A movie review

Similar to the novel, the beginning of the movie is somewhat hard to follow. This is because the progression of Marlow's journey, near the beginning of the story, seems to be slow.  For a novel that continues to be read after over one hundred years since the original publication, the movie is not a completely satisfactory replication of the original story. It is not that the movie is inaccurate; however it is because the movie does not have a quality to keep an audience's attention to the extent that the movie would be considered as highly as the novel.

The movie is accurate enough that the overall plot of the story is not greatly affected by the minor modifications of the story. The basic premise of the story remains the same. Marlow is hired by a company to travel up the Congo River on a journey to meet Kurtz. Kurtz is as highly recognized in the movie as he is in the novel. At one point he is referred to as an "ethical genius". Kurtz is however, anything but an "ethical genius". He treats the natives of the area horrendously, beats and even trades the natives in exchange for ivory. The way Kurtz treats the natives is similar to how all of the black people are treated throughout the entire novel. This is quite similar to the novel; throughout the novel the "difference" between white people and black people is significantly large. This is because the story takes place during a time of colonialism and at this time the Congo is Belgian territory. Another very similar aspect of the movie is the adoration of Kurtz. He is viewed highly, almost as if he is a god. This is effectively represented by the Harlequin's character, which appears as though he worships Kurtz. Throughout the movie I noticed two quotes directly from the novel which I had thought were particularly important as well as interesting as I read. Both quotes are a reference to Kurtz. "You don't talk to that man, you listen to him" and "You cannot judge him as you judge and ordinary man", both quotes show how highly regarded Kurtz has become.

However there were a few more significant changes to the story. The two more significant changes happen at the beginning and near the end of the movie. At the beginning of the movie the other characters on the ship are not relaxing with Marlow as they are in the novel. The movie begins with Marlow arguing about the paper Kurtz left. As well the end is different; Kurtz does not die on their way back to Europe. In the movie Kurtz dies at the inner station and Marlow does not leave until after Kurtz has been buried. The two changes do not affect the overall plot however they do affect the story to some extent.

The producers accurately represented the novel, however the story could have been told more effectively. Minor changes could have created and overall more effective movie. The acting, as well as the accents of the characters, were poorly done, the movie also progressed slowly. Improvements to these few areas would have made the movie much more satisfactory.

Heart of Darkness. Dir. Roeg, Nicolas. Perf. Tim Roth, John Malkivich. Issach De Bankole. Chris/Rose Production, 1993. Film.

Literary Connection #2

A second novel that is connected to Heart of Darkness is Frankenstein. Both novels are examples of framing narratives. In Frankenstein there are three frames; the first being the letters that Walton writes to his sister, the letters are include a detailed explanation of Victor Frankenstein's story. The second frame is Victor telling his story and the third is when the creature tells his story to Victor. Heart of Darkness begins with five men on a ship, with the narrator being unnamed. The novel transitions to Marlow telling his story to the four other men.

However this is not the only similarity between the two works. Both novels also have similar themes. The relationship between Victor Frankenstein and his creature is comparative to the relationship between Marlow and Kurtz. Victor creates a creature who is a representation of the darker side of himself. Throughout the novel more and more of the darker side of Victor is revealed. Similarly as Marlow travels deeper into Africa on his journey to meet Kurtz more of the darkness within himself is revealed.

Literary Connection #1

"But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad." (Conrad 80)

This same quote also reminded me of the novel Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies the young boys all become stranded on an island together. It is not long before the boys begin to argue. By the end of the novel the boys are in complete chaos. In both of these stories the characters become mad after they are stripped of their European lifestyle. In Heart of Darkness, the natives are not mad because they are living the lifestyle they know, however when Kurtz left Europe and immersed himself into a small village he loses something. As well as when the boys become stranded on an island, they also lose a part of who they are. 


This thought brings an interesting view of European civilization. However it is likely that the same effect would occur within most people who live in first world countries. That being said, it raises an interesting question concerning people within developed countries. Relating to the powerful theme of imperialism  throughout the novel, a question one might ask is, Can madness be caused by Imperialism?

Media connection #2

"But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself, and, by heavens! I tell you, it had gone mad." (Conrad 80)

This is a quote taken from the end of  Heart of Darkness. It can be related to many different works, however the two works I identified this with were, Robinson Crusoe and Cast Away. In both these films the main character is stranded alone on an island. The quote reminded me of these two movies because both of the main characters had his sanity tested by being deserted on an island without anyone around. In the novel Kurtz is around the natives, however he is still considered to be alone, and at the end Marlow concludes that he has gone mad. 

Media connection #1

The first connection I made to any form of media was The Wizard of Oz. To most people it might seem like a rather odd connection, however for me The Wizard of Oz continually appeared as I read the novel. My initial connection was because Marlow was committed to a lengthly journey, as was Dorothy. As well, both Marlow and Dorthy were travelling to meet a specific person. The specific events throughout the two journeys are quite different, for example Dorthy meets the other characters of the story along to way to Oz and they help her continue her journey, where as in Heart of Darkness Marlow meets people throughout his journey, but they do not travel with him help him the same way The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and the Lion help Dorthy. The journey transfers from Dorthy's journey to become a journey that all four characters need. In Heart of Darkness Marlow's journey remains solely his.

The bulk of both stories is the events which lead up to the first meeting of the Wizard and Mr. Kurtz. Dorthy's meeting is not as she expected, she traveled to find a great wizard only to find a fake. Where as Marlow travels to meet who he has heard to be a great man, to find a man with an incredible voice. Soon after Marlow meets Mr. Kurtz, Mr. Kurtz dies. This is one of the last similarities between the two works. Even though the man Dorthy meets does not physically die, the 'Wizard' she traveled so far to meet dies because he was never real. In the end both characters travel home.

Character Profiles

While reading Heart of Darkness there were three Characters that I found particularly interesting. These three characters are: Marlow, Kurtz and the Russian Trader.

• Marlow: I found Marlow most interesting of all the characters. Partially because it is his story that is being told in the novel, which allows for the reader to understand and possibly identify with him more easily. However I also found that his character is the only person who seems to have any compassion. He recognizes that the treatment of the natives is not proper.

• Kurtz: I find Kurtz's ability to re-create himself, to the natives with the position of leader, interesting. To me he appears to be a cruel dictator. There is nothing about him I particularly like. However I find him interesting because all of the other characters, with the exception of the manager, adore him.

• The Russian Trader: The Russian Trade does not appear to have his own personality. He is overly consumed with his adoration for Kurtz. It is interesting how devoted he is to Kurtz even though Kurtz has threatened his life.

A few tid-bits of information

• Author: Joseph Conrad
• Time: The story takes place during the late 19th Century
• Place: The majority of the novel focuses on Marlow's story of his journey up the Congo River to meet Mr. Kurtz. Marlow is telling his story from a ship on the Thames River.
• Themes: There are many themes in Heart of Darkness, some of which may include; Violence, assimilation, woman, imperialism, cultural contrast. 
• Major Characters: Marlow, Kurtz, The Manager, Pilgrims, Cannibals, Helmsman, and Russian Trader.

In the Beginning.

Five men on a boat: a fictional visual of the five men.

Heart of Darkness begins with Marlow telling the story of his journey up the Congo River. His journey is to meet Mr. Kurtz.

There are five men on the boat while Marlow is telling his story. The men on the boat include: The Director of Companies, a Lawyer, an Accountant, Marlow, and the Narrator.