Apocalypse Now - Anthony Zerka
Apocalypse Now can be seen as an anti-war film. It was released five years after the war was over in 1975 as it imitates the war atmosphere in Vietnam. This film visually illustrates all my thoughts on how the Vietnam War was like. The director, Francis Ford Coppola, made sure that we witness innocent civilians being killed, children bodies being thrown away like garbage, and destroying whatever land they set camp in. Margot Norris identifies a scene in the movie and states, “When Willard dispatches the wounded woman with a shot--as though euthanizing an animal--the military machine's brutality loses all hypocritical ideological cover and becomes narrativizable and visualizable as pure murder, a shadow of the historical My Lai massacre.” This film sent out a message to many as it depicts that fact that we should have opposed this war from the start, as it only brought death to many soldiers and civilians. I do not agree with Tomasulo’s comment on how Apocalypse Now should help America put the war behind us. This film is just a constant reminder of the catastrophe and horridness war in Vietnam was like. I may speak for myself, but it was just sickening to watch people and soldiers being killed for a reason that was unclear. Throughout this film, the soldiers are seen having psychological episode. Complaining that they not want to be here, creating a cult in the middle of Cambodia, and being stuck in a room breaking mirrors. Even today you hear about soldiers still dramatized by the horror. I have read numerous articles on the long term effects of the war in Vietnam brought to the soldiers. My 11th garde English teacher told us stories of his brother being drafted into the war and coming home very frantic and unable to sleep because of constant nightmares. Even when they returned, the American people turned on them. Not feeling wanted in Vietnam and in America had to be hard. Throughout this film, an anti-war theme is noted to my belief and I would only assume that Coppola was leaning towards that direction.