
How many seasons did it get and is it worth watching?:)
@@ryangettig274 Just two seasons but some of the best HBO ever. IMO helped pave the way for Game of Thrones.
@@aaronburk6929 Thanks,I'll be screening:)
@@aaronburk6929 “Rome” was popular with audiences, but also very expensive.
Hell yeah dude. Always worth the wait.
Oh hell yes. CinemaTyler bringing the goods as usual.
Just an unbelievable series. Your dedication and consistency are amazing.
Enjoying this essay. Can't wait for the next part Tyler.
Amazing work on this series Tyler. Thanks again
This is certainly one of the best content around the internet! Keep the good work!
This is rare you guys, this kind of attention and focus on details....great work CinemaTyler
Unbelievably great work Tyler. One of the best video essays I've ever listened to. Thank you.
Excellent as always!
John Milius seems like the type of guy who, if I met him, I would either totally like or absolutely hate. No in between.
I’d absolutely hate him, but so long as the subject of our conversation was APOCALYPSE NOW (or BIG WEDNESDAY, or HBO’s “Rome”), he’d never know it. It is possible to separate the artist and their art, though not always easily.
@@michaelhall2709 I get that you don't agree with his politics but you'd seriously hate someone because they don't vote the way you do or have philosophical differences from yourself? That's pretty sad and hypocritical isn't it?
@@michaelhall2709 Why would you hate him? Because he is too based or not left wing enough?
This series is amazing! Thank you so much!!
Another truly great video... thanks for your work, Ty!
I'm really enjoying this series so far!!
Absolute quality as always. Your deep dive style really is a rarity, the information and trivia is vast and varied. Thanks so much, it always makes my day to see your name pop up on my feed ;)
This was so amazing . You do such incredible work Mr Tyler. Hey is it true he had a series of strokes and can no longer speak or write? If so it just even more incredible the spirit and creative energy he put forth into the world. I wonder how he's doing. This was an awesome tribute. It be cool to send to him and his family. Thanks again for your hard work good sir .. Have a great creative flow into 2023
Excellent job as always. Goes without question he's one of the greatest screenwriters ever.
Awesome video, beautifully researched and just perfect clip choices.
Excellent work, Tyler. Loved this journey up the river.
The river of no return...
Amazing video man!!! Fantastic job🤘🏻🤘🏻
Absolutely brilliant!
5:32 THANK YOU! I immediately thought of this scene. You sir, are marvelous
This channel is great! It continues to produce some the best content available on RUclips!!
Brilliant work man!
Fantastic work!
Another brilliant BRILLIANT behind-the-scenes chapter from my favorite RUclips channel: Cinema Tyler!!!
This is a truly wonderful series. Absolutely hooked.
Definitely on tap for the Michael Herr post edition because APOCALYPSE NOW minus the Herr narration is like cutting The Doors or Wagner out of the soundtrack; it might be one of the best V.O.s of all time. It surprises me it's not mentioned more. Anyone who picks up a copy of Herr's DISPATCHES about his time embedded in Vietnam can instantly understand where the deadly, war-torn, jungle-drenched pathos of Willard originates.
Great work as always.
This channel is the absolute b-e-s-t, BEST, breakdown of movies and movie-making on RUclips. Considering the vast deluge of self-professed film snobs out there who think having a camera, a handful of regurgitated opinions, and several hours to spend talking to themselves is all that's required to be a film critic... you may quite literally be 1-in-a-Million.
Please keep up the excellent work.
My god..God... you're doing amazing work. Thank you.
great video man, very informative, Milius is definitely under the radar in terms of writing quality, perhaps even as a director. overall a very interesting personality who contributed to many of the greatest films! well done
Fascinating.
It's certainly explains the Kurtz Is Right subtext to the movie, which thanks to Coppola I guess is also subverted aggressively.
One of my favorite movies ever
Well done. I haven't watched anything that tells the story so well.
Fantastic!
Wow, thanks for this! I always wondered where the title of one of my favorite movies originated! Milius turning a peace sign into B-52 is genius.
There's a Walt vs Disney video discussing the man's genious!
John Milius is Simply and Irresistibly Brilliant!!!!
One of my favorite episodes of MIAMI VICE was written by Milius . It was about a little group criminal bikers . I think it was named Bikers From Hell . Really VIOLENT . The Native American Billy from the PREDATOR movie was one of the bikers . I think je needed the money after RED DAWN .
So good! Cinema Tyler > TV
Wow this is great!
well done, thank you
Nice work.
This is a really fine Milius tribute. I feel like I came away with a much better understanding of him than with the usual profiles, even his big documentary. There are contradictory elements with his work that you reconcile - basically he's a crypto aristocrat and vitalist rather than a clever philistine. (Knowing that his dad attended _Harvard_ is certainly instructive.) Thank you for all your great work.
Good stuff mate 🤝
The Rick and Morty reference cracked me up.
Great video. This is the best movie ever made.
Just a small historical / vocabulary tidbit : "Khan" is a title, similar to "King". Name of the guy was Temujin, Chinghis Khan means "Universal King" or something of the like
PS: love this series, thank you so much for the documentaries. I discovered it yesterday and am binge-watching
I love this guy.
Hey, man, you've enlarged my mind with this episode...
Groovy! Sean Flynn still missing.
After revisiting Apocalypse Now and catching up with your series. It makes so much sense that the film has these psychedelic tinges to the story and Wilard's journey into the jungle. A counter culture dive into the heart of war and insanity that was produced. And I think it's ironic that Milius had this far right view while at the same time being so sure of this cataclysmic idea of ultimate change.
Great video as usual Tyler! Thank you!
Milius also (supposedly) wrote Quint's USS Indianapolis speech in Jaws.
I never knew George Lucas was an early director contender for Apocalypse Now. What would that have looked like?!
Not supposedly, he did, Robert Shaw revised it by keepin'the meat and guttin' the fat, and the end result it what ya see in film.
Arigato gozaimasu sensei, brilliant .
Can't don't have a cellie. Thanks
Love his film, Dillinger.
Milius sounds BASED.
That I detest his politics in no way diminishes my respect for what John Milius accomplished with APOCALYPSE NOW. It was a brilliant concept, and there’s no question that many of the best moments in the film originated with him. That said, there’s also no underlying theme or structure without Joseph Conrad, who is referenced frequently in Coppola’s draft revisions and Michael Herr’s narration, both of which thankfully substituted Conrad’s thematic ambition and literacy for Milius’ macho posturing. And the end result of all of these varied perspectives is an extraordinary work, for all its flaws. So why, when it came time to give Joseph Conrad his due, did Milius have to be such a dick about it, fighting with Coppola before the Writer’s Guild to keep Conrad’s name out of the film’s credits? Asserting that “if APOCALYPSE NOW is based on ‘Heart of Darkness’ then ‘Moby Dick’ is based on the Book of Job” may have satisfied John Milius’ need to sound clever, but of course you can’t say that and then go on to pat yourself on the back for succeeding where Orson Welles failed.
Well, he did do Citizen Kane.
cry about it
@@candide1065Try a response in coherent English next time, child.
@@michaelhall2709 Lmao you are the one crying about someone's politics, i wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to kill somebody for that
The Apocalypse Now button, reminds me bit of the peace-button of Full Metal Jacket's joker.
BIG WEDNESDAY will always be one of my all time favorites. BEST HOLLYWOOD SURF MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!! "That's not a sport. It's a disease!!....Still surfing? Only when it's necessary....C'mon. Let's go get some waves...." 👍😎🤙✌
My favorite movie
Possibly my favourite in your series so far, great work. When will the 'Voice Over' video be released?
Lovin' you Apocalypse shit....Great Job