Apocalypse Now (1979)

Film: Apocalypse Now

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Country: USA

Released: May 1979

Runtime: 153 minutes

Genre: War Film

Studio: Zoetrope / United Artists

Influenced: Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Kathryn Bigelow, Darren Aronofsky, Guillermo del Toro

It's fair to say that Francis Ford Coppola had to suffer for his art. If you thought making The Godfather was fraught with difficulties, then you should watch the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991). Like Werner Herzog when he made Aguirre, a film that inspired Apocalypse Now, Coppola had to face the twin challenges of working in a jungle environment and collaborating with uncooperative actors (for Klaus Kinski see Marlon Brando). What emerged from those challenging circumstances though is – for me – one of the greatest films ever made. When pushed to name my favourite movie of all time, I have often gone with Apocalypse Now, though I'm interested to see what I say at the end of this journey through cinema history. 

Apocalypse Now is a Vietnam film, but it's also much more than that. Adapted by John Milius from Joseph's Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, where the focus is on European colonialism, Apocalypse Now substitutes this for American interventionism, but essentially the film is more broadly concerned with the overreach of imperial power. Though it explores the specific insanity of the Vietnam War, the film is also a timeless exploration of the human psyche, the nature of power and the darkness inherent in all of us. The physical journey of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) up the Nung River becomes a metaphorical exploration of the darkest corners of the human soul. Colonel Kurtz (Brando), meanwhile, embodies the corrupting influence of power; deep in the jungle, he has become a demigod, isolated from the rules of civilisation and driven to madness by the horrors he has witnessed.

Milius contributed many of the film's most iconic ideas like the helicopters playing Wagner as they go into battle and Robert Duvall's unforgettable line as the deranged Lt Colonel Kilgore, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Other elements of the movie were true to the book, such as the fog that shrouds the boat as they travel upriver, causing fear and confusion among the crew, and Kurtz's memorable cry, “The horror! The horror!” However, unlike the film, Kurtz is captured and brought back home up the river in Conrad's novella. Both the book and the film highlight how there is no moral purpose to colonialism, just the desire to “tear treasure out of the bowels of the land”. Coppola also emphasised the absurdity of war with his use of strange and surreal imagery and the scenes of soldiers indulging in drugs, rock & roll and surfing while all around them Vietnam is burning.

As well as the script and the performances, one of Apocalypse Now's greatest strengths is the sound design, including the iconic use of helicopter rotors and haunting voiceovers, which add to the film's immersive and disorienting atmosphere. The film begins with a mesmerising montage showcasing Willard's emotional state and the chaos of the Vietnam War, accompanied by The End by The Doors. Also of note, especially in the later Final Cut restoration, is the quality of Vittorio Storaro's stunning cinematography, which captures the lush, dreamlike atmosphere of the Vietnamese jungle (though it was filmed in the Philippines). The music, visuals and narrative arc mirror the disintegration of Willard's mind as he approaches his chilling encounter with Kurtz. Apocalypse Now won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, as well as two Oscars (Best Cinematography and Best Sound), and the film remains a touchstone for filmmakers seeking to capture the complexities and horrors of war on screen.