Milius's script tells the story of the ferocious Colonel Kurtz, who becomes a Great White God to his South Vietnamese followers. Arriving by helicopter, he sets up headquarters in an Angkor Wat‐like ruined temple. Another officer, Colonel Willard, is sent up river by the military authorities to compel Kurtz to resign. In the latest of several script versions, the picture will end in a Walpurgisnacht of exploding napalm during which Willard murders Kurtz. In Milius's original version, the wounded Kurtz died on his journey home by boat to court martial.

Joseph Conrad's story was not the only inspiration for the character of Kurtz. “I based the character on Col. Robert B. Rheault, the Green Beret officer in charge of all Special Forces operations in Southeast Asia in the late 1960's,” said Milius. “Rheault was imprisoned with his command and forced to resign from the Army for having executed a double‐agent. The Army wanted to discredit him because it believed he was working for the C.I.A. I firmly believe that Rheault was framed. Francis Coppola wanted to cut out all the parallels with Rheault, saying that the public wouldn't identify with a character like that. But, in going over the numerous drafts of the script, Marlon Brando said he could use the character of Rheault as a satisfactory basis for his portrayal of Kurtz.”

“Rheault is a great man.” said Milius. “I believe in his kind of warfare. In having specialized units. Men like Rheault could've helped us win the war. We almost did win it. We lost the war, not in Vietnam, but on the campuses. It's a shame. We're soft in this country. We have a soft underbelly. We have a President now who is giving way to the Russians. We're handing over Africa. I believe such a character as Rheault would be valuable in times like these.”

Although Milius believes the Vietnam War was justifed, he insists that the film is apolitical and that he decided from the outset not to make Kurtz/ Rheault represent either good or evil. And, of course, he opposed Coppola's impulse to turn “Apocalypse Now” into a pacifist film. “Francis thought he was a liberal, but now he's got more sense. How can he be left‐wing when he's so concerned with money and power? He's a capitalist now, isn't he? A millionaire several times over? And now he's met the guys who fought in that war. He knows they are not ashamed. They're proud, good men. Francis no longer wants to liberalize ‘Apocalyspe Now.’ The liberal press in this country has deliberately discredited the Army. I think today Francis sees the folly of that.”

Hero or villain, Marlon Brando seemed the ideal actor to play Kurtz from the start. The other roles were not so quickly, or permanently, filled. Steve McQueen was sought for the part of Willard, and Gene Hackman was to be the outrageous Kilgore, the surfer‐turnedair‐commander who lands Willard at the mouth of a river for his journey upstream to kill Kurtz. Coppola offered McQueen $1.5 million to play Willard, but the actor's price turned out to be $3 million. This Coppola flatly refused to pay, and since he had obtained distribution guarantees on the basis of McQueen's name, he was forced to return part of the money put up for the picture, and to invest some of his own money. It is currently estimated that he has put up several million dollars.

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Harvey Keitel replaced McQueen, but after four days of work in the Philippines, he left the picture. According to Coppola, Keitel was unsuited to the part; according to Keitel, there were differences of opinion over the terms of the contract. Jack Nicholson was then offered the part but he turned it down. So Coppola ran into Martin Sheen at the Los Angeles Airport between planes and offered him the chance to take over Keitel's role. Sheen, an excellent young actor who has yet to become a major star, accepted instantly, though it is possible that he has come to regret his hasty decision. Not only has he been ill, but it has also been reported that he has quarreled with Coppola over the interpretation of his role. In the meantime, Dennis Hopper, cast as a photo‐journalist, remains silent.

Tom Wright, the well‐known artist who has also worked with Hitchcock, did many of the sketches for the picture. “We did something on ‘Apocalypse Now’ we never did on any other movie,” he said. “We made a film of all the sketches cut together and Francis put a score on it. When the helicopters soar over the jungle you hear ‘The Ride of the Valkyries,’ and when the temple is burned at the end, you hear the rock number, ‘Light My Fire,’ which the G.I.'s were so crazy about.”