Looking into the Heart of Darkness:
The ethical considerations of filmmaking from a producer-director’s perspective
Upon conclusion of our viewing of Hearts of Darkness: A filmmaker’s apocalypse, We engaged briefly in a discussion on the ethics of Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial methods. Many in the room seemed to take a stance believing that the ends justify the means; that the resulting film was worth any risk. While I can understand this viewpoint- Apocalypse Now is widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever made- I feel that a deeper examination of this subject is warranted. I am of the opinion that Coppola’s methodology was unethical. I believe this to be true for a few key reasons:
- 1. His “figure it out as we go along” method was irresponsible and needlessly wasteful.
- The incompleteness of his creative vision caused undue risk to himself, his cast, and his crew.
- The stresses and struggles that Coppola brought upon himself created in him significant psychological difficulty.
First, Coppola’s “figure it out as we go” method was irresponsible. I believe that his excitement to seize upon the ongoing Vietnam war and utilize it to somehow examine the depths of the human mind undermined the pre-production process. Many of the problems we saw develop with the production were caused directly by the lack of advance preparation, and those which were not caused directly thereby could at least have been better mitigated by a more thorough preparatory period. Yes, I see the merit in the argument that desperation breeds creativity. Perhaps in the solving of these problems Coppola spontaneously improved the film in ways that could in no way be planned. I argue, however, that many, many great films have been created without shooting for nearly 300 days and editing for three years. Having a clear idea of what one hopes to accomplish, as well as a completed script, will go much further to serve the creative vision than constant problem solving and impromptu changes.
Because Coppola had an incomplete vision of the film, his methods of producing the film generated large amounts of undue risk for himself and all involved with the production. His cast and crew faced physical danger- they shot is typhoons, with hungry tigers, and under the influence of various substances. Martin Sheen nearly died. But the risks were not all physical. A considerable amount of money was invested in this film. Were the film to fail, Coppola would be destitute. He would have lost his home and his business. I know that as young college students with no dependents we can sometimes underestimate the ramifications of this loss, but having a bit more experience and being a bit further down the path with a wife and a house, I can better appreciate the gravity of this risk. We aren’t just talking about someone’s artistic vision not being realized here- we are talking about children going hungry and homeless if this project were to fail. There is also the professional reputation of everyone involved to consider. Think, for a moment, what the professional impact on the cast and crew would be if they spent nearly a year to create a flop. This industry, for better or worse, is incredibly reputation driven. This film failing could have had major professional ramifications for everyone involved.
The most important consideration, I believe, and what really drove home to me the unethical nature of Coppola’s methods, is the psychological impact on Coppola himself. I did not miss the irony of a man making a film based on Heart of Darkness (a novel about a man who goes into the jungle and goes slowly insane) going into the jungle and going slowly insane. In the pursuit of his art, Coppola opened himself to the risk of major mental illness. We heard, on numerous occasions, his impassioned discussions of his suicidal thoughts. I have looked into that darkness myself, and I can tell you no artistic endeavor is worth the artist’s own life. We might not truly appreciate the struggle he was facing as the producer and director of a runaway multi-million dollar production, but no matter the size or scope of the endeavor suicide is not a solution. The fact that Coppola got to such an incredibly dark and vulnerable mental state only serves to reinforce to us that his methodology was not sound.
It does not take great risk to life and limb to create a great film. It does not take the slow descent into madness to create great art. It does take great vision, preparation, and an incredible amount of hard work. Problems will always arise. Things will always go wrong. That is the nature of art and the nature of life. Those problems will need to be solved, but to begin a creative process without a clear vision of the art to be created and to consequently put yourself and others in danger is inherently unethical. In this case, the ends do not always justify the means.
