Many people say that the movie “Apocalypse Now” is the Vietnam War movie. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this movie uses many allegories to convey its message, and the movie itself may be considered an allegory for the war as a whole. An allegory is a way of representing an immaterial meaning through a material item of occasion.
I think that one of the more important themes of this movie was that the Vietnam War was not what it was supposed to be. The United States forces were supposed to go into Vietnam and stop the communist. We were not supposed to take over villages for the sole reason of surfing, and more importantly, we were not supposed to go on missions to kill a fellow American soldier.
Throughout the movie, different scenes represent the war as a whole. One of these scenes is the USO show featuring the Playboy Bunnies. It started as a nice, organized show for the benefit of the soldiers. It soon becomes a scene of uncontrollable chaos and the show is ended as the performers quickly leave the show in a state of distress, much as the Americans did to the South Vietnamese.
Another allegory is the character of Kurtz. He is an extremely decorated and efficient soldier and yet, because he went rouge and started to operate on his own agenda, he is ordered to be killed. Before he went sour, he did what the army asked of him, and then some, but because the United States did not like what he started to do, instead of capture him, or try to persuade him to stop his actions, they immediately tried to kill him. Much like the battle between democracy and communism, the United States did not want other countries to become communist countries, so they invaded and used violence to attempt to further their wants.
Overall, the mission was a success, unlike the actual war, but the means of completing the mission had similarities to the war. Little if anything went as planned, and the war result came at unexpected losses. The parts of this movie really summarize what has occurred during the war and how it all played out, for better or worse.
Many people say that the movie “Apocalypse Now” is the Vietnam War movie. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this movie uses many allegories to convey its message, and the movie itself may be considered an allegory for the war as a whole. An allegory is a way of representing an immaterial meaning through a material item of occasion.
ReplyDeleteThe story takes place almost entirely on a river, going deep into the jungle to confront Kurtz. The river is an allegory of the journey, or mission. Staying on the river, mean that they were staying on track and continuing to the destination. The boat is also an allegory of the United States Army. By staying on the boat, you are going to be safer than if you are off it, as seen with the tiger. If you can stay with the army, you will not be hunted down, like Kurtz is throughout the movie. Another interesting point is the similarities between Willard and Kurtz. They are both finding themselves during their trips into the “heart of darkness”. As the movie continues, we see Willard changing and deteriorating mentally. In the very end, we see the effects of this on Willard. It would have been simple to call in an airstrike and eliminate Kurtz and his followers. However, Willard wants to find out more and goes to talk to Kurtz, and eventually kill him up close and personal.
I think that one of the more important themes of this movie was that the Vietnam War was not what it was supposed to be. The United States forces were supposed to go into Vietnam and stop the communist. We were not supposed to take over villages for the sole reason of surfing, and more importantly, we were not supposed to go on missions to kill a fellow American soldier.
Throughout the movie, different scenes represent the war as a whole. One of these scenes is the USO show featuring the Playboy Bunnies. It started as a nice, organized show for the benefit of the soldiers. It soon becomes a scene of uncontrollable chaos and the show is ended as the performers quickly leave the show in a state of distress, much as the Americans did to the South Vietnamese.
Another allegory is the character of Kurtz. He is an extremely decorated and efficient soldier and yet, because he went rouge and started to operate on his own agenda, he is ordered to be killed. Before he went sour, he did what the army asked of him, and then some, but because the United States did not like what he started to do, instead of capture him, or try to persuade him to stop his actions, they immediately tried to kill him. Much like the battle between democracy and communism, the United States did not want other countries to become communist countries, so they invaded and used violence to attempt to further their wants.
Overall, the mission was a success, unlike the actual war, but the means of completing the mission had similarities to the war. Little if anything went as planned, and the war result came at unexpected losses. The parts of this movie really summarize what has occurred during the war and how it all played out, for better or worse.