Lauren Kolsum
Tomasulo points out two sides of an argument, saying that Apocalypse now is both an anti war and pro war film. He is, however, quite mistaken for the latter. One point he made that sticks out like a sore thumb was when he stated how the Americans continuous winnings in battle provide viewers with a victorious rush which is accentuated by the lack of concern for Vietnamese lives. The statement is wrong for a few reasons, one being that who won the fights depicted in the film was unknown most of the time. The battles were defined by complete chaos and confusion coming from both sides of attack. The US soldiers acheived no such victorious defeat that the American audience could feel good about.
A second reason is the Vietnamese village people caught in the crossfire were completely and utterly helpless. There were many shots where they did become individualized as human beings. During the most intense battle scene at Charlie's point there are Vietnamese women and children running in desperation away from explosions coming from every direction. The heartwrenching sounds of men screaming in pain are paired with those of hysterically crying babies. What about that could even hint at pro war? Tomasulo even went as far as to say that the scenes of distruction and death were "Awe-inspiring beauty," yea not so much. Another scene that moved me was when Vietnamese school children are jabbering and innocently playing outside in a courtyard when the bell sounds. A women does her best not to panick while she herds the children inside at an attempt to get them out of harm's way. It's a significant scene because after the battle At Charlie's point the audience realizes that in war no one has a better chance at life then anyone else, children included.
Apocalypse Now also showed the damage of the war in most of the main characters. Most of the individuals who we grew to know throughout the film were killed. When the first soldier was shot on the boat, his men cried for him while a recording of his mother payed in the background expecting him home soon. It depicted yet another brutality of the war, an anti war scene. Those who had obviously been around the fightng for quite some time went insane, their perception of the world ahd been turned upside down. Captain Willard was post traumatic, drinking himself to a bloody mess at the beginning. Colonel Kilgore was a little crazy, speaking of such breezy topics as surfing as those died in agony around him. Colonel Kurtz was... well he was far gone in every aspect, accepting horror as his friend. The Vietnamese war was destructive, unecessary, brutal, and chaotic, all of which was protrayed in the ant war film.