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  • Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

  • By: Joseph Conrad
  • Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
  • Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (9,142 ratings)

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Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

By: Joseph Conrad
Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
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Editorial 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.

Publisher's 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.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

struggled

Finished but this was not my type of tail. Totally disinterested in the story and kept waiting for something to occur that would capture my interest.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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classic that is absolutely modern

great book. very impressive performance. I read and listen simultaneously. Very rich experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully descriptive tale

If you didn't know already, this is the book on which "Apocalypse Now" was based. Many of the names remain the same, and the visualizations are spot on, if a century earlier. I have "read" both this Kenneth Branagh narration, as well as the Munro one, and while both are excellent I slightly prefer this one. Perhaps as the tale is told by an Englishman, having an Englishman read it makes it all the more realistic. Highly recommend either one for a not very sympathetic view of colonial Africa.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding Narration

Some of the best narration I've ever heard - outstanding performance. The story was intense and haunting, and filled with dark truths that still ring true today.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Listen to Branagh's voice!

Would you listen to Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh again? Why?

I might listen again only because I don't "listen" as well as I "read" a book. I seem to pay more attention when I read than when I listen, maybe because I'm more of a visual than auditory learner.

What about Kenneth Branagh’s performance did you like?

His voice is exquisite. A pleasure to my ears to listen to his voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Class assignment

have to write a essay. narrator did an excellent job. story was very dark in to the souls of man kind.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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My first audio book

If you could sum up Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh in three words, what would they be?

Great introduction book

What did you like best about this story?

Good storytelling.

Have you listened to any of Kenneth Branagh’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't but I enjoyed this one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I listened to it in two sittings.

Any additional comments?

This is the first audio book I've ever listened to. The book was recommended to me by my dad (he read the story). He thought it would be a good way to start because it is a good book and not really long compared to other audio books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

makes you love words

Serious but fun how is that possible? What is behind the curtain? Perhaps someone should write a precursor story to this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome!

Any additional comments?

This was a fantastic performance! I felt like a child sitting around a campfire and being told an amazing ghost story!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the very best Audible books I've ever heard

Would you consider the audio edition of Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh to be better than the print version?

This audio version was definitely better than the print version. Branagh's acting ability breathes life Marlow's character and better projects the central theme of hypocrisy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh?

I found that the way he voiced Kurtz to be amazing! He created a voice for him that made it more clear why Marlow so struggled with the ambiguities of Kurtz's "unsound methods."

What about Kenneth Branagh’s performance did you like?

Kenneth Branagh is one of the finest actors of his generation. His voice is like silk and I could listen to him read the phonebook.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

A compelling story made all the more so by the narration. This is not the book you had to read in high school, this is the story as I'm sure Conrad meant it to be heard.

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