Apocalypse Now

Paper Summary:

This is an analysis of the use of the Vietnam War as a cultural backdrop in the movie "Apocalypse Now". It outlines how Francis Coppola uses Vietnam War as the basis for cultural differentiation, how the director uses the narrator/ voice over of Willard, and it accounts for two combats during the journey up river.

From the Paper:

"Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now is one in a series of Vietnam War story. With Vietnam as the cultural backdrop, Coppola presents the bizarre war environment through the behavior of the various characters of the movie especially Kurtz and Kilgore. To make the Vietnam War experience more personal Coppola uses voice over of the protagonist Willard (played by Martin Sheen), transitioning his uncultured, all-American thoughts to gradually one of a soldier in Vietnam. In essence Willard is an assassin sent to terminate the command" of Colonel Kurtz (played by Marlon Brando). But as the plot of the movie develops, one sees Willard unfolding a humanistic side of himself. The opening scene shows he is in a Saigon hotel, awaiting his mission. He thinks how strange it is to kill one's fellow countrymen in a foreign land. "There were those six that I knew about for sure, close enough to blow their last breath in my face. But this time, it was an American and an officer. It wasn't supposed to make any difference to me, but it did." [Apocalypse Now]. The other characters on the other hand become more chaotic. Their irrational behavior, the result of war pressure and a strange environment, contributed to the violent trip up river."

More papers on Apocalypse Now:

• Film Review # 74071 : "Apocalypse Now" as an Historical Document"
• Comparison Essay # 68756 : "Heart of Darkness" and "Apocalypse Now"
• Film Review # 38688 : "Apocalypse Now" and "Natural Born Killers"."
• Film Review # 8675 : "The Use of Sound in "Apocalypse Now"

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