The story of Apocalypse Now is loosely based on loosely on Heart of Darkness, a novel written by Joseph Conrad in 1898. The film follows Captain Willard on his quest to assassinate a man named Kurtz, a Colonel in the American Military who has gone insane and established himself as a sort of God. At its most basic essence, Apocalypse Now is a simple and clichéd hero’s quest, allowing the movie to immerse even the most casual of movie watchers but Apocalypse Now is anything but conventional. The film is a psychological masterpiece that is accompanied by an ever-present feeling of dread as we get to see the slow descent of a man into madness in the midst of insanities and hypocrisies of war(Does this work as a thesis?).
Any talk about Apocalypse Now is incomplete without its production. No film is more intrinsically related to its creation than Apocalypse Now. The …show more content…
While the Vietnamese are fighting for their homes, the Americans are fighting to go home. The American version of home is represented by surfing, partying and drugs. Willard consistently talks about the absurdness of these actions. The epitome of this is Kilgore, who bombed an entire area for an opportunity to surf. At the USO show, Willard says, “Charlie’s idea of great R and R was cold rice and a little rat meat. He had only two ways home: death or victory.” On the other hand, the Americans are busy drooling and hooting over the Playboy models. The contrast between Western and Vietnamese values is clear as day