APOCALYPSE NOW
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
“The horror…..the horror….”
FILM STUDY
2
Introduction
Action movies are not often considered suitable material for study, but this is an action movie with a
difference. Rather than just being concerned with how many thrills could be jammed into two hours' running
time, the director was more concerned with actually telling a coherent and meaningful story about real people
his audience could relate to.
It was also a critical success – not something that financially successful films can always boast.
After the First Viewing
 Attempt to answer these questions after the first viewing. You may not be able to answer them all at this
stage, but the questions will be a good guide as to what to look for as you study the film more closely.
Before you start, note down your immediate responses to what you have seen. How did the film make
you feel? Did it make you think? Did you find it believable?
Were your opinions or attitudes changed by it? Which characters did you like? empathise with? dislike?
feel sorry for?
1. There is usually a high body count in action movies and thrillers. How many people are killed in this one?
2.
Marlon Brando, who plays Kurtz, was an unusual choice for a movie like this. Why?
When we watch a film for the first time, we usually watch for the story; when we see it again, we are more
likely to notice how the story is told. However, you may already have noticed some of the striking techniques
used.
3. Make a note of any significant techniques you remember seeing – apart from what you have already
mentioned above. (You might think about the use of the camera, editing techniques such as transitions
(the way one scene changes into the next), special effects or the use of colour.)
4. One of the expectations of an action movie is that the tension is kept high and the plot moves rapidly.
What techniques did you notice that are used here to achieve these goals?
5. There are frequent shifts in location in the narrative. How does the film ensure we are not confused by
this?
3
VIEWING QUESTIONS
 See how many of the following questions you can answer after the first viewing. Some of the questions
are minor, some more significant. Your score will indicate whether you notice and remember details.
1 In what year is the film set and where?
2 What happened to Willard when he returned home?
3 Military intelligence want Colonel Kurtz dead. Why?
4 Where is Kurtz stationed and with who?
5 What does PBR stand for?
6 Name the two characters who are keen surfers.
7 Who is Bill Kilgore?
8 When is Ride of the Valkyries played?
9 Explain why Chef has a nervous breakdown.
10 What does Willard find out about Kurtz as he looks through his files?
11 Who machine-guns everyone on board a civilian sampan?
12 Why is there tension between Chief and Willard?
13 What does Willard learn about the missing commanding officer Captain Colby?
14 Name the two men continually under the influence of drugs.
15 Who are the US soldiers ambushed by?
16 What instructions does Willard give Chef when he goes with Lance to the village
17 Name the photographer who praises Kurtz’s genius.
18 What do Willard and Lance see scattered around the temple?
19 Describe Colby’s condition(mental state)?
20 How does Kurtz treat Willard?
21 What happens to Chef as he prepares to call in the airstrike?
22 Describe Willard’s reaction to the above.
23 What does Kurtz lecture Willard about and who does he praise?
24 Kurtz has one request he makes of Willard. What is it?
25 Name the weapon Willard uses to attack Kurtz?
26 What are Kurtz’s last words?
27 What does Willard take with him as he leaves?
28 Describe the reaction of the Mantagnard to Willard at the end.
4
Useful Quotations
“He’s out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human
contact. And he is still in the field commanding troops.”
General Corman
“Well, you see, Willard, in this war, things get confused out there. Power, ideals, the old morality and practical
military necessity. But out there with these natives, it must be a temptation to be God. Because there’s
conflict in every human heart, between the rational and irrational, between good and evil. And good does not
always triumph. Sometimes, the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.”
General Corman
“You understand, Captain, that this mission does not exist, nor will it ever exist….”
Colonel Lucas
“The horror…the horror…”
Colonel Kurtz
“I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right
to kill me. You have a right to do that…. But you have no right to judge me.”
Colonel Kurtz
“It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means.
Horror.. Horror has a face.. and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If
they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies!”
Colonel Kurtz
“We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig… cow after cow.. village after village…army after
army…”
Colonel Kurtz
“What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin? A lie. A lie and we have to be merciful.”
Colonel Kurtz
“I worry that my son might not understand what I’ve tried to be. And if I were to be killed, Willard, I would want
someone to go to my home and tell my son everything. Everything I did, everything you saw, because there’s
nothing that I detest more than the stench of lies. And if you understand me, Willard, you will do this for me”
Colonel Kurtz
“You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.”
Colonel Kurtz
“Have you ever considered any real freedoms? Freedoms from the opinion of others.. even the opinions of
yourself?”
Colonel Kurtz
“I’d wake up and there’d be nothing. I hardly said a word to mu wife, until I said “yes” to a divorce. When I
was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I’m here
a week now…waiting for a mission….getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker and every
minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little
tighter.”
Capt. Willard
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“Oh man..the bullshit piled up so fast in Vietnam, you needed wings to stay above it.”
Capt. Willard
“It was no accident that I got to be the caretaker of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz’s memory anymore than being
back in Saigon was an accident. There is no way to tell his story without telling my own. And if his story really
is a confession, then so is mine.”
Capt. Willard
“Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one. Brought it up to
me like room service. It was a real choice mission and when it was over, I never wanted another.”
Capt. Willard
“As for the charges against me, I am unconcerned. I am beyond their timid lying morality and so I am beyond
caring.”
Capt. Willard
“He likes you because you’re still alive.”
Photojournalist
“The heads. You’re looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far. He’s the first one to admit it.”
Photojournalist
“The man is clear in his mind, but his soul is mad.”
Photojournalist
“Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that….I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You
know, one time we had a hill bombed for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of
‘em, not one stinkin’ dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like…victory.
Someday this war’s gonna end..”
Lieut. Colonel Bill Kilgore
“Any man brave enough to fight wit his guts strapped to him can drink from my canteen any day.”
Lieut. Colonel Bill Kilgore
“Terminate with extreme prejudice”
Jerry
6
Analysing the Plot
Films, like novels, are primarily about storytelling. Although there are many ways by which a film-maker can
capture and hold an audience’s attention, the most effective and most common way is simply by telling a good
story.
A plot outline is a good check on how well you have understood and remember the story.
 Write a brief outline of the plot of the film, or complete the plot outline worksheet,
and
 answer the following questions:
1. Is there one plot or more than one?
When we talk about the plot of a book or film, we mean a story that is
tied together, in which everything that happens is important: A
causes B, which causes C and so on. Remove any one incident, and
the whole pattern should be affected, the whole story will fall apart,
the way a stack of blocks will collapse if you pull out one from the
bottom. Stories told like this usually build to a climax. This tightly
plotted approach is sometimes called the step-stair structure.
Episodic films, by contrast, are looser; individual scenes can be added or removed without really affecting the
outcome of the plot.
2. Which of these two plot types has been used for this film?
We talk about 'plot holes' when things happen in a story that are insufficiently explained or prepared for so that
narrative coherence and logic are lost, events that make you say, 'How did that happen?' or 'How did they
know that?' On the other hand, screenwriters and directors do not need to spell out every detail.
3. Are there any 'plot holes' in this narrative – events that are insufficiently explained? Are there any other
examples of gaps in the narrative which need no explanation? Explain in detail.
Stories are often described as 'plot-driven' or 'character-driven'.
If a film is plot-driven, it relies upon external events and circumstances to advance the plot. External events
may be natural or human-initiated, as long as the initiator of the events is not a central character to the story.
The characters are affected by and react to events but don't really change throughout the story.
If a film is character-driven, it relies upon the decisions and emotions of characters to advance the plot,
decisions that may produce chain reactions and conflict. The events, regardless of how many people they
affect, are triggered by characters within the story. Characters will develop as they learn how to overcome the
obstacles that are faced.
4. Which of these terms would better describe this film? Justify your answer.
Narrative or plot structure is the term used to describe the order in which a story is told, and the way in which
different strands of the story are linked.
The most common ways in which stories are told are

in chronological order, i.e. the order in which the events happen;

using flashbacks, i.e. earlier events are included later in the story

with a frame of later time, and the whole story a flashback (book-ending)

with flash forwards, in which future events are included earlier than they actually happen.
5. Which of these descriptions best fits the structure of this film? Give details to show this.
Narrative structure does not mean just the order in which the story is told; the term refers to the whole
structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which a story is presented.
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An important aspect of storytelling is point of view: who tells the story, or from whose perspective the events
are shown and/or seen.
6. From whose point of view is the story told in this film?
Plots traditionally have a protagonist – the central character – and one or more antagonists – the person or
people that the protagonist needs to defeat in order to achieve his or her goals.
7. Who is the protagonist in this film? And who is the antagonist?
Early scenes may set up expectations of the main character(s) that will affect the structure of the story.
8. Can you identify examples of this?
Narratives often involve a series of problems to be met and solved, or obstacles to be overcome, like taking
two steps forward and one step back, until the resolution is reached.
9. List the main obstacles and/or problems faced by the protagonist in the story. How does he overcome
them?
Time is always an important consideration in a screenplay; a feature film may cover days, weeks, even years
of real time, so ways of showing time passing are needed.
10. How much time is covered in this film? Can you work out a timeline?
Some of the ways the passing of time may be indicated include:

fades or dissolves

changing light

showing a clock or a calendar

references in dialogue

dates or times on screen

seasonal differences – winter to summer

cuts to the same scene at a clearly later time, e.g. from full
plates to empty, or the same people with different clothes
or in different places.

a montage of brief symbolic or typical
images.
11. What techniques are used in this film to show time passing?
Most commercial films – “classic Hollywood” type - are similar in structure to a three-act play:

The first act introduces the main characters and situation, and includes a scene that sets up a
complication around which the plot will revolve - the catalyst or inciting incident, that disrupts the
equilibrium of the original situation.

The second act develops this complication.

The third act brings the situation to a climax and resolution.
i.e. – get the hero up a tree, throw things at him, and then get him down from the tree.
Each act is structured to end on a moment of heightened tension or interest – a turning point or 'plot point'
that will change the direction of the story.
12. Does this film follow this pattern? Can you identify three acts? The plot points that begin Acts 2 and 3?
The second act is usually the longest because it is built around a series of actions taken by the main
character(s) to get themselves out of the difficulty created by the complication. This builds suspense because
each successive attempt to resolve the difficulty brings a reversal in fortune. The reversals gain momentum
because they are usually of greater magnitude each time they occur.
13. Look back at your list of obstacles. Is each one of greater magnitude than the one before? Supply
details.
There will often be a central incident (coming about half way through the film), a mid-point scene, which
packs a dramatic punch and kicks the action to a higher level.
14. Can you identify the mid-point scene? How does it affect subsequent action?
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Most stories involve the element of suspense, with the audience kept wondering what will happen.
15. How has suspense been created in this film?
Suspense can be heightened by the use of a 'deadline’ – the knowledge that there is not much time left, and
the overhanging question of whether they will make it.
16. Is there a deadline? What is it and how does it affect the events?
A film needs to keep its audience involved but also alert, off balance – a comfortable audience may fall asleep
– by changes of mood – from suspense to humour and back to suspense again, for example.
17. Identify examples of mood change like this.
Even stories that are told in a simple chronological structure will need to lay the foundations for future events,
as well as keep the audience involved and expectant by hinting at the future.
18. Identify examples where future events are 'signposted'.
Some (not all) details will be like ‘loaded pistols’ – introduced early to be important later. In other words, if
you see a loaded pistol in an earlier scene, it is a good indicator that someone will use it later.
19. Can you identify any ‘loaded pistols’ in the early scenes?
Film-makers may wish to show different things happening at the same time. The usual technique for doing
this is by cross-cutting. The editor cuts quickly from one scene to another and back again several times. It
is a very useful technique for building tension and suspense, or for contrasting images and/or ideas.
20. Can you identify examples of cross-cutting?
A motif is an image, a word or phrase that is repeated several times in a film. Motifs are often used to keep
the film unified, to link one scene with another.
21. Can you identify any motifs in this film?
Another way that film-makers will create unity is by repeating or echoing the same camera angles and shots
(visual) and sometimes the same ideas or words and phrases (verbal).
22. Can you identify any visual or verbal links in the film?
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Conflict
The main element that drives any film story (or book) is conflict. Without it, there isn't much of a story.
Conflict is a problem or struggle in a story that triggers action, that causes things to happen. It can be very
obvious, like people fighting, or much less obvious, as when someone worries over what is the right thing to
do, or what action they should take. This second kind is called 'internal conflict', and often focuses on a
struggle between a person's good and bad impulses.
There are six basic types of conflict:
a.
relational conflict: person against person. One character has a problem with one or more of the other
characters.
b.
social or local conflict: person against society. A character has a problem with some aspect of
society: the school, the law, the accepted way of doing things, etc.
c.
inner or personal conflict: person against self. A character has a problem deciding what to do in a
particular situation, or is torn between two (or more) courses of action, or between right and wrong.
d.
situational conflict: person against nature. A character has a problem with some natural occurrence: a
snowstorm, an avalanche, the bitter cold, or any other element of nature.
e.
or person against machine: a character has to confront technology or other elements of human creation
(as opposed to natural or divine creation).
f.
universal or cosmic conflict: person against Fate. A character has to battle what seem to be forces
beyond human control. Whenever the problem seems to be a strange or unbelievable coincidence, fate
can be considered the cause of the conflict.
All six types of conflict can be in a single screenplay, and can involve most, if not all of the characters,
interacting with each other and with the protagonist and antagonist(s). Conflict as the central event drives the
story and the characters.
Inner conflict is the hardest type of conflict to convey successfully in a film. It has the greatest dramatic impact
when it is projected outward toward another character, and becomes relational.
 On your own or in a group, think about the six types of conflict listed above. Which of them are included in
this film? How many different examples of each can you list?
The first few scenes of any film should show us the conflicts and problems the main character will face, and
perhaps indicate or hint at what might cause more conflicts later.
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Film Techniques Checklist
Film technique refers to the methods used to make a film. Over the 100 or so years since films began, filmmakers have found many ways of obtaining images that differ from the usual or the ‘normal'. In other words,
they have altered and enhanced the pictures to say something more to the viewer, the way a poet enhances
language so it differs from and is richer than, say, journalistic prose or even an adventure story.
Many of the linguistic and poetic techniques used by writers have their equivalent in film language – not just
sentences, paragraphs and chapters but juxtaposition, contrast and parallel, as well as symbolism and
metaphor. The purposes of film technique are – as in writing – to enhance the storytelling and to create
atmosphere or mood. Every image is the result of conscious choices based on the following:
1.
To tell a story, to aid the narrative
Camera Work

different angles: low/high angle /P.O.V./ crane shot / aerial shot /vertical shot etc

different lenses: wide angle/telephoto/zoom; shallow or deep focus

movement: panning /tracking / hand-held/ Steadicam etc.
Lighting

Contrast (or chiaroscuro)

Even light ('Hollywood Lighting')


Soft - misty/romantic
'back-lit'  silhouette
Sound

Ambient sound creates naturalism: the sounds of the day or night: birds, cars, the wind in the trees etc

Foley sound is the matching of sounds to actions, e.g. footsteps, slamming doors – important for realism

Music – original or existing
Transition - with image change, dialogue, music or ambient sound carries on so that sound from the end
of one scene may be heard at the beginning of the next or the sound from the next scene coming up may
be included behind the previous scene's final images. Called an aural bridge

Symbols, signifiers, icons, images: the full study of these is called Semiotics, e.g.

bars suggest imprisonment, entrapment

flag represents patriotism

towers/spires have phallic connotations

heart or red rose can symbolise love
Editing

pace

juxtaposition

contrast

Montage = a series of brief shots.
Eisenstein: "Montage is the supreme gift of the cinema to the art of story-telling."
Not only do 'parts make a whole' but editing is related to 'time passing'. An easy visual transition from scene
to scene is obtained by cutting between like images.
 movement in the same direction
 cuts
 some sort of fade/wipe/dissolve
 point-of-view shot
 outpoints/inpoints
 jump cuts
2.
to create mood
Sound

eerie, frightening, soothing, romantic. . .

exciting, lively. . .

exaggerated or enhanced
Light

Misty light can be frightening or erotic

dramatic chiaroscuro

warm or cold, coloured filters, lights
11
Close Reading the Text – some questions to ask
When you watch the film for the second time, you will need to look much more closely and analytically. The purpose is to
identify and understand the techniques that film-makers use to manipulate audience responses.
As you watch each scene or sequence, look for the following, and make notes of what you see. Not all questions will need
to be answered for every sequence.
Plot/narrative




What does the scene contribute to the way the story is being told?
If time has passed, how do you know?
Would it matter if the scene had been left out? Why/why not?
‘Drama is conflict.’ Is there conflict in this scene? Between whom? Is it resolved or will it lead to more conflict further
on?
Setting


Where is the scene set? Is this a new setting or one seen before?







Are there any significant details that may prove important?
If new, do you know where it is? How?
Are any details included to provide local colour i.e. to make the setting realistic and convincing?
What time of day is it? How do you know? Is that significant?
What is the weather like? Is that significant?
Has the director used contrast, colour? How?
Is there anything in the setting that affects the characters?
Is there anything about the setting that provokes a response in you? What kind of response?
Characters


Are there new characters in this scene, or only ones we have met already?



Do we learn anything new about the characters? What? And how?
If new, who are they? How is their identity established?
Look at the costumes. What do they tell us about the characters, the situation?
Contrast is an important technique in characterisation. Are any of the characters contrasted? How? To what effect?
Cinematic Techniques


Consider the mise en scène, a film term meaning everything in a particular scene, and how we are shown it.


How is it lit? Natural or artificial lighting? directional? colour filters?



How is the dialogue treated?
How is the scene filmed? What kind of lens (zoom, wide angle), shots (size, angle etc), movement? What is the
effect of this?
Listen for sound effects and for ambient sound. What do they contribute?
Look for colour, use of repeated motifs, use of visual symbols.
Look for links between scenes – outpoints and inpoints; listen for aural bridges
There are many other questions you could ask yourself as you watch each scene. To begin with, focus on a few
that you can manage; as you get better, you will be able to deal with more difficult ones.
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Design and Setting
All fiction (and non-fiction) needs a setting, a context, in which to tell its story.
There are three main aspects to consider
Place
Time
Society
Setting may also include mood and atmosphere.
The setting for a film is more than just the place where the events of the plot happen. More than when we
read a novel, we are affected by the visual environment we are shown, which indicates instantly whether the
setting is naturalistic or fantastic, real or imaginary.
 Which of these terms would best describe the setting of this film?
Designing a Film
The Production Designer and the Art Director work very closely with the director to create a convincing
world on screen. Even if the story is set in a real place, and in the present, decisions must be made about
what sorts of clothes, houses, furniture, vehicles and other props are to be used. One of the important
decisions made is about the time setting of a film. Even if the story is contemporary, the director may wish to
avoid extremes of fashion so that the film will still look contemporary 20 or 30 years in the future.
The Set Decorator (or dresser) is responsible for providing the detail of a set, whether it has been built
specifically for the film or rented: the pictures on the wall, the books or ornaments on a shelf, the wallpaper
and style of curtains. Clothes and the décor of rooms can be a quick and useful way of giving information
about characters, about their style of life and their personalities, just as the objects that you value - your
favourite clothes, treasures, photos, souvenirs - tell an outsider something about you. Objects can be as
important as people in a film, and can develop an overwhelming sense of presence. The way they are lit and
photographed can contribute to this.
The job of an art director varies from country to country and from project to project, but basically, the art
director interprets the director's ideas for the look of each shot. This involves negotiation with producer (who
is in control of the finance) and the director.
Smaller productions may have only a production designer or an art director. Larger productions,
particularly American ones, will have both. In America, the art director is really only the set designer, creating
technical drawings to interpret the director's ideas, with the production designer having overall control. A big
budget film will have a large Art team. Mission Impossible II, for example, had a Supervising Art Director and
three Art Directors, each of whom had an Assistant Art Director. There were more than 50 people in the art
department, and up to 200 carpenters to build what was designed. Spider-Man had a Production Designer,
four Art Directors, two Set Decorators and an Art Department of 42. American Beauty was a medium budget
production, with an art department of 29.
This film had a Production Designer, three Art Directors, a Set Decorator and an Art Department of 31.
Directors will often create storyboards which go to the production designer, who uses models, sketches,
magazine pictures etc to help the off-set art director create the effect that is wanted. The off-set director
works at a design table, drawing the designs that then go to carpenters who build the set. The on-set art
director, after the director and cinematographer have decided on the framing of each shot, 'tweaks' it to make
sure that it looks as good as possible, that the desired effect is achieved.
The entire car chase scene was storyboarded, as was the opening storm at sea sequence.
A signifier is any item that signals time or place (or character). For example, a decorated tree is a signifier of
Christmas; a white cane is a signifier of a blind person.
As you answer the following questions, identify specific signifiers that signal time, place and society.
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Place
Where the events of the film take place.
1.
Where is the film set? How do we know? Give details.
2.
List the most important locations within the main settings. Comment on why they are important?
3.
Are there any significant features of place that affect the action?
When designers and set decorators decide what a room will look like, they are actually creating a back-story
for the characters that live there.
Time
There are two aspects of time in story-telling: the historical time in which the film is set, and the length of time.
4.
When is this film set? How do we know this?
5.
How much time is covered during the course of the narrative?
Society
The sorts of people in the novel, the social situation and the socio-economic class of the characters, as well
as to general state of society, to the general attitudes, beliefs and feelings operating within society, and how
they directly or indirectly affect the world of the novel.
6.
What is the 'society' that is the subject of the film?
7.
What are the distinctive features of this society?
Mood / Atmosphere
Mood, ambience, atmosphere are often very important, as are the methods used to create the mood.
8.
How would you describe the predominant mood or moods of this film?
9.
Are there scenes or episodes with significantly different moods?
10.
What methods are primarily used to create the moods? You might consider colour palette, the use of
music, the distance of the camera from the people or objects being filmed, juxtaposition of images or
ideas, the context of scenes, i.e. what comes before or after.
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Characterisation Checklist
When a writer creates a character in a book, there is a great deal of room for the imagination of the reader. Even if a
character’s physical appearance is described, no two readers are likely to ‘see’ the character in exactly the same way.
Apart from direct description, a writer creates character by telling us what they say, what they do and how they react to
other people. We may also be told what they think and what others think about them.
Characterisation in film has many more contributors – not only the writer, but the actor, the costume designer and makeup
artists, how the director wants the role interpreted, how the character is shot, the effect of the music and so on. All this
may make the character more vivid but also leaves less for us to imagine. This is often why people are disappointed when
they see the film of a book they have loved and the characters do not match their imagined idea of them.
The Screenplay
As in fiction, many of the significant qualities of the characters are designated in the writer’s instructions: what they are to
say and do, how to react and respond, what others say about them.
 A good screenplay will create a distinctive style of speech for each major character. Is that true here?
 Expressing a character’s thoughts is easier in fiction than on film. What techniques do film-makers have to do this?
Does this film include any of those techniques?
The Casting
Casting is a very important aspect of making a successful film. If the actors are miscast – which happens all too often –
then no matter how good everything else is, the movie will not succeed. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has said,
"You can always get round a mistake in filming, but you can never transcend a bad casting choice."
 How well do you think this film was cast?
The Acting
Good actors can show a character’s inner life though their facial expression and body language. "Acting is not the things
you say. It's the things you don't say." Dame Judi Dench
 Look for examples of this.
Use of Costume
Costume is a useful shortcut; it gives us an immediate idea of how we are supposed to see characters.
 How has costume been used to assist characterisation?
Use of Light, Sound, Music, Cinematography, Camera Angles
Characterisation is aided by these cinematic techniques, though they leave little for us to do but respond.
 Look particularly for the use of high angle and low angle shots to suggest power, threat, vulnerability etc.

Look for the way light and music especially are used to increase our sympathy for or identification with a character.
Introduction of Characters

Look carefully at the way each character is introduced. Our responses to them will develop from this initial
introduction. What techniques are used to create this response?

Where is the character when first seen? What camera shots are used?

What is indicated by costume, hair, makeup?

What does the character do? say? think?

Is contrast with other characters established?
Development of Characters

As the film progresses, measure each character against your first impressions.
Do subsequent events reinforce or contrast with the first impressions? Is more revealed?

Does the character change and develop – or stay the same?

Look for 'character defining' moments.

Consider also the role that each character has in the narrative, their function in the plot. What do they contribute
to the story that is being told?

The word 'look' appears frequently on this page.
It is the most important thing you can do in studying a film: "Look closely."
15
Character Study
 Alone, in pairs or in groups, build up a comprehensive study of each of the main characters. Use
the questions in the checklist on the previous page and the questions below, as well as any you answered
from the close reading task sheets, to help you in this.
Step 1:
Make a list of facts
Step 2:
Identify significant actions, and suggest what they show us about the character.
Step 3:
Think of as many adjectives or adjectival phrases as you can to describe this character at some
stage to other. Cite quotations and/or supporting evidence to justify the adjectives. Record the
scene numbers for future reference. Remember, characters do change.
Step 4:
Consider how cinematic techniques have contributed to the characterisation.
Step 5:
Come to some conclusions about the character, their significance and relationships
This will provide you with the basis for a sound written answer on a character.
 Set out your answer in diagrammatic form to make it easy to refer to and to learn, or as a character poster
An example:
Actions
conclusion


Adjectives/Phrases
evidence


Minor Characters
Like most films, this one needs several minor characters to help tell its story. Often they are there to flesh out
a story, to add richness.
 List the most significant minor characters. For each, explain the important contribution they make.
Themes & Genre
Approaching Themes
In pairs or groups, decide what you think are the two or three most important ideas explored in this film.
Remember that themes are not 'morals' or lessons – you get those in fables and sermons – but ideas, issues,
concepts that are explored in literature and film.
Try to decide by consensus following discussion rather than simply ignoring or rejecting ideas.
For each of the themes you identify, note supporting evidence from the film. Add quotations of you can.
Set your notes out like this:
idea/theme
scene(s) where it is illustrated or is relevant
significance
characters who illustrate it + quotations
film
If you are working in groups, you may be asked to share your findings with the rest of the class.
16
Approaching Genre
'Genre' is a word – borrowed from French – which means a grouping of similar works. All movies in a
particular genre will include certain basic ingredients, the way a chocolate cake or a casserole does.
If you are unfamiliar with genre, your teacher will give you some background material.
Look at this list of film genres. If you don't know what they all mean, either do some research or ask your
teacher.

action

courtroom drama

history

romantic comedy

adventure

crime

horror

romantic drama

animated feature

detective

love story

science fiction

art film

disaster

martial arts

social drama

biopic

documentary

melodrama

splatter movie

black comedy

drama

mockumentary

sports

buddy movie

dysfunctional family

musical

spy thriller

caper movie

epic

mystery

superhero

comedy

gangster

picaresque

teen

coming of age

family comedy

quest

thriller

costume drama

fantasy

road movie

war

Working on your own, in pairs or in groups, decide within which genres this films best fits. For each genre,
identify the features of the film that make you decide it fits there.

Choose the most appropriate genre, and list the features you would expect to find in a film of that genre.
Then, in a second column, note whether this film meets those expectations or if it deviates from them, and
if so how.
Styles of Film-making
The drama, the attraction, of film lies not so much in what is shot – that's the
drama of subject – but in how it is shot and how it is presented through editing.
– James Monaco, How to Read a Film
As you study this film, remember this statement. Film study is not just – or even primarily – about what
happens, but as much or more about the way we are shown it. If a writer uses the word 'rose', the reader is
free to imagine any of a thousand different possible roses. When a film-maker shows us a rose, we all see
the same rose. But we can be told a vast amount about the rose – much more than a writer can tell us – by
the way it is filmed: from above or below, close or distant, frontally lit or back-lit, moving or still, in full or
desaturated colour, or in black and white, accompanied by music or silence, and so on. Atmosphere can be
created, symbolism implied, metaphors intended – all in a brief moment. The possibilities are endless. And
every image, every frame, of the film will be the result of dozens of decisions about what will be shown – and
how.
Realism
A style of film that emphasises the natural world. The camera is used as an observer of the action and tends
to present the point of view that a person might have if they were actually observing the scene of the film.
Close-up shots, extreme angles and frequent editing techniques are avoided.
Whale Rider and 10 Things I Hate About You are films that indicate that their directors have approached them
with realism in mind. They present a view of natural reality as if you were there.
Expressionism
A style of film made by directors when they want to emphasise their point of view. They use close-ups,
extreme angles, special effects and frequent editing to insist that you see what they want you to see and get
the meaning they intend to convey.
17
Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride and Edward Scissorhands are films that could be labelled as
expressionistic, although they obviously contain realistic sequences as well.
Montage
A style of film-making where the director sees what happens in front of the camera as raw material to be cut
up and reassembled in the post-production laboratories. Shots and scenes may be juxtaposed to contrast
locations, to jump time etc. in order to tell the story. Films that rely heavily on montage are characterised by
frequent cuts and other editing techniques, special effects and the wide range of laboratory and studio
techniques available to the film-maker.
Baz Luhrmann’s films – Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge – are created in this way, as is Chicago.
Mise en Scène
A style of film-making that is straightforward, where the work is done by the actors on the set rather than by
tricky camerawork or editing. This style is characterised by long takes or 'sequence shots' made up of
unedited shots from a single camera set-up which generally (but not always) constitutes entire dramatic
sequences within a film. In a long take, actors must act. There is no chance to save a performance by cutting
away to someone or something else in the scene.
Billy Elliot is largely shot mise en scène, although there are sequences of montage as well.
Films are almost never completely in one category or another; most films contain elements of all four of the
categories and are said to be characterised by whichever ones dominate.
 Which of the styles described is the most appropriate to describe this film. Explain your reasoning.
Light and Colour
Lighting is one of the major elements in a film and is basically responsible for the fact that we see any image on the
screen at all.
But, in more specific ways, lighting is responsible for both the quality of the images and for much of the film's
dramatic effect. The Director of Photography is chiefly responsible for the film's lighting, but s/he works out each scene's
illumination with the director and often with the production designer, and this is put into operation by the gaffer.
Lighting is responsible for significant effects in each scene. The composition of the mise en scène can be reinforced
by the unity that lighting gives certain scenic elements, by the attention it can draw to major areas of interest, and by its
interplay with dark areas. At the same time, lighting can give depth to a scene, while also bringing out texture and detail in
setting, decor, and clothing. Lighting affects the appearance of a character, defining or diminishing facial characteristics
and making faces appear attractive or unattractive. And lighting is responsible for the mood and atmosphere of individual
scenes as well as the entire film.
One basic distinction is between hard and soft light: the former, generally coming from a spotlight, clearly illuminates
areas, sharply outlines and illuminates characters, brings out detail and texture, and markedly separates light and
shadows; while the latter covers a wider area with a more diffuse light, diminishes outline and clarity of characters,
minimizes shadow, and reduces modelling of detail and texture.
In general, there are two basic types of luminaires for motion-picture production: the floodlight, which gives a large
area of diffuse illumination, and the spot-light, from which a beam can be focused to light or highlight a specific area.
Various pieces of ancillary equipment help to create the desired lighting effects. 'Barn doors' placed in front of the lamp
cut off illumination from certain areas of the set; shutters, scrims, nets, and various kinds of diffusers determine the
intensity of light; 'cookies' and 'gobos' create shadows; filters control the colour of light rays; and portable reflectors soften
and diffuse light.
The key light is the major luminaire that illuminates the subject of the image and is normally placed to the front and
side of the subject. The fill light is generally placed on the opposite side and fills in the shadows of the subject. The third
luminaire in this traditional configuration is the back light, which highlights the edges of the subject and separates it from
the background. There are numerous variations of this basic kind of lighting, however.
Terms commonly used in describing the dominant style of lighting for a scene are 'high key' and 'low key'. High-key
lighting indicates a brightly lit scene with a minimum of shadows and a key light that is bright and dominant; low-key
lighting indicates a scene where the lighting is more towards the greyer and darker scale, where there is a good deal of
18
shadow, and where the key light is less bright and does not dominate. A scene, however, with strong contrast between
bright light and shadow, with a small amount of in-between grey scale, is called 'high-contrast' lighting.
The general effect of a character's appearance is significantly determined by the angle or direction of the key light.
Front lighting flattens out the face, diminishes contour and detail, and softens or even blurs the features – such lighting
can diminish the appearance of aging or make a person more attractive, but it can also make the face somewhat
characterless. Back lighting does not bring out details in the face, but highlights the edges of a character, creating a kind
of rim or halo around the head and especially the hair while separating the individual from the background; as a result it
tends to make the character more angelic or ethereal. Top lighting bathes the character in light, as if the illumination were
coming from heaven, giving them an angelic or spiritual appearance; while bottom lighting shadows and distorts the face,
making it appear sinister, threatening, or evil. Finally, side lighting, if angled carefully, can model the face and bring out
detail; but it can also highlight only half the face, leaving the other half relatively undefined or in shadow, thus suggesting a
two-sided or mysterious personality.
In general, bright, clear, even illumination creates a mood of happiness, joy and security, and is therefore frequently
used for comedy. More diffuse, greyer lighting can convey inclement weather and communicate the more sombre and
unhappy spirit of a serious drama. Greyer light with more shadows is effective in mystery films, film noir, or horror films;
high-contrast lighting can be effective in drama or thrillers. Dramatic contrasts in light and shade (chiaroscuro) are often
used to heighten tension or create an atmosphere of fear or threat.
Two general schools in cinematography have been referred to as 'naturalism' and 'pictorialism'. The first favours a
key light that seems to come from a source in the scene or from a natural outside source; the second favours any
placement of the key light that gives the most striking visual image.
1. Into which of the lighting schools outlined above – naturalism or pictorialism – does the lighting of this film
belong? Give specific examples to justify your answer.
2. Lighting is used to particular effect in a number of scenes. Describe three scenes where particularly
effective lighting is used.
3. Colour is closely associated with lighting. Comment on the use of colour in the film.
19
Post-production: Editing
Film-makers build the structure of a movie by arranging its shots through editing.
The classic continuity style is to link shots so that the illusion of coherence and unity is maintained, and in a
way that avoids drawing attention to itself. To achieve this unobtrusiveness, editors adopt some quite
arbitrary rules that have developed over the years and which are now so taken for granted that we no longer
register them. These include the shot/reverse shot: a character is shown and then the film cuts to the
person being talked to or the object being looked at. The over-the-shoulder shot is almost invariably used
for dialogue sequences. Intercutting and cross-cutting allow the suggestion of simultaneous events.
The 180o-rule insists that a camera remains in the same relationship to each character
in a scene and never crosses an imaginary line across the front of the scene.
The editing together of a large number of shots with no intention to create a continuous reality – montage – is
often used to compress time (a number of facts is established in one sequence). Films may begin with a
montage to establish a particular time and place. With the absence of a visual relationship between them, the
montage shots are usually linked through a unified sound – either a voice-over or a piece of music. Most films
– even the ultra-realist – contain some montage.
Films edited in the classic continuity style tend to usher the viewer though the narrative; editing helps clarify
what is significant. Montage is a more extreme way of manipulating viewer response. Mise en scène style
films are more demanding of individual response.

Which of the editing techniques mentioned are significant features of this film? Quote specific examples
to justify your answer.
 Find and describe examples of each of the following. Note that 'scenes' refers to actual scenes in the film,
not those identified in the scene-by-scene which are often sequences.
1. whole scenes shot without editing or intercutting
2. scenes intercut with response and reaction shots
3. aural bridges linking scenes
4. visual link between scenes
5. editing that emphasises continuity from one scene to the next
6. over-shoulder shots
7. shot / reverse shot
8. montage
9. scenes where the 180o-rule is broken
10. INSERTS of images from other media
20
Editing Terms: Cuts
JUMP CUT / SHOCK CUT
An abrupt transition between shots, deliberately disorienting in terms of the continuity of space and time.
In the 'classic continuity' style of editing, where editing is discreet and 'invisible', and aims to give the appearance of
continuous time and space in the story-world, a jump cut refers to a cut within a scene between two sequential shots of the
same subject that is abrupt and jarring, and so is considered a mistake. Jump cuts draw attention to the constructed
nature of the film. However, editors now frequently employ deliberately abrupt transitions, so the term is used more
loosely to describe any abrupt and noticeable edit cut in a film. Some film scholars, however, will insist that a cut between
two different subjects is not a true jump cut, no matter how sudden or jarring, and prefer to use the term 'shock cut'. A
very sudden cut can be called a 'crash cut', which is the term Peter Jackson uses.
MATCH CUT / GRAPHIC MATCH
Any cut that emphasises continuity of time and space (spatio-temporal continuity) and thus, in contrast with the
conspicuous and abrupt discontinuity of a 'jump cut', forms the basis for 'invisible' continuity editing, such as the use of
'match on action'. [see below] The match cut contrasts with cross-cutting (or parallel editing), which draws parallels or
contrasts between two different time-space locations.
The term 'match cut' is most often used when the match between shots is both smooth and visible rather than invisible.
For instance, a 'graphic match' occurs when the shapes, colours and/or overall movement of shot A are matched with the
composition of shot B, either within a scene or, especially, across a transition between two scenes. An object or action
shown in the first shot is repeated in some fashion in the second shot; the objects may be the same, be similar, or have
similar shapes or uses.
The 'match cut' often involves an element of metaphorical (or at least meaningful) comparison between shot A and shot B,
and so also sometimes called a 'metaphor cut'.
A famous example of this is found at the end of the 'Dawn of Man' sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick,
1968). A primitive ape discovers the use of bones as a weapon and throws the bone into the air. When the bone reaches
its highest point, the shot cuts to that of a similarly-shaped space station in orbit above the earth – a nuclear weapons
platform. This edit has been described as a jump cut, including on the box of the DVD, but it is more correctly a graphic
match because the viewer is meant to see the similarity between the bone and the space craft and not the discontinuity
between the two shots.
Another famous match cut comes from Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) where an edit cuts together Lawrence
blowing out a lit candle with the desert sun rising from the horizon.
CUTTING ON ACTION / MATCHING ON ACTION
Where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot's action and energy. Although the two
shots may have actually been shot hours apart from each other, cutting on action gives the impression of continuous time
when watching the edited film. A variation of 'cutting on action' is a cut in which the subject exits the frame in the first shot
and then enters the frame in the subsequent shot. The entrance in the second shot must match the screen direction and
rhythm of the exit in the first shot.
Some films, such as Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad (1961), play with this technique to connect scenes set in
different places. In one, there is a shot of a large hall in which somebody turns her head; then the film cuts to the same
person finishing the head turn, but standing in a completely different room. In this case, the edits blur the spatial and
temporal relationship between scenes.
INSERTS and CUTAWAYS
In film, an INSERT is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot.
INSERTS cover action already covered in the master shot, but emphasise a different aspect of that action due to the
different framing.
An INSERT is different from a CUTAWAY in that the CUTAWAY is of action not covered in the master shot.
There are more exact terms to use when the new, inserted shot is another view of actors: CLOSE UP, HEAD SHOT, TWO
SHOT. So the term INSERT is often confined to views of objects, and body parts other than the head.
Thus: CLOSE-UP of the gunfighter, INSERT of his hand quivering above the holster, TWO SHOT of his friends watching
anxiously, INSERT of the clock ticking. Often INSERTS of this sort are done separately from the main action, by a
second-unit director using stand-ins.
Both INSERTS and CUTAWAYS can be vexatious for directors, as care must be taken to preserve continuity by keeping
the objects in the same relative position as in the main take, and having the lighting the same.
In his director's commentary to Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle refers to CUTAWAYS as 'INSERTS'; presumably the
fine distinction is less important to directors than to film scholars.
21
Cast
Martin Sheen
Capt. Willard
G.D. Spradlin
Lt. General Corman
Harrison Ford
Colonel Lucas
Marlon Brando
Colonel Kurtz
Albert Hall
Chief
Sam Bottoms
Lance
Frederic Forrest
Chef
Larry Fishburne
Mr Clean
Robert Duvall
Lt. Colonel Kilgore
Scott Glenn
Captain Colby
running time: 153 min
Apocalypse Now (1979) is an American war epic set during the Vietnam War, directed and
produced by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall. The writers
were John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola.
Filming Locations- Baler Bay ( Phillipines),
-Napa Valley (California)
22
Glossary of Film Terms
ambient sound
animation
art director
aural bridge
auteur
backlighting
body language
camera angle
cinematographer
close-up [C.U.]
continuity
crane shot
credits
cross-cutting
cut
cut-away
deep focus
dissolve
dolly
dub
editing
establishing shot
exposition
fade-in
film noir
flashback
focus
footage
frame
freeze frame
gaffer
genre
grain
hand held
camera
high key lighting
inpoint
insert [cut in]
jump cut
location
long lens
long shot /L.S.
master shot
matte
medium [mid]
shot
background sound (not music e.g. bushes rustling): footsteps etc to match action = FOLEY effects
The process of assembling drawings to be photographed one frame at a time, to create an illusion of
movement. Cartoons are best-known form of animation.
The designer of sets and costumes.
hearing the sound of the next shot before cutting to it - signals a transition
A director (or occasionally some other type of film-maker) with a recognisable style and view of life.
Light from behind a person or object, sometimes creating a halo effect.
The way our feelings are expressed through our body.
The angle at which the camera is pointed at a person or object (high, low, neutral = eye-level). A
camera tilted to one side so the horizon is on a slant is canted or tilted, sometimes called a 'Dutch
angle'; not to be confused with a 'tilt shot', which involves camera movement.
A movie cameraman, usually the 'director of photography'.
A camera shot that seems to bring us close to the person or object being filmed; a shot of a person's
face only is a 'close-up'. + 'Extreme Close Up' [E.C.U.] or 'Big Close Up' [B.C.U.].
The script supervisor keeps a record of 'takes' to make sure that the details are consistent from one
shot to another (e.g. a character must be in the same clothes if a scene is shot over several days).
A shot taken from a crane (a kind of extreme high angle shot).
The list of cast, crew, and other people involved in making a film. 'Head credits' at beginning; 'tail
credits' at end.
The alternating of shots from two different sequences, often in different locales, suggesting they are
taking place at the same time.
The place where one shot has been spliced to another.
A brief shot inserted into a sequence showing something connected with the sequence but outside the
action, e.g. a shot of the audience watching a show or a game that is being filmed.
Every object is in focus to a great depth. See shallow focus
One image fades in while another fades out, so that they are superimposed for a few moments.
A platform with wheels that allows the camera to be moved: 'dolly shot', 'tracking' or 'trucking' shot.
To record dialogue after a film has been shot, usually replacing one language with another.
The process of selecting, arranging and trimming the various shots to make up a film.
Usually a long-shot, it gives an overview of a scene so the audience is not confused about what is
happening and where. [EST.]
The basic information that must be supplied to an audience at the beginning of a story, so they can
follow the story and feel involved with it.
An image appears out of blackness, gradually brightening to full strength. Fade-out = image fades to
black
A French term ('black cinema') for a genre of thrillers in which the universe is despairing and fatalistic.
A return to a scene in the past. (A flash forward = a future scene shown before it happens.)
The sharpness of an image. To focus a camera is to adjust the lens so that it gives a sharper image.
The amount of film used, or to be used (measured in feet or metres).
A term used to refer to: 1. any single image of a film (there are 24 frames per second)
2. the rectangular shape of the image (like the 'frame' of a painting).
A single frame repeated many times so it looks like a still photograph.
The chief electrician in charge of the lights. His/her assistant is the 'best boy'.
A type of film (e.g. western, sci-fi.).
The texture of the film emulsion. A film image with coarse texture is said to be 'grainy'.
The camera is sometimes held in the hand, even though a tripod gives smoother results. See
Steadicam.
Bright lighting, usually provided by one source of light (the 'key light').
The detail or image at the beginning of a scene, selected for its impact, or because it provides a
smooth transition from the previous scene to the new scene. See OUTPOINT.
A detail shot (for example a close-up of a letter), or a brief shot inserted into a sequence showing
something connected with the action, perhaps as a reminder of what has happened, a hint of what
might happen, or something which will become important. An insert differs from a cutaway in that the
cutaway is of action not covered in the master shot.
An abrupt transition between shots, usually deliberate, which is disorienting in terms of time and space;
a startling transition that requires a leap of the imagination. Originally (and still) used for bad cuts
within the same scene. Peter Jackson uses the term 'crash cut' for really shocking jumps.
A place, other than a studio, where a film is shot.
A lens with a long focal effect that has a telescopic effect.
A shot from a distance - it shows a person from head to foot, and perhaps more than this.
A long take of an entire scene, into which other shots e.g. reaction shots, are cut.
A process of combining several images during the printing process (e.g. to add a background).
[M.S.] A shot between a close-up and a long shot in the sense of closeness it creates.
23
mise en scène
montage
morphing
outpoint
off camera [O.C.]
out of shot [O.S.]
over-shoulder
shot
pan
point-of-view shot
[POV shot]
pull focus
reaction shot
reverse angle
rough cut
screenplay
set-up
shallow focus
shooting/ filming
shot
side lighting
Skycam
soft focus
sound mix
sound effects
special effects
[SFX]
split screen
Steadicam
still
storyboard
sub-text
synchronisation
subjective shot
take
telephoto lens
texture
threnody
tighter shot
tilt shot
tracking shot
two-shot
video
visuals
voice over [VO]
wide-angle lens
wipe
zoom
Getting a scene together, the choices made about the details of the imaged; what items will be in it, and
how those items are to be presented.
A fast-moving sequence in which many shots are combined – to create a mood, or to sum up a long
process, to suggest connections. A series of short clips which add up to more than the sum of the
whole. Compresses a passage of time into brief symbolic or typical images.
Transforming from one image into another
The final detail or image in a particular scene. It may sum up what has happened, add a touch of irony,
or point towards the following scene. See INPOINT
A character speaks while the camera looks elsewhere. Not the same as voice over. Also known as
'out of shot' [O.S.]
A camera position often used in dialogue scenes, usually alternated to show the character who is
speaking.
The movement of the camera when it swivels from left to right or right to left
A shot in which the camera is associated with the eyes of a character ('this is what s/he sees'). very
useful for helping the viewer identify with a character.
To shift focus from one part of a scene to another (also known as 'follow focus' or 'rack focus')
A shot that shows a person's reaction to what happened in the previous shot. (It is known as a 'noddy'
if the person is merely nodding, such as a television interviewer!)
A shot from the opposite side. When two people talk, there is often a 'shot and reverse shot'
alternation.
The first edited version of the film, like a rough copy. It is revised to become the final cut.
A film or television script.
The position of the camera and lighting, selected for a particular shot.
Objects in foreground will be sharp; those in background will be blurred or softened. Opposite = deep
focus.
The 'shoot' is the period of time spent filming.
A film is made up of many different shots. During the shooting of a film, a shot ends when the camera
is turned off. Each shot involves a different camera set-up. During and after the editing of the film a
shot ends where the editor has cut it off. See TAKE.
Light coming from one side – can create sense of volume, bring out surface tensions, fill in unlit areas.
A lightweight camera is suspended via wires and pulleys and controlled from a computer.
Opposite of sharp focus, sometimes produced by filters or Vaseline to add a romantic effect.
The combination of different elements (dialogue, music, sound effects) to make up the sound track
Sounds other than words.
Creating illusions by the use of trick photography, miniature models and various types of equipment. A
bomb can explode; a flying saucer can appear, thanks to SFX.
Two or more separate images within the same frame.
The camera is attached to a vest on the camera operator who can then move it without jerkiness.
A single photograph, the enlargement of one frame.
A script presented as a serious of drawings and captions.
A person's private thoughts and feelings which may be different from those expressed publicly.
Matching sounds with visuals. When words match the movements of the lips, the film is 'in sync'.
A point of view shot, sometimes distorted to emphasise the character's state of mind.
One attempt at a shot. To get the effect wanted, the director may ask for more than one version or
'take'. Same as 'shot' but it refers more narrowly to the period when the film is being made.
A long lens with a telescopic effect.
A term used to refer to: (1) the actual physical look of a film image, those qualities that allow us to
distinguish it from a video image or an oil painting, or other kind of image. (2) richness of detail –
clouds, faces, wind tugging at clothes, cars passing in the background, etc.
To respond to texture is to notice not just the main meaning or the main objects in a film scene, but also
to notice details, colours and surfaces.
an unnerving sound, signalling a change of mood (threnody = song of lament)
A closer shot, leaving less space around the people or objects on which the camera is concentrating.
The stationery camera starts at the top of an object/figure and scans down to the bottom [tilt down) or
at the bottom and scans to the top [tilt up]. Only the lens moves; when the whole camera is lifted =
crane shot.
The camera moves on a 'dolly', enabling it to follow people who are moving along.
A shot in which two people are shown (cameramen also speak of 'one-shot' and 'three-shot').
Television filming. The images are recorded not on film stock, but on videotape.
The images of a film.
Commentary by an unseen narrator.
A lens with a broad angle of view, increasing the sense of depth and distance.
An optical effect in which one image appears to push the previous image off the screen.
A lens that can be adjusted from 'wide-angle' to 'telephoto'. Such a lens can 'zoom in' or 'zoom out'
(seem to move closer or further away from an object).
24
Close Reading: Scene Analysis
SHOTS
NOTES – SOUND ETC
ACTION
25
Character Match

Beside the description of the character, write the appropriate name from the list below.
1. A veteran U.S. Army captain
2. A rogue U.S. army colonel
3. A surfing fanatic
4. a former cook from New Orleans
5. a quartermaster
6. former professional surfer
7. Gunner’s mate 3rd class
8. manic disciple of Kurtz
9. officer who wants Kurtz removed
10. a mysterious man
11. aide to Lieutenant General Corman
12. a defector to Kurtz’s private army
13. an announcer(Playmates’ show)
‘Jerry’, Agent, Captain Willard, Lance Johnson, American photo-journalist, Lieutenant Colonel
William Kilgore, General Lucas, Jay Hicks, Colonel Kurtz, General Corman, Chief George Phillips,
Mr ‘Clean’ Miller, Captain Colby,
26
Conflict
The main element that drives any film story (or book) is conflict, which refers to any problem or
struggle in a story that triggers action, that causes things to happen. It can be very obvious, like people
fighting, or much less obvious, as when someone worries over what is the right thing to do, or what
action they should take. This second kind is called 'internal conflict', and often focuses on a struggle
between a person's good and bad impulses.
There are six basic types of conflict:
g.
relational conflict: person against person. One character has a problem with one or more of the other characters.
h.
social or local conflict: person against society. A character has a problem with some aspect of society: the
school, the law, the accepted way of doing things, etc.
i.
inner or personal conflict: person against self. A character has a problem deciding what to do in a particular
situation, or is torn between two (or more) courses of action, or between right and wrong.
j.
situational conflict: person against nature. A character has a problem with some natural occurrence: a
snowstorm, an avalanche, the bitter cold, or any other element of nature.
k.
or person against machine: a character has to confront technology or other elements of human creation (as opposed
to natural or divine creation).
l.
universal or cosmic conflict: person against Fate. A character has to battle what seem to be forces beyond
human control. Whenever the problem seems to be a strange or unbelievable coincidence, fate can be considered
the cause of the conflict.
All six types of conflict can be in a single screenplay, and can involve most, if not all of the characters, interacting with
each other and with the protagonist and antagonist(s). Conflict as the central event drives the story and the characters.
Inner conflict is the hardest type of conflict to convey successfully in a film. It has the greatest dramatic impact when it is
projected outward toward another character, and becomes relational.

On your own or in a group, think about the six types of conflict listed above. Which of them are included in
this film? How many different examples of each can you list?
(a) Kurtz and Willard
(b) Chief and Willard
The first few scenes of any film should show us the conflicts and problems the main character will face,
and perhaps indicate or hint at what might cause more conflicts later.
1. Think about the first part of the film. What conflicts have been established so far?
2. Are other conflicts introduced and developed as the film continues?
3. How are these conflicts resolved by the end of the film?
27
Planning and Writing an Essay

Essay writing is a complex task. For less able students, break it down into smaller bites. A series
of paragraphs is a less daunting prospect than a long essay.

Explain to students that it is like arguing a case in court, in which evidence must be presented in
support of or in defence of an argument, an opinion. Debaters will find it easier.
Suggested approach to writing an essay:
Step 1: Underline key words. Use them in the introduction to your essay.
Step 2: Plan your answer.
Impress on students the importance of planning. Avoid the term 'brainstorm', which is more
correctly used for gathering random thoughts. Planning involves the pulling together of learned
and understood material into a coherent and logical order so that a question is answered.
Step 3: Answer the question in properly structured paragraphs. Aim for five paragraphs: an
introduction, three containing the substance, and a conclusion. Use at least one relevant
quotation or reference in each main paragraph; aim for two or three.
Question:
In visual texts, mood can be created through aspects such as colour, shading,
lighting, line, proportion, shape, costume, symbols, genre, camera techniques, and
soundtrack.
Analyse how mood is created in a visual text you have studied.
# Note that the question offers suggestions but does not specify that these techniques must be
discussed. You could add things not on the list, such as dialogue, juxtaposition, cross-cutting etc.
However, there are plenty of relevant techniques listed, so it is easy to choose three from the
alternatives proffered.
Step 1: Underline as above. It is better to focus on no more than three ideas, which you discuss in
depth. Soundtrack would be an equally good choice for this film.
Step 2: Plan. In an exam, keep this to a few brief notes. Jot down single words or phrases as
reminders.
Intro
emotions of the main characters are of paramount importance
mood: uncertainty, unease, sinister, menacing + excitement, tension
paragraph 2
paragraph 3
paragraph 4
conclusion [ link back to introduction]
Step 3: Write an answer
Ensure that specific details and references are included; in film answers, descriptions of shots etc are
the equivalent of quotations in literature answers.
28
The Critics:
A film of pure sensation, dazzling audiences with light and noise, laying bare the stark
horror - and unimaginable thrill - of combat.
Alternately a brilliant and bizarre film, Francis Coppola's four year 'work in progress' offers
the definitive validation to the old saw, 'war is hell.'
...it's wonderful to see this hallucinatory folly-cum-near masterpiece again on the big
screen.
Apocalypse Now did help provide me, and many of my generation, with a vision of what film
art could achieve, a vision so magnificent it doomed us to spend much of our subsequent
moviegoing lives in a funk.
Apocalypse Now is a mixed bag, a product of excess and ambition, hatched in agony and
redeemed by shards of brilliance.
The opening, with the whirling sound of choppers intercut with Willard sweating angst in his
Saigon hotel bed, a jungle burning with napalm...remains a visual and aural wonder.
What the excitement was about was the unspoken belief that this film would put a cap on
the most exciting decade in American film, that it would sum up everything that had come
before and influence everything that came after...
...the movie still has the power to floor you with its stunning sounds and imagery.
As technically complex and masterful as any war film I can remember.
The film has one of the most haunting endings in cinema, a poetic evocation of what Kurtz
has discovered, and what we hope not to discover for ourselves.
The word "apocalypse" derives from the Greek for "revelation," so in effect the title of
Coppola's masterpiece is a call for us to wake up and stop lying to ourselves about who we
are and what we did and what we still have the power to do.
The 1970s was Coppola's decade. He was involved in a succession of masterly films, as
screenwriter on Patton, producer of American Graffiti, director of the first two Godfather films and
The Conversation, and finally, in 1979, as true auteur of Apocalypse Now. They illuminated our
times, and we can now see that Apocalypse Now is not merely the greatest film to come out of the
Vietnam experience but one of the great works about the madness of our times. He immediately
followed the early morning preview screening of Apocalypse Now at Cannes with a press
conference which he began by saying: "My film is not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam," and he went on
to state that during the shooting "little by little we went insane". How brave and prophetic he was.
Coppola took Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's enigmatic story about the cruelties of colonialism,
and turned it into a 20th-century fable about neocolonialism in which the story's eminently sane
narrator, Marlow, becomes Captain Willard, the Special Services hitman, as crazy as his assigned
quarry, Colonel Kurtz. The difference is that unlike everyone else around him, from the top brass
down, Willard knows he's mad. Everything about the Taliban, al-Qaida, the pressures that took us
into Afghanistan and Iraq, the assault on Abbottabad and the deadly troubles that lie ahead are to
be found here in Willard's journey.
29
FILM TECHNIQUES TO CONSIDER
These are the words that begin the journey that is “Apocalypse Now”. We hear the sound of the
helicopter on the black screen. The movie opens with the scene of a beautiful jungle, pristine, full of
life and green. And then comes the bomb, the napalm, the fire. Life as we have known it, is over, it
is “The End”. So, if it is the end of life, then what remains to be seen, to be experienced? We watch
alertly, the helicopters are dropping bombs, there is destruction all around, and then we see a
beautiful face of a man but it is upside down. The man looks at some point beyond us, beyond life,
he seems shell shocked, he seems lifeless. We continue to see the fire, the helicopters, the blades
of the fan all super-imposed on his face. The man smokes a cigarette that seems to get its life from
the fire of destruction around him, he is inhaling death itself. The man is alive but the man is dead...!
We are being shown a window in his mind, in his memories, perhaps he is hallucinating or may be
he is remembering and taking stock of his life the way a man does before he dies or after he
dies…?
On first glance, Apocalypse Now may look like a war movie or perhaps even a drama. To me, it felt
like a thriller, a horror, an epic and even a movie that was beyond the usual confines of genre. What
genre does a journey in the dark underworld fall into? We may have seen many movies that
describe the philosophy of life, but which film have we seen that is a poetry expressing the
philosophy of soul’s death? Director Coppola may have told the DP Vittario Storaro that he was
going to express war, not the glorious or high-moral kind, but the underbelly of the horror that it lives
in. He may have said that the palette must create the colours of death and so this palette must be
magnificent but also be horrific, spell bounding but also garishly evil, astounding but also heartwrenching. And to say the DP succeeded would be an under-statement…! His palette is what made
the movie spell binding and made the “descent into the underworld” magnificent...!
1 Shadows are everywhere. Every character’s face is only half-lit. There are very few completely lit
faces. As the journey goes on, this becomes more and more obvious and extreme. Nowhere is it
more visible than the face of Captain Willard, “our alter-ego”. At the end of the movie, he is almost
marked by a distinct division of light and shadow on his face. We, like him are half-God & halfanimal, half good & half evil. The difference lies only in our choice.
2 Extremely Saturated Colours. When it is red flames, they are deep red. When it is green trees,
they are deep green. When it is black night, it is pitch black. When it is light on the bridges, they are
garish and unbearable. The colour palette is itself too much to take. They are too much to bear like
the journey itself. But they are astounding and extremely well thought of.
3 Usage of Fog. How else can a journey to hell be expressed? It is unclear and the confusion,
depression and hallucination deepen the more we journey into the underworld of our souls.
4 Extreme close up of people, especially the main protagonist, Willard. The characters in this
journey are masked, or closed or hard to understand. To understand them better, we must go close,
and even closer. Willard is us. We see his face, his eyes, his scars up, close and personal. We must
feel what he feels. We must sweat when he sweats. We must cry out in pain & horror when he
finally breaks. And we must emerge as he does.
5 Placement of Willard on left side of the screen in all his interaction with Kurtz (and the dossier on
Kurtz). Willard changes screen position and comes to the right side of the screen the moment he
makes up his mind about Kurtz and decides to kill him.
6 Extremely slow dissolves to the point of super-imposition. There are some great dissolves that
express the narrative superbly. The images form layer upon layer upon layer where it becomes
impossible to separate which journey ends where and everything becomes part of the same foggy
hallucination/ memory imprint.
7 Masked faces used literally and symbolically. Early on in the journey, Lance starts painting his
face in a mask suggesting his spiritual transformation. Out of all the soldiers, he remains the most
highly adaptive. Kurtz paints a mask on his face at the time he kills Chef, which shows us a very evil
manifestation of his self. Willard does not paint his face in the same fashion, however he covers his
face with the mud of the river before he goes to kill Kurtz. In this fashion, masks are symbolic of the
darkness inside us that we hide behind in order to do evil.
30
8 Lighting is the key element in the film. Along with fogs and shadows. The general look of the film
is dark and shadowy in keeping with the theme of war and the dark journey that the soldiers
undertake therein. As the journey begins, the lights are still high, Willard begins his boat ride in dusk
but as the journey gets deeper and deeper, the film gets darker, the shadows get pronounced and
light is dimmed. The lighting of the film is highly representative of the perils of the war in the jungle
as well as metaphorical journey that the soldiers undertake in the spiritual realm. The boat, aptly
named “Erebus” (i.e. the dark region of the underworld through which the dead must pass before
they reach Hades; the underworld itself), is not lit at all, yet is the only sanctuary in the deep jungle.
Many of the war scenes including the Napalm strike with Kilgore seem practically lit for the time of
the day. What makes them extra-ordinary is the use of heavy fog in different colors Fog is used
extensively in the film representing the haze and the confusion of a seemingly endless war. Along
with fog, filters primarily muted orange/ sepia are used in the film. They tint this world in a neverending dusk. They are used throughout the film albeit only intermittently in the first half to
foreshadow the journey that lies ahead and used copiously once we reach Kurtz’s compound to
signify the twilight zoneA very noteworthy element of lighting in the film is the continuous presence
of shadows. When there is a light, there is some darkness and some shadow accompanying it. It is
highly pronounced in the dossier on Kurtz. And although we meet Kurtz only near the end of the
movie and he is represented as a hero through the readings in the dossier, every close up of the
dossier is marked with a deep shadow almost cutting the image in half, Like everything else in the
movie, we have a looming sense of what may happen when we finally meet Kurtz Lighting almost
vanishes once Willard reaches Kurtz’s outpost. Everything is dark and is in shadows, as Willard puts
it, “It is the end of the river, alright!” Kurtz is the ultimate shadow being and is lit similarly And
although Willard mimics the shadows on Kurtz in his last scene showing us how similar he is to the
man he just killed we are also given a hint of the possible light in his soul & on his being, in few of
the images lit plainly and beautifully by white light
9 Colours in Apocalypse Now mirror the emotions and the journey itself. The movie begins with
deeply saturated colours, putting us in a different realm of our imagination. The hues are very deep,
almost reminding us that we are still on earth, still connected, and although in a war zone, we are
possibly still alive as we can see these bright colours As soon as we begin our journey, one of the
first colours we encounter is the colour of fog, it stays with us throughout the journey and by the end
it is so thick that neither Willard nor we can see anything clearly any more. As we go further and
deeper in the journey, the colours start getting muted. Some of the scenes are in sepia tone and
give a representation of an altered reality. This is the other world; the colours of this world are
different. Even the fog is devoid of those rich colours that we are used to in the beginning. When
they finally reach Kurtz’s post, the colours are completely altered and the palette is in various
shades of orange imitating the fires of hell.
10 The film mostly takes place inside the boat, which is the safe haven of the soldiers. The jungle
around them is a metaphor for the savage and the animal side of human’s nature. Every time the
soldier leave their boat and go in the “jungle”, something horrific or life altering happens that takes
them one more step away from “home”.
11 Apocalypse Now is an unusual story. It is the story of war, which divides and splits people, not
only with other people but within themselves. To know someone who is going through it, it is not
good enough to watch them from a distance. We must go closer and watch every blink, every light,
every shadow that crosses their faces, their eyes, their mouth. This is how people’s faces are
captured and lit in the film. Especially Willard and Kurtz.
12 The journey in the film is marked by slow camera movement. Most of the times the camera is
stationed right on the boat, and we see what the soldiers, mostly Willard sees. Film has slow tracks,
slow pans and generally slow movements. There is not much that is exciting about a slow journey
through the jungle. An interesting tracking shot happens in the beginning of the movie when Willard
gets the assignment of killing Kurtz. As the General is giving Willard his orders, camera slowly
tracks over the food, and through this movement we explicitly see that no one is able to eat the food
except for the man from CIA. Most of the times, camera is positioned at a close up to Willard and we
watch him breathing, sweating, looking at his dossier. Since camera position does not change often,
31
we start living and breathing in the same environment as the other characters. They have no respite
out of the situation they are in and we don’t either. The lenses are used in accordance with the
movie themes. Most of the times while dealing with Willard, extreme long lens is used with
emphasis only on his face and his emotions allowing us to connect with him at every level.
13 We begin the journey with extreme close ups of Willard. These give us a window of
understanding in his mind and his thoughts. The camera generally frames Willard to the left of the
screen with straight angles on him. Slowly, we start realizing how unique Willard’s character is in
contrast with the other soldiers in this war, he judges, he has a conscience and he knows the war
for the illusion it is. We also start realizing how isolated he is due to his conscience. Some of the
other highly effective composition and framing shots are seen in the change in the river. The
cinematography transforms the river from a broad, gleaming waterway to a dark, narrow stream
overpowered by dense vegetation.
14 One of the most effective techniques used in the movie is the usage of very long dissolves. Many
scenes are dissolved on each other until they become a montage of their own in one shot itself and
say something completely distinct from their individual meaning. This was used in the beginning of
the movie, in the middle when the journey enters the final realm and in the end again giving the
seemingly untying themes a thematic unity.
When the boat is finally entering the waters of Cambodia and we know that it is a point of no return
for this boat and especially Willard, a few images are superimposed on each other to create a
heightened sense of an altered reality.
32
PLOT SUMMARY
U.S. Army Captain and special operations veteran Benjamin L. Willard , returned to Saigon since his
involvement in the Vietnam War, drinks heavily and hallucinates alone in his room. One day military
intelligence officers Lt. General Corman and Colonel Lucas approach him with a top-secret
assignment to follow the Nung River into the remote jungle, find rogue Special Forces Colonel
Walter E. Kurtz and kill him. Kurtz apparently went insane and now commands his own Montagnard
troops inside neutral Cambodia.
Willard joins a Navy PBR commanded by "Chief" and crewmen Lance ,"Chef" and "Mr. Clean" .
They rendezvous with reckless Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a commander of an attack helicopter
squadron, who initially scoffs at them. Kilgore befriends Lance, both being keen surfers, and agrees
to escort them through the Viet Cong-filled coastal mouth of the Nung River due to the surfing
conditions there. Amid napalm air strikes on the locals and Ride of the Valkyries playing over the
helicopter loudspeakers, the beach is taken and Kilgore orders others to surf it amid enemy fire.
While Kilgore nostalgically regales about a previous strike, Willard gathers his men to the PBR,
transported via helicopter, and begins the journey upriver.
Willard sifts through files on Kurtz, learning that he was a model officer and possible future General.
The crew later encounters a tiger and visit a supply depot USO show featuring Playboy Playmates
which goes awry. Afterwards, the crew inspect a civilian sampan for weapons but Mr. Clean panics
and machine-guns everyone on board. Willard coldly shoots dead the only woman alive to prevent
any further delay of his mission. Tension arises between Chief and Willard as Willard believes
himself to be in command of the PBR, while Chief prioritizes other objectives over Willard's secret
mission. Reaching the chaos of a US outpost at a bridge under attack, Willard learns that the missing
commanding officer, Captain Colby, was sent on an earlier mission to kill Kurtz.
Meanwhile, Lance and Chef are continually under the influence of drugs. Lance in particular smears
his face with camouflage paint and becomes withdrawn. The next day the boat is fired upon by an
unseen enemy in the trees, killing Mr. Clean and making Chief even more hostile toward Willard.
Ambushed again, by Montagnard warriors, they return fire despite Willard's objections. Chief is
impaled with a spear and tries to pull Willard onto the spearhead before dying. Afterwards, Willard
confides in the two surviving crew members about the mission and they reluctantly agree to continue
upriver, where they find the banks littered with mutilated bodies. Arriving at Kurtz's outpost at last,
Willard takes Lance with him to the village, leaving Chef behind with orders to call an airstrike on
the village if they do not return.
In the camp, the two soldiers are met by an American freelance photographer , who manically praises
Kurtz's genius. As they proceed, Willard and Lance see corpses and severed heads scattered about
the temple that serves as Kurtz's living quarters and encounter Colby, who is nearly catatonic.
Willard is bound and brought before Kurtz in the darkened temple, where Kurtz derides him as an
errand boy. Meanwhile, Chef prepares to call in the airstrike but is kidnapped. Later imprisoned,
Willard screams helplessly as Kurtz drops Chef's severed head into his lap. After some time, Willard
is released and given the freedom of the compound. Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war,
humanity and civilization while praising the ruthlessness and dedication of the Viet Cong. Kurtz
discusses his son and asks that Willard tell his son everything about him in the event of his death.
That night, as the villagers ceremonially slaughter a water buffalo, Willard enters Kurtz's chamber as
Kurtz is making a tape recording, and attacks him with a machete. Lying mortally wounded on the
ground, Kurtz whispers his final words "The horror ... the horror ..." before dying. Willard discovers
substantial typed work of Kurtz's writings and takes it with him before exiting. Willard descends the
stairs from Kurtz's chamber and drops his weapon. The villagers do likewise and allow Willard to
take Lance by the hand and lead him to the boat. The two of them ride away as Kurtz's final words
echo eerily.
33
Themes
The Hypocrisy of Western Imperialism
Apocalypse Now is not overtly antiwar, but it takes pains to reveal the atrocities of a war fought by
the United States in the name of democracy and freedom. In the air strike, sampan, and bridge
scenes, Coppola clearly depicts the death and destruction that result directly from U.S. involvement.
Instead of helping innocent civilians, American troops kill them. They are strangers in a strange land,
yet they act as if they own it, staking out territory and firing without provocation.
The film characterizes Willard’s mission as the epitome of hypocrisy: in the midst of scores of
senseless killings, the U.S. military is wasting energy and lives on killing one of its highest-ranking
military officials. While Kurtz may well have gone insane, it's not clear why killing him is a priority
when U.S. troops and Vietnamese civilians are dying. Moreover, since the military seems to
encourage assassination in war, as evidenced by Willard’s assignment, we may question why Kurtz
is demonized for killing two people who may have been working against the United States. Willard
points out a number of other hypocrisies in his narration. For instance, after killing the Vietnamese
peasant in the sampan, he reflects, “We’d cut them in half with a machine gun and give them a BandAid. It was a lie.” When Willard kills the woman, the others’ perception of him changes, yet Clean is
not criticized for shooting preemptively and killing an entire family—because he was following
protocol.
Madness As a Result of War
The film is a metaphor for a journey into the self and shows how the self, in the face of war, darkens
beyond recognition. As they move upriver, Willard and the PBR crew become more agitated and
separated from reality. Each experiences his own kind of mental breakdown. Chef enters the jungle,
has a run-in with a tiger, and is no longer the same—his temper becomes shorter, and he withdraws
further into drugs. Lance turns to drugs too, but he also camouflages his face, signaling a changed
self . When Clean is killed, Chief breaks down emotionally and becomes a changed man. Willard,
already broken from his first tour in Vietnam, becomes obsessed with his target. What originally is a
mysterious, exciting voyage morphs into a descent into hell, and the characters respond by hardening
themselves, withdrawing, and transforming. The cinematography reflects their impending madness
by cloaking the journey in darkness and fog, creating an increasingly hallucinatory atmosphere.
The Emptiness of American Values
While the Vietnamese are fighting for their homes, American troops are fighting to go home—and
home, to them, is a combination of surfing, Playboy Playmates, and psychedelic rock. These values
are what the soldiers in Apocalypse Now live for, and Willard often reflects upon their emptiness and
absurdity. Kilgore’s introductory scene also features a team of American journalists ridiculously
filming the soldiers and telling them not to look at the camera. The film crew essentially converts the
war into popular entertainment, much as actual footage of Vietnam once dominated the airwaves,
exacerbating the antiwar movement. After a senseless air strike, Kilgore orders his men to surf or
fight. The priorities of the American officers seem confused, to say the least.
Perhaps the biggest absurdity appears when Willard and the PBR crew happen upon a military
supply post where a USO show is about to take place. In showing the Playmates in Vietnam, the film
highlights the contrasts between American and Vietnamese values. Frenzied U.S. soldiers drool over
the women they can’t have while Vietnamese villagers eat rice calmly. Willard reflects on the
contrast: “[Charlie’s] idea of great R and R was cold rice and a little rat meat. He had only two ways
home: death or victory.” Meanwhile, as he speaks, American soldiers continue hooting loutishly.
34
Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop
and inform the text’s major themes.
Darkness
The omnipresent darkness in the film emphasizes the absence of civilization. Much of the film is
shrouded in shadow, and it gets progressively darker as the PBR ventures farther into the jungle. The
cinematography transforms the river from a broad, gleaming waterway to a dark, narrow stream
overpowered by dense vegetation. The scene of the arrow attack is bathed in blinding fog, while the
bridge scene is bathed in darkness, lit only by flares and what appears to be a searchlight. The erratic
light adds to the sense of confusion and conveys the idea that the crew is now totally beyond the
comforting glow of civilization. The dark/light contrast is heightened when Willard reaches Kurtz’s
compound. Kurtz’s face is almost always hidden in shadow; only rarely is it seen in full, and it is
never filmed in daylight. The climax of the film heightens the contrast to an extreme, as Willard
slaughters Kurtz in a scene backlit so that the figures are silhouettes. While the action takes place in
darkness, the presence of light suggests a way out of madness.
Escape
The intensity of war leads the characters in Apocalypse Now to seek escape. For some, escape comes
in the form of drugs or alcohol. When we are introduced to Willard, he is intoxicated to the point of
delusion—he practices martial-arts moves as if he were fighting some imaginary enemy—and his
intoxication is his mask against the world. Chef and Lance also seek solace in intoxication, with
marijuana and LSD. The photojournalist’s mania suggests he too is hopped up on something. Escape
figures in the film not only through drugs but also through frenetic lighting schemes and surrealistic
sets. Often, lighting schemes, especially in the slaughter scene, suggest that despite the cloying
pervasiveness of darkness, there is a bright light somewhere, always some way out.
Home
The soldiers’ longing for home permeates the film, and several scenes depict troops seeking
reminders—any reminders—of life in America. At Kilgore’s camp, Kilgore strums a guitar by the
fire. Willard reflects that “the more they tried to make it just like home, the more they made
everybody miss it.” Music and women, especially, serve as symbols of home. Clean dances around to
psychedelic rock blasting through the radio. The Playmates shimmy and strut to an emblematically
American 1 9 60 s song, “Suzie Q,” reminding the troops of home and how far they are from it. The
PBR crewmembers get mail at the bridge site, and they read their letters out loud. The film
emphasizes that home exists as a faraway paradise for the troops. They are constantly missing it.
Invariably each reminder of home makes them miss it even more but also serves to harvest further
resentment for the forces that keep them in this strange, dangerous place, rather than enjoying the
comfort and safety of the places they know best.
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Symbols
Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
Masks
Masks are used at key points throughout the film to symbolize the anti-self—the new identity each
character assumes in order to deal with the war, an act that requires a symbolic killing of the old self.
Willard’s smashing of his reflection in the first scene suggests such an act of self-destruction. By the
end of the movie, numerous characters have donned masks or painted their faces with camouflage,
signs that they are no longer themselves. When Lance seems finally to reach his breaking point, he
drops acid and hides his face in camouflage paint. Kurtz’s face is often obscured by shadow or
darkness, and when Kurtz throws Chef’s severed head into Willard’s bamboo cage, he does so
wearing face paint. Finally, when Willard prepares to kill Kurtz, he covers his face in mud. These
masks underscore the dramatic transformation of the human self during wartime.
The River
The fictional Nung River is the setting of a literal and metaphorical journey. As the river takes the
boat up to Cambodia and Kurtz, the crew moves beyond civilization to the heart of darkness within
themselves. After Chef and Willard venture into the jungle, Chef screams that he should not have left
the boat. “Never get off the boat,” Willard muses in narration, for the river is a sanctuary from the
primal darkness that lies in the jungle. The river also symbolizes transformation, as when Willard,
hidden in the water, rises up from it as the new Kurtz before the assassination scene. While the river
leads Willard to a place of death and despair, in the final scene it is also Willard’s escape route.
Fog
Fog suggests confusion and alienation for Willard and the rest of the crew, as they journey upriver
into the unknown. By cloaking scenes in fog and mist, Coppola emphasizes the fear of the unknown,
the perils of venturing too far into the subconscious, and the supremacy of the wilderness. The PBR
is an easy target for anyone or anything hiding in the depths of the jungle, and fog makes this
vulnerability and dislocation even more evident.
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