The Horror!

The first time I saw Apocalypse Now was in a high school AP Literature class. We had just finished reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and were comparing it to this film interpretation of the novel. However, I re-watched the movie last night, and "the horror" of Captain Willard's physical and psychological descent into the jungles of Vietnam felt raw. Instead of objectively focusing on literary elements of the plot, I was free to become emotionally involved in the film and appreciate cinematographic elements.

It was interesting (and terrifying) to witness the situations and characters slowly intensifying in absurdity and bizarreness as Willard approached Kurtz's domain. At first it appeared as if the writers and director were just employing some black humor, like when Lieutenant Kilgore was discussing surfing conditions with bombs exploding and people screaming in the obliterated Vietnamese village behind him. I was caught off guard by almost laughing in the midst of such horrendous violence. It seemed as though a lot of the intention of the filmmakers was to bring attention to the absurdity of war. Now that I really think about it, Apocalypse Now probably has more in common with Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five than Conrad's Heart of Darkness (at least in terms of parallel themes).

But it only got more horrifying, with a crescendo of violence with the simultaneous murder of Kurtz and the sacrificial cow. I walked out of the room after the movie feeling as if part of my soul had been sucked out. That seems a little dramatic, but the imagery in Apocalypse Now is that extreme. There was a unique approach to portraying violence in this film. Instead of characters being immobilized by disgust, violence is just an expected part of their work. Willard is able to carry on a calm, seemingly normal conversation with the half-naked body of a local man hanging in the background. It is almost impossible to convey in words just how disturbing this movie is...I don't think i have a big enough vocabulary. I don't want to discourage anyone from watching this movie because it is worthwhile in the addresses psychological issues such as war, morality, and the human capacity for violence. Just be very careful if you have a weak stomach!