Double Exposure In Apocalypse Now

In the opening sequence of the 1979 film, Apocalypse Now, the technique of double exposing film is used repeatedly. The origins of the technique date back to early photographers in the late 1800’s and the technique was translated into filmmaking very soon after the birth of cinema. The first use of the double exposure in film was in The Great Train Robbery, which was released in 1903, but the technique exploded in the 1920’s when cinema became a more well-known art form. The double exposure technique is unique to celluloid film as it is created by exposing a film roll twice with another strip overlaying it. Double exposures have been used across all genres, for many different purposes and effects.
Historically, the technique is thought to be …show more content…
For example, in the Godfather, which was released seven years before Apocalypse Now, Coppola used a double exposure in the form of dissolve transition to show a passage of time by overlapping scenes that two separate character actions. While, the technique may create a feeling of time passing in The Godfather, the effect of this technique is very different in Apocalypse Now. The barrage of double exposure shots in Apocalypse Now produce an effect that works as an introduction to our protagonist’s psychological mindset. Coppola chooses to first introduce us to the protagonist by double exposing scenes of violence and war over the top of his muddled face. These double exposures affect the viewer by inviting them into the psychology of the protagonist of the film. In Coppola’s previous work, like in The Godfather, the opening scene contains traditional cuts and it is controlled by dialogue that gives us information of our protagonist. In Apocalypse Now, Instead of having the protagonist tell us how he feels and thinks, Coppola shows us with the double exposures over the top of Martin Sheen’s