Publish at November 26 2025 Updated November 26 2025
In 1979, the seventh art saw the appearance of what was to become a new classic: Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now". The film, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, tells the story of American soldiers in Vietnam who must travel up a river to stop a former colonel, Kurtz, who has gone completely mad and established a reign of terror in the heart of the jungle. This aspect is often forgotten, but this is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novel "In the Heart of Darkness".
In the novel, ipso facto, the backdrop is not the Indochina War, but rather Belgian colonial atrocities in the Congo. The author had been there almost 10 years before the book came out, and had been deeply shocked by the treatment of the local populations, some of them decimated in part by megalomaniac individuals. So he created this story of a young British officer who travels up a river to arrest Kurtz, a renowned ivory trader who has lost his mind.
The literary work also came out at the same time as a scandal in France involving two soldiers, Paul Voulet and Julien Chanoine, who massacred regional groups along the Niger River and even shot French soldiers who had come to apprehend them. They were eventually executed by their own men after a mutiny. Their behavior was explained by the media as "a tropical disease", to avoid amplifying the anger already present in the Dreyfuss affair.
Running time: 4min16
Image : Metaphorical representation of the colonization of the Congo - Copilot
Learn more about this resource
You might also like:
Initiating and integrating interdisciplinary projects into the curriculum
Integrating interdisciplinary projects into higher education prepares students for the complex challenges of the real world. Despite the challenges of implementation, these projects offer many advantages: development of cross-disciplinary skills, complex problem-solving, creativity and innovation. Strategies are proposed for successful integration.
Break out of isolation and succeed with «Diplôme avant médaille» (D.A.M.) (Diploma before medal)
There are now over 150 coaches and almost 700 volunteer tutors helping more than 1,100 young people in 5 schools. Why this success? Academic results and fun.
Looking for a job in the digital age
Resume selection is subject to the productivity rules that prevail throughout organizations. We have to move fast. Mini resumes, online forms, presentation videos, building a digital identity are all avenues that should sometimes be considered, depending on the industry and the positions sought.
Ludogites, new social and cultural third-places
Not content with just having fun, playing games teaches us many things, depending on the subject matter, and is excellent for keeping our memory and cognitive abilities alert. But that's not all, because games are evolving and some can be played standing up, activating our motor skills.
The university entrepreneurship ecosystem
Some institutions have understood the value of supporting and even acquiring shares in the most promising companies. Even without owning an equity stake or intellectual property, the value of a privileged relationship with successful companies ensures the long-term future of the institution in one way or another.
