ORIGINAL: kev_uk
You seem to like the film, no? [;)]
I really like The Doors 'The End' in the opening credits. I bought the soundtrack CD a while ago as well, which was ok.
What message is it trying to get across? That war screws with a mans mind? war is pure hell, and can turn good men into bad? Dunno, but I think Coppola's message was anti-war--I mean it was released in '79, about 4/5 years after the conflict had ended and was fresh in everyones mind. Coppola just about pulled it off as well, as the film was laden with problems (Martin Sheen had a heatattack, and Brando was overweight which is why we dont get to see much of him I think, as well as it being massivly overbudget). Whatever underlying message there is, it is a very atmospheric, haunting film.
When I first saw AN, I thought it was a decent movie. But like many people I didn't understand what Coppola was trying to tell us.
Yet, there was
something about the film that moved me. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
I saw the film again, and did some reading about it.
I now realize that Coppola had created a film that actually made the viewer have to
think about what he is viewing, rather than having it spoon fed to us, like most movies do today.
And the movie does make you think. That to me is the hallmark of great art. And yes, AN is a work of art.
It can be enjoyed on so many levels:
1) It can viewed as just a war film (although if it is viewed in this way, some of the scenes can be confusing)
2) It can be seen as an anti-war film; what war can do to people. . .
3) On a deeper level, it can also be seen as an in-depth study into human psychology. Willard undertakes a subconcious journey to slay the evil forces of his nature (which are represented by Kurtz).
And it is on this last level, where I think the film can best be understood.
Even here, there are several ways to approach the film:
It could be argued that Willard and Kurtz are BOTH THE SAME PERSON. Just as all people have good and bad inside them, so too does Willard (Kurtz is his bad side). The Redux version is more explicit about this in the movie, especially when the French woman at the plantation tells Willard that he is "both a killer and a lover."
In other words, there is a duality in man: the good vs the bad; the ethical vs the evil, etc. . .
As CORMAN says to Willard:
"Well, you see Willard... In this war, things get confused
out there, power, ideals, the old morality, and practical
military necessity. Out there with these natives it must be
a temptation to be god. Because there's a conflict in
every human heart between the rational and the irrational,
between good and evil. The good does not always triumph.
Sometimes the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called
the better angels of our nature. Every man has got a
breaking point. You and I have. Walter Kurtz has reached his.
And very obviously, he has gone insane."
At the beginning of the movie Willard is in crisis psychologically. He is loosing a grip on reality and sanity.
So his intellectual side (played by military HQ) gives him an assignment to confront and slay the evil side of his mind/nature (played by Kurtz).
The boat itself, could represent society's morals and values. One of the characters states: "Don't get off the boat". Why? Because getting off the boat, as Kurtz did, means you are operating outside of society's established morality.
Even the crew on the boat all represent different aspects of Willard. You'll notice that the Captain of boat (who is steering it) is the clearest thinker, and that he NEVER gets off the boat (and so remains sane). Bad things start to happen when the Captain lets others steer the boat, or when others get off the boat. . .
So the journey by boat is Willard's journey to battle Kurtz, and so confront his inner demons and to slay them.
You'll notice that the sky gets darker and that strange things begin to happen the further the boat travels. That is because Willard is journeying deeper into his own subconscious mind, in his attempt to confront his evil side (played by Kurtz).
At the last American Outpost on the river, Willard asks various soldiers "Who's in command here?" The answer he receives is: "Aren't YOU (Willard) in command?" Yes, Willard MUST remain in control (command) of his own mind.
All the things the crew on the boat encounter along the way (Duvall's character, French plantation, Playboy Bunnies, etc) all show the often conflicting emotions, actions, feelings, etc that each person has inside them.
You'll notice that everything about the French Plantation: the people, clothes, linen, etc are all white and it is almost a surreal setting for it all to be there in the jungle. Yet, if viewed as an inner journey, then the Plantation and everything else could actually represent the
Spirit of French Colonialism in Vietnam. In other words, we are presented with the ghosts of the past giving Willard/us a warning. . .
We are also confronted with various scenes of war, death, sex, happiness, sadness, apathy, terror, etc. . .
These I think represent the various emotions/events that people go through in their lives.
Even in a single day the same person could go through many contradictory emotions such as: kindness, anger, sadness, hopefulness, culture, lust, crassness, evil, goodness, caring, etc. . .
It is interesting that Kurtz's first two initials are:
W.E. Kurtz.
Notice the "W.E." meaning "we". Yes, all of us are Kurtz and all of us are Willard. The good and the bad. There is a conflict between the good and bad in all of us.
Willard's journey and his task (as it is for all of us) is to confront, control, and to win over the evil side inside himself (played by Kurtz).
When Willard reaches Kurtz's Compound, we are confronted with very bizarre things. That is because Willard has now reached the very inner most level of his own subconcious: where the primative, irrational, bizarre, and evil dwells. . .
Once Willard slays Kurtz, notice that all the natives lay down their weapons and kneel before Willard. That is because Willard has symbolically slain his evil side and has gained control over his "warring demons".
When Willard is leaving the Compound to head back to the boat, he takes the hand of the "surfer" member of the crew. Could this represent Willard regaining his "normal", "naive", "fun-loving" self again? Possibly regaining an "innocence lost"?
Also notice that at the end of the movie, the code word for HQ is called "Almighty". And that the "Almighty" keeps trying to get into contact with the boat and with Willard. . .
I have highlighted just a few ideas that are in the movie, but there are many, many more ideas/views that can be found and appreciated.
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