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Apocalypse Now (United Artists, 1979) Bob Peak Original Final Key Art....
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Description
Apocalypse Now (United Artists, 1979) Bob Peak Original Final Key Art. "Of all of my movie work, it is my work on Apocalypse Now I am most proud of."-Bob Peak
Without hyperbole, Bob Peak is the most significant American movie poster artist of the 20th century and his original artwork for the American one sheet poster of Apocalypse Now is the most important piece of movie poster art to ever come to auction.
A landmark in American cinema, Apocalypse Now is an unparalleled achievement, intimate and political, timely and enduring, and one of the most commercially successful experimental films of all time. Grossing $150 million on its initial release in 1979, the impact and mythology of Apocalypse Now grows generation after generation.
The power of the film comes, in large part, from the groundbreaking cinematography of Vittorio Storaro, and his peerless eye for a balance of surreal color and chiaroscuro lighting. The deep murky shadows and fiery blood oranges that define the look and feel of the film draw viewers into Coppola's world of violence, war, and psychological torment, while scene after scene provides points of focus that keep the audience grounded in the story of Martin Sheen's (Captain Benjamin L. Willard) quest to terminate Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz "with extreme prejudice."
From the start, Peak knew that Apocalypse Now would be one of his most significant assignments. The film-a modern day retelling of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness-was a tremendously hyped, wildly ambitious project. As Coppola described it while screening an unfinished cut at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival: "My film not a movie. My film is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam. It is what it was really like. It was crazy. And the way we made it was very much like the way the Americans were in Vietnam. We were in the jungle. There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane."
Peak's impossible task was capture all of this-from Coppola's wild vision to Sheen and Brando's performances and Storaro's palette-in his poster art. Like everyone else involved in the creation of this modern classic, he somehow made magic happen.
During the course of his work on the film, Peak fully developed five posters, three of which were used. The other two used focused their art more narrowly-one on the glistening bald head of Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz from the first moments he appears on screen, and the other on the napalm orange sun over the river that brings the tone of the historic opening credits set to "The End" by The Doors into visual form. Both set new records for the artist when they went up for auction, and neither compared to this work, which manages to open its aperture onto the entire film.
"I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn't even know it yet. Weeks away and hundreds of miles up a miles up a river that snakes through the war like a main circuit cable plugged straight into Kurtz," says one early voiceover line, "There is no way to tell his story without telling my own, and if his story is really a confession, then so is mine." This image signposts every step of that journey, marrying the force of the danger of this undertaking, the madness wrought by the task, and the disquieting beauty of escape from civilization and its mores. It's quite simply a tour-de-force from the Father of the Modern Movie Poster Art.
The burning red sun dominates the top of the image, separating the portraits of Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen as the Do Luong bridge lights up the bottom quadrant of the scene, synthesizing the most significant moments of the film into one coherent image. Both characters are seen in full-face portraits, specters against the darkened landscape, evoking their powerful performances. The whirring helicopters of the opening credits against the rising moon again appear, with an addition of the boat heading towards the acid trip imagery of the destruction of the bridge. The inclusion of the bridge and boat were both upon the request of Coppola, and the full effect is incomparable.
Peak and Coppola met in depth before the artist began work on the film, and worked tirelessly to perfect the imagery, creating a series of 18" x 24" black and white sketches and numerous full color comps. "This is an exceptional visual film, and required an image with a specific feeling," Peak would say reflecting on his process. To create that feeling, he worked at an epic scale, in mixed media on stretched watercolor paper, working first in watercolor and gouache, keeping the art a transparent work in progress until final touches of pastels and airbrush were added to create his signature loose feeling and flares of light.
In 1993, at a speech to the Society of Illustrators shortly after Peak's death, his longtime agent Harvey Kahn reiterated that throughout his life, Peak considered Apocalypse Now the most exciting thing he had ever worked on. Likewise, this spectacular original artwork, which measures a tremendous 40" x 31.5" and is beautifully framed to 49" x 41" with pristine colors and an overall incredible state of preservation, pinholes from Peak's own work process, very minimal scattered scuffing and a slight wave to the paper inherent to the medium, is certainly one of the most exciting artworks Heritage has ever offered in any auction. Exhibits minor chipping to the frame.
Signed B. Peak lower right, not examined outside of frame.
Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Treasures from the Bob Peak Collection.
Auction Info
2025 July 16 - 18 Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction #7392 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2025
16th-18th
Wednesday-Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 11
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid per lot.
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