Apocalypse Now
1979  Apocalypse Now 1979
Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola (as Francis Coppola)
Writing credits
Joseph Conrad (novel "Heart of Darkness") uncredited
Screenplay
John Milius
Francis Ford Coppola
Narration
Michael Herr
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script by John Milius (rewritten by Coppola). It was inspired by Joseph Conrad's classic novella Heart of Darkness. Apocalypse Now is set during the Vietnam War, a American soldier is sent to "terminate with extreme prejudice" the command of a rogue United States Army Special Forces colonel. His journey and its culmination are studded with events are based on real Vietnam stories. The soldier's journey becomes increasingly nonlinear and hallucinatory. Coppola's agenda clearly involves larger themes; the film concerns a journey into the darkness of the human psyche.
The film features performances by Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Marlow in Conrad's novel), Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, Dennis Hopper as a fast-talking hallucinogen-using photojournalist, and Robert Duvall in an Oscar-nominated turn as the borderline-psychotic Lt. Colonel Kilgore. Several other actors who were or later became prominent stars had minor or supporting roles in the movie including Harrison Ford, R. Lee Ermey and Laurence Fishburne
The movie poster art for Apocalypse Now is one of the more famous paintings by Bob Peak, who is considered an influential artist in the world of film when it comes to movie posters.
Apocalypse Now - Background
Filmed in the Philippines, the film went far over budget and schedule: a typhoon destroyed many of the sets, the Philippine Air Force helicopters used for shooting were constantly called back by President Ferdinand Marcos to be used in actual combat, the lead role was recast (Martin Sheen replaced Harvey Keitel after shooting had begun), Sheen then had a near-fatal heart attack, Brando was intractable and out of shape, and Coppola himself was mentally fragile. Being similar in appearance and remarkably similar in voice, Martin Sheen's brother Joe Estevez stood in for the unwell Sheen in much of the film and some of the narration is by him.
After the first edit, the film was six hours long and had to be edited; the original released version was just over two and a half hours long. (Coppola re-released the film in 2001 under the title Apocalypse Now Redux, restoring footage and sequences and lifting the running time to 200 minutes.)
Apocalypse Now - Synopsis
U.S. Army Captain Benjamin L. Willard is stationed in Saigon; a seasoned veteran, he is deeply troubled and apparently no longer fit for civilian life. A group of intelligence officers approach him with a special mission up-river into the remote Cambodian jungle to find Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, a former member of the United States Army Special Forces.
They state that Kurtz, once considered a model officer and future general, has apparently gone insane and is commanding a legion of his own Montagnard troops deep in neutral Cambodia. Their claims are supported by very disturbing radio broadcasts and/or recordings made by Kurtz himself. Willard is asked to undertake a mission to find Kurtz and dispose of him "with extreme prejudice."
Willard studies the intelligence files during the boat ride to the river entrance and learns that Kurtz, isolated in his compound, has assumed the role of a warlord and is worshipped by the natives and his own loyal men. Another officer, sent earlier to kill Kurtz, has apparently become one of his lieutenants.
Willard will begin his trip up the Nung river on a PBR (Patrol Boat, River), with an eclectic crew composed of by-the-book and formal Chief Phillips, a black Navy boat commander; GM3 Lance B. Johnson, a tanned all-American California surfer; GM3 Tyrone, AKA "Clean", a black 17-year-old from The Bronx; and the Cajun Engineman, Jay "Chef" Hicks.
The PBR arrives at a Landing Zone where Willard and the crew meet up with Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore, the merciless commander of the AirCav in the region, following a massive and hectic mopping-up operation of a conquered enemy town. Kilgore, a keen surfer, befriends Johnson. Later, he learns from one of his men that the beach down the coast which marks the opening to the river is perfect for surfing, a factor which persuades him to capture it. The problem is, his troops say, it's "Charlie's point" and heavily fortified. Dismissing this complaint with the explanation that "Charlie don't surf!", Kilgore orders his men to saddle up in the morning so that the AirCav can capture the town and the beach. Riding high above the coast in a fleet of Hueys accompanied by H-6s, Kilgore launches an attack on the beach. The scene, famous for its use of Richard Wagner's epic "Ride of the Valkyries", ends with the soldiers surfing the barely claimed beach amidst skirmishes with infantry and VC. After helicopters swoop over the village and demolish all visible signs of resistance, a giant napalm strike in the nearby jungle dramatically marks the climax of the battle. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning; smells like...victory," Kilgore exults to Willard. The quote made it to #12 onto the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes, a list of top movie quotes.
The lighting and mood darken as the boat navigates upstream and Willard's silent obsession with Kurtz deepens. Episodes on the journey include a run-in with a tiger while Willard and Chef search for mango fruits, an impromptu inspection of a Vietnamese sampan that leads to massacre, a surreal stop at the last American outpost during a Vietnamese attack against a wood bridge under construction there, and the shocking deaths of both "Clean" and Chief Phillips during a gunfire ambush with hidden Viet Cong soldiers and a spear thrown by a native on the shore, respectively.
Once arrived at Kurtz's compound, Willard leaves Chef behind with orders to call in an air strike on the village if he does not return. They are met by a borderline-psychotic freelance photographer (Hopper) who explains Kurtz's greatness and philosophic skills to provoke his people into following him. Brought before Kurtz and held in captivity in a darkened temple, Willard’s constitution appears to weaken as Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war, humanity, and civilization. While bound outside in the pouring rain, Willard is approached by Kurtz, who places the severed head of Chef in his lap. Coppola makes little explicit, but we come to believe that Willard and Kurtz develop an understanding nonetheless; Kurtz wishes to die at Willard's hands, and Willard, having subsequently granted Kurtz his wish, is offered the chance to succeed him in his warlord-demigod role. Juxtaposed with a ceremonial slaughtering of a water buffalo, Willard enters Kurtz's chamber during one of his message recordings, and kills him with a machete (This entire sequence is set to The End by The Doors). Lying bloody and dying on the ground, Kurtz whispers "The horror...the horror." (This line is taken directly from Conrad's novella.) Willard walks through the now-silent crowd of natives until he comes upon Lance, who seems to have integrated himself into the society. The two of them make their way to the PBR and float away.
Apocalypse Now - Redux
In 2001 Coppola released Apocalypse Now: Redux, which restored 49 minutes of scenes that were cut from the original film, including stopovers at a French rubber plantation wherein Mr. Clean is buried and a rain-soaked American base camp. Nudity absent from the original was also included in the Redux, most notably at the French plantation and in an additional scene with the Playboy bunnies (from the USO show.)
In this version, Willard steals Kilgore's surfboard, which can still be seen briefly onboard the PBR in the original cut.
Apocalypse Now - Alternate Endings
Coppola denied having any actual alternative endings. In the DVD commentary, he states that they simply had a massive amount of footage to edit with and thus had some choices to make. They did consider using the explosion footage made during their destruction of the Kurtz compound, but he later decided that implying that the air strike had been called in was contrary to his wish to offer some slight hope that we could overcome the horrors of war.
However, there are multiple slightly varying versions of the ending credits.
One version, from the 70mm release, ends with no credits, and shows the boat pulling away. Another version, for the 35mm wide release, rolls the credits while the Kurtz compound is destroyed in what must be implied as an air strike. Yet another version ends silently, without the explosions, and the credits roll over a black background.
Apocalypse Now - Literary Differences
Although inspired by Heart of Darkness, the film deviates from it extensively. The novel takes place in the Congo in the 19th century; Kurtz and Marlow (the Sheen character's name in the novel) are commercial agents of a Belgian ivory company that seeks fortune by brutally exploiting African native workers; Kilgore, a major character in the movie, is not present; and Captain Willard is sent to kill Kurtz rather than bring him back, and dies of a heart attack.
Nevertheless, Coppola has maintained many episodes (the spear and arrow attack on the boat, for example) that have respected the spirit of the novel and in particular its critique of the concept of civilization and progress. The fact that Coppola substituted European colonization with American interventionism does not change the universal message of the book.
Apocalypse Now - Cultural Influences
As one of the most iconic films of the 20th century, the film has been referenced and parodied countless times.
Apocalypse Now - Film
The film was parodied in a short film called Porklips Now, about health inspector Will Dullard, who makes a trip to inspect the meat processing shop of a man named Mertz.
British film Nil by Mouth, by Gary Oldman, has a scene where the character Danny (played by Steve Sweeney) dubs the scene that the photojournalist talks to Cap. Willard (when he is in the wood cage), as the film is played on a TV.
In True Romance, Clarence Worley calls Apocalypse Now "the greatest Vietnam film ever made".
Apocalypse Pooh is a nine-minute short which marries visuals from Winnie the Pooh cartoons with audio from Apocalypse Now. Amazingly, they fit perfectly, following the basic plot well.
Hot Shots! Part Deux starring Sheen's son Charlie Sheen parodies the film. Willard's character and Charlie Sheen's character Topper are depicted staring at each other while passing in opposite directions on PBRs on a river. As they meet each shouts in unison, "I loved you in Wall Street!".
Another movie starring Charlie Sheen, The Chase, has a gag scene after the end credits, in which Sheen quotes Kilgore's famous napalm line.
In Jarhead, shortly before "Swoff" and the guys are sent into action, they are watching Apocalypse Now in a theater inside the base, singing along and interacting with the infamous helicopter attack scene, much in the way one would at a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening.
Apocalypse Now - Television
In an episode of Seinfeld, Elaine Benes visits her employer, J. Peterman, in a scene that parodies Willard's eventual meeting with Kurtz.
The same scene is also parodied in an episode of Sealab 2021, with Captain Murphy as Kurtz and Marco as Willard.
Parodied in the episode "Kamp Krusty" of The Simpsons with Bart assuming the role of Kurtz. Marge Simpson also tells her husband, Homer, in another episode, "your character provides the comic relief, like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now". The 'Ride of the Valkyries' helicopter sequence was humorously homaged in a "Treehouse of Horror" short.
In an episode of The Critic, one of the films Jay Sherman reviews is a musical remake titled "Apocalypse Wow."
The episode "Eekpocalypse Now!" of the cartoon series Eek! the Cat cast Eek as Willard, Elmo the Elk as Colonel Kilgore and Sharky the Sharkdog as Colonel Kurtz.
In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Restless," contains Xander's dream version of Apocalypse Now, including Principal Snyder as Kurtz.
Claymation cartoonist Corky Quakenbush produced "A Pack of Gifts Now", which is part of his Rudolph Trilogy (the other two being "Raging Rudolph" and "The Reinfather.") The short is set in Saskatchewan, with Rudolph in the Willard role and Santa Claus in the Kurtz role. Rudolph's mission is to "terminate the Kringle (Santa) with extreme prejudice." This short would air on the Christmas edition of MadTV in 1999.
In the TV series Scrubs, the episode "My Heavy Meddle" ends with the janitors comment: " The horror!", quoting Kurtz.
In an episode of Animaniacs, Warner Brothers sends Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner on a mission to stop a crazed movie director (a parody of Jerry Lewis) from filming a movie the studio had cancelled. The trio find the director, who has created a kingdom for himself in which stunt doubles worship him. They stop the film and smash him with a 50 ton weight. His last words are "The hurting... the hurting..." Throughout the episode, a singer who looks very much like Jim Morrison drones "This is the ending, the ending of our story, the ending."
"Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man," an X-Files episode features a flashback scene where "the Cigarette Smoking Man" is tasked with the assasination of John F. Kennedy. The scene has many things similar or identical to the Scene where Willard is tasked with the assasination of Kurtz, most prominently both have a question that goes something like "have you ever met myself this man or the general before?" to which Willard and the CSM both reply "Not personally".
The cartoon Yvon of the Yukon has an episode that parodies the opening scene, as well as a helicopter pilot stating "I love the smell of lip balm in the morning"
Apocalypse Now - Music
Iron Maiden's "The Edge of Darkness" on their album The X Factor (1995) is very closely based on the film. Most lyrics are very close to being a direct quote from the movie.
The Canadian band Death From Above 1979 take their name from the 'Death From Above' motto on Kilgore's helicopter.
The band Dismember uses the quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" to start of their song "Let the Napalm Rain."
The band Ministry uses a sample of Dennis Hopper saying "Alright, it's alright" on their song "N.W.O."
The band The Clash's song "Charlie Don't Surf" from their album Sandinista! derives its title and concept from the movie.
Apocalypse Now - Video Games
In the videogame World of Warcraft, a series of quests in the Stranglethorn Vale zone take you to the camp of a crazed Colonel Kurzen who has brainwashed his men, in an attempt to kill the Colonel.
In a homage to the infamous village attack scene, the computer game "Battlefield Vietnam" offers up "Ride of the Valkyries" as a song to be played while inside helicopters and other vehicles.
The Half-Life singleplayer mod 'Heart of Evil' is partly inspired by the film (the Vietnam War setting, a U.S. Army captain sent to assassinate a rogue colonel, the helicopter ride with "Ride of the Valkyries" in the background, the boat ride to the colonel's compound).
Apocalypse Now - Literature
The Star Wars novel Shatterpoint, written by Matthew Stover, is based on Apocalypse Now.
Apocalypse Now - Primary cast
- Marlon Brando - Col. Walter E. Kurtz
- Martin Sheen - Capt. Benjamin L. Willard
- Dennis Hopper - "American photojournalist"
- Robert Duvall - Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore
- Frederic Forrest - "Chef", sailor
- Albert Hall - Chief Phillips, Navy boat commander
- Sam Bottoms - Lance B. Johnson, sailor and famous surfer
- Laurence Fishburne - Tyrone, AKA "Clean", sailor
- G. D. Spradlin - Gen. Corman, G-2
- Harrison Ford - Col. Lucas, aide to Corman
- Scott Glenn-Lt. Richard M. Colby,previously assigned Willard's current mission
- Tom Mason - supply sgt.
- Colleen Camp - Playmate, "Miss May"
Award wins
- Cannes Film Festival : Palme d'Or
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro)
- Academy Award for Sound (Richard Beggs, Mark Berger, Nathan Boxer and Walter Murch)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion Picture (Carmine Coppola & Francis Ford Coppola)
In 2000 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
It is widely believed that Apocalypse did not win the Best Picture Oscar in 1979 due to the fact that another Vietname epic, "The Deer Hunter," had just won the previous year. It is often regarded as a far superior film to the 1979 winner of the award, Jaffe's "Kramer vs. Kramer".
Award nominations
- Academy Award for Best Picture
- Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - (Robert Duvall)
- Academy Award for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration (Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson and Dean Tavoularis)
- Academy Award for Directing (Francis Ford Coppola)
- Academy Award for Film Editing (Lisa Fruchtman, Gerald B. Greenberg, Richard Marks and Walter Murch)
- Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Francis Ford Coppola & John Milius)
- WGA Award for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen (John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola)
- Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture (Carmine Coppola & Francis Ford Coppola)
Apocalypse Now - Quotes
"I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor, and surviving." - Col. Walter E. Kurtz (on tape)
"We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write 'fuck' on their airplanes because ... it's obscene!" - Col. Walter E. Kurtz
"They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn't even in their fuckin' army anymore." - Captain Willard
"You smell that? Do you smell that? ... Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like ... victory. Someday this war's gonna end." - Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore
"Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500" - Willard, when beginning his assigned mission
"What are they going to say? That he was a kind man? That he was a wise man? That he had plans?" - The photojournalist to Willard, on how Kurtz will be remembered
"Never get out of the boat!" - Chef
Captain Benjamin L. Willard
"Saigon … shit; I'm still only in Saigon … Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle. 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 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."
"The crew were mostly just kids. Rock 'n' rollers with one foot in their graves."
"They'd traded in their horses for choppers, and went tear-assing around 'Nam looking for the shit …"
"Part of me was afraid of what I would find and what I would do when I got there. I knew the risks, or imagined I knew. But the thing I felt the most, much stronger than fear, was the desire to confront him."
He was one of those guys that had that weird light around him. You just knew he wasn't going to get so much as a scratch here.
"I was going to the worst place in the world, and I didn't even know it yet. Weeks away and hundreds of miles up a river that snaked through the war like a main circuit cable – plugged straight into Kurtz. It was no accident that I got to be the caretaker of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz's memory – any more than being back in Saigon was an accident. There is no way to tell his story without telling my own. And if his story really is a confession, then so is mine."
"How many people had I already killed? There was those six that I know about for sure. Close enough to blow their last breath in my face. But this time it was an American and an officer. That wasn't supposed to make any difference to me, but it did. Shit … charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500. I took the mission. What the hell else was I gonna do? But, I really didn't know what I'd do when I found him."
"If that's how Kilgore fought the war, I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz. It wasn't just insanity and murder, there was enough of that to go around for everyone."
"Oh man, the bullshit piled up so fast in Vietnam you needed wings to stay above it."
"No wonder Kurtz put a weed up Command's ass. The war was being run by a bunch of four star clowns who were gonna end up giving the whole circus away."
"It's a way we had over here with living with ourselves. We cut 'em in half with a machine gun and give 'em a Band-Aid. It was a lie. And the more I saw them, the more I hated lies."
"The machinist, the one they called Chef, was from New Orleans. He was wrapped too tight for Vietnam, probably wrapped too tight for New Orleans. Lance on the forward 50's was a famous surfer from the beaches south of L.A. You look at him and you wouldn't believe he ever fired a weapon in his whole life. Clean, Mr. Clean, was from some South Bronx shithole. The light and space of Vietnam really put the zap on his head. Then there was Phillips, the Chief. It might have been my mission, but it sure as shit was the Chief's boat."
"Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service. It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I'd never want another."
"Someday this war's gonna end. That'd be just fine with the boys on the boat. They weren't looking for anything more than a way home. Trouble is, I'd been back there, and I knew that it just didn't exist anymore."
"Charlie didn't get much USO. He was dug in too deep, or movin' too fast. His idea of R&R was cold rice and a little rat meat. He had only two ways home: death or victory."
"Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were goin' all the way. Kurtz got off the boat. He split from the whole fuckin' program."
"They were gonna make me a major for this, and I wasn't even in their fuckin' army anymore."
"On the river, I thought that the minute I looked at him, I'd know what to do, but it didn't happen. I was in there with him for days, not under guard, I was free, but he knew I wasn't going anywhere. He knew more about what I was going to do than I did. If the Generals back in Nha Trang could see what I saw, would they still want me to kill him? More than ever, probably. And what would his people back home want if they ever learned just how far from them he'd really gone? He broke from them, and then he broke from himself. I'd never seen a man so broken up and ripped apart."
"Everybody wanted me to do it, him most of all. I felt like he was up there, waiting for me to take the pain away. He just wanted to go out like a soldier, standing up, not like some poor, wasted, rag-assed renegade. Even the jungle wanted him dead, and that's who he really took his orders from anyway."
(Willard reads a letter Kurtz has sent to his son)
"Dear son,
I'm afraid that both you and your mother would have been worried for not hearing from me these past weeks. But my situation here has become a difficult one. I've been officially accused of murder by the Army. The alleged victims were four Vietnamese double agents. We spent months uncovering and accumulating evidence. When absolute proof was completed, we acted, we acted like soldiers. The charges are unjustified. They are in fact, under the circumstances of this conflict, quite completely insane. In a war there are many moments for compassion and tender action. There are many moments for ruthless action, for what is often called ruthless, what may in many circumstances be only clarity; seeing clearly what there is to be done and doing it directly, quickly, aware … looking at it. I would trust you to tell your mother what you choose about this letter. As for the charges, I'm unconcerned. I'm beyond their timid, lying morality. And so I'm beyond caring.
You have all my faith.
Your loving father."
"He was close. He was real close. I couldn't see him yet but I could feel him, as if the boat was being sucked up river and the water was flowing back to the jungle. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be the way they called it back in Nha Trang."
"Could we talk to Colonel Kurtz?"
"Everything I saw told me that Kurtz had gone insane. The place was full of bodies - North Vietnamese, Vietcong, Cambodians. If I was still alive, it was because he wanted me that way."
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
"If I say it's safe to surf this beach, Captain, then it's safe to surf this beach!"
"You either surf or you fight."
"What the hell do you know about surfing, Major? You're from god damned New Jersey."
"Charlie don't surf!"
"We use Wagner. My boys love it. It scares the hell outta' the slopes."
"Don't these people ever give up?"
"Fucking savages!"
"Outstanding, Red Team, outstanding! Getcha a case of beer for that one."
"Lance Johnson the surfer?"
"You can take that boat anywhere that suits you, young captain."
"I will not hurt or harm you. Just give me back the board, Lance. It was a good board – and I like it. You know how hard it is to find a board you like."
"You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like … victory. Someday this war's gonna end …"
"Unass that shit, get it out of here."
"Any man brave enough to fight with his guts strapped on him can drink from my canteen anyday."
Jay "Chef" Hicks
"Fuck it. I'm gonna get me some mangoes."
"Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck them."
"Fucking tiger!"
"You can kiss my ass 'cause I'm bugging out! I didn't drop out of the goddamn eigth grade for this shit, man! I only wanted to learn to cook, I only wanted to fuckin' cook, man!"
"That's fuckin' typical! Shit! Fuckin' Vietnam mission! I'm short and we gotta go up there so you can kill one of our own guys? That's fuckin' great! That's just fuckin' great, man. Shit. That's fuckin'... crazy! I thought you were going in there to blow up a bridge, or, some fucking railroad tracks or somethin'."
"I'm asleep. I'm asleep and dreaming I'm on this shitty boat."
"Never get out of the boat!"
"He's worse than crazy, he's evil!"
"I used to think if I died in an evil place, then my soul wouldn't make it to heaven. Well, fuck. I don't care where it goes as long it ain't here."
Chief Phillips
"My orders say I'm not supposed to know where I'm taking this boat, so I don't. But one look at you, and I know it's gonna be hot."
"You know, I've pulled a few special Ops in here. About six months ago, I took a man who was going past the bridge at Do Lung. He was regular army, too. I heard he shot himself in the head."
"Which way, Captain? (Willard replies, "you know the way, Chief") You're on your own, Captain. Still wanna go on? Like this bridge: we build it every night. Charlie blows it right back up again. Just so the generals can say the road's open. Think about it. Who cares?"
"You got us in this mess, and now you can't get us out, because you don't know where the hell you're going, do you? (Willard doesn't answer) Do you? You son of a bitch! You bastard!"
Lance B. Johnson
"Any poisonous snakes around here?"
"I'll go. I want to go."
[opening smoke grenades] "Purple haze!"
"Where's the dog?! We have to go back for the dog!"
Tyrone 'Clean' Miller
"This sho' enuf a bizarre sight in the middle of all this shit."
"Run, Charlie!"
"Charlie don't ever see 'em hear 'em, man. Concussion'll suck the air outta your damn lungs."
Photojournalist
"There's mines over there, there's mines over there, and watch out those goddamn monkeys bite, I'll tell ya."
"I'm an American! American civilian! Hi, Yanks!"
"One through nine, no maybes, no supposes, no fractions. You can't travel in space, you can't go out into space, you know, without, like, you know, uh, with fractions, okay? What are you going to land on – one-quarter, three-eighths? What are you going to do when you go from here to Venus or something? That's dialectic physics."
"Colonel Kurtz! These are all his children, man! As far as you can see."
"Dialectic logic is there's only love and hate, you either love somebody or you hate them."
"He likes you because you're still alive."
[talking to Willard about Kurtz] "Why? Why would a nice guy like you want to kill a genius? Feeling pretty good, huh? Why? Do you know that the man really likes you? He likes you. He really likes you. But he's got something in mind for you. Aren't you curious about that? I'm curious. I'm very curious. Are you curious? There's something happening out here, man. You know something, man? I know something you that you don't know. That's right, Jack. The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad. Oh, yeah. He's dying, I think. He hates all this. He hates it! But the man's a...He reads poetry out loud, all right. And a voice...he likes you because you're still alive. He's got plans for you. No, I'm not gonna help you. You're gonna help him, man. You're gonna help him. I mean, what are they gonna sat when he's gone? 'Cause he dies when it dies, when it dies, he dies! What are they gonna say about him? He was a kind man? He was a wise man? He had plans? He had wisdom? Bullshit, man! And am I gonna be the one that's gonna set them straight? Look at me! Look at me! Wrong! [points to Willard] You!"
"The heads. You're looking at the heads. I, uh – sometimes he goes too far, you know – he's the first one to admit it!"
"Hey, man, you don't talk to the Colonel. You listen to him. The man's enlarged my mind. He's a poet-warrior in the classic sense. I mean, sometimes he'll, uh, well, you'll say "Hello" to him, right? And he'll just walk right by you, and he won't even notice you. And suddenly he'll grab you, and he'll throw you in a corner, and he'll say "Do you know that 'if' is the middle word in life? 'If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you'..." – I mean, I'm no, I can't – I'm a little man, I'm a little man, he's, he's a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across floors of silent seas – I mean "
"Zap em' with your sirens, man! Zap em' with your sirens!"
Others
Roxanne: "There are two of you. One that kills and one that loves."
Roxanne (after asking if Willard will go back to America after the war and he replies no): "Then you are like us; your home is here."
Roxanne: "The war will still be here tomorrow."
Jerry (CIA civilian): "Terminate... with extreme prejudice."
Zack Johnson (radio announcer): "And now here's another blast from the past coming out to Big Cind, all alone in the men's room out there with the First Battalion Thirty-fifth Infantry, and dedicated by the fire team at An Khe to their groupie CO Fred the Head: The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction."
Hubert: "You are fighting for the biggest nothing in history."
Lt. Carlsen: "You're in the asshole of the world, Captain!"
General Corman: "Well, you see Willard... In this war, things get confused out there, power, ideals, the old morality, and practical military necessity. Out there with these natives it must be a temptation to be god. Because there's a conflict in every human heart between the rational and the irrational, between good and evil. The good does not always triumph. Sometimes the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature. Every man has got a breaking point. You and I have. Walter Kurtz has reached his. And very obviously, he has gone insane."
Lucy (Playmate): "Being playmate of the year... is the loneliest experience i can imagine. It's like... you try to express your feelings to someone and show them your heart and there's this glass wall between you, this invisible glass. They can see your mouth moving. But they can't hear what you're saying. You can never really make them hear what you're trying to say. That's why i tried so desperately... to show somebody that i had some talent. They make you do things you don't wanna do... like, this picture here. I started feeling repulsed with myself. Maybe i'm unfit to have a relationship with a beautiful, innocent boy. I wish... I wish i could find.. just one person... that could share my point of view."
Full Cast in credits order
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
Ron McQueen... Injured Soldier
Tom Mason... Supply Sergeant
Cynthia Wood... Playmate of the Year
Colleen Camp... Playmate, Miss May
Linda Carpenter... Playmate
Jack Thibeau... Soldier in Trench
Glenn Walken... Lieutenant Carlsen
George Cantero... Soldier with Suitcase
Damien Leake... Machine Gunner
Herb Rice... Roach
William Upton... Spotter
Larry Carney... MP Sergeant #2
Marc Coppola... AFRS Announcer
Daniel Kiewit... Major from New Jersey
Father Elias... Catholic Priest
Bill Graham... Agent
Hattie James... Mrs. Miller, Clean's Mother (voice)
Jerry Ross... Johnny from Malibu / Mike from San Diego
Dick White ... Helicopter Pilot
Christian Marquand... Hubert de Marais (Redux version only)
Aurore Clément... Roxanne Sarrault (Redux version only)
Michel Pitton... Philippe de Marais (Redux version only)
Franck Villard... Gaston de Marais (Redux version only)
David Olivier... Christian de Marais (Redux version only)
Chrystel Le Pelletier... Claudine (Redux version only)
Robert Julian... The Tutor (Redux version only)
Yvon LeSeaux... Sergeant Le Fevre (Redux version only)
Roman Coppola... Francis de Marais (Redux version only)
Gian-Carlo Coppola... Gilles de Marais (Redux version only)
Henri Sadardeil... French Soldier #1 (Redux version only) (as Henri Sadardiel)
Gilbert Renkens... French Soldier #2 (Redux version only)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically
Don Gordon Bell... Soldier (uncredited)
Francis Ford Coppola ... Director of TV Crew (uncredited)
R. Lee Ermey... Eagle Thrust Seven Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
Jim Gaines... Extra (uncredited)
Evan A. Lottman... Soldier (uncredited)
Nick Nicholson... Soldier (uncredited)
Linn Phillips III... Guitarist in Band (uncredited)
Pierre Segui... French Soldier (Redux version only) (uncredited)
Vittorio Storaro... TV Photographer (uncredited)
Henry Strzalkowski... Bit part (uncredited)
Produced by
John Ashley.... associate producer
Kim Aubry .... producer (version "Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)")
Francis Ford Coppola .... producer (as Francis Coppola)
Gray Frederickson.... co-producer
Shannon Lail.... co-producer (version "Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)")
Eddie Romero.... associate producer
Fred Roos .... co-producer
Mona Skager.... associate producer
Tom Sternberg.... co-producer
Original Music by
Carmine Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (as Francis Coppola)
Cinematography by
Vittorio Storaro
Film Editing by
Lisa Fruchtman
Gerald B. Greenberg
Walter Murch
Casting by
Terry Liebling
Vic Ramos
Production Design by
Dean Tavoularis
Art Direction by
Angelo P. Graham (as Angelo Graham)
Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson
Makeup Department
Fred C. Blau Jr..... makeup artist
Jack H. Young.... makeup artist (as Jack Young)
Production Management
Leon Chooluck.... production manager
Barrie M. Osborne.... production manager (as Barrie Osborne)
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Brandt.... additional assistant director
Larry J. Franco.... second assistant director
Jerry Ziesmer.... assistant director
Art Department
James B. Casey.... sculptor (as James Casey)
Roger Dietz.... set artist
Gary Fettis.... leadman
Willie E. Hunter.... assistant property master
John La Salandra.... construction coordinator (as John LaSalandra)
Douglas E. Madison.... property master (as Doug Madison)
James J. Murakami.... assistant art director (as James Murakami)
Thomas L. Roysden.... assistant property master (as Tom Roysden)
Robert Scaife.... construction foreman (as Bob Scaife)
Tom Shaw Jr..... assistant property master (as Tom Shaw)
Alex Tavoularis.... production illustrator
Matt Tomich.... assistant property master
Thomas Wright.... production illustrator (as Thomas A. Wright)
Sound Department
Richard Beggs.... sound re-recordist
David Bell.... sound intern: redux version 2001
Louis Benioff.... apprentice sound editor
Mark Berger.... sound re-recordist
George Berndt.... adr editor: redux version
Jim Borgardt.... dialogue editor (as James A. Borgardt)
Nathan Boxer.... production sound recordist
Richard P. Cirincione.... supervising sound editor (as Richard Cirincione)
Kyrsten Mate Comoglio.... sound effects editor: Redux version
Joanne D'Antonio.... dialog editor
Dave Davis.... assistant sound editor (as Dave Davies)
Ethan Derner.... assistant sound editor: redux version 2001
Barbara Ellis.... apprentice sound editor
Rob Fruchtman.... apprentice sound editor
Jephrey Hetz.... apprentice sound editor
Leslie Hodgson.... sound editor
Tim Holland.... assistant sound editor
Pete Horner.... sound editor: Redux version 2001
Pat Jackson.... sound editor
Jack C. Jacobsen.... production sound recordist (as Jack Jacobsen)
Michael Kirchberger.... supervising sound editor: redux version 2001
Cliff Latimer.... sound department assistant
Barbara McBane.... assistant sound editor
Jay Miracle.... sound editor
Jeremy Molod.... foley editor: redux version
Everett Moore.... apprentice sound editor (Redux version)
Walter Murch.... sound designer
Walter Murch.... sound montage
Walter Murch.... sound re-recording mixer
John Nutt.... dialogue editor
Maurice Schell.... sound editor
Thomas Scott.... sound re-recording mixer
Leslie Shatz.... dialogue editor
Brian Slack.... adr mixer
Erich Stratmann.... assistant sound editor: redux version 2001 (as Erich Stratman)
Dale Strumpell.... sound re-recording mixer
Randy Thom.... post-production sound recordist
Denise Thorpe.... apprentice sound editor (as Denise Thorp)
Jeff Watts.... apprentice sound editor
Nina Wax.... assistant sound editor
Les Wiggins.... sound editor
Karen G. Wilson.... assistant sound editor (as Karen Wilson)
Steve Bartlett.... sound (uncredited)
Philip Rogers.... sound remastering of orig 6 track magnetic sound elements (restored version) (uncredited)
Special Effects by
Eddie Ayay.... special effects
Mario Carmona.... special effects
Lawrence J. Cavanaugh.... special effects (as Larry Cavanaugh)
Gerald Endler.... special effects (as Jerry Endler)
A.D. Flowers.... special effects coordinator
John Fraser.... special effects
Richard O. Helmer.... special effects (as Richard Helmer)
Rudy Liszczak.... special effects
Joe Lombardi.... special effects coordinator (as Joseph Lombardi)
Ted Martin .... special effects
David St. Ana.... special effects
Stunts
Steve Boyum.... stunts
Joe Finnegan.... stunts
Terry Leonard.... stunt coordinator (as Terry J. Leonard)
Kerry Rossall.... stunts (as Kerry Rossal)
Chuck Waters.... stunts
Steven Burnett.... stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard.... stunts (uncredited)
Camera and Electrical Department
Giuseppe Alberti.... assistant camera
Luigi Bernardini.... assistant camera (as Rino Bernardini)
Stephen H. Burum.... director of photography: second unit
David L. Butler.... aerial camera operator (as David Butler)
Rogilio De La Rama.... assistant camera
Caleb Deschanel.... director of photography: insert
Luciano Galli.... gaffer
Chas Gerretsen.... still photographer
Efren Lapid.... assistant camera
Alfredo Marchetti.... key grip
Mauro Marchetti.... assistant camera
Hiro Narita .... camera operator: insert
David B. Nowell.... assistant camera (as David Nowell)
Piero Servo.... camera operator: second unit
Enrico Umetelli.... camera operator
Josh Weiner.... still photographer
Casting Department
Sue Bastian.... casting assistant
Heig Beck.... casting assistant
Randy Carter.... casting: Philippines
Marc Coppola.... casting assistant
Éva Gárdos.... casting: Montagnard tribesmen (as Eva Gardos)
Ken Metcalfe.... casting assistant
Lou Whitehill.... casting: Philippines
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Luster Bayless.... costumer
Norman A. Burza.... costumer (as Norman Burza)
Dennis Fill.... costumer (as Dennis M. Fill)
Charles E. James.... costume supervisor
George L. Little.... costumer (as George Little)
Haleen K. Holt.... costume illustrator (uncredited)
Editorial Department
Susan Arnold.... apprentice film editor
George Berndt.... associate editor
Jay Boekelheide.... assistant film editor
Richard Candib.... assistant film editor
Doug Claybourne.... post-production coordinator
Arthur Coburn.... assistant film editor
Sean Cullen.... assistant editor: avid
Rudi Fehr.... foreign post-production coordinator
Ken Fischer.... assistant film editor (as Ken Fisher)
Dale E. Grahn.... color timer (Redux version)
Mo Henry.... negative cutter (Redux version)
Michael Jacobi.... first assistant film editor
Michael Kirchberger.... assistant film editor
Evan A. Lottman.... additional editor (as Evan Lottman)
Blackie Malkin.... additional editor
Barbara Marks.... post-production coordinator
Richard Marks.... supervising editor
Walter Slater Murch.... assistant film editor (Redux version)
Jerry Ross.... assistant film editor
Stephen Semel.... assistant film editor (as Steve Semel)
Tracey Smith.... assistant film editor
Daniel R. Suhart.... post-production assistant: Fred Roos (uncredited)
Music Department
Jordan Amarantha.... musician
Richard Beggs.... musician: synthesizer
Greg Errico.... musician
Patrick Gleeson.... musician: master synthesizer
Ed Goldfarb.... music arranger (Redux version)
Randy Hansen.... musician: guitar
Mickey Hart.... musician
Michael Hinton.... music production assistance
Zakir Hussain.... musician
Bernard Krause.... musician: synthesizer (as Bernard L. Krause)
Bill Kreutzmann.... musician (as Billy Kreutzmann)
Phil Lesh.... musician
Jim Loveless.... musician
Airto Moreira.... music production assistance
Don Preston.... musician: synthesizer
David Rubinson.... music producer
Nyle Steiner.... musician: synthesizer
Shirley Walker.... musician: synthesizer
Stan Witt.... music editor
Randy Hansen.... composer: additional music (uncredited)
Mickey Hart.... composer: additional music (uncredited)
Transportation Department
Dennis Hollis.... transportation coordinator
John Reade.... transportation coordinator (as John C. Reade)
Other crew
John Addington.... fixed wing pilot
Marisa Alcaraz.... production coordinator
Jean A. Autrey.... production controller
Lee Beaupre.... marketing director
John Calvert.... choreographer: playmate show
Robert Carroll.... production assistant
John Chapman.... production assistant
Doug Claybourne.... special assistant to producers
Patti Claybourne.... production assistant
Pete Cooper.... marine coordinator
Eleanor Coppola.... documentary supervisor
Francis Ford Coppola .... presenter
Russ Corin.... production assistant
Catherine Craig.... archivist (Redux version)
Loolee DeLeon.... production coordinator (as Loolee De Leon)
Brett Dicker.... foreign publicity coordinator
Tony Dingman.... production assistant
Richard Dioguardi.... military advisor
Shane Edwards.... marine coordinator
Jack English.... location coordinator
Deborah Fine.... production liaison and research: USA
Wayne Fitzgerald.... title designer
Jack Fritz.... executive assistant
Ernst Goldschmidt.... representative: foreign producer
Paul Gregory.... military advisor
Paul G. Hensler.... military advisor (as Paul Hensler)
Nancy Hopton.... script supervisor (as Nancy Tonery)
Kevin Hughes.... production assistant
Linda Ignacio.... department of tourism: Philippines
Dennis Jakob.... creative consultant
J. David Jones.... aerial coordinator (as David Jones)
Dennis Juban.... military liaison: Philippines
Peter Kama.... military advisor (as Lt. Colonel Peter Kama)
Lloyd Kind .... production assistant (as Lloyd Kino)
John La Salandra.... production executive (as John LaSalandra)
Gwen M. Lucas.... assistant production controller
Melissa Mathison.... executive assistant
Dennis Murphy.... marine coordinator
Anahid Nazarian.... archivist (Redux version)
Ernesto Novelli.... supervising color technician
Barbara Parker.... production assistant
Ray Quiroz.... script supervisor (as Raymond Quiroz)
Phil Radcliffe.... production assistant
Fred Rexer.... military advisor (as Fred Rexer Jr.)
Francesca Rivieri.... production secretary: USA (as Francesca Riviere)
Larry Rovetti.... supervising color technician
Doug Ryan.... military advisor
Frank Simeone.... additional crew
Gabe Sumner.... campaign coordinator
Matt Tomich.... production assistant
Norman Webster.... production accountant
Dick White .... aerial coordinator
Dick White .... military advisor
Irwin Yablans.... producer's representative: USA and Canadian
Susan Leslie Battles.... secretary to the producers (uncredited)
Joe Benoit .... opticals: Modern Film Effects (uncredited)
Dan DiPaola.... production assistant (uncredited)
R. Lee Ermey.... military advisor (uncredited)
Joe Estevez.... stand-in/voice-over: Willard (uncredited)
Nancy Jencks.... film chain operator (uncredited)
Oli Laperal Jr..... production assistant (uncredited)
Michael E. Uslan.... production attorney (uncredited)
Skip Watt.... opticals: Modern Film Effects (uncredited)
Wynne Wicker.... technical advisor: Vietnam (uncredited)
Thanks
Flora Purim.... special thanks
Jeff Scheftel.... special thanks
Filming locations for Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Philippines
- Baler Bay, Baler, Aurora, Luzon, Philippines (beach with soldiers surfing)
- Baler, Aurora, Luzon, Philippines (Helicopter attack on village)
- Chavon River, Dominican Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Iba, Zambales, Luzon, Philippines (medevac)
- Laguna, Luzon, Philippines
- Luzon, Philippines
- Metro Manila, Luzon, Philippines
- Napa Valley, California, USA
- Pagsanjan River, Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines (Magdapio River - Do Long Bridge)
- Pagsanjan, Laguna, Luzon, Philippines (Do Long Bridge - Kurtz' Compound)
Release dates for Apocalypse Now (1979)
France
| 10 May 1979 (Cannes Film Festival)
| USA
| 15 August 1979
| France
| 26 September 1979
| West Germany
| 4 October 1979
| Italy
| 12 October 1979
| Sweden
| 26 October 1979
| Netherlands
| 1 November 1979
| Spain
| 7 November 1979
| Australia
| 15 November 1979
| UK
| 1 December 1979
| Finland
| 14 December 1979
| Norway
| 19 December 1979
| Turkey
| February 1980
| Japan
| 23 February 1980
| Hong Kong
| 27 March 1980
| Argentina
| 3 April 1980
| Philippines
| 8 April 1980 (Davao)
| Hungary
| 24 April 1980
| Uruguay
| 19 September 1980
| Poland
| 1981
| Australia
| 27 October 1983 (re-release)
| USA
| 28 August 1987 (re-release)
| South Korea
| 4 June 1988
| UK
| 3 April 1992 (re-release)
| Australia
| 30 April 1992 (re-release)
| France
| 11 May 2001 (Cannes Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Switzerland
| 16 May 2001 (French speaking region) (Redux version)
| Switzerland
| 31 May 2001 (German speaking region) (Redux version)
| Belgium
| 20 June 2001 (Redux version)
| Italy
| 4 July 2001 (Taormina Film Festival) (Redux version)
| USA
| 3 August 2001 (New York City, New York) (Redux version)
3 August 2001 (Los Angeles, California) (Redux version)
| Canada
| 10 August 2001 (Redux version)
| South Korea
| 31 August 2001 (Redux version)
| Sweden
| 31 August 2001 (Redux version)
| Denmark
| 7 September 2001 (Redux version)
| Netherlands
| 12 September 2001 (Film by the Sea Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Finland
| 27 September 2001 (Helsinki International Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Israel
| 4 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Finland
| 5 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Germany
| 18 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Netherlands
| 18 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Colombia
| 19 October 2001 (Medellín de Película) (Redux version)
| Norway
| 19 October 2001 (Bergen International Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Greece
| 26 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Norway
| 26 October 2001 (Redux version)
| Japan
| 29 October 2001 (Tokyo International Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Australia
| 15 November 2001(Redux version)
| UK
| 19 November 2001 (London Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Italy
| 23 November 2001 (Redux version)
| UK
| 23 November 2001 (Redux version)
| Peru
| 17 January 2002 (Redux version)
| Argentina
| 12 March 2002 (Mar del Plata Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Argentina
| 28 March 2002 (Redux version)
| Uruguay
| 12 April 2002 (Redux version)
| Iceland
| 17 May 2002 (Redux version)
| Spain
| 20 September 2002 (Redux version)
| Czech Republic
| January 2003 (Febio Film Festival) (Redux version)
| South Africa
| 11 April 2003 (Redux version)
| Czech Republic
| 9 July 2003 (Karlovy Vary Film Festival) (Redux version)
| Poland
| 11 July 2003 (Redux version)
| Russia
| 17 July 2003 (Redux version)
| Hungary
| 14 August 2003 (Redux version)
| Greece
| 26 November 2005 (Thessaloniki International Film Festival)
| Turkey
| 8 August 2008 (Redux version)
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Also Known As (AKA)
Apocalypse Now Brazil / France / Uruguay
Apocalipsis now Argentina / Spain
Apocalipsis ahora Venezuela
Apocalipsis now redux Argentina (longer version)
Apocalypse Sweden
Apocalypse Now Re-Editada Uruguay (longer version)
Apocalypse Now Redux International (longer version) (English title)
Apokalipsa danas Serbia (alternative transliteration)
Apokalipsa sada Serbia
Apokalipszis most Hungary
Apokalypsa Czechoslovakia
Apokalypsi tora! Greece
C'est l'apocalypse Canada (French title)
Czas apokalipsy Poland
Czas apokalipsy - Powrót Poland (longer version)
Dommedag nu Denmark
Ilmestyskirja. Nyt. Finland
Jigoku no mokushiroku Japan
Kiyamet Turkey (Turkish title)
 Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
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