Sunday, March 9, 2014
"The horror...the horror"
To me, Apocalypse Now is not your average war movie. It does not sugar-coat any aspect of war and reveals what soldiers actually go through. While watching this movie, I could feel the different emotions being portrayed and it felt as if I was right there with them at some points. Captain Willard, portrayed by Martin Sheen, shows the true effect war takes on a man from the very beginning of the movie. The scenes of him alone in his room show him trying so hard to desperately fight and control the inner demons inside of him. Desperation is a common theme I noticed throughout the movie. The other soldiers as well are desperate to finish their duty in war so they can make it home to their families alive. It seemed to be a very common feeling for the American soldiers as they would desperately cling to landing skids of the helicopter, or jump off the PBR any chance they had. It is also shown in this movie the thin line between soldiers being a hero or simply a murderer. Even an innocent man like Willard had to kill someone. Although it was something he had to do, does that mean it was the right thing to do? It seems that whether you go into war a good or bad person, everyone comes out a little harsher and with a dark side.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really like your discussion of desperation in the movie. That is another thing that soldiers and war victims must deal with. Add that with the idea of morality and if a soldier can be truly moral in war and you create a very interesting and complicated scenario. I agree with you about Willard also, although I wouldn't necessarily classify him as either a hero or a murderer. He killed Kurtz because it was his duty, and Willard was definitely innocent. But after this experience, the innocence that Willard had before/during the war is now, in my opinion, completely gone.
ReplyDelete