Hollywood and Vietnam: Review of Apocalypse Now
Politics, Ideology and Marlon Brando in Ford Coppola's War Epic
Apr 27, 2009
The Vietnam War offered huge dramatic possibilities for film but it was surrounded by self imposed censorship. Eventually as Americans were no longer afraid to question military decisions, government motives and the purpose of the war, Vietnam entered the system of representation.
Hollywood Ideology in Apocalypse Now Starring Martin Sheen
Vietnam was a war in limbo, unaffected by dates or place names. Consequently, Hollywood films struggled to apply the usual generic conventions. Instead they focused on men in combat, avoided historical specificity, repressed politically sensitive issues and blamed GI’s for the ideology that led America into war. Due to this lack of historical accuracy, representations of the war in Vietnam say more about Hollywood ideology than Vietnam itself.
Apocalypse Now was rich in horror, madness, sensuousness and moral dilemmas. Willard’s mission is to travel up river to Cambodia and exterminate Colonel Walter Kurtz using extreme prejudice. He is a military wonder boy who has quite obviously gone insane.
Kurtz labels Willard an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill but he actually has six assassinations to his name. He has been conditioned to kill and feels more strongly about the government handling of the war than loss of lives. He insists upon truth above humanity: We’d cut em in half with machine guns and give them a band aid. It was a lie (Apocalypse Now). The innocent are punished to prevent those responsible from avoiding blame.
Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall Aptly Portray the Political Dilemma of Vietnam
Kurtz represents America’s inner collective consciousness concerning Vietnam. He excuses America’s involvement by implying that the Viet Cong are stronger because they are evil. Kurtz is a product of an imperfect system, now taking its values to their extreme conclusion. He is groomed to fill a political position but turns against the forces that created him.
At Charlie’s point Kilgore’s utters his infamous phrase: I love the smell of napalm in the morning (Apocalypse Now). His helicopter named aptly as death from above sweeps in, in stunning formation, accompanied by a musical score of The Ride of the Valkyries, which symbolises the momentous passage of dead heroes into Valhalla. This scene glorifies war and its soldiers become God like heroes. The Vietnamese remain faceless but the camera isolates the agony of one US soldier and this aestheticisation of violence contributes to feel of twisted patriotism.
America’s colonial values are reproduced through the fighting occurring amidst the California surf. The public were encouraged to believe that the war was not unbearable for the soldiers and so the film uses chauvinism to show how the reality of this situation was compromised. It concentrates on US suffering implying that they were fighting themselves. They either fight or surf. Eloquence versus ideology is a visible theme here. The war was powerful and meaningful but a bunch of clowns were running the show. The mission was worthy but the missionaries were not.
Director Francis Ford Coppola is Criticised for Content but Praised for Style
The costly, secretive, remote and highly publicised production of the film resembled Americas handing of the war. Both ended ambiguously and suffered accusations that they lacked purpose or vision It could be argued that Deer Hunter was racist, fascist and sentimental but unlike Apocalypse Now, it was not considered a failure. Coppola favoured style over content and so he sacrificed part of the essential political message.
The public did not know who the US fought, who won, who the allies were and why they fought there. Apocalypse Now is not just a visually explosive and slick war epic but a metaphor to describe this version of Vietnam.
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