Kurtz (Heart of Darkness) circumstances and remote settings to assert power over others. It is widely believed that Conrad drew influence from these characters, as well as Stevenson's plot lines, when writing "Heart of Darkness". In the 1958 loose adaptation for the CBS television anthology series "Playhouse 90" Kurtz was played by Boris Karloff. This version uses the encounter between Marlow and Kurtz as its final act, and adds a backstory in which Marlow had been Kurtz's adopted son. Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now" (1979) centers on the protagonist's mission to find and kill the renegade Colonel Kurtz (played by
Heart of Darkness (opera) century". However, White also went on to describe the story-telling as "done with care and skill but without the sleight of hand required to sweep you through the missing bits." Nonetheless, White concluded by stating that the opera "has many virtues, and deserves performances". The opera was listed in the end-of-year highlights of "The Independent on Sunday" and "The Observer" newspapers. Nominated in the Opera category for the South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2012 Heart of Darkness (opera) Heart of Darkness is a chamber opera in one act by Tarik O'Regan, with an English-language libretto by artist Tom Phillips, based