Clint Eastwood turned down a movie that turned out to be an absolute masterpiece, but he also avoided some of the worst filming in history.

Apocalypse Now is the work of the 40-year-old demiurge, who has had nothing or almost nothing to deny him after the huge success of The Godfather and its sequels. “Now after the apocalypse, I realized that I will never be a young director again” Francis Ford Coppola announced, and he presented his film at the Cannes Film Festival, where he left the Palme d’Or with Doll.

No other movie from the 70’s received this much attention before its release. Nor is it possible to separate the film’s undoubted success from the mind-boggling circumstances surrounding its making, recounted elsewhere in the sensational documentary. Heart of Darkness.

A season in hell

Filming lasted for 6 weeks, filming lasted for 16 months, from March 1976 to August 1977. The movie set in the Philippines had nothing to do with the storm, lead actor Martin Sheen’s heart attack – under wraps for the production. Francis Ford Coppola was afraid of closing the film; The attitude of Marlon Brando, who did not know his text and barely read the script before arriving, various drug problems…

Described by many witnesses as increasingly megalomaniacal and paranoid as filming progressed, Francis Ford Coppola invested much of his personal money in the adventure, repeatedly threatened to commit suicide, and lost more than 100 pounds.

So many legends. In fact, Coppola already had his hair cut out in advance to find someone to play Captain Willard, responsible for putting an end to the actions of Colonel Kurtz, hidden deep in the jungle, by any means possible.

The actor is nowhere to be found for endless filming

With the triumphs of his two Godfather films, including Oscars, many actors managed to successfully play each other in Coppola’s film. At the top of the list: Steve McQueen. He demanded a payment of 3 million dollars, which is a very high amount for production. McQueen initially turned down the role of Willard in favor of Kurtz, as the latter required a shorter shooting time.

Al Pacino was also discussed. But filming in the Philippines and being away for so long hardly motivated him, especially since he fell ill while filming certain sequences of The Godfather II in the Dominican Republic. The names of James Caan, Nick Nolte, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Keith Carradine and Robert Redford were also briefly floated. One after another, everyone refused to participate in the shoot, which seemed doomed to failure.

“I had a vague idea where he wanted to go”

Enter the name Clint Eastwood. At the time, the 39-year-old actor was already largely in orbit after his Dollar trilogy with Sergio Leone and especially the triumph of Inspector Harry. Coppola called him personally to offer him the role of Willard.

But Eastwood also turned down the offer. Too dark a role for him. According to Clint himselfCoppola wanted to see him play Willard with Steve McQueen. Instead, none of the actors lived up to their roles.

A cold shower for the filmmaker; Especially since Eastwood knew the novel well in the heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad, for reading. “I had a vague idea of ​​where he wanted to go, but then I said no, I didn’t think I’d be gone that long.”

It should also be said that Eastwood started building his house at that time. Going deep into the jungle on the other side of the Earth for months was not his top priority. Home Sweet Home…