Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse? Wow! (The Bus 3.26)
Welcome aboard The Bus!
The Stop
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola.1 Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper, the script - co-written by Coppola, John Milius and Michael Herr - was based closely on Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness. Changing the setting of the story from a journey up the Congo to the Vietnam War, the film is a visually stunning, powerful and very disturbing experience exploring the darkness of war and the seemingly endless human capacity for evil. Released to both critical and commercial acclaim, Apocalypse Now is considered one of the greatest war films ever made.
Synopsis
Apocalypse Now opens in Saigon, 1968, where Army captain and special intelligence agent Benjamin Willard is holed up in a hotel room. He is heavily intoxicated, desperate to get back into action, and is waiting restlessly for a mission. Escorted to Nha Trang, he meets with two military superiors and a CIA operative, who brief him on a rogue Green Beret colonel named Kurtz. The Army believes Kurtz has gone insane and is committing murder with the help of a native Montagnard2 army who consider him as a god. Willard is ordered to find Kurtz and terminate him with ‘extreme prejudice.’
Willard joins a Navy river patrol boat who’s crew - Chief, Chef, Lance and Mr. Clean - are ordered to ferry him up the fictional Nung River to Cambodia. With Willard on board, the crew rendezvous with the Ninth Air Cavalry - commanded by Lt Colonel Kilgore - who are to escort them to the mouth of the river. At dawn, Kilgore orders an air attack on a Vietcong-controlled village, the helicopters blasting Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ through loudspeakers to further frighten the villagers. The patrol boat is dropped by a chopper into the river, and from this point onward, Willard and the crew embark on an horrific journey.
Numerous episodes - all connected by Willard’s narration - follow, ranging from a tiger attack as Chef leaves the boat to hunt for mangoes, an LSD-spiked USO show at a supply base deep in the jungle, mock warfare with other patrol boats, increasing paranoia and anger, murder, nervous breakdowns, surprise attacks and a general deterioration in all of the crew’s mental stability. When they finally reach - during a firefight - the last American-held outpost before the Cambodian border, Willard discovers there is no commanding officer anywhere to be found. Nevertheless, he is given a packet of post for the boat, and one of the letters informs him that he’s not the first to be sent on this task - and that the previous assassin is now operating with Kurtz. While they read their mail, a surprise attack by the Vietcong eliminates Mr Clean.
Eventually, the boat and the remaining crew (Chief is killed by a spear just before their destination) reach Kurtz’s camp, a horrifying site where dead bodies and severed heads are impaled and strewn about at random. A hyperactive American journalist, completely enamoured with Kurtz, greets the boat and guides them into compound. Willard and Lance leave the boat, instructing Chef to call in an air strike if they aren’t back at a specific time. The Montagnards drag Willard through the mud to meet Kurtz, who imprisons him in a cramped tiger cage. During the night, Kurtz taunts Willard and throws Chef’s severed head into his lap before freeing him and allowing him to roam the compound. For several days, Willard engages with Kurtz, debating and listening to his philosophy.
The ending occurs in split scenes, with the Montagnards ritually sacrificing a buffalo while Willard emerges from the river and approaches Kurtz’s quarters. As the buffalo is cut into pieces, Willard machetes Kurtz, who’s last words are ‘the horror, the horror.’ Willard emerges from the compound, and the Montagnards acknowledge him as their new leader, their new god. He throws down the machete, finds Lance amongst the natives and together they return to the boat. Pulling away from the shore as the rain begins to fall, Kurtz’s last words are echoed again as the film fades to black:
‘The horror, the horror.’
The Detour
Today’s Detour is from Process X: Process of mass production of rebar. I love documentaries of the ‘how do they make that’ type, and this video (14:39) from a Japanese steel manufacturing plant is brilliant. From scrap metal to rebar, it’s hypnotically beautiful - and certainly makes you appreciate what machines can do. Definitely worth the time.
Process of mass production of rebar.
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899). The inspiration for Apocalypse Now, the novella is the story of its narrator, Marlow’s, journey up the Congo to bring the wayward ivory-dealer Kurtz out of savagery and back to civilisation. Widely regarded as a critique of European domination and rule in Africa, the novella is a serious commentary on racism and imperialism, arguing that there is no inherent difference between people who consider themselves civilised and those they consider savage. Absolutely worth your time. Read it first and then watch Apocalypse Now. You won’t regret it.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is composed of five tracks used in Apocalypse Now: ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ (Wagner, 1856), ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ (Shirley & Lee, 1956), ‘Susie Q’ (Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1968), ‘Surfin’ Safari’ (The Beach Boys, 1962) and ‘The End’ (The Doors, 1967).3 Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from Apocalypse Now. In this scene near the end of the film, Willard is confronting Kurtz - who knows the officer’s been sent to kill him. Despite being (more than likely, possibly) insane, Kurtz is refined, intelligent, philosophical, and queries Willard about the different types and meanings of freedom:
‘Have you ever considered any real freedoms? Freedoms from the opinion of others ... even the opinions of yourself?’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
Coppola is the director of numerous major films, including The Godfather and The Conversation. He’s also the owner of a California vineyard that produces some rather decent wines (especially the syrah). For more information, see: Francis Ford Coppola (Britannica). Sources for today’s Stop include Apocalypse Now .
‘Montagnard’ is an umbrella term used to describe the indigenous people of Central Vietnam. It is an understatement to describe their history as complicated, so there might just be a Bus Stop or two to address it. In the meantime, see: Montagnard (Brittanica).
In my opinion, the best Doors track - regardless to its connection to the film 12 years later. Oedipal issues notwithstanding, the lyrics are typically ridiculous with Morrison glossing over the musicians’ hypnotic music. ‘The blue bus is calling us/Driver where you taking us’ indeed …. Also, though the version of ‘Susie Q’ in the film is performed by Flash Cadillac, not Creedence Clearwater Revival, the original isn’t available on Spotify so I’ve done a substitution.
Great post, Bryan! I would add to your recommendation - after reading Heart of Darkness, and before seeing the movie, also read T.S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men (which references HOD and which Kurtz quotes in the movie).