Reflection: “Apocalypse Now”

With so many problems that happened from principal photography to post-production of Apocalypse Now, it is a miracle that the final cut came out so critically well done.  The acting in Apocalypse Now had it’s problems at first, but in the end it was completely jaw-dropping. One of the few editing techniques that worked very well in the film was the use of parallel editing, point-of-view editing, and the shot/reverse shot. The sound in Apocalypse Now was also considered revolutionary in the late seventies due to its natural diegetic sound, unique internal sounds, and the soundtrack. Apocalypse Now was able to overcome every obstacle and was able to focus much attention to the acting, editing, and sound that many films to this very day are still trying to imitate.

Even during pre-production of Apocalypse Now, many of Francis Ford Coppola’s choices for the roles were turned down, like James Caan for the role of Colonel Lucas, which was then given to Harrison Ford, and Al Pacino for the role of Colonel Kurtz, which was then given to Marlon Brando.  However, the performances of the final cast are simply spell-bounding.  Martin Sheen came into production of Apocalypse Now two weeks into shooting when he replaced Harvey Keitel as Captain Benjamin Willard, because he wasn’t living up to Coppola’s expectations. A replacement of a main character during shooting is considered extremely risky and rare even to today’s standards.

Sheen’s overall performance in the film made the audience believe he went through so many traumas during the Vietnam War, and his facial expressions throughout the film were just freakishly frightening. One of many acting techniques he is able to do so well was breaking through the fourth wall.  An example of this technique is when Colonel Lucas starts to brief Sheen’s character and goes to a shot of him staring straight into the camera as if he was staring right at the audience which gives off an eerie feeling. One of the few complaints about Sheen’s character came from the 2001 extended version, Apocalypse Now: Redux during the plantation scene. In the plantation scene, Willard makes a detour from his mission to smoke opium and have sex with a woman. This contradicted many of Williard’s ideals that was presented in the original version.

Another actor that made Apocalypse Now have much more depth was Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore. Even though his role was a supporting role with only a few minutes on the screen, he was able to get a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for Best Supporting Actor by the Academy Award in 1979.  He was able to pull it off in such high quality was because of his method acting. His persona in the role as the Lieutenant Colonel was the complete opposite of what was happening all around in the screen. Yet he is able to use that as his advantage and made his performance feel as natural as he spoke, moved, and gestured.

One of the most influential and important roles in Apocalypse Now was Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter Kurtz. He put a lot of pressure on the production company during principal photography when he arrived on set for the first time late, drunk, eighty-eight pounds overweight for the role, and never read the script or the source material, Heart of Darkness. Due to this, Francis Ford Coppola worked with Marlon Brando to the extent of him reading out load Heart of Darkness to Marlon on set. With all of the drama on set, his scenes in the finished film are simply chilling and disturbing to watch. He had a natural ability to improvise his lines which is shown during the scene when he describes to Willard the story of him inoculating the children for Polio at a camp and returned to see that all the arms were hacked off in a pile. Marlon Brando was able to pull off his persona in Apocalypse Now because of the overwhelming use of shadows which its original purpose was to cover his large body; it actually accidently made the scene more mysterious and haunting which worked in the film’s favor.

Another supporting actor that contributed to the success of Apocalypse Now was Dennis Hopper as the American Photojournalist. Dennis Hopper was able to show his erratic behavior by the use of his body language and his over-the-top dialogue, which were meant to be philosophical. He shows great ensemble acting between him and Benjamin Willard during the scenes when he talks about Colonel Kurtz.

The editing of Apocalypse Now was another hard obstacle the production company had to overcome in order to complete the film. According to Walter Murch (one of the film editors) in his book, In the Blink of an Eye, the editing process took about two years to edit Apocalypse Now . However the hard work paid off when the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing in 1979. The film used many different kinds of editing techniques in order to keep the movie engaging.

One of the editing techniques in Apocalypse Now was Parallel Editing. A great example of this kind of editing technique is during the final scenes when Benjamin Willard finally murders Colonel Kurtz. At the same time there is a tribal ritual of slaughtering a water buffalo. Both scenes cut in and out of each other which made both scenes become one symbolic event. Many people have different interpretations of that scene, but some who watched the film felt that Captain Willard finally became the animal when the water buffalo finally went down.

Another editing technique used in Apocalypse Now was Point of View Editing. One of the scenes that took advantage of this editing technique is the helicopter pilot perspective during the attack on Charlie’s Point. During this battle sequence, we get cut into the first person perspective of the helicopter pilot as he fires away on the buildings and village people. This technique works well because it shows how small and vulnerable the buildings and village people are from the helicopters.

Another important scene that uses the Point of View Editing is when Captain Willard is confronted by Kurtz when he is tied up. The scene takes place at night in the pouring rain and Colonel Kurtz walks up to him with a blank look. This scene is Marlon Brando’s interpretation of breaking the fourth wall, instead of looking into the camera at the audience; he is looking right into Willard’s eyes. This is one of the very few scenes when you see the majority of Kurtz’s body without the use of shadows. Then the scene breaks out of the point of view of Willard to show the reaction of his face when Kurtz throws the head of Chef onto his lap.

Another editing technique that was used a lot in Apocalypse Now was the Shot/Reverse Shot. The film is known for its deep thought conversations especially near the end of the movie with Kurtz and Willard. Apocalypse Now was able to do something a tad different with the common editing technique. The film doesn’t go back and forth between the two subjects every couple seconds during a deep conversation. The only time it reverses the shot is when the conversation hits a pivotal moment and then it goes to the reaction shot of the listener.

The sound in Apocalypse Now was yet another obstacle the production company had to face during the post-production stage. A lot of the dialogue in the movie was unusable due to extraneous sounds like the helicopters and boats. Many of the actors had to come in months after shooting to rerecord their lines. The final sound mix for Apocalypse Now took well over nine months to complete. Not only were they able to solve the sound problems, they also were able to revolutionize in the sound department for being the first film to use the 70mm Dolby Stereo surround sound system. In the long run, the film was able to win the Academy Award for Best Sound and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score in 1979.

One of the sound techniques that were used in Apocalypse Now was the diegetic sound. The film is able to take the fullest advantage of the diegetic sound due to the setting the film takes place in. During the film, the audience is able to hear hundreds of sounds like inanimate objects (ceiling fan) to the sounds of the jungle. The diegetic sound adds a whole new layer of immersion to the film.

Another great sound technique that worked well for the film was the Internal Sound. Internal Sound is mostly used in Apocalypse Now when Captain Willard is going up river and is reading the dossier of Colonel Kurtz. He debates within himself how Kurtz transformed from a well respected Colonel to becoming AWOL (Absent without Official Leave) and if he deserves to be killed or not by his hand. While he debates with himself, the audience is able to listen in to his thoughts and they are able to make their own conclusions if he should be killed or not. This adds yet another layer of interaction and immersion in Apocalypse Now.

Another great use of sound is the music/soundtrack that is used throughout the movie. The movie is introduced to the first half of “The End” by The Doors which sets the mood and pace for the rest of the film. The second half of the song which sounds more frantic and fast is brought back during the closing scenes when Willard is murdering Kurtz, which brings out the intensity of the situation.

Another song that was put into great use in Apocalypse Now was “Ride of the Valkyries,” by Richard Wagner, during the Helicopter attack scene at Charlie’s Point. The song works well with the scene because the song starts off slow and it gradually builds up momentum as the soldiers get closer to the village. Another reason why it works well is because the audience doesn’t expect Kilgore to play a song that was originally from an opera. Once it starts playing the audience can tell that it elevates the morale of the soldiers and even gets the audience excited to what’s coming.

Another aspect of the music/soundtrack in Apocalypse Now was the original score. The score was so unique compared to other films during that era because it was completely synthesized and gave off a psychedelic vibe throughout the film. The placement of the score was done very well and contributed to the immersion of the film.

Nearly three and a half years of hell and dedication went into the production of Apocalypse Now. Throughout those years, the production company had many problems including the acting, editing, and sound. Even with those problems they were able to solve the problems and still go beyond the expectations of the audience. In the end, Apocalypse Now was able to overcome every obstacle and was able to focus much attention to the acting, editing, and sound that many films to this very day are still trying to imitate.

Tags: Apocalypse Now, Dennis Hopper, Francis Ford Coppola, June 2010, Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Reflection