Cameron White
First off I want to say that I really did not enjoy the film. The Film, “Apocalypse Now” can be considered a pro-war or ant-war film during the Vietnam War depending on how you perceived the film. I personally saw that film as an anti-war film as Tomasulo illustrated as one side of his argument. He explains that “Apocalypse Now” was produced “to put Vietnam behind them” (p.2). I do not completely agree with that statement it may have helped bring some closure to the war, but a war of that magnitude will never be forgotten.
One thing that really caught my eye that was the deciding factor in seeing the film as anti-war was how Francis Ford Coppola showed you how innocent civilians and children were killed due to the war. Playing devils advocate as we discussed in class the reason some civilians were killed was because the soldiers looked like all the other civilians. They did not have uniforms that distinctly separated them from the civilians. American soldiers thought anyone that would run from them was considered a soldier. Coppola was able to get his anti-war point across through his direction, but he did it in a mild manner.
Another thing that I found very interesting and noticeable about the film was how it was not a gory as other war films that I have seen in the past, “Saving Private Ryan” being an example that comes to mind. Some may perceive this film as anti-war or pro-war, but I truly believe that the film was produced to allow people to see everything that was happing in the front lines, hoping that people would believe war only leads to negative outcomes.