The idea of ​​intertextuality can be seen strongly in Apocalypse Now as it is based on the history and ideals of Heart of Darkness. The characters in Apocalypse Now are direct references to the characters in the story and, through their actions and ideals, play almost the same role. The first parallel we see between the characters is that of Willard and Marlow. In the film's opening scene, Willard laments wanting a mission and going back to war, stating, “Every time I think I'll wake up in the jungle again. When I was home after my first tour, it was worse. I would wake up and there would be nothing. I barely said a word to my wife until I said "yes" to the divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think about was going back to the jungle. I've been here for a week now, waiting for a mission, and I'm mellowing out; Every minute I spend in this room I get weaker, and every minute Charlie crouches in the bush he gets stronger. Every time I looked around, the walls got a little tighter.” (Apocalypse Now) Willard is going crazy with the need to be involved in the war, to the point that it is affecting his family life. Simply staying in his room waiting for a mission is causing him to become paranoid to an unhealthy level to the point that he feels the need to get drunk and self-destructive to cope. This obsession correlates with Marlow's obsession with work in Heart of Darkness. Like Willard, Marlow's sanity also depends on his work. The first major disruption to his mental state that we see is when he is unable to work due to his steamer being damaged and not having the parts to repair it. Upon hearing the news that the rivets needed to repair the steamer are on the way, the normally stoic Marlow explodes... middle of paper... and you. And suddenly he'll grab you and throw you into a corner and say, 'Do you know that 'if' is the middle word in life?' If you can keep your head when all around you are losing them and blaming you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you'..." – I mean, I'm not, I can't – I'm a little man, I'm a little man, he's, he's a great man” This speech is extremely similar to what Marlow is greeted with, showing how Apocalypse Now uses almost the exact same device as Heart of Darkness to show the Kurtz effect on people. Works Cited Apocalypse Now. Director Francis Ford Coppola. Pro. Francis Ford Coppola. American Zoetrope, August 15, 1979. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Bantem Dell 2004Comparing Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now." 123HelpMe.com. December 16 2010.