The reason why certain works of literature
often get the film treatment is to make the
characters jump off the page and deal with
conflicts that can appeal to all sorts of
people.
What Francis Ford Coppola did with Apocalypse
Now is not only document the characters, but
highly realise the hellish environment of
the Vietnam War.
It's arduous production spanning nearly three
years paid off, as Apocalypse Now is regarded
as one of the best films ever made.
The ultimate horror of this hypnotically strange
trip is as close as a film has ever come to
crystallizing the reality of this harrowing
time period.
"Heart of Darkness", written by Joseph Conrad,
is a story of Marlow's job as an ivory transporter
down the Congo river.
The ideas of violence and cruelty, sanity
and insanity along with moral corruption are
explored through the eyes of the main character.
This inspired screenwriter, John Milius, to
adapt "Heart of Darkness" and place it in
the heart of the Vietnam jungle. Captain Willard
acts as the narrator, observer and commentator
in the film.
The first-person voice over expresses his
most intimate thoughts and feelings, aspects
of the self which cannot be revealed through
typical action and dialogue.
It adds a dimension of subjective consciousness
to Willard's character. This gives Coppola
the ability to give expository dialogue while
crafting a mysterious backstory for Colonel
Kurtz.
Most critics agree that the film is an important
examination of America's military involvement
in Vietnam and the potential darkness that
lies in all human hearts.
Coppola's intention was to create a broad,
spectacular film of epic action adventure
scale, which however is rich in
thematic and philosophical inquiry into the
mythology of war; and, the human condition.
Coppola chronicles the character's inner journey,
showing us the indoctrination of evil and
the dehumanization of Captain Willard and
his crew.
While the images of many films are carved
out of light, "Apocalypse Now" seems to have
been carved from the shadows.
Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro chose to
capture an increasing level of darkness as
the film progressed, to signify the character's
descent into madness.
The motif of darkness conveys the idea that
the crew is now totally beyond the comforting
glow of civilization.
The finale with General Kurtz and Willard
solely consists of silhouettes accompanied
by a haunting score, portraying the essence
of evil within both characters.
With the persona of Kurtz, his hypocrisy is
what makes him insane. On the other side,
Lieutenant Kilgore is similarly over the top.
He is enthralled by the idea to have a soundtrack
to his air raids, and makes his soldiers go
surfing in the middle of gunfire.
Yet, Kilgore, on one side of the war, is deemed
a hero while Kurtz is on the other, seen as
a deranged menace.
Coppola accentuates the visual and aural beauty
of "Apocalypse Now" to effectively assault
our senses.
The use of fogs and pronounced shadows accurately
portray the surreal and nightmarish journey,
which I think adds to the already masterful
visual literacy from Coppola.
Although Coppola sets the tone of the film
from the very beginning, it's the finale that
immerses the audience into the harrowing reality
of Kurtz's madness.
Coppola provides a critical perspective on
American interventionism in comparison to
colonialism.
The film debuted shortly after the end of
the Vietnam War, in 1979, meaning that the
effects of war still loomed large in the outlook
of the 70's.
The use of pop culture references help to
situate and give insight into the various
social and cultural aspects of the time period,
providing a relatively accurate representation
of the zeitgeist.
John Milius hones in on the post-war tension
in the mid 70's to criticize the dehumanizing
aspects a weathered soldier can bring to his
surroundings.
From the writer's perspective, his adaptation
of "Heart of Darkness" needed to criticize
USA's involvement in the war, meaning that
he had to
create characters that the audience can find
inhumanely shocking.
The Redux version of the film, in my opinion,
is more faithful to "Heart of Darkness" as
an extended scene shows the effects of colonization
by the French.
Willard and his crew visit a French rubber
plantation and engage in debate with the plantation's
owners, who wish to remain in Vietnam as they
consider
it to be the last remnants of France's past
imperial glory. The contrast in appearance
and personality of the American and French
characters helps the viewer to critique which
country, the US or France, has had an impact
on Vietnam's society. With the French trying
to civilize and the US attempting to suppress,
it's clear that Coppola aimed to highlight
the effects of both nations, showing Willard's
surprise of civility amidst war torn Vietnam.
Kurtz's moral corruption is linked to his
madness; he permits the evil within him to
gain the upper hand.
Kurtz's appalling moral corruption is the
result not only of external forces such as
the isolation and loneliness imposed by the
jungle, but also of forces that lie within
all men
and await the chance to emerge. Kurtz perhaps
realizes the depth of his own moral corruption
when, as he lays dying, he utters
This quotation also serves as a reminder of
the horrors Colonel Kurtz has produced independently
of the US military machine.
The savage nature of man is reached at the
end of the journey, not upriver, but into
his own soul. Coppola illustrates this moral
ambiguity with light and dark imagery that
often blends together.
Colonel Kurtz states 
that Kurtz believes that moral judgment is
out of place in war and serves only to prevent
victory.
With this quotation and its encompassing monologue,
Kurtz explains to Willard why he himself gave
in to the temptations of the
jungle, to deify himself amongst the tribe,
and to practice behavior devoid of moral constraints.
Captain Willard's crew consists of experienced
and inept soldiers, who are not given the
full details of Kurtz's extraction.
Coppola included the 17 year old Mr Clean
to illustrate how America were clutching at
straws to push troops into Vietnam, and to
show whether
the death of Mr Clean, or marines in general,
were truly imperative in winning the war.
The innocence of soldiers are portrayed in
a more impactful fashion with
Lance's cheerful, hippy character quickly
shattered through the journey.
A young puppy he adopts is killed during a
fire fight. Lance has lost the only thing
that has kept him happy throughout the conflict,
and upon losing the dog,
Lance is no longer feels the warmth of a friend
in a world of war; the puppy stood for Lance's
humanity, but now it's lost.
Kurtz's ideals are clearly immoral and corrupt.
He is a man at the edge of civilization, a
man free in mind and morals, a man who abandoned
the western
philosophy which itself has been revealed
to be corrupt. The exploitation of the natives
can be seen as Kurtz's "white man" persona
being used to its full advantage.
His limitless power drives his corrupted morality.
Willard's entry to his compound overwhelms
the viewer in this hidden yet disciplined
society, complete with a sense of a community
and working population. The enormity of Kurtz's
work is what Coppola excellently portrays
through the use of set design.
The structures built and the worship of Kurtz
as a demi-god depicts corruption as a basis
for this settlement.
"Apocalypse Now" scrutinizes the psyche of
the soldiers themselves along with Colonel
Kurtz's recognition as a "God amongst men".
The film was one of the first in a series
of critical analyses of Vietnam, and has created
a legacy of public critique and consciousness
regarding armed conflict and its motivations.
Coppola may have gone to hell and back in
that jungle but it repaid him with something
absolutely astonishing.
