Bar none, the greatest film ever made

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2000)

In early 1976, Francis Ford Coppola and his film crew went into the Filipino jungle to begin filming what had been planned as the first Vietnam war film to be made in the post war period. It wasn't until late 1979 that the film was finally ready for release. In the interim it was beaten to the nation's screens by "The Deer Hunter" and "Coming Home." The trials and tribulations that Coppola's film faced on it's long march to completion are legendary and now part of the collective mythology of Hollywood. They included and were not limited to the replacing of leading man Harvey Keitel with Martin Sheen, problems with Marlon Brando, Sheen's near fatal heart attack, the constant rewriting of John Milius' script, the destruction of sets and the halting of filming after a series of deadly typhoons, monetary problems and of course the belief that Coppola might have been more than a little insane to tackle such a slipstream project. I mean it's not everyday that one attempts to adapt Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" while setting it in the Vietnam war. Apocalypse Now was gearing up to be one the biggest fiascos in the history of cinema. But all doubt was silenced in 1979 when the film was finally released. The pressure and problems made Coppola rise to the occasion. Apocalypse Now is bar none, the single finest motion picture ever made and will probably remain that way for many years to come.
Apocalyse Now is many different films rolled into one. It is first and foremost a war movie, it also falls into the sub category of the Vietnam war movie. Many people (myself included) feel the movie easily qualifies as a horror film as well. I also make the argument that it is also an anthology film as it features several different set pieces (or stories) with the journey up river serving as the linking story. Others see a time travel motif as the further the crew travels up river, the more primitive the surroundings become. By the time they arrive in Kurtz's camp they are a world from the high tech environment of the war and seem to have made a journey to an age past. Others see elements of the beach movie in the scenes with Kilgore and the Air Calvary. Scripter John Milius saw the story as a take on the "Odyssey," with Kilgore as the Cyclops and the Playboy Playmates as the Sirens. Coppola however wanted a more direct take take on "Heart of Darkness" and rewrote the script accordingly. See if you can find an early copy of the script to see Milius' vision. It would have made for a different movie and includes scenes cut from the finished print like the stealing of Kilgore's surfboard, the French plantation sequence and the second appearance of the Playboy Playmates.
From top to bottom, Apocalypse Now is a masterpiece with the final thirty minutes or so forming the greatest images ever recorded in the history of cinema. Brando's reading of "The Hollow Men," his explanation of what made him what he is today and Sheen's final appearance before the natives cement the film's claim to being the greatest of all time. I'm amazed that some people don't understand the ending. It's simple, Sheen has killed the native's "God" (Brando), therefore he is something greater than God. Note how the natives bow to him and present their weapons to him as he passes. This is emphasised by the use of the same lighting on Sheen that was used on Brando, the partial hiding of his face and so on. Sheen is now the new God of the tribesmen and that is why they don't turn on him, instead they bow down to him.
After this it was all downhill for Coppola. He made one fine and interesting movie in the experimental "Rumble Fish," but all else failed to live up to the promise of Apocalypse and the Godfather's I & II (then again how could one top Apocalypse?). He reached his nadir with the mind bogglingly awful "Dracula," and the nearly as bad "When Peggy Sue got Married." It truly is a shame but at least he can rest assured that in 1979 he created the greatest film ever made. That is nothing to be ashamed of.
Apocalypse Now is now and possibly forever, the greatest movie ever crafted. It will never be topped and probably never equaled. It simply is that good.