Apocalypse Now (1979)

apocalypse now 1979

Apocalypse Now is an American motion picture, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1979. It stars Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin Willard, Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter Kurtz and Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore.

As Apocalypse Now opens, the war-weary Captain Willard, a special operations officer, is embarking on a secret mission. Willard has orders to travel upriver into a mountainous area of Cambodia to locate Colonel Kurtz, a former Green Beret commander. Kurtz has turned rogue and has become something of a cult figure among local tribesmen. He has also formed his own private army and is conducting an illegal guerrilla war against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.

American commanders want Kurtz neutralised so they order Willard to travel up the Nung River, locate Kurtz and execute him. Willard joins the four-man crew of an American river gunboat. He also links up with an air cavalry unit, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore. In one of Apocalypse Now‘s most famous scenes, Kilgore’s helicopters clear a path for Willard’s mission by destroying an entire village, while Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries plays in the background.

Willard’s boat begins its voyage up the Nung River, encountering Americans, enemy soldiers and natives. Willard himself becomes more disillusioned and shows signs of the same insanity which has gripped Kurtz. He eventually arrives at Kurtz’s camp – but will Willard be able to carry out his mission?

Apocalypse Now has attracted widespread praise and acclaim. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, though it won only two (best cinematography and sound). Many critics consider it the best Vietnam War film ever made.

Unlike other war movies, Apocalypse Now avoids exploration or analysis of the war or its political causes. It does not recreate an actual battle, nor does it explore a specific issue. Instead, Apocalypse Now depicts a series of chaotic and sometimes confusing experiences of war.

The film’s morality and attitude to the Vietnam War is ambiguous and uncertain. Critics have long debated whether Apocalypse Now is pro-war or anti-war – or perhaps both. Some scenes, such as Kilgore’s firebombing of a Vietnamese village, are as exhilarating as they are horrifying. If Apocalypse Now has an overriding message, it is that war has a profound psychological impact on the soldiers who experience it.


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