Heart of Darkness: Different Centers of Darkness Although the similarities between Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness and Francis Coppola’s Apocalypse Now are evident to those who are familiar with both works, there is actually a great deal of underlying difference between the film and the novel. In his critical article, E. N. Dorall attempts to not only present the superficial parallels running between the two, but also the greater message of both which are quit different from each other.