The United States became involved in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), one of the most devastating conflicts during the Cold War, in order to prevent Vietnam from succumbing to communism. As the war drew to an end, the majority of Americans began to view the war as a “mistake.” Although the government spent “more than a billion dollars a month” on the war effort, “no end to the war seemed in sight” (Lunch, Sperlich 22, 30). Many prominent Vietnam War films were released shortly after the war came to an end, influencing how Americans reinterpreted and remembered the war. Films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) changed the Vietnam War film genre, which, up until the Tet Offensive, had primarily functioned as martial propaganda or
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In fact, many Hollywood production companies refused to fund Coppola’s Vietnam War film because they did not want to get involved with war politics during such a controversial conflict (McInerney 22). As a result, Coppola postponed the production of the film until 1975, when he decided to undertake the production of Apocalypse Now on his own terms. He used his own money for production and negotiated with Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos to film in the Philippines (Hearts of Darkness). In addition to that, many people were excited to hear that Coppola, then a newly acclaimed filmmaker, was creating an adaptation of Conrad’s novel because it was generally agreed that “the record of Conrad adaptations up to that date was anything but inspiring” (Bachmann 314). However, once Apocalypse Now was released in 1979, it received mixed reviews; this was primarily due to Coppola’s desire to tie his film closer to its source text—Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness—and make the message more universal (Hearts of Darkness). Although the film was lauded for capturing the “shocking realism” of war, many viewers were disappointed with the anticlimactic, heavily symbolic ending that sharply contrasted with the rest of the film’s emphasis on action (Bachmann 315-6). The film’s unusual transition from dramatic, action-packed scenes to Colonel Kurtz merely contemplating the atrocities of war shortly before he is killed undercut the success of Coppola’s
In fact, many Hollywood production companies refused to fund Coppola’s Vietnam War film because they did not want to get involved with war politics during such a controversial conflict (McInerney 22). As a result, Coppola postponed the production of the film until 1975, when he decided to undertake the production of Apocalypse Now on his own terms. He used his own money for production and negotiated with Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos to film in the Philippines (Hearts of Darkness). In addition to that, many people were excited to hear that Coppola, then a newly acclaimed filmmaker, was creating an adaptation of Conrad’s novel because it was generally agreed that “the record of Conrad adaptations up to that date was anything but inspiring” (Bachmann 314). However, once Apocalypse Now was released in 1979, it received mixed reviews; this was primarily due to Coppola’s desire to tie his film closer to its source text—Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness—and make the message more universal (Hearts of Darkness). Although the film was lauded for capturing the “shocking realism” of war, many viewers were disappointed with the anticlimactic, heavily symbolic ending that sharply contrasted with the rest of the film’s emphasis on action (Bachmann 315-6). The film’s unusual transition from dramatic, action-packed scenes to Colonel Kurtz merely contemplating the atrocities of war shortly before he is killed undercut the success of Coppola’s