Apocalypse Now (1979)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

John Milius (screenplay) and
Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Horror. . . The Horror. . .

Plot:

During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Colonel | Jungle | Army | Boat | Vietnam

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Colonel Walter E. Kurtz
Martin Sheen	...	Captain Benjamin L. Willard
Robert Duvall	...	Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
Frederic Forrest	...	Jay 'Chef' Hicks
Sam Bottoms	...	Lance B. Johnson
Laurence Fishburne	...	Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (as Larry Fishburne)
Albert Hall	...	Chief Phillips
Harrison Ford	...	Colonel Lucas
Dennis Hopper	...	Photojournalist
G.D. Spradlin	...	General Corman
Jerry Ziesmer	...	Jerry, Civilian
Scott Glenn	...	Lieutenant Richard M. Colby
Bo Byers	...	MP Sergeant #1
James Keane	...	Kilgore's Gunner
Kerry Rossall	...	Mike from San Diego

Also Known As:

Apocalypse Now Redux (International: English title) (longer version)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content and some drug use. (2001 director's cut)

Runtime:

153 min | 202 min (Redux version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Vietnamese | Khmer

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (Redux version) | Dolby (35 mm prints) | DTS (Redux version)

Certification:

USA:R (certificate no. 25751) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (Redux version) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) (Redux version) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (Redux version) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (re-rating) (1992) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | Hungary:16 | Italy:T (re-rating) (Redux version) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 (original version) | Brazil:16 (Redux version) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 (Redux version) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) (Redux version) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 (Redux version) | Norway:15 (Redux version) | Norway:18 (original rating) | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 (Redux version) | Singapore:M18 (Redux version) (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (Redux version) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 (Redux version) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1985) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company:

Zoetrope Studios

Trivia:

The poem quoted by The Photojournalist (Dennis Hopper) (the line about "a pair of ragged claws") is from the poem "The Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the shots where the Northrup F-5s drop the napalm, the number of jets varies between three and five. Also, their formation changes as well.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Willard: [voiceover] Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle.
Willard: When I was home after my first tour, it was worse. I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was home after my first tour, it was worse.
[grabs at flying insect]
Willard: I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I'm here a week now... waiting for a mission... getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Sting/Veruca Salt (#22.15)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Let The Good Times Roll

In my opinion, Coppola's best work

My favourite movie of all time. This was a flawed piece of work by Coppola and seeing the documentary 'Heart of Darkness' made it even more compelling. Coppola at this point was king of Hollywood after making 'the Godfather' and 'GodfatherII' and had developed the ego necessary to even dare try to make a movie like 'Apocalypse Now'. Through sheer arrogance he went to the Phillipines with a partial script and thought he would know what he would do when he got there. Just as Captain Willard thought he would know what to do once he got to Col. Kurtz's compound. And just like Willard, he DIDN'T know what he was going to do once he got there. This is such a masterpiece of American cinema, beautifully photographed and the river is such a perfect metaphor and backdrop for the story. What I like most about 'Apocalypse Now' is that it offers no answers or conclusions. Consequently, because of this open-endedness, it infuriates some viewers who like their movies to be much more obvious.

This movie defies categorization. Some call it a war movie which it isn't at all, really it is more of a personal study of man. The best pic about Vietnam is 'Platoon' in my opinion and if a viewer is seeking a retelling of the Vietnam War go there first for answers.

Coppola should be commended for his take on the bureaucracy of war which he conveys quite effectively with the meeting with Gen.Corman and Lucas (Harrison Ford) and the Playmate review. The sheer audacity of Kilgore makes him an unforgettable character and the dawn attack will always be a Hollywood classic.

It is an almost psychedelic cruise to a very surreal ending which makes it a movie not accessible to everyone. Very challenging to watch but rewarding as well. I could offer my explanations on each scene but that would be totally pointless. This movie is intended for interpretation and contemplation as opposed to immediate gratification.