Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now (1979)

a film by Francis Ford Coppola

What is it?
When asked in the Cannes Film Festival about this movie Coppola said: "this is not a movie about Vietnam. This was Vietnam". Apocalypse Now is the haunting story of Captain Willard,

an officer appointed to find and "terminate the command" of a missing special forces officer lost in the jungle during the Vietnam war. Willard will travel up the river and down to the darkest corners of the human soul. This movie is a free adaptation of Joseph Conrad's the heart of darkness in which the Vietnam jungle is the setting for a hallucinatory trip through the war.

Memorable scene

A napalm bombed forest and The Door's The End, provide one of the best first sequences I have ever seen. This scene summarizes what is about to come, it is clear you are descending into the heart of darkness, the helicopter propellers like the echoes of ghosts while you see the tree line engulfed in flames and the words of Jim Morrison saying "Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end".

Favourite quote

"Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service. It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I never wanted another." - Captain Willard
Why is it worth watching this movie?

There are many reasons for watching Apocalypse Now. It is worth watching Dennis Hopper, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando and seeing the dementia of war incarnated in their faces. It is worth seeing the product of a the titanic effort to finish this production. But for me the most important one is because they don't make movies like this anymore. This is an ambitious and daring reflection on war, excessive but remarkable this film shows the main aspects of the war and the decay and contradictions of the human nature. From a the ritual sacrifice of a cow to a squad of helicopters ready to attack a village with the notes of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, this movie is full of original and daring images. This added to a suspenseful narrative and brilliant characters creates a brilliant and haunting film.