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Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
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Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
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Editor reviews
"The horror! The horror!" In this brooding and justly celebrated novella of 1902, seaman Charles Marlow is cruising quietly down the Thames at dusk with some friends. As night begins to fall, he tells them of his harrowing journey down an African river in search of the unscrupulous and near-legendary ivory trader named Kurtz, a quest deep into inky spiritual and symbolic darkness. Acclaimed Irish actor/director Kenneth Branagh impersonates Marlow in this recording. Admirably, while fully playing the drama, he never goes overboard. He plays the tale for the great yarn that it is. But had he taken more cognizance of its trajectory and subtleties, he would have made the listening experience far richer than he has.
Summary
Prose that demands to be read aloud requires a special kind of narrator. For the Audible Signature Classics edition of Joseph Conrad’s atmospheric masterpiece, Heart of Darkness, we called upon four-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh.
Branagh’s performance is riveting because he reads as though he’s telling a ghost story by a campfire, capturing the story’s sense of claustrophobia, while hinting at the storyteller Marlow’s own creeping madness. Heart of Darkness follows Captain Marlow into the colonial Congo where he searches for a mysterious ivory trader, Kurtz, and discovers an evil that will haunt him forever.
With this landmark work, Conrad is credited with bringing the novel into the twentieth century; we think Branagh brings it into the twenty-first.
Stay tuned for more one-of-a-kind performances from actors David Hyde Pierce, Leelee Sobieski, Tim Curry, and more, only from Audible Signature Classics.
Critic reviews
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What listeners say about Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SnapWriter
- 07-01-15
The Definitive Performance
So lucky to have Branagh read Conrad. An actor of this caliber is a gift, and amazon's download the text service completes the experience,
Branagh gives a haunting, mesmerising performance.
I can't wait to find more of his readings.
A must download.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Lucy
- 04-11-17
Incomprehensible
I'm sorry to be in the minority but I hated the narration, Kenneth Branagh sometimes speeded up his narrative so that it was completely garbled, he also did that weird actor thing where the emphasis is on the wrong word so completely distorts the sense of the writer. I often think actors do it when they, themselves do not understand what the author is trying to convey. But they emphasise it with such certainty that you, the listener are tricked into thinking they understand the text. They do not.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Philip
- 23-12-17
Thought Provoking
Superbly narrated by the always excellent Kenneth Branagh, this Conrad classic takes you right into the jungle and evokes a world where power and madness have run amuck and descended into murderous idolatry. Perhaps a little overly ponderous/plodding in places, but still well worth the listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nick Warren
- 11-01-18
Best performance
I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks and this was by some way the best performance of a novel I’ve heard. Mesmerising.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-09-20
A seminal performance
Kenneth Branagh made this a totally absorbing experience. Loved it from start to finish
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison CW.
- 15-03-20
The original Apocalypse Now
Until I listened to this I did not realise that a film that I believe is one of the best ever was an updated homage to this book. I love Mr Branagh's performance and I look forward to listening to his performance of other books very much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- katya belaia
- 16-09-20
it has enlarged my mind...
I had listened to chapters on repeat! It had enlarged my mind. I do recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris
- 15-02-23
Very good
Excellent rendition of the book, definitely recommended.
apparently more words are compulsory to post this 🙄
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gareth F.
- 16-01-23
Brilliantly narrated
I have always wanted to read this and have never really had the time. It’s quite a compelling listen and I listened to it at every opportunity. It is a classic and expresses the horror of colonial rule well. But I kind of think thee was more to say and I missed it somewhere.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- "ontologic_alchemist"
- 30-12-22
Branagh is excellent
I find a lot of audiobook narrators destroy the book, Branagh brings this great parable to life.
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