Coppola’s Apocalypse Now portrays a grotesque view of the Vietnam War by using Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as an allegory. According to Merriam-Webster, an allegory is a symbolic representation. Willard of Apocalypse Now is trapped between his connection to the jungle and his desire to return home. Similarly, Joseph Conrad’s character from Heart of Darkness, Marlow, journeys through the jungle of savages and imperialistic take over, while finding analogous circumstances to Willard’s feelings. In Apocalypse Now, themes from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness are portrayed through Captain Willard’s struggle of finding a place in either the jungle or his home, compared to Marlow’s similar struggle shown through paralleling cross fade images; both protagonists are trapped in an imperialistic struggle to colonize a savage society shown by montages of helicopters and imperialistic images. In both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now the characters see the colonization of people living in the jungle in which Coppola uses to represent the American takeover of Vietnam.
In the opening scene of the movie, Willard is in a hotel room in Saigon. Willard narrates how the jungle has control over his mental state, just as many veterans still feel this connection to the combat area. Willard says, “Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.” Willard feels the effects of being displaced from the jungle and he cannot adapt to civilization. This is used to show how many American soldiers suffered similarly after the war. As Willard becomes dependent on the jungle, the signs of imperialism shine through. The camera is zoomed onto Willard’s face as he is lying on his back. The images of helicopters and burning forests are seen cast over his face. Coppola uses cross fade imagery to not only portray how imperialism is instilled upon Willard, but also to show the injustice and destruction caused by the Americans during the war.
Kurtz, a character in Apocalypse Now, believes that the idea of the Vietnam War is a lie. Kurtz says, “There is nothing I detest more than the stench of lies.” Kurtz truly believes that the Vietnam War, in context to colonization, is full of lies and empty promises. Along with believing the war is full of dishonesty, he also believes that the United States government tries to justify the war through the deceitfulness. Because of his disbelief, he develops his own kingdom where he is the ruler feeding the people ideas of the terror that is Western rule. Willard faces these same tormenting questions as he enters Cambodia and sees what Kurtz has established. After killing Kurtz, Willard stands on the steps over the people. The people bow down to him and it appears that he could become their new leader. He instead throws down the knife that he uses to kill Kurtz, symbolizing rejecting the power that is presented to him. The last scene of the movie shows a large stone head representing Kurtz. Willard’s head is cross faded over the stone head along with helicopters, representing the imperialistic struggle both men encountered. Willard’s face then disappears and only the stone head remains, but it soon fades to black. This shows Willard’s rejection of imperialism and that Kurtz is only a memory of the struggle that will always plague Willard’s life.
Coppola rejects the Vietnam War. He shows the idea of colonization by using Heart of Darkness as an allegory to Apocalypse Now. Coppola displays how the Americans colonized Vietnam through their use of force and terror. Coppola also illustrates the disorganization of the war though scenes such as the G.I show and the idea of surfing during the war. Through Willard’s character and his inability to never truly leave the jungle, Coppola shows the struggle of soldiers to leave the war behind. The character of Kurtz is used to show the idea of lies and misleading reasons for the war. Kurtz takes his idea to the extreme when he is worshiped in Cambodia by a group of people.
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Coppola’s Apocalypse Now Redux portrays a grotesque view of the Vietnam War by using Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as an allegory. According to Merriam-Webster, an allegory is a symbolic representation. Willard of Apocalypse Now Redux is trapped between his connection to the jungle and his desire to return home. Similarly, Joseph Conrad’s character from Heart of Darkness, Marlow, journeys through the jungle of savages and imperialistic take over, while finding analogous circumstances to Willard’s feelings. Both Willard and Marlow begin their journey in the heart of darkness, the deepest darkest place a person can go. The heart of darkness is a place Kurtz has once been trapped in. In Apocalypse Now Redux, themes from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness are portrayed through Captain Willard’s struggle of finding a place in either the jungle or his home, compared to Marlow’s similar struggle shown through paralleling cross fade images. Both protagonists are trapped in an imperialistic struggle to colonize a savage society shown by montages of helicopters and imperialistic images. The imperialism does not just represent the takeover of the country, but also the anarchy that ensued. In both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Redux the characters face the colonization of people living in the jungle in which Coppola uses to represent the American takeover of Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteIn the opening scene of the movie, Willard is in a hotel room in Saigon. Willard narrates how the jungle has control over his mental state, just as many veterans still feel this connection to the combat area. Willard says, “Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.” Willard feels the effects of being displaced from the jungle and he cannot adapt to civilization. This is used to show how many American soldiers suffered similarly after the war. As Willard becomes dependent on the jungle, the signs of imperialism shine through. The camera is zoomed onto Willard’s face as he is lying on his back. The images of helicopters and burning forests are seen cast over his face. Coppola uses cross fade imagery to not only portray how imperialism is instilled upon Willard, but also to show the injustice and destruction caused by the Americans during the war. The further Willard travels into the heart of darkness, the worse it becomes.
Kurtz, a character in Apocalypse Now Redux, believes that the idea of the Vietnam War is a lie. Kurtz says, “There is nothing I detest more than the stench of lies.” Kurtz truly believes the Vietnam War, in context to imperialism, is full of lies and empty promises. Kurtz is trapped in the heart of darkness and cannot escape. He has become so involved in his thoughts and ideas he has trapped himself in the darkest place a person can go. Along with believing the war is full of dishonesty, he also believes that the United States government tries to justify the war through the deceitfulness. Because of his disbelief, he develops his own kingdom where he is the ruler feeding the people ideas of the terror that is Western rule. Willard faces these same tormenting questions as he enters Cambodia and sees what Kurtz has established. After killing Kurtz, Willard stands on the steps over the people. The people bow down to him and it appears that he could become their new leader. He instead throws down the knife that he uses to kill Kurtz, symbolizing rejecting the power that is presented to him. The last scene of the movie shows a large stone head representing Kurtz. Willard’s head is cross faded over the stone head along with helicopters, representing the imperialistic struggle both men encountered. Willard’s face then disappears and only the stone head remains, but it soon fades to black. This shows Willard’s rejection of imperialism and that Kurtz is only a memory of the struggle that will always plague Willard’s life.
ReplyDeleteCoppola rejects the Vietnam War and shows the idea of colonization by using Heart of Darkness as an allegory to Apocalypse Now Redux. Coppola displays how the Americans colonized Vietnam through their use of force and terror. Coppola also illustrates the disorganization of the war though scenes such as the G.I show and the idea of surfing during the war. Through Willard’s character and his inability to never truly leave the jungle, Coppola shows the struggle of soldiers to leave the war behind. The character of Kurtz is used to show the idea of lies and misleading reasons for the war. Kurtz takes his idea to the extreme when he is worshiped in Cambodia by a group of people.