Apocalypse Now

🔥 1st Watch | THEATRICAL | Top 100 | Francis Ford Coppola Week 5: Letterboxd Top 50 I had been looking forward to seeing Apocalypse Now for the first time. Many of my mutuals have this as not just the greatest war film ever produced, but also the greatest film of all time. However, I never got around to seeing it, until now… After my first viewing, Apocalypse Now is already one of my favorite war films. Apocalypse Now changed movies forever. Before Francis Ford Coppola's third masterpiece, war films hadn't been nearly as gruesome and horrifying. There were some great anti-war films, but this film went above and beyond, creating something that the audiences had never seen: the pure horror of war. The closest film, in my opinion, that demonstrated the darkness on the battlefield was Come and See. However, I think Apocalypse Now surpassed its level of chaos (though I won't discredit the horror of Come and See). But how exactly does Apocalypse Now represent such a nightmare? One of the biggest ways that Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, represents such a tragic depiction of war is with the acting. Martin Sheen gives a tremendous performance. Early, he seems unfazed by the war. However, as the story progresses and as he experiences more of the war, he starts to understand the terror. He becomes more frightened, and his demeanor changes to a more pacifist state. He seems disgusted by violence. Willard's only motivation to continue on was his obsession and fascination over Colonel Kurtz. Without Kurtz, the acting by Sheen convincingly told the audience that Willard was terrified. Martin Sheen was absolutely phenomenal! Of course, Marlon Brando was fantastic as well. I've only seen him in Apocalypse Now and The Godfather, and both times he has completely immersed himself in his character. When I watched him, I didn't see Marlon Brando. I saw Colonel Kurtz, the man who became insane due to the horrors of war. Also, there are so many other beautiful (or hauntingly beautiful) performances, but a review of Apocalypse Now is not complete without mentioning Robert Duvall's portrayal as Kilgore. He perfectly embodied the "American patriot." He had no sense of fear or emotional presence. He only cared about the dark violence that affected many many people on both sides. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning" Kilgore was chilling and emotionless. These emotions wouldn't have been felt without the stellar acting of Robert Duvall. The acting was a mere fraction of Apocalypse Now's sublime quality. One could argue that the cinematography is one of the best in cinematic history. Deservedly, it won an Oscar. Every scene was impeccably shot, and I could go into an entire essay on the cinematography of Apocalypse Now alone. In the opening scene, there was excellent symbolism with the fan in Willard's room representing the helicopters. This symbolized how no one was able to escape the war. No one was able to escape : "The horror. The horror." The cinematography also has a sense of irony. Many shots (especially earlier in the movie) make the US helicopters and the soldiers seem heroic. Long shots display the grand nature of the event, and the high technology thundering over the primitive and undeveloped places down below creates a sense of power. Therefore, when explosions, bombs, and fire reign down upon the villages, the audience witnesses horror at its finest. Fire and destruction has overpowered the peaceful and innocent villages. This is expressed with the opening shot, with a beautiful shot of trees in the distance, but then broken up by a violent thrash of bombs, instantly destroying the forest. This was arguably the greatest opening shot in history; it set the tone for the rest of the film. Apocalypse Now was not your standard war movie. As the film progressed, the color palette got darker. At first, the color palette (despite hints of red, which represented bloodshed) was green and innocent. However, as the war raged on and the characters experienced more tragedy, black consumed more of the screen. Marlon Brando's face was completely covered in darkness, highlighting how the war had caused his breaking point. The lighting was crucial in creating this effect. The light was used more and more conservatively as the film progressed. By the end, the light (which represented hope) became less prominent. Apocalypse Now suggest that war has no hope; only destruction. In addition to the explosions and darkness, the shots were just beautiful in general. There wasn't a single shot which looked bad. When Willard rose out of the water, I got chills. When the opening shot happened, I got chills. When the helicopters flew through the air, I got chills. When Colonel Kurtz was speaking with his face hidden from the shadows, I got chills. The framing was spectacular. The camera movement was spectacular. The lighting was spectacular. The color palette was spectacular. Everything was spectacular. Actually, everything was perfection. However, the cinematography was used in combination with other filmmaking elements to amplify the brilliance. The cinematography was excellent, but in combination with the editing, the film became even better. Apocalypse Now used a lot of fades and overlapping frames. This provided a sense of unity and cause and effect. Bombs wrecking havoc over forests and villages weren't independent from the US and their involvement in Vietnam. They were connected. Our "patriotism" was causing this destruction and horror. Apocalypse Now, at heart, is criticizing the Vietnam War (and all aspects of war as well). Apocalypse Now was nominated for its excellent editing, but it should've won. In tangent with the cinematography, it was perfect. The music and sound design were also impeccable. First the sound design was loud and excruciating. The propellers of the helicopters screamed at the audience, making sure that it was difficult to hear the dialogue. Sure, this made listening to the characters a little tough to hear, it was definitely meaningful. However, the entire movie wasn't filled with blaring sounds that made it difficult to hear. The overall sound of the movie got quieter and quieter as the film progressed, symbolizing how Willard goes deeper and deeper as he searches into his soul regarding war. Apocalypse Now isn't just a war movie. It's a film about examining the soul and contemplating the morality of oneself. "You have to have men who are moral... and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling." One of the biggest aspects about the sound design is the soundtrack/score. Music does a phenomenal job at setting the tone. Essentially, the score is a picture for your ears. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. The soundtrack of Apocalypse Now immerses you into the conflict. It grabs you by the heart and never lets go. Many songs are used that create a sinister effect or show the turbulent side of war. However, the best use of the soundtrack used in Apocalypse Now was for ironic purposes. Obviously, I speak of the use of The Ride of the Valkyries. The Ride of the Valkyries sounds triumphant and victorious, so when it is used in combination with ignorant Americans flying in their choppers on their way to kill some Charlie along with the heroic-looking cinematography, a clear mood is set. This mood is courageous and brave, but it is most of all patriotic. This patriotic flush is only present around the Americans. In the middle of the sequence, there is a hard cut (great editing) where the music suddenly stops, and the audience can see the Vietnamese scurrying to try to defend themselves. The Vietnamese are not patriotic. Then, a few seconds later, the continuous melody of The Ride of the Valkyries picks up again, getting louder and louder as the Americans come closer and closer. And when the Americans arrive, that's when the true meaning of the music is revealed. The music is not meant to show a patriotic tone. It is meant to express irony. The Americans believe that they are patriotic in their choppers killing the Vietnamese, but in reality they are murderers. But I suppose "charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets in the Indy 500." That scene was one of the greatest scenes of all time. When this scene played, I couldn't believe its brilliance. It was so good that it gave me goosebumps of beauty. However, there were many other fantastic scenes too. In fact, every scene is a treat. And of course, without Francis Ford Coppola's expert level direction and dedication, Apocalypse Now wouldn't have been nearly as close to the masterpiece as it is. In summary, Apocalypse Now is a technical masterpiece that checks all the boxes. It's emotional, immersive, and metaphorical. It's a war film, but it manages to become so much more. It was so revolutionary that it sparked a whole new type of war film. There is a reason why many war films are dark and brutal. Apocalypse Now was among the first movies to ever create such a horrifying depiction of war, and even though it was among the first to accomplish such a task, it arguably still did it the best. I have never seen a war film more terrifying than Apocalypse Now. It has aged incredibly. I thought The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II were timeless, but Apocalypse Now was on a whole other level of "timeless." 52 Weeks Challenge: Here What is the 52 Weeks Challenge? It is a challenge where each week, I will be given a theme, and I will have to watch a movie I haven't seen before which fits the theme. There is more information on the list linked above. I AM NOT ALONE! These are the other participants of this year-long challenge: - Vetni - Nightwing04 - Antoine Cournoyer - MrPPeeps - Spencer - Archie_it - Filip - harry - C. J. - Danny D - CrazyRaccoon - Jack - Dbyleo - Kevin Hall - James - hilyelo ⬅ Previous Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King