We Build the Bridge Every Night Charlie Blows It Right Back Up Again

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Kilgore's helicopter squadron attacks a Vietcong village. Digital image. Rotary Activeness. Rotary Action, 21 November. 2011. Web. 04 May 2014.

Apocalypse Now: Picture show Analysis

Link to essay in google docs.

Apocalypse Now is a film featuring Willard's journey through the Nung River and into the dense forest in search of a man, named Kurtz, who Willard is assigned to kill. Apocalypse Now seems to encourage anti-Vietnam War ideals. During the film, the Vietnamese were unfairly and excessively slaughtered with piffling reason and to this. Apocalypse Now details a war where Willard and the soldiers themselves wonder why the war is beingness fought. By using the technique of voiceovers accompanied by telling details of featured in scenes of battle in that location is a sense of Anti-War feelings existence brought out.

      The outset battle that is presented is already a slaughter, a scene that displayed a testify of superiority. The scene opens with Willard in a patrol boat with several men assigned to accompany him, then spotlights Willard peering into the distance with his binoculars to a squadron of hueys raining burn down onto a town. Willard's vox is heard, "they were supposed to be waiting for u.s. another 30 kilometers ahead… those boys just couldn't stay put. First of the 9th was an erstwhile cavalry division that had cashed in its forces for choppers, and gone tear-assing around 'Nam, looking for the shit". The voiceover hints that the air cavalry is attacking the boondocks without reason and demonstrates the unfairness of the effect that is happening. When Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore of the air calvary finds out that Lance, one of Willard's men, is a surfer Kilgore decides to help Willard by taking him through "Charlie Bespeak" which is described "hairy. Got some pretty heavy ordnance", Kilgore picked this spot because information technology features a surf-worthy beach even when information technology seems extremely dangerous. The scene transitions to formation of helicopters heading towards a village. Although at that place is an adrenaline pumping moment when the camera displays the helicopter fleet while the song "Ride of the Valkyries" is played, it can be attributed to glorifications of the unjust mass genocide by the Americans. The helicopters fire rockets which destroys most of the hamlet, the fight featured proves heavily in favor to the Americans, Make clean even exclaims from inside the chopper, "Run Charlie!" and Kilgore congratulated his pilot for a kill, "Outstanding, red team, outstanding. Become you a example of beer for that", both in a jesting mode to further imply that the war is more of a game. To stop off the battle a napalm strike is dropped into the wood behind the hamlet and Kilgore says his famous "I love the aroma of Napalm in the morning…smelled like victory," which implies a sadistic perspective of the Americans who enjoyed their piece of cake victories. Willard's voice returns to reveal his thoughts on how the battles are taking place, "If that's how Kilgore fought the war, I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz. I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz. Information technology wasn't just insanity and murder. In that location was enough of that to go around for everyone", Willard understands that there is some injustice taking place inside the battles. Willard likewise understands that Kurtz'southward death isn't because of his murderous actions, simply rather something that he knows. This scene starts to provide anti-War feelings by showing the brutality of the soldiers and introducing the idea of Kurtz as an anti-State of war symbol.

     Another instance where anti-War feelings is magnified is upon encountering a small vessel. Although tensions were loftier at that point their firsthand response was unnecessarily dramatic. The patrol boat pulls upwards next to the jugboat with their guns pointed at the Vietnamese crew, slander casually thrown towards the Vietnamese crew. When the Vietnamese daughter on the boat tried to stop Chef from searching a basket the crew wildly fires at the Vietnamese boat dwellers while screaming, "Let's kill 'em all!", this event could've been prevented, withal the go-to decision for the coiffure is to open fire on the unarmed Vietnamese. When Chef yells out "Await what he was hiding. See what she was running for. A fucking puppy", the camera closes in on the boat captain Chief's face full of remorse and so to Lance who is emotionally suffering for his deportment, this part tries to make a bespeak that even the coiffure is realizing the injustice of the state of war. Willard'southward voice reappears to innovate his own feelings of the war, "It was the way we had over here of living with ourselves. Nosotros'd cutting them in half with a machine gun and requite them a band aid. It was a lie," expressing that the Americans are just constantly killing and if it seemed unjust a bandaid is slapped on, or more realistically a simple sorry. This scene really shows a more personal run across betwixt the Americans and the Vietnamese and brings the legitimacy of the war into question when Americans are slaughtering the natives unjustly. Willard'southward response to this diminishes American reputation because his thoughts invites the idea that murder for Americans is not a serious idea for them.

   Stepping away from Willard's voiceovers, the battle at Practise Lung Span showcases another example of anti-War feelings by using telling details. The scene installs the thought that soldiers are sent to battle without legitimate reason. Upon arrival, chaos is seen as a bridge is blown upward and gunshots are heard, the Americans in this battle aren't having an easy time compared to the before group. The idea is still there though, fighting because you are told to. A soldier meets up with the crew and hands letters to them while proclaiming "Now I can get out of here, if I can find a way…you're in the asshole of the globe, helm!", equally if maxim he doesn't want to stay in the fight where it is unsafe and the worst place to exist. When Willard goes into the trenches he finds two soldiers, one of which is firing without aim while screaming "I told you lot to terminate fucking with me! You think y'all're bad…" the beliefs exhibited in the trenches is unorganized and unruly, the men are shouting and firing randomly. This lack of system contrasts profoundly with the organized fighting from earlier. When there was no commanding officer to be plant Willard leaves and tells Chief to continue downwards the river. Principal responds, "Like this bridge: we build it every dark. Charlie blows it correct back up again. Just so the generals tin say the road's open. Think about it. Who cares?" to convey his feelings of abandoning Willard. This piece of dialogue about the reason to stay in the fight makes viewers wonder if the Vietnam War is only a tool for the superiors to shape the War to satisfy their propaganda. Who cares? Signaling that no one on the war front cares. This come across at the span is dissimilar than the run into with the air cavalry. With no articulate victor, the American soldiers are unhappy, they brainstorm to wonder why the only reason to fight is because of orders.

     Finally, Kurtz is introduced as a physical character in the movie, he is the one who is most affected by the war, and Willard's meeting with him reveals Kurtz enlightenment regarding the motives or lack thereof of the state of war. When Willard starting time meets Kurtz, Kurtz tells Willard "Y'all're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill", to imply that Willard doesn't know the reason why he was sent to kill Kurtz, he is just being controlled and ship to impale without a reason. Willard's 2d run across with Kurtz features Kurtz reading a verse form past T.S. Eliot titled The Hollow Men, the poem hints at the idea that all the soldier in the war are "hollow men", "shape without form, shade without color, paralyzed force, gesture without motion;" or people who do cannot think for themselves and do not have their own voices. Willard's commentary returns and informs us as the viewers near Willard's alter in perspective of the orders he is given, "On the river, I thought that the infinitesimal I looked at him, I'd know what to do, but it didn't happen… I'd never seen a man then broken upward and ripped apart…" Afterwards meeting Kurtz, Willard questions the purpose of the orders given by his superiors, Marlow figures that the armed forces wanted Kurtz dead because of his opposing ideals. Kurtz understands that at that place is no real reason for fighting this war, all the soldiers participating are just following orders. Kurtz even went on to compliments the Vietnamese, "These were men…trained cadres…these men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with dear…you have to have men who are moral," the idea Kurtz introduces is while Americans are fighting considering they are told to, the Vietnamese were fighting to protect their families.

     The Vietnam War as depicted past the film shows the soldier didn't have much reason to participate in the fight. Scenes where Americans are either brutally slaughtering or wildly firing is commonplace and many times the reasons for such are lacking in reason such as a destination to surf or an endangered puppy. Kurtz'southward existence strengthens this point as well since the character is portrayed to come across things that many others have no seen. Kurtz understands all the realities of the war and believes that the war is fought with no reason and the slaughters are unjustified.

Works cited:

Apocalypse Now . Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Martin Sheen, Marlin Brando, and

     Robert Duvall. Zoetrope Studios, 1979. DVD.

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Source: https://stonybrook.digication.com/jesse_matsuda/Film_analysis

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