Apocalypse Now
I have always enjoyed movies. But at some point I started to think of movies as more than just entertainment. I began to view them as a movie critic would, rather than just a casual viewer. Because of this perspective, I think of "Apocalypse Now" as one of the best American made movies I have ever seen. As a student of and an active participant in the late twentieth century media age, I feel justified in making this statement. In my lifetime of observation of American media, including fourteen months of intense movie watching in conjunction with my employment at a local video store, I have had an opportunity to observe a broad sampling of the films, and feel more than qualified to make this statement. By referring to "Apocalypse Now" as one of the best American movies, I do not want to diminish my praise for the movie, but rather, acknowledge the fact that my knowledge of foreign movies is limited. I first saw Francis Ford Coppula's "Apocalypse Now" in a high school literature class after reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the story from which the movie was derived. After viewing the movie the first time, it was clear to me that "Apocalypse Now" was something special, not only superior to the mindless drivel that permeates
Johnson, we see him lose his personality and conscientiousness to the war, eventually having to be dragged out of the fire by the soldier, Willard. At one extreme is Willard eating roast beef with the commanders, at the other extreme he is emerging from the primordial mud of the river to kill Kurtz with one of man's most primitive weapons, the knife. A great movie incorporates a message into the attributes of a good movie. The journey between can be seen as a transition between the two states. Looking at the movie from one angle, it can be considered a social commentary of the war in Viet Nam. When I watch a movie which I judge to be excellent, I feel that it can be viewed from many angles and appear seamless from each direction. In my studies, as well as with many of my interests, I always enjoy looking deeper into the meaning of the material being presented. I want to understand all of what the author, or film maker, or artist is trying to communicate. I viewed this movie as a documentary of a journey into hell, not unlike Dante's Divine Comedy, but more similar in form to the Greek myth of Orpheus. The further down the river Willard traveled, the more chaos reigned. The return to a more primitive, instinctual life style was also apparent when Willard and Chef, while gathering mangos, are attacked by a tiger, and when Coppula uses the element of surprise to show that the characters have entered the cycle of predator and prey. I see an excellent movie as being like a well made multi-faceted hologram. By including such characters as Lance B. He convinced Pluto to release his wife, but he had to return to the world of the living without looking behind him.
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Acceptance Essays
