Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now, a film criticized for years, but definitely beat all odds through the incredible reviews and awards won. The film follows the story of Captain Benjamin Willard as he proceeds on a mission through Vietnam in the height of the war. His mission ends up taking him deep into Cambodia to assassinate Colonel Kurtz who has turned barbaric and slowly more and more ugly as war persisted. 

The movie incorporates many themes from madness as a result of war to the emptiness of human values. Throughout, we notice how the characters slowly become more and more crazy as a result to the intense surroundings that they live upon. We notice this mainly in Kurtz, who as the ugliness of war continuously surrounds him, he takes upon that role and becomes more ugly. As the  movie comes to an end we hear Kurtz say "the horror, the horror" which really depicts how he truly feels about the madness which he has seen, and how its shaped the people affected.

We also see how war results in the impression of the de-value of specifically American values. As we notice in this movie, the Vietnamese are fighting for their home and land, while American troops are more engaged by the playboy girls and the idea of going surfing. These so called values prove the absurdity of what the soldiers were living for. 

The movie also incorporated an amazing soundtrack, with incredible effects and sound. In the beginning the audience is captivated with an intense shock of fire along the tree line, out of no where. This leads to the introduction of war, and the corruption of Willard's mind as we see him drunk and drugged up. 

Specifically the movie did an incredible job with the use of lighting. The audience is initialized with a majority of dark lighting which surely assists with the mood and feeling expected in the film. The darkness also represents the emphasis on the absence of civilization. We also notice that the film becomes darker and darker as the boat slowly gets deeper up stream. This represents the mind filling up with darkness, and the lack of feelings. The lighting also represents the sense of confusion for the people as it strains from darkness to lightness not only physically but also in the emotions of all the people in the situation. 

Although I personally did not enjoy this film as much as most people, I definitely appreciate the art that went into it and made it so popular. I specifically found it confusing to follow and understand, but enjoyed the extremity of it.