On August 15, 1979, Francis Ford
Coppola's masterpiece Apocalypse Now hit theaters and has
remained on the world's conscience ever since.
Adapted from Joseph Conrad's
novella Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now is an odyssey into
Hell - a journey to the darkest recesses of the human psyche. Army Captain
Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) takes this journey with a ragtag crew deep into
the Vietnamese jungle, along the river, with the goal of killing Colonel Kurtz
(Marlon Brando) - an all-star military man who has gone off the grid and set
himself up as a god amongst the Montagnard tribe.
And what's Hell without its colorful
inhabitants? Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) is a surfing maniac who loves the
smell of napalm in the morning (I'm sure at anytime, honestly). A
photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) is a little spaced out in the jungle. The devil
himself, Kurtz, is a domineering figure who hides in the shadows and mutters
bone-chilling ideals and beliefs (most, if not all, improvised by Brando).
After all these years, I finally sat
down and watched this film (on it's 37th anniversary). I've been avoiding it
because war films are not usually my cup of tea, and I also believe some films
are better appreciated (and understood) at certain ages. I'm glad I finally
gave Apocalypse Now a chance. It is an experience.
Within its filmstrips is the greatest (and darkest) magic cinema has ever
produced (and it was a hell of a production). Director Francis Ford Coppola
once said that his film isn't about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.
I'll take it one step further. This isn't a war film. This is war.
And this is the closest glimpse of war I ever want to see.
Apocalypse Now Redux is now available to rent at the Franklin County Library!
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