''Apocalypse Oz'' is a 2006 short film. It is based on the novels ''

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel ...

'' (1899) by

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language; though he did not sp ...

and ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz aft ...

'' (1900) by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not inclu ...

. The script is a hybrid of the two classic films ''

Apocalypse Now ''Apocalypse Now'' is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr, is loosely based on the 1899 novella '' Heart of Darkness'' by Joseph C ...

'' (1979) and ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' (1939), and uses only dialogue from these films.

Plot

Dorothy Willard, an

Amerasian An Amerasian may refer to a person born in Asia to an Asian mother and a U.S. military father. Other terms used include War babies or G.I. babies. There are also those who may have mothers in the U.S. military or have Amerasian ancestry through t ...

product of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, is tired of living with her abusive foster parents in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

. Dorothy decides that "there's no horror like home" and accepts a dream mission that takes her deep into the desert to hunt down and "terminate with extreme prejudice" an insane, renegade US Army colonel - codenamed 'The Wizard'.

Cast

M. C. Gainey Michael Connor Gainey (born January 18, 1948) is an American character actor best known for his appearances in ''Lost'', '' Con Air'', '' Sideways'', '' Tangled'', and ''Django Unchained''. Early life Gainey was born in Jackson, Mississippi. In ...

as Kurtz, "The Wizard" * Alexandra Gizela as Dorothy Willard *

Billy Briggs Billy Worth Briggs III (born June 8, 1977 in Lubbock, Texas, United States) is an American independent musician and songwriter residing in McKinney, Texas. He has written numerous songs. Career "What I Need" (performed by The Briggs Brothers' B ...

as Hunk, a stoner hitchhiker and version of The Scarecrow * Brian Poth as Doorman * Kevin Glikman as Kilgore, a cop and a version of the Wicked Witch *

Tammy Garrett Tammy may refer to: * Tam o' Shanter (cap), a Scottish hat * ''Tammy'' (film series), a series of four films **''Tammy and the Bachelor'', the first film in the series ** "Tammy" (song), a popular song from ''Tammy and the Bachelor'' ** ''Tammy'' ( ...

as Giang *

Amy Lyndon 'Lyndon (born October 15, 1965) is an American actress and acting coach. Early life and education Lyndon was born in New Rochelle, New York. and studied with Stella Adler at the Stella Adler Conservatory and with Sanford Meisner at the Neigh ...

as Em * Don Paul as Henry

Reception

The film received positive reviews.

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. It first ...

's review said “Apocalypse Oz” had the ability to ruin it from the very beginning but Telford's direction, convincing performances and an original concept make this worth watching." Quiet Earth described it as a "kinetic punk-rock gem of a film... something entirely new

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

attempts to explore new ways of telling stories."

External links

*
Film Threat Review

Quiet Earth Review
2006 films 2006 short films 2000s adventure drama films Films based on The Wizard of Oz Films based on multiple works American coming-of-age films American short films American independent films Apocalypse Now The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) American black-and-white films Films based on works by Joseph Conrad 2006 drama films 2000s American films {{short-drama-film-stub