Apocalypse Now

Surprisingly, Apocalypse Now is the first film I have seen regarding the Vietnam War, and I have to say I was very impressed with both the technical elements of the film as well as the relevance to the time period.

To summarize, Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film set during the Vietnam War. The plot revolves around two US Army special operations officers, one of whom, Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen) of, is sent into the jungle to assassinate the other, the rogue and presumably insane Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) of Special Forces. Captain Willard embarks on a journey through the jungles of Vietnam, coming across the destruction and pillage of the war.

After completing the reading, I was interested to learn the connection between the film and the novel Heart of Darkness. As the author states, “Apocalypse Now bridges the gap between literature and history by "transposing" Heart of Darkness with the Vietnam War through the incorporation of images, narrative, and discourse provided by Herr in Dispatches”.  I found it interesting that the film was based on the novel, but added its own elements to the base of the story and complexity of the characters.

Technically, the film composition was beautiful. The shot of the helicopters approaching the village with the soundtrack increasing was a great element to add to the film. The different camera angles really added to the dram of the film. I especially loved the use of light in the scenes with Kurtz and how the lighting added to the mystery and complexity of the character.

The characters themselves were fascinating. Willard emerges in the film as this heartless man, made cold and firm from the war, yet unwilling to go back to his normal life, the jungle calling to him. The article states, “He also embodies the senseless destructive power that characterized the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War mainly with his nearly addicted affinity for napalm; at one point, he muses: "napalm son, nothing else in the world smells like that". Willard represents the emotional detachment that was seen during the war, epically from those with PTSD. As the film progresses we see his character evolve slightly, mostly though his meeting with Kurtz, and his understanding of his mental state. While he still kills Kurtz, we are given the sense of understanding between the two victims of war.

Kurtz’s lecture his philosophy of war, humanity, and civilizations were very interesting and added an important element to the film.  The use of Kurtz’s final lines “the horror, the horror” left a resonating theme to the impact of the war on the psyche of the men involved and the nation as a whole.

I believe Apocalypse Now is a great representation of the time period of the Vietnam War. The film presented the audience with images of these young men going into this war with either a hardened mentality or an innocence that would soon be lost.  As Willard led these men on his mission, they had no idea where they were even going, or what mission they were fulfilling, but all that mattered was that a commanding officer had been given orders and they were chosen to follow them through. The various characters represented different men in various stages of life and maturity, giving the audience a realistic glimpse into the faces of the Vietnam War.  The idea of Kurtz creating his own civilization in the middle of the madness going on around him and inside of him was a poetic representation of the mental turmoil affecting hundreds of men returning from the war.

The film brought to light the many emotional states of man and the true horror of the Vietnam War.