I have named my quest the 100 in 100 challenge because it needs a title and I'm not imaginative enough to come up with something wittier.
And I could go on forever about how this blog is to recommend films to you, but let's face it. This is about me. ME. If I'm going to write a weekly blog that no-one will read about films I watch, I am going to be unashamedly self-centred about it.
Got that sorted? Good.
Now, what can I say about Apocalypse Now?
If you're looking for an easy-breezy, feel-good film Apocalypse Now is not for you.
If you, like me, feeling the winter chill a bit, thought you'd wrap up in bed with a Lemsip and a film before bed, do not watch Apocalypse Now. Just don't do it to yourself. Read a book. Bake a cake (actually- maybe not if you're ill). Catch up on TV you've missed. I can tell you that this film requires the right mindset (and an awful lot of time- it's over three hours long!).
Apocalypse Now is a "war epic" about a Captain in the American army returning to Vietnam having been given a strictly 'off the record' mission to assassinate a fellow soldier who had gone rogue. It is a deeply political and emotional examination of the behaviour of the American forces while occupying Vietnam; convincingly portraying the less palatable side of human nature.
With hindsight, i.e. now my cold has cleared up, the emotional point that this film portrays is incredibly powerful. I read somewhere on the internet that Apocalypse Now can be interpreted on a personal level as an exploration into the shadows of human nature, and this is undeniable. Not only is this an adventure up the Nung River into Cambodia, but an exploration into what it means to be sane. It essentially takes a mentally damaged protagonist- he punches a mirror for Christ's sake- and puts him in a place where even he starts to look normal. I guarantee you that by the end of this film even you, far separated both in time and space from the Vietnam War will be questioning your own moral compass.
The political message of this film could not be clearer. Francis Ford Coppola clearly disagreed with the American occupation of Vietnam (as did a lot of people of that time- when the film was released in 1979, American troops had withdrawn from the country four years previously). He even goes as far as to suggest that the Americans were no better than the Nazis, in a particularly striking moment when Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries was blasted out as army helicopters blasted a Vietnamese village to pieces.
But neither of these points changes the fact that the actual experience of watching this film is like attempting to drink water from a very powerful hosepipe about 10 yards away from where you're standing. All the messages about the morality of warfare and the essential nature of mankind you're supposed to grasp hits you unceremoniously in the face: and you can only take in so much of it. By the time it's all over, you're soaking wet from head to toe, and looking like a bit of a tit. In short, this film was far too heavy for me to be enjoyable. Sure, you can talk until the cows come home about how Apocalypse Now locates you directly in the emotional agony of the soldiers serving in Vietnam, but it some places it is farcical. The violence never stops, and is appalling. I have now seen enough screaming men to last me a lifetime. It's so damn long even I was crying 'I surrender!' at about two and a half hours in. I may be thinking about this film for years to come, but it is too way intense for a second viewing any time soon.
NEXT WEEK- Donnie Darko
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| Apocalypse... when? |
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