Apocalypse Now
Sometime in 2023, my first watch of Apocalypse Now was one of confusion, liking the first 30-40 minutes of badass helicopters with hype music and Kilgore, but throughout the film, I became unsure and didn't love what I was watching.
Jump Ahead to my last three watches, especially this one, see something deeper than I ever could. The genius of this film doesn't just lie in the first half, but in the total insane contrast of the beginning of the film to the end. This is very well interchangeable with the greatest films I have ever viewed, and easily one of the most stunning and profound pieces of media that I have ever taken in.
In earlier watches, I have explored the psychologies between Kilgore and Kurtz, and the slow "Jungle-fication" that constantly increases as the crew ventures down the river. Just like every watch of Apocalypse Now I saw something different than I have seen in previous viewings.
before getting into the analysis, I'd like to talk about the film elements which contribute to the Masterpiece:
First, the sound design. For some reason I noticed this element so much more during this watch. 10 to 20 to more different sounds accompany a scene, and it absolutely blesses your ears. Not only that, but there is a stark difference between the sound design of the first half to the second, contributing to the contrasting tones. During the first half, we get battle sequences, chaotic, but not exactly intense, and that is for a reason. The sound is hard cutting, loud and blaring, adding to Kilgore's disordered command. Interestingly enough, Apocalypse Now's sound design paved the way for modern film, partly because of these incredibly immersive battle sequences. most importantly the sound during the scenes feels so real. This is very different to the hypnotic trip ride sound design of the film, which increasing as the film moves forward. whereas at the beginning, sound was merely diagetic to add to realness, the 2nd half uses a non-diagetic film score making the scenes feel larger than life and almost not real to a sense. Then, in the last 35-40 minutes, the film goes completely spellbound, adding a quiet dreading sound with the leading voice of Kurtz to explain to us what we see and hear.
Next to visuals. Again this is a leading element for adding to the totally different experiences of each half. The first half is mainly lighter colors, but above all, people fill the screen in almost every shot during the battle sequences, perfectly exemplifying the peoples yearn for community and home. This happens again during the playboy performance. Both times, it ends in chaos, as it is impossible to attempt for community in the war. And this isn't proven until we slowly see the film change into shots mostly compiled of 1-5 people in a shot, with some exceptions. Now we have become isolated, and when we are with others, they are foreign, they are not like us. The height of this lone shot compilation takes full form during Kurtz and Willard's talks, more specifically Kurtz's monologues. As he speaks of cutting ties with what you were grown up with and going back to your primordial instincts, he is shadowed, with no one around him. He doesn't believe in finding purpose in people, even though his followers do.
That brings me to the short analysis: This is why Kurtz wants to kill all of his people. None of them fit his philosophy of accepting the chaos and "horror" around them, as in the wake of the chaos, they make a god out of Kurtz. Similar to this, Kilgore and his men aren't really creating the chaos, the chaos is already there. Instead his men ignore it, chasing contentment through the people around them and surrounding themselves with the culture of their home even though they are far from it. Really the film is about mankind's hopeless and pitiful attempt to make the unknown what they know, it simpler sense. Man sees something that scares them, and we choose to either turn away from it, or pretend to make it something which we are familiar of. At first, it seems comforting and right, but it will just end in the chaos enveloping you.
Kurtz detests the idea, and chooses to embrace it, chooses to embrace...... the horror