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Appocalypse Now

Appocalypse Now I have always enjoyed movies. But at some point I started to think of movies as more than just entertainment. I began to view them as a movie critic would, rather than just a casual viewer. Because of this perspective, I think of "Apocalypse Now" as one of the best American made movies I have ever seen. As a student of and an active participant in the late twentieth century media age, I feel justified in making this statement. In my lifetime of observation of American media, including fourteen months of intense movie watching in conjunction with my employment at a local video store, I have had an opportunity to observe a broad sampling of the films, and feel more than qualified to make this statement. By referring to "Apocalypse Now" as one of the best American movies, I do not want to diminish my praise for the movie, but rather, acknowledge the fact that my knowledge of foreign movies is limited. I first saw Francis Ford Coppula's "Apocalypse Now" in a high school literature class after reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the story from which the movie was derived. After viewing the movie the first time, it was clear to me that "Apocalypse Now" was something special, not only superior to the mindless drivel that permeates much of what is produced by Hollywood, but also better than many of the movies that have come to be regarded as classics. To me, a good movie presents a well constructed plot combined with skilled cinematography. A great movie incorporates a message into the attributes of a good movie. An excellent movie goes further by adding deeper levels of meaning. When I watch a movie which I judge to be excellent, I feel that it can be viewed from many angles and appear seamless from each direction. I see an excellent movie as being like a well made multi-faceted hologram. One can view it from many directions, each direction forms a complete picture, but by shifting views, you can see where one picture merges with the others. Apocalypse Now is the story of a Green Beret named Willard who journeys through Vietnam by river to confront an officer who left the army in the pursuit of his own private war. Willard's journey is not just a trip down a river, it is a metaphorical journey, and creates the effect of multiple levels of meaning. In addition to a superbly constructed story, Apocalypse Now can be viewed as a social commentary, an exploration of human conscience, or a moral metaphor. I truly enjoy dissecting and analyzing movies, as well as literate, at this level. I try to understand what the author, or film maker is really trying to say. Looking at the movie from one angle, it can be considered a social commentary of the war in Viet Nam. By including such characters as Lance B. Johnson, who clearly represents President Lyndon B. Johnson, we see him lose his personality and conscientiousness to the war, eventually having to be dragged out of the fire by the soldier, Willard. This is also demonstrated by the scene where Coppula, himself, appears as a war commentator attempting to direct the actions of the soldier fighting before him. When looking at the movie from this angle Apocalypse Now is similar to a style which I associate with Oliver Stone's latter movies, JFK and Natural Born Killers. I also see the movie as a journey between the polar opposites of a western, "civilized", army command center, and the jungle of Kurtz's Camp. At one extreme is Willard eating roast beef with the commanders, at the other extreme he is emerging from the primordial mud of the river to kill Kurtz with one of man's most primitive weapons, the knife. The journey between can be seen as a transition between the two states. The further down the river Willard traveled, the more chaos reigned. The return to a more primitive, instinctual life style was also apparent when Willard and Chef, while gathering mangos, are attacked by a tiger, and when Coppula uses the element of surprise to show that the characters have entered the cycle of predator and prey. It is this aspect of the movie that most clearly parallels Conrad's book, and the most visible interpretation of the movie. Coppula's movie can also be viewed in a moral context. I viewed this movie as a documentary of a journey into hell, not unlike Dante's Divine Comedy, but more similar in form to the Greek myth of Orpheus. Orpheus was the Greek musician who journeyed into Hades after the death of his wife. He convinced Pluto to release his wife, but he had to return to the world of the living without looking behind him. Unfortunately, Orpheus looked behind him and was banished from Hades. After being dismembered by the Cult of Dionysus he was forced to spend eternity as a disembodied head. I saw the journey of Willard as a parallel of Orpheus's journey. Hades was typically entered by the river Styx, and the gates of Hades were guarded by a dog, metaphorically similar to the puppy found by Lance before they passed into North Vietnam. Like Orpheus, Willard, after facing Kurtz/Pluto, could neither return to the army, or stay in the world of Kurtz. Though the movie is structurally similar to Orpheus in tone, it is more similar to the work of Dante in that, in it, a clear outsider enters a world for a mission, and observes the differences between that world and his own. By looking at the movie in the context of Orpheus, or Dante, I see a religious and moral connotations to the actions of the characters. Viewing the movie in such a manner, I am forced to pass a moral judgment on the war as it was waged by the United States Army versus how the war was waged by Kurtz. It is the deeper levels of meaning that makes Apocalypse Now a unique movie. The movie defies categorization. It can not clearly be labeled action, horror, or drama. I know that I have not identified or analyzed all the angles from which this movie can be seen. It is this depth which makes the movie truly great. Some my argue that the skill of the actors, or the visual effects define the quality of the movie. But I believe, that like a great book, a great movie is defined by the depth of its meaning. It is this type of analysis which I find exciting. In my studies, as well as with many of my interests, I always enjoy looking deeper into the meaning of the material being presented. I want to understand all of what the author, or film maker, or artist is trying to communicate. "Apocalypse Now" is such an excellent movie, it gives me just that kind of opportunity. When one watches many movies certain pattern arise. Working at a video store for approximately ten months, I noticed that each genre of movie has its own constant elements. It is perhaps ironic that the movie containing the memorable line, "the horror, the horror" so perfectly demonstrates the three distinct types of horror. Though Apocalypse Now is commonly categorized as a Action or Drama movie it defines horror. In Francis Ford Coppula's movie Apocalypse Now three types of horror emerge as they are demonstrated individually in combination. I refer to the three types of horror as psychological, gore and surprise. Psychological horror plays with human rationalization. Gore shows a stunning or a violent action. Surprise or "Boo" horror is instilling fear by catching one off guard. Each type of horror appeals to different parts of the human psyche and requires unique methods of creation. Apocalypse Now is Francis Ford Coppula's adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness. It is the story of a Green Beret named Williard who journeys through Vietnam by river to confront an officer who had left the army in the pursuit of his own, private war. Because Williard's trip down the river is a metaphorical journey into the human mind it presents a perfect example of how each type horror is created and their effect on the human mind. The skilled cinematography used inthis moves makes the effect of each type of horror on the movie's characters, and the desired effect on the audience obvious to the observed. Psychological horror is fear of a believable, reasonable force. Silence of the Lambs and Clint Eastwood's famous, "did I shoot six bullets or only five" scenario areprime example of this type of horror. Psychological horror walks the fine line between the rational and irrational mind. The human ability to ration in contrast with the tendency to exaggerate. What is possible versus what is likely. It is a case where the danger is know, but the likelihood is in question. Each action has a tangible, but unknown probability of danger attacked to it. Psychological horror thrusts a mirror in front of the viewer and asks him what he would do in the citation. In my opinion psycoligical horror is the most intellectual of the three types of horror, and the most difficult to create. Where as gore can always be created with the correct makeup or special effects, and any child hiding behind a tree can create surprise horror, one must attempt to get into the mind of the viewer to create psycological horror. Many scenes in Apocalypse Now utilize this technique, but none more clearly the river boat scene where Willard and his crew emerges from a heavy mist to see a large group of villagers facing them in their own boats. An uncertain grayness suddenly shifting to a vivid image of a group on the river that is staring forward, penetratingly grabs the attention of the observer. The tension between the two opposing forces is made apparent to the viewer. One false move on either side would mean many death on both. The situation is forced on the viewer, who must ask himself, "what would I do in this citation, could I handle the tension". In this instance Coppula uses psychological horror illustrate the barrier between the Williard's world and the world of the jungle that he was entering. This image was so vivid that it stayed in my mind long after the conclusion of the movie. Personally, I found myself playing out alternate resolutions to the scene and which I would most likely attempt if I were in the place of Coppula's characters. The second type of horror is gore, in which a painful experienced is relayed to the observer. The special effects wizardry of resents years has made gore horror more common. Prime examples of this is the movie Seven and Clive Barker's Hell Raiser series. Gore feeds on the human tendency to empathize with his fellow creatures. Gore works on the principle that if a bare-footed character in a movie is about to step on broken glass the viewer will wince. The viewer is forced to fell pity for the character and the gratitude that it is not them in the citation. The best example of this presented in Apocalypse Now is when the river boat captain who, after being speared through the chest, attempts to impale Willard on the protruding spear. The sight of the speared captain's figure is strong enough to evoke sympathy for his suffering and empathy with his anger. Yet, at the same time, the viewer is repulsed by the figure of the speared captain and feels the tortured desperation of Willard as his fends for his life. As one is forced to share the decision in psychological horror one is forced to feel empathy with the character when gore is employed. Coppula uses gore horror to create this element of empathy, which will amplify the emotions and struggles of his characters. Surprise or "Boo" horror is created through dramatic presentation. By timing a motion or noise correctly the viewer experiences the danger themselves. It is the equivalent of grabbing someone and yelling "Boo" during campfire ghost story. Surprise horror is the simplest and most primitive of the three types of horror. "Boo" horror appeals to man's survival instincts and natural reflexes. "Boo" horror occurs when the scene is able to temporarily force ones instincts to overpower their reason. Examples of this are Alfred Hitchock's Birds, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the Thirteenth. In my opinion "Boo" horror is the simplest and the most easily produced type of horror. This however, does not make it any less meaningful. The that best exemplifies this scene in Apocalypse Now is when Willard and Chief are attacked by a tiger while gathering mangos. The serene jungle of a suddenly explodes with the shape of a charging tiger. When the tiger jumps out of the overgrowth the viewer temporally experiences danger. Like most viewers, I had a physical reation when the tiger jumps out. Because the timing of the tiger's attack is done so well, a viewer, such as myself experiences the reaction even when they know it will occur. The element of surprise horror is used by Coppula to force the audience to share the primordial fear of being the prey of a large animal with the characters of the film. Some once said art was defined by the creator's ability to impart a desired emotion. Nothing exemplifies this principle better than horror. Horror occurs when a scene forces the viewer to experience certain emotions that the producer deserves. The type of horror used to determines the emotions and the part of the human mind effected. As Apocalypse Now demonstrates, a skillful director can incorporate each distinct brand of horror in his movie to convey a desired atmosphere or reaction. Bibliography:

Word Count: 2288

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