In the movie, Apocalypse Now, based on the Vietnam War, the director portrays the reality of war, a very traumatic place, and leads viewers through the painful reality that left many warriors with everlasting nightmares and disturbing memories. As is most great war-related films, the overarching message is pointed towards viewer understanding of the Vietnam War. The director did this by exemplifying the positives and negatives of the war, so that all viewers can learn from these historical events and prevent similar wars in the future. The director uses many literary elements in Apocalypse Now such as setting, characterization, and theme to further the understanding of the message.
Apocalypse Now was released on August 15, 1979, portraying
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a portion of the Vietnam War, which reigned from 1955-1975. The film appeared to focus predominately on the latter period of the war, partially because one of the main characters, Captain Willard, had deployed numerous times to Vietnam. Music in the film included “The End” by The Doors, released in 1966, and popular songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) that were supposedly very popular to many soldiers in Vietnam and during the films release. “Soon after the bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor. Hollywood began making movies to bolster the nation's morale and dramatize its cause” (Bresler). Although Bresler mentions that these movies were produced in order to promote a sense of pride in the citizens, he also points out that some of these movies, such as Apocalypse Now, incorrectly portray the United States. “Since the 1960s, Hollywood movies have portrayed the United States as a nation ruled by a corrupt government and evil multinational corporations, fueling anti-Americanism at home and abroad” (Bresler). The violent acts committed in the film could have displayed Apocalypse Now as anti-American. In defense, however, war is harsh, not a walk through a rose garden. Earlier films created during the Vietnam War were considered Pro-American and aimed at motivating the nation. Films such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon, and Full Metal Jacket were created years after the Vietnam War. Bresler claims these films portrayed the military as “absurd” and “immoral”. Filmmakers were likely attempting to establish a positive viewpoint of Vietnam during the war, while later films aimed to portray the harsh reality of the war. In the film Apocalypse Now, both Captain Benjamin L.
Willard and Colonel Walter E. Kurtz are considered main characters. Captain Willard’s mission is to kill Colonel Kurtz, who is running rampant along towns in Cambodia. Captain Willard is best described in military terms as a “salty war-hero”, meaning that he has tremendous experience in war. Captain Willard is initially presented going through a traumatic panic attack where flashbacks from his previous deployments come to haunt him. Personally, Captain Willard’s best quote was spoken during this time in Saigon, “When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle” (Coppola). This quote reigns for many War Veterans to this day. War is horrific, but an individual who has been there likely misses something about it. Throughout most of the film, Captain Willard portrays a quiet, in the shadows demeanor; however, observant and lethal. He eventually completes his mission when he killed Colonel Kurtz near the end of the film. Colonel Kurtz is comparable to a modern-day cowboy, who lives by his own rules. Although he is seen as savage in his duties, most of his soldiers respect him for being genuine. Colonel Kurtz appeared to be an exceptional leader for his men with a tremendous ability to boost his soldier’s morale and motivation. Despite these positive qualities, Colonel Kurtz has the wrong priorities, which led him to be targeted for death. Although the two main characters surround the storyline, each lower-ranked soldier had their own unique characteristics. These soldiers help the audience feel as if they’re experiencing the war themselves alongside this large group of
soldiers. Apocalypse Now is set in the vicinity of Vietnam and Cambodia, where the war occurs; however, a few scenes in the beginning show Captain Willard preparing to be deployed from his hotel in Saigon. Through the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia, viewers are led on a journey into the dark reality of this land during the Vietnam War. The small villages, structures, and traditional dress of the local Vietnamese encapsulate viewers into this foreign land. Lighting, fogs and shadows are key elements of the film, leading the audience along the journey of those soldiers. “As the journey begins, the lights are still high, Willard begins his boat ride in dusk, but as the journey gets deeper and deeper, the film gets darker, the shadows get pronounced and light is dimmed” (Srivastava). Most viewers have never visited this region of the world, so most viewers would be observe the setting as a new and mysterious land. The deep jungles assist the viewer to observe the soldier’s viewpoint, and hint at a bit of mystery of the deep unknown. The setting plays a large role in the film; fear compounded with an unknown battlefield is a nightmare for the soldiers. “'Chaos' was the word used by co-star Martin Sheen when he arrived on the nightmare set of a movie already millions of dollars over budget though filming had barely begun” (Rennell). It’s interesting that the actors themselves felt uneasy while being filmed, due to the mysterious and chaotic setting they were placed within. The director accurately utilized the environment to portray what the soldier’s saw in the Vietnam War; setting is the best-utilized literary device to portray the director’s message. The overarching message portrays the reality of the Vietnam War, although Apocalypse Now was not entirely based on a true story, it gave descriptive insight into the Vietnam War. Additionally, it displayed how the soldiers lived and acted during their time overseas. Life is short and when an individual experiences war, life is forever changed. “This was the underworld, these men are not alive, they live in an altered state of reality and carry the imprints of this reality in their soul” (Sristava). Personally, there were times I had to experience dangerous zones, although it was nothing compared to Vietnam, those experiences provide a new reality that most people will never understand through words or a movie. Apocalypse Now allowed individuals who were not in the Vietnam War to get a glimpse of the lifestyle of these soldiers. Although no movie can ever provide full-context of what war experience is like, this movie did a great job of displaying it from the soldier’s perspective. By establishing a close understanding with the soldier’s perspective, viewers are encapsulated in this world of war that only few men and women ever get to experience. War is never perfect, in order to defeat a savage enemy; the opposition must sometimes commit savage acts themselves against the enemy. This is why there is no such thing as a clean war without fighting or death. Apocalypse Now, despite criticism, portrays the reality of war, whether people wish to accept it or not. Most Hollywood films have a way of altering their movies to attract the public; however, certain films, such as Apocalypse Now, become classics due to the sheer reality they portray that will endure for generations.
Mark Atwood Lawrence’s The Vietnam War: A Concise International History shows readers an international affair involving many nations and how the conflict progressed throughout its rather large existence. Lawrence starts his book in a time before America was involved in the war. It starts out with the French trying to colonize the nation of Vietnam. Soon the United States gets involved and struggles to get its point across in the jungles of Indo-China. Much of the book focuses on the American participation in helping South Vietnam vie for freedom to combine the country as a whole not under Communist rule. Without seeing many results, the war drug on for quite some time with neither side giving up. This resulted in problems in Vietnam and the U.S.
War is cruel. The Vietnam War, which lasted for 21 years from 1954 to 1975, was a horrific and tragic event in human history. The Second World War was as frightening and tragic even though it lasted for only 6 years from 1939 to 1945 comparing with the longer-lasting war in Vietnam. During both wars, thousands of millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed. Especially during the Second World War, numerous innocent people were sent into concentration camps, or some places as internment camps for no specific reasons told. Some of these people came out sound after the war, but others were never heard of again. After both wars, people that were alive experienced not only the physical damages, but also the psychic trauma by seeing the deaths and injuries of family members, friends or even just strangers. In the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh about the Vietnam War, and the documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins directed by Nicola Zavaglia with a background of the Second World War, they both explore and convey the trauma of war. However, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective in conveying the trauma of war than the film Barbed Wire and Mandolins because of its well-developed plot with well-illustrated details, and its ability to raise emotional responses from its readers.
...ut the hidden thoughts and feelings of the narrator are the real things that need to be examined. The Vietnam War is so colluded with uncertainties that it's meaning and questions of why are still lingering in the minds of citizens of the United States.
	The novel illuminates light on the situation not just during the Vietnam era, but also rather throughout all history and the future to come. Throughout mankind’s occupation of earth, we have been plagued by war and the sufferings caused by it. Nearly every generation of people to walk this earth have experienced a great war once in their lifetimes. For instance, Vietnam for my father’s generation, World War 2 for my grandfather’s, and World War 1 for my great-grandfather’s. War has become an unavoidable factor of life. Looking through history and toward the future, I grow concerned over the war that will plague my generation, for it might be the last war.
Robert S. McNamara's book, In Retrospect, tells the story of one man's journey throughout the trials and tribulations of what seems to be the United States utmost fatality; the Vietnam War. McNamara's personal encounters gives an inside perspective never before heard of, and exposes the truth behind the administration.
Even though the films “Battleship Potemkin”, “From Here to Eternity” and “Saving Private Ryan” are all movies based on military life during war time the variation in time periods and culture made each film very different. These differences did not take away from the impact the films had on their audiences at the time or the messages they were each trying to covey. The Horrific images and hear wrenching scenarios helped to evoke strong emotions and patriotic feeling from audiences allowing film makers to pass along their truths. Thru these films we are magically transported to several dark periods in the world history and left to experience the pain, fear, isolation and ultimately the triumph of these soldiers’ lives.
... Vonnegut’s writing is unique because “the narrator offers a very different kind of war story—one which combines fact and fiction” (Jarvis 98). With the combination of fact and fiction, Vonnegut successfully connected events from WWII to the political references and societal conflicts during the Vietnam War. Works Cited Barringer, Mark, and Tom Wells. “The Anti-War Movement in the United States.”
In Kurtz' camp, a site of primitive evil, they are greeted by a crazed, hyperactive, fast-talking, spaced-out free lance photo-journalist played by Dennis Hoper. The babbling combat photographer, garlanded by his camera equipment, hopes for their sake, that they haven't come to take away Colonel Kurtz. He describes the great awe all the natives have for their jungle lord: "Out here, we're all his children." The photojournalist appears to be a fanatical follower of Kurtz, worshipping the enigmatic, genius "poet-warrior" Kurtz as a personal god and expounding Kurtz's cause: "You don't talk to the Colonel, you listen to him. The man's enlarged my mind. He's a poet-warrior in the classic sense...I'm a little man. He's a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across floors of silent seas, I mean...He can be terrible. He can be mean. And he can be right. He's fighting a war. He's a great man." He offers first-hand advice from his own experience: "Play it cool, laid back...You don't judge the Colonel." Willard is impressed by Kurtz's power over the people.
Apocalypse Now is a very vivid and sometimes disturbing film centered on the Vietnam War. Because it was based on Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, it is possible to draw some parallels between the two. Both can be interpreted as metaphors for a journey through the inner self, and each has its own singular message to convey. Apocalypse Now very perspicuously depicts the fact that men have hearts of darkness, and it explores the evils of war. At the same time, however, it seemingly glorifies some aspects. The anti-war sequences were often brutal and portrayed destruction as a result of the human condition. The film Apocalypse Now, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, can be interpreted both as pro-war and anti-war in its intent, although the latter is a more valid interpretation.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now portrays the brutality of the Vietnam War and American’s perspective from therein. Coppola successfully produced this film parallel to Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. Both portray the effects of imperialism on a native land with respect to the imperialists’ viewpoint. The scene of Apocalypse Now that mirrored Heart of Darkness with the most creative license, on the behalf of Coppola, is perhaps the final scene as Kurtz is slaughtered. Each creator successfully utilized the arts of their crafts to create a final production worthy of admiration while clearly stating their interpretation of imperialism.
Jarhead follows the journey of Anthony Swofford during his service in Middle East. Throughout his journey, Swofford presents a unique perspective on a variety of issues that indirectly affect American life and the “war” on terrorism. Some of the issues touched on include the mental stability and mentality of American soldiers, the influence of politics in the presentation of war, and the construction of a marine. Through these themes, along with the unique perspectives offered by the characters in the film, the audience is able to gain insight into the corruption and lies that are “war”. This insight ultimately helps the audience analyze the text deeper and enables them to draw the similarities in current events and dissect what they hear and see throughout the film.
Capturing the Reality of the Vietnam War in The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ are two films which deal, at a very personal level, with American involvement in the Vietnam War. Although the style and narrative of each film are quite different a strong theme of ‘journeys’ is what binds the two films together, perhaps more so than the theme of the Vietnam War itself. These are journeys of self-discovery and self-destruction and in the sense that the central characters’ ideals become twisted by war and their value of life itself diminished. It is possible to claim that these films provide ‘salves for a wounded nation’.
The Vietnam war brought about multiple uses for the military police. These men had a wide spectrum of jobs, which could range from fighting in the front line all the way to traffic control. They also fought in many battles, raided towns, guarded important cargo and areas, training dogs, digging out tunnel rats, and catching Vietcong members.
The aim of this work is a comparison between the novel "Heart of Darkness" and "Apocalypse Now," Francis F. Coppola film loosely adapted from the novel by Conrad. “Apocalypse Now” was performed as film based on the text of Conrad and placing it in the context of the Vietnam War. Although several elements were added, such as characters and situations that are not in the text, the film reflects in many ways “Heart of Darkness” in the history and development. Adapting the work of Conrad, many abstract things that are not in the text, jump to the screen. In other words, text transformation into visual representation vision adds a vision of evil in men, the fear of death, nostalgia for the home, etc. The film has
As we got further and further into the Vietnam War, few lives were untouched by grief, anger and fear. The Vietnamese suffered the worst hardship; children lay dead in the street, villages remained nothing but charred ashes, and bombs destroyed thousands of innocent civilians. Soldiers were scarred emotionally as well as physically, as