Partly based on novel 'Heart of Darkness'. Novel exposed british exploitation of africa, in the name of industrialisation and imperialism with Kurtz as head bad guy/King of england.
Si Coppola est admiré pour sa trilogie des Godfather, je dois avouer que Apocalypse Now atteint des sommets inatteignables dans le pic de mon espérance, notamment dans le registre des films de guerre. Me connaissant, il devenait évident, avant l'écoute, que j'allais probablement terminer le film en accéléré, incapable de me laisser attirer par les aspects peu ragoûtants de ces guerres qui ne me fascinent que sur le plan politique et moral. Cette fois-ci, Apocalypse Now a agi sous la forme d'une spirale infernale, d'un tourbillon m'attirant dans son abysse par une force indomptable, incontrôlable, par la déchéance morale d'un homme dans la complaisance de la guerre.
Bien que le film dure près de 3 heures, les scènes de guerre manquent à l'appel, et vont même jusqu'à devenir inexistantes à un certains moments, et c'est tant mieux. Comprenez bien, scènes de guerre en ce sens où l'on aperçoit les soldats s'entretuer pendant plus de 2 minutes. Au contraire, Coppola, un peu comme Kubrick, s'attarde sur l'inhumanité de l'homme en temps de guerre, sur sa mentalité qui évolue constamment pour se métamorphoser en une ligne directrice morale insensée, qui ne s'apparente désormais plus aux lois de la logique et de la lucidité. Toutefois, Coppola traite le sujet avec moins d'aplomb que Kubrick, et aborde plus subtilement le totalitarisme, question de nous faire dériver peu à peu vers une finale époustouflante.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
Ill never look into your eyes...again
Based on the book Heart of Darkness and the film Aguirre: The Wrath Of God, this incredible cast with an incredible director paint one of the best anti-war and generational films of all time. A surreal roller-coaster ride, Apocalypse Now will change you.
Un film sur la guerre du vietnam.
Je vous met au défi de decouvrir le personnage principal. les hélicoptere dans le ciel avec wagner. La musique The Doors. Robert Duvall. Marlon Brando.
Un incontournable!
Great footage, music and genius original dialogue. Shows how screwed Vietnam was with an incredibly original dialogue. The cinematography here is truly original.
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" - I LOVE IT!
Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" is not a Vietnam War film. Do not confuse it with one. It is set to the back drop of the war, but it is a metaphorical exposition on the deteriorating effects that war has on the human psyche. It is also one of the most audacious films ever made, produced, or even conceived.To call it a masterpiece would be an understatement of proportions as ambitious as the film's production levels.
Opening with no credits and following a memorable first scene playing to the tune of the Doors "The End" as Martin Sheen's Captain Benjamin L. Willard hallucinates to images of helicopters and napalm, the plot is essentially laid out in the first 15 minutes. Willard's mission is to "terminate... with extreme prejudice" Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) who has invariably gone AWOL in the far reaches of the Cambodian jungle and, as told by his general, is "out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct. And he is still in the field commanding troops." Kurtz is a delusional Colonel now being worshipped by a large group of followers who have dubbed him a god. For Willard, this covert operation seems somewhat more manageable than actual combat, yet, the journey he is about to take will be a personal quest that will challenge the limits of his human behavior.
Teaming up with a small crew, they embark down the vast reaches of the river in a rickety boat. Along the way, Willard educates himself on all things Kurtz. During Willard's raspy voice over, he details his thoughts on the abundance of material he reads. Kurtz was a highly decorated and respected Green Beret. He was a normal man with a family, until a part of him succumbed to the horrors of human brutality and he led himself down the path that Willard is being led. The descent into the jungle is marked by a mesmerizing aura that echoes the battles being fought not to far away. Eventually the power of the experience weights on the group as drugs and a sort of solitary confinement attacks their senses. But Willard seems unfazed and desensitized in his quest to find Kurtz. As he reads about this mythic figure, he is drawn to the man's power and why he has become what he has become. We know that Willard's slow decay will parallel that of Kurtz's.
Marlon Brando has been revered for decades. His presence: unmatchable. His genius: undeniable. But for those unacquainted with his acting prowess and unaccustomed to his physical nuance, Brando can be perceived, in the eyes of an uncompromising film-goer, as a hack. He is most certainly not. Brando was difficult to work with, hard to interpret and impossible to understand, but his talent for unintelligible rants and unparalleled monologues is irrefutable. The man obviously knew what he was doing even if we didn't. His Colonel Kurtz is a being of limitless delusions and continual profundity.
If the film is any indication of the journeys into hell than Francis Ford Coppola's actual experience with making this masterpiece is a true life account of one man's fanatical struggle to produce a movie. It is reported that during the film's 200 plus day principle photography schedule, Coppola contemplated suicide. The film was not only an undeniable struggle to make; it is a grueling film to watch. Coppola's sweat and blood seep through the pores of the steamy locals and his dedication filters through the orifices of Martin Sheen's haunted soldier Willard.
I can not help but feel a warm sense of nostalgia for this type of film. At the dawn of all that was original and unprecedented, films that challenged as well as stimulated were commonplace. Audacity aside, Apocalypse Now is pure film-making. My respect and admiration for Mr. Coppola is of the highest order. But I shudder at the return to what has become the norm for today's standards for film: a lack of innovation. It is not simply the unoriginality of the world of cinema today; it is the fact that nobody seems to care to tell a story anymore or to tell one with heart. But we still have the great ones like Coppola's masterpiece, a film which bathed in its ability to give us something deeper than that which we could comprehend.
That depth in Apocalypse Now is the step into madness. The killing can disturb. The loss of innocence can unhinge. But it is the damage from within; the countless barrages of images that distress, unnerve and detach us from our everyday world and the memories that plague our deepest thoughts that eventually segregates us from humanity and propels us into the realm of the instinctual, the savage and the animalistic. If the thought of killing does not provide sustenance, the act of killing provides man with its fundamental catharsis.
Directed by:Z Francis Ford Coppola.Starring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne.
I'll first say that this is a review of Apocalypse Now Redux, I have never watched the original cut and I don't think I ever will.
The Redux version has 50 more minutes of running time, it is said by Francis Ford Coppola himself that "Ultimately, my aim with Apocalypse Now Redux, was to achieve a richer, fuller and more textured film experience that, as with the original, lets audiences feel what Vietnam was like: the immediacy, the insanity, the exhilaration, the horror, the sensuousness and the moral dilemma of America's most surreal and nightmarish war"....and he achieved that outstandingly.
The film is a cinematic achievement and will always stay that way for many years, it is amazingly detailed and layered, with every scene having meaning to the whole story. Each character is given a thorough development and we can relate to there humanity. The direction is beyond brilliant with some amazing camera angles, attention to detail and its packs alot of power when needed. The screenplay touches on many themes, it is rich, layered and thoughtful and the dialogue, realistic and full of meaning. The cinematography is among some of the very best I have ever seen in my entire life (and that is alot of films), it is controlled like another character, each colour moving with the characters emotions and feelings, it is truly beautiful, mesmorizing and haunting. The acting ensemble is strong, with everyone giving a great performance and I will admit that this is the first film that I have seen with Marlon Brando in it (I struggle with the majority of films before the 70's) and although he is limited to no more then 10 or 15 minutes of screentime, he delivers the most memorable and haunting role of the entire film.
Overall the film is a near masterpiece, that will remain a cinematic achievement for many years to come. And also make sure you are ready to watch this film, it adds 50 minutes of film taking it to a total of around 3 hours 10 minutes, it is slowly paced, but it will leave you dazed for many days after.
Apocalypse Now is the one true Vietnam movie that works 100% in the qustioning of was/is it really worth it! Great perfomance by Martin Sheen takes you through several sections of the movie each showing in its own way the ruthlesness and hrash reality of war. Beautifully directed by Coppola and good supporting performances from Fishburne, Hopper, Forrester and a special mention to Robert Duvall who to me steals the show completly.
Chaotic and insane. Unfortunately I wasn't in the best mood to sit and watch, absorb and understand this film, but I did take something away from it: Marlon Brando is hypnotic. As soon as he came on screen and I heard him talk and I saw his eyes, he held my attention for the rest until the end of the film. Intense.
It was really good until he actually got to the colonel, then it REALLY dragged and got too trippy....however, i did watch the director's cut, so that may explain it. Shows how ******* the Vietnam war was.
Masterpiece of film. One of the only instances in which i can claim i enjoyed the film much more than the originating book. It really is altogether more of an experience than a movie. You don't watch it, you think it. It's the quintessential subject for a dynamic art piece.
"you must make a friend of horror, horror and moral terror." !!!!!!!!!!!!
A stunning introspective exploration of individuals in war. The soundtrack fits the mood, tone and era exactly. The casting is perfect. There are so many breathtaking acting performances it is hard to single out one, but I particularily liked Robert Duvall. Astounding, bewildering and surreal, all at the same time.
One of the best movies I've ever seen. Great acting, directing, and story. Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, and Marlon Brando were superb in this movie. A must see for a movie goer.
MCT:December 9, 2007
MCT:December 5, 2007
MCT:December 4, 2007
MCT:November 28, 2007
MCT:November 16, 2007
MCT:November 10, 2007
