Essay about Apocalypse Now - 1649 Words

Apocalypse 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†¦show more content†¦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. Willards journey is not just a trip down a river, it is a metaphor ical 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 Stones latter movies, JFK and Natural Born Killers. I also see the movie as a journey between the polar oppositesShow MoreRelated Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Forever2580 Words   |  11 PagesApocalypse Now, Apocalypse Forever Francis Ford Coppolas magnum opus Apocalypse Now was ladened with problems and difficulties before and after filming. These problems ranged from those having to do with the cast and crew, to those having to do with the circumstances surrounding the filming, to those having to do with the script, to those dealing in direct regard to the very sanity of all of those involved with Apocalypse Now. Despite the myriad of problems that contributed to this acclaimedRead MoreIn Search of the Unknown: Apocalypse Now1584 Words   |  6 PagesIn Search of the Unknown Apocalypse Now is a film based on the story Heart of Darkness, written by Joseph Conrad. 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Over eighty years later Francis Ford Coppolas Willard would take his journey not in Afica but in the jungles of South Asia. Coppolas Film, Apocalypse Now uses the backdrop of the American Vietnam War yet the similarities between the Conrads novel and Coppolas film remains constant and plenty. In 1899 when Conrad first published his story in Blackwoods Magazine the British Empire was the dominantRead More Searching For Meaning in Apocalypse Now Essay1418 Words   |  6 PagesSearching For Meaning in Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppolas film Apocalypse Now takes the audience into a tense and mystical journey through the Vietnam War. This long and agonizing journey is seen through the eyes of Captain Willard played by Martin Sheen. Sheen. Captain Willard is assigned to a mission that relies on him to assassinate Colonel Kurtz, who is played by Marlon Brando. 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Finally, director Francis Coppala collaborated with his friend John Milius on writing a screen play for Conrads masterpiece. The two came up with Apocalypse Now, utilizing a more modern setting than the original story which was based in imperialistic Europe. The modern setting was that of the Vietnam war. Apocalypse Now focuses on the insanity