20 Well-Known Movie "Facts" That Are Actually Bulls**t

20. Marlon Brando Didn't Bother To Read Heart Of Darkness - Apocalypse Now

Everybody knows that Francis Ford Coppola's greatest ever flick, Apocalypse Now, was loosely based on Joseph Conrad's seminal novel Heart Of Darkness. Transposing the action from the jungles of Africa to the Vietnam War was a stroke of genius; the nightmarish, hallucinogenic journey into the depths of the wilderness makes for one of cinema's greatest - and most visually stunning - motion pictures. One of the "facts" that seems to have stuck regarding this movie concerns Marlon Brando and his unwillingness to read Heart Of Darkness before turning up on set, both fat and bald. Whilst he did turn up on set overweight, some of the information here isn't true: Brando, having read Conrad's novel, purposely shaved his head in preparation for his character, Kurtz, who is depicted as bald in the book. Even if he didn't learn his lines, Brando - contrary to popular belief - did read the novel. He also contributed a lot to the final script of based on his readings, as proven by recorded conversations between the actor and Coppola (who seems more interested in the "myth" of the film than the reality).