Smell The Napalm: The Story Behind This Incredible Scene | Ep11 | Making Apocalypse Now
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2022
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I love the smell of napalm in the morning…
In Episode 11 of Making Apocalypse Now, we take a look at the second half of Francis Ford Coppola’s enormous Valkyries Sequence that would involve even more dangerous helicopter stunts, a seemingly straightforward shot of a helicopter lifting the patrol boat that turned out to be insanely difficult, an extremely large and complicated napalm explosion sequence, as well as one of the most quoted lines in cinema history, This is the story behind these and many other great moments in the second half of the Valkyries Sequence.
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This video is by Tyler Knudsen.
Affiliate Links:
(Coppola) Notes on the Making of Apocalypse Now by Eleanor Coppola: amzn.to/3K9B9XH
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(Travers) Coppola's Monster Film: The Making of Apocalypse Now by Steven Travers: amzn.to/3ZybjS1
(Commentary) Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut: amzn.to/3npMry6
(Playboy)The Playboy Interviews: The Directors: amzn.to/40Ez8IO
(Martin) New Waves in Cinema by Sean Martin: amzn.to/3FSCdge
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse: amzn.to/40CnoGB
(Phillips) Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola By Gene D. Phillips: amzn.to/3lCPlzj
[Cinephilia & Beyond] Incredible collection of resources on Apocalypse Now: bit.ly/35Mvv7M
(Salon) The Sound of Vietnam by Michael Sragow - bit.ly/3qy8917
(AC) Interview With Vittorio Storaro - American Cinematographer - Feb 2001
(Screenplay) Apocalypse Now Screenplay by John Milius - Dec 5, 1969
Fun Stuff:
I Love The Smell Of… [Super-Cut] - bit.ly/3afL7r5
Why “Big Duke 6?” - bit.ly/3wRTT7w
Music:
Epidemic Sound 
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How no one was killed or seriously injured in that movie I will never understand, some of those scenes were just unbelievable, great video.
Vic morrow was killed.
@@Robert-nx3uy yeah… on the set of a completely different movie with a whole different crew in California. What does that have to do with Apocalypse Now?
Sheen's heart attack might just count...
@@adamtennant4936 i think the massive amount of recreational drugs he was taking probably had more to do with that than the process of filming the movie.
@@cres4928 Yeah, the whole cast were high as kites during filming and I'm sure that didn't help things be safer. 😆
"Someday this war's gonna end..." Without finishing the statement is so simply genius it's mind boggling.
The extended cut of that scene for AN Redux almost ruined it .
Yep. Summed up a lot there.
It may be a shitty war , but it’s the only one we got .
He said it remorsfully, he didn't want it to end.... Kind of like seniors in high school saying one day we're not going to be running these Halls anymore...
He says it with a melancholic tone. Like he’s going to miss the war
I've studied this film for decades. There's always something new to learn about how it was made. I can't imagine the level of stress Coppola was under, yet maintained his strength, creativity, and will to not only see it through, but make it a masterpiece.
The best film ever made.
@@bluegregory6239 Without any impact.
The most stressed was Marty (Martin Sheen) who got a heart attack while the movie was still under production.
Sadly it is also a profoundly racist film. I can't believe Milius has the nerve to say, all those years later, it's California culture v. "inscrutable Oriental mysticism." Inscrutable to WHOM?! That movie offers everyone's perspective EXCEPT actual Vietnamese. It's the most navel-gazing, white American movie ever made, and in that sense, it's the perfect repetition, and reinforcement, of U.S. imperialism. There's no critique at all. Coppola is himself the "California culture" come to invade, and speak for, the East.
My friend was in Vietnam serving as a lead officer of a squad I think (sorry I don't know the organization). They were on a patrol in the jungle when the guy on point climbed over a huge fallen log and vanished on the other side. He had fallen into a hollow stump with a huge beehive in it. He came racing back towards them with the bees in pursuit. My friend had seen where beekeepers used smoke to calm bees so he shouted to his closest men to pull smoke and get under their rain ponchos. Several of them did and waited out the bees to leave. Then they climbed out and looked at each other: one purple guy, one yellow guy, one orange guy etc stood laughing hysterically at each other.
the Best line, comes just a bit after the famous "I love the smell...." line.....he says, "Someday this war's going to end" with that tinge of regret
Brilliant
Also has, Charlie don’t surf!
@@samanthab1923 that takes place the night before.
Yes. He loves what he’s doing even though it’s hell. That sentiment is how certsin segment of US thought too
It’s regret and hope.
It’s the bittersweet reality of coming home from combat.
... 'Apocalypse Now' is a totally brilliant piece of cinematic history... possibly never to be repeated... makes me smile the whole time I watch it
I get what you mean but also a little ironic when you think about it that you’re describing a movie that depicts a bleak chaotic miserable war and that you smile the whole time watching it, even them slaughtering random people. But yeah brilliant movie
It's the only 40+ year old film I can think of that could be released today and not only be a major hit, but you wouldn't notice it's age, especially with the insane practical effects
@@BlyGuy Today Kurtz would be transgender. Could not be made today.
@@marknewton6984 Kurtz being transes kind of makes sense when you think about it.
Why couldn't it be made today? The DoD wouldn't allow it?
The fact that no one was killed during all the helo flights with Filipino pilots and language and noise. Remarkable. Nice job Tyler. Looking forward to Maverick in 25 years.
Was Alec Baldwin there
@@danielfritts854 I stand behind Alec Baldwin (just not in front of him)
@@eisleyism 😂
23:34 When Kilgore says "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" the antenna on the radio kit carried by the soldier on the right gets a "hard on". There's no way that's not intentional.
NO WAY!! Good eye!
All those extreme helicopter stunts take on a whole other level of difficulty when you remember what happened during the filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie " just a few years later. Coppola got away with near murder in the Philippines.
Coppola loved taking risks...it paid off this time.
Landis' ego, thought he could emulate his hero Coppola.
@@Lethgar_Smith Regardless of whether or not that's true, it has fuck all to do with the accident
thats all i could think about watching the making of these scenes. amazing no one was hurt or killed.
@Jamal Crocker Look up Vic Morrow.
“Just give me back the board Lance. It was a good board, and I liked it!”
Superfluous scene, as was French plantation. I dig the 1979 original.
Disturbingly silly scene. Glad it was cut
Duvall doesn’t get the recognition he deserves imo, guys a fantastic actor, and has been in so many amazing movies. He’s one of the greats.
He’s an actors actor. Like Gene Hackman.
I think he does. People know
Top on my list!
Most of the people watching this clip, never had a chance to see this in the theatre. It was a thing to behold. The "I love the smell of napalm in the morning..." line is always abbreviated, it shouldn't be. The whole scene is a tour de force...worth the price of admission.
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory!"
Which version of them film do you think is the best version? Please don’t say the original cinema cut because I can’t watch that one!
Oh, I was one of them and I remember from the time the film ended to when we walked out of the theater, it was total silence. Everyone was stunned by what we just watched. You don't experience that kind of thing anymore. I was just a kid myself but I knew what I saw was a masterpiece.
I could only imagine in the theater.
I was born 20 years after the films release but was fortunate enough to actually watch it in a theater last week. I've seen it for the first time, absolutely incredible, instant favorite
As soon as I saw John Milius, I thought of Big Lebowski. And its true, he was the inspiration for Walter.
I've never heard that until now, and that makes so much sense.
Tyler should do a story about Big Lebowski production
I was literally thinking “if they ever make a movie about Milius that John Goodman should play him”. Crazy!
WOLVERINES! 😉
Yeah well that's just like your opinion man
11:37. Yes, that smoke brought memories of my tour in VietNam. It was an all-expenses-paid vacation to VietNam. On one mission, we had to call in F-4 Phantoms. The pilot told us to pop smoke to mark our position. He said that he saw green smoke. I told him, "That's NOT our smoke. It's NVA smoke!"
So did he bomb the green smoke positions? Or was that a trap set by the VC?
Brilliant
thank you for telling that memory
Not really a trap. Throwing smoke the same color as ours set a trap for the enemy. The enemy would see the color of our smoke and throw a canaster the same color as ours. As our fighter started his attack run, we would toss a different color of smoke, which told the pilot our position and for him to bomb the other color of smoke. Our enemy was slick, but we were slicker. Sometimes.@@largol33t1
I love the smell of new CinemaTyler in the morning
Some day this series is gonna end…..
“Some day this war is gonna end…”
😩
greatest line in the movie, next to "i told you not to stop"
@@theophrastusvonhoenheim4022 Add in.." Charging a Man with Murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500 "
Thank the lord.
The best line in the whole movie comes just moments after this famous quote…
“Someday this war is gonna end”.. Meaning, get your fun in while you can, fellas..
My favourite was always "Never get out of the boat. Absolutely goddamn right. Unless you were goin' all the way..."
No, this is a remorseful line. When the war is over a man like Kilgore will have no meaning to his life.
@@joelcraig9803
Lol.. Kilgore is gonna be just fine, no matter what comes and goes.. And he doesn’t have a remorseful bone in his body, which is well established..
He’s clearly saying there’s only a short time left before these opportunities to be “men” pass, so don’t hesitate..
i always understood it as like, that he is aware of all the madness going on, but it is like it is, but one day is over, so no worries...this is the direction i always felt like this line in the end
Charlies don’t surf
Martin Sheen as Capt Willard stealing Col. Kilgores personal surfboard is just golden. Soldiers in peacetime and war quite often steal shiny objects from niegboring units. It's just the nature of the beast. Perfect!
Loved this movie so much that I literally enlisted in a unit still using UH-1s, OH-6s, and Cobras in the late 70's, about a year after the movie came out. I find helicopters very relaxing now, the noise and rotor-wash is very comforting, as it beats the air into submission. 🚁
@Aniwayas Song You guys hear all that noise, find everything is being blown around, and the helicopter is just hanging there? That means it's working! What you don't want is quiet!
I can still pick up the noise of a Chinook or Black Hawk from miles away even while indoors. I reflexively go to a window and look for the familiar outline. I loved being on birds, and I miss not flying on them anymore.
The smell of the fuel, the wqsh of hot air from the Chinook engines while you walked to the back hatch, seeing the windshield tilt straight towards the ground as the Black Hawk took off at a wild angle, and the hurricane force winds of double rotors as they came in and took off.
Saw at the theater in 79 , simply amazing film and undertaking, also did you ever notice when Chief gets the spear through him that during that scene you can see Dennis Hopper’s character in the background with the tribesmen running around, it’s so quick you almost have to go frame by frame, thanks again
I will look again. Thanks.
You forget how amazing this film looked. CGI has sanitised the medium and distanced us all from the story. The immediate visceral sense of danger in movies is a thing of the past. It will never be repeated.
When they started shooting fireworks at the helicopters and the boats, I legitimately have no idea what the film is trying to communicate. When Kilgore's helicopter is hit with a flare, is the message that Charlie really only has novelty toys with which to fight the US? Those limp fireworks don't look dangerous at all.
@@Edax_RoyeauxI thought it was a flare stored in the helicopter that ignited, not one actually shot at it. Everyone panics thinking it's AA or an RPG but Killgore reassures them "it's just a flare!".
@@TheCatBilbo Something would have had to have caused the flare to ignite. From the sound effects alone it sounds like something entered the helicopter.
There'll never be another film made like this!!
Agreed but Full Metal Jacket and Saving Private Ryan are legendary too though.
You are right! If you like this kind of “real” production, have a look to the James Cameron “The Abyss” Making Of.
"We Were Soldiers" was every bit as good action-wise and had the benefit of being based on a battle, the technical advisors fought in. There's theatrics and art...and there's theatre veritas. This was magnificent art. "We Were Soldiers" made you cry.
@@mikemelina7395 I’m referring to the chaotic nature of the whole production, which AN is famous for. The behind-the-scenes of other similar war films actually appear fairly well organised and under control.
@@ogfunk187 Agreed. The state of the art has improved greatly in the decades following the making of AN. Regarding the art form, AN was an adaptation of a completely different story, retold against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. WWSs OTOH, was a recreation of an event. The participants were able to look at the place and say "this was what it looked like." and "This is this happened". A luxury compared to the chaos FFC faced. I love both movies.
Tremendous as usual! I can't believe no one got killed or more seriously hurt in this sequence.
This entire film is a crazy ass adventure. One of the few films where the making was more insane than the film itself. Duvall was magnificent as Kilgore. I would watch a whole film about Kilgore just tear-assing around Vietnam.
I love the Redux version as the crazy just builds and builds until the dam bursts
@@bbb462cid It's absolutely a better version. The sojourn with the plantation alone raises the whole story to a higher level, let alone the other details like the playmates trying to escape.
The French scenes bring a deeper and richer understanding of the entire 20th century Viet Nam situation and sheds light on an aspect that most Americans know nothing about. It's one of my very favorite parts of the film when the French appear out of the mist.
@@toddblack3957 Absolutely. Just so.
Still my favourite movie of all time. It took so long to make, movie bosses back in L.A. dubbed it "Apocalypse When"? Haha! Well worth the wait.
Howard Hughes atmosphere?
There's about 1/2hr full helicopter scene out there somewhere that shows all the footage they shot for the scene. The choppers make several runs through the village blowing stuff up. It's quite a lot more than what made it into the movie. Obviously editing was needed and the scene is a lot tighter because of it, but to really appreciate how much work and coordination was needed to film the whole thing, you really need to see the unedited footage. It's quite incredible!!
The problem with Willard stealing the surfboard (then that shot of him having a full belly laugh about it), is that it's inconsistent with his character. It takes him out of his obsession with Kurtz, and negates it... would have been better if Larry or Chef had stole it, and while the younger boat crew were laughing all about, Willard would be crouching at the bow of the boat, a bit like Gollum, distant, and obsessed, only really concerned with answering the call to that whole "Heart of Darkness" thing.
Whole scene should be cut, as it was. Also French plantation. Who needs it?
Exactly 👍!
I don't know... I agree, I was a bit surprised when he did that. But I think it shows a human side, he's a military man, but does not love killing and destruction... Unlike Kilgore, a part of him wants the war to end so he can start to heal.
9:58 BONK ! Francis runs into a lighting fixture but takes it like a champ and moves on like it didn't happen.
I worked on Huey's in the Army in Germany. They were on their way out, but still powerful workhorses and a lot of fun to fly in with a good pilot. There is actually a visual phenomenon where people would walk into moving tail rotors and that is why there are white bars on the blades so that they are not invisible.
Also, it's pronounced Shih nook, like the Tribe.
Sea-Knight
Kanye North, incorrect. It’s pronounced SHinook, same pronunciation as the indigenous tribe and the salmon named after them.
One of things I really appreciate about this scene is how accurately they portray close air support, with the Cessna Skymaster identifying the mortars and relaying that information to the F-5 (which is often left out of many movies), the number of F-5 changing from shot to shot was one critism though.
The Americans love seeing their own torture and slaughter of others, even though they always lose....EVERY time, as they're inept and pathetic at fighting wars, the US always resorts to criminal acts before they get their asses handed to them time and time again.
You want to take on Russia? Hahahaha really? You mean the USA, that country that only ever talks like they have a military history like Great Britain, or something as funny, when that's so wrong it's hilarious seeing it. The TRUTH is, the United States has one of the very worst, and most cowardly military records/histories of any country on earth. Yet read what you all think, man? It's most bizarre!
The United States was founded in 1776, (even that's a lie). She has been at war for 226 out of her 246 calendar years of existence. In other words, there were only 20 calendar years, in which the U.S.A. did not wage any wars.
The Wars waged were never against a militarily capable country, but only countries considered the Third World. And any resistance from those countries?, always saw the USA lose! Pick any year since 1776, and there's about a 91% chance that America was involved in some war during that calendar year, and about 73% they lost it.
No U.S. president truly qualifies as a peacetime president. Instead, all U.S. presidents can technically be considered “war presidents.” The U.S. has never gone a decade without war. The only time the U.S. went five years without war (1937-42) was during the isolationist period (cowardly period) of the Great Depression.
Since the 2nd World War, the USA has started 201 armed conflicts, resulting with around 40-50 million (mostly civilian casualties). And usually based on false premises/lies. (And failed in most). This is more than 2 conflicts started, based on nothing more than lies and propaganda per year!
You sound AWESOME! Hahahaha! Oh, no! Wait!! What am I saying? Silly me! We all know the USA is the most powerful military country in the whole wide world today! Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
Reminder...
Beaten and loses in Vietnam. After using chemical weapons, Napalm, and Agent Orange, burning down entire towns and villages, killing hundreds of thousands of women and children, while losing the war against a bunch of tunnel kids, they tried to burn alive! Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
When a million Chinese ran over the hill in Korea?, they fled and got chased back behind the 38th parallel, then gets out of the War, with a ''face-saving'' armistice. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
Thought you'd force China to purchase your opium in the 2nd opium war, yet is the only one defeated by China, as both the British and French had won convincing victories, while the USA, humiliated, and well defeated, had to limp home, all alone. LOL, Such a powerful force they all claim. Hilarious.
Fought for a mere 28 months in WW2, and hilariously, for years, claimed it was because of the USA we won the War LOL. When we all know the facts say the exact opposite. It's not even up for debate. If Britain had not fought WW2?, the USA would no longer exist. Yet unbelievably they still try to say the same today?, with their propaganda history, they've all been spoon-fed from birth, as if a real part of their history. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
They claimed they forced the USSR to remove its Cuban missiles, or they had threatened War? While the truth is, that it was the USA that was forced to remove their missiles and close down their military base in Turkey, before the USSR would agree to remove their Cuban missiles. The complete opposite of what they all got taught. LOL. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
They claimed Japan surrendered after the second nuclear attack?, when we now know today, that was, guess what? You got it, just another American lie. Japan had ignored the first Nuclear attack, they also ignored the second Nuclear attack and Japan only surrendered after Stalin had kept his promise to Invade East Asia, and the Soviets crushed the Japanese.
That alone removed any hope the Japs had of getting Stalin to act as a mediator for a conditional surrender, and it was only then the Japanese surrendered (as we now can read from the people of the time).
The timing of the surrender Proves It, It was indeed just another American lie, and is still to this day, by far, the most cowardly act ever committed by anyone on earth. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
They thought they bossed Syria, with their bought and paid for terrorism?, only to then have to sit back and watch Russia kick their terrorist's asses over and over again, while the USA were helpless to even resist it?, and instead resorted to, once again, more lies, more criminal attacks on a legitimate leadership of a sovereign country?. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
They thought they'd show Russia! (as they supplied Georgia with their military assistance). LMAO, more like hindrance! Then had to watch Russia annihilate and destroy all the military equipment they'd just given away, every piece! PMSL. Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
They destroyed and ruined the lives of an entire country, Ukraine, with once again, more of their? Yep, you've guessed it, more lies, more supplying weapons to criminals, and are basically working against the interests of the Ukrainian people, and still are, while pathetically trying to blame it on Russia?, such a powerful force they all claim. Hilarious.
They claimed they'd kick the Taliban's ass (inside 3 months)?.
The USA = A trillion dollars worth of military hardware.
The Taliban = A dollars worth of military hardware.
20 years (after), the USA were going to kick their asses inside three months, the Taliban hold more ground today than they ever have, and the Yankee boys, as always, got sent home! LMAO!! Such a powerful force, they all claim. Hilarious.
The USA struggles against the Taliban and other non-militarily capable countries!, they've never met a fully militarily capable country. Personally, I give the USA precisely zero chance against any of them, let alone both Russia and China as allies? Who are these yanks fooling apart from themselves? Your military is only as good as your MEN!
LOL @ the Yanks!
The American 2022 = We're stronger today than we've ever been!!... Like that would be difficult? LOL.
I'm not sure that the Skymaster was used for forward air control during Vietnam but I'm pretty sure that the F-5s didn't do napalm strikes.
@@ADAPTATION7the O-2 skymaster was often used as a FAC aircraft
Cinema Tyler's videos are so immersive you feel yourself right on the sets of the movies. You can smell the napalm.
More like..."I like the smell of Bull-Sh*t in the morning...Biggest crock ever invented...
Watching your behind the scenes / explanatory episodes on Apocalypse Now is like the second best thing to watching the movie itself. Everytime I want to rewatch the whole movie and each time through different eyes.
Just watched Apocalypses now yesterday on Netflix, this pops up in my you tube feed today. With the baby and Kilgore scene, the contradiction Duvall mentions in the interview about life and death, and the dichotomy of the 2 for the character can also be seen when Kilgore interacts with the solders and the dyeing Vietcong with his guts out. Ruthless compassion
This is great - my friend Mitch was one of the corporate compound high school kids recruited for the Playboy sequence - his dad worked for Mobil in Manila. Said they gave all the kids haircuts, army clothes and fake cameras.
I love these videos. Seeing just how hectic production was makes the film even better.
You need to screen Hearts Of Darkness:A Filmmaker's Apocalypse-1992 documentary done by Francis's wife Eleanor-it's as epic as AN:)
This was such a great video, I learned so much from this. Awesome movie, awesome video, great job dude!
YES!!
Thanks for covering my favorite movie again and again, Tyler.
Great actor. Assassination Tango is a rarely aired movie from this superb actor, and Apostle.
This all makes me appreciate the iconic film all that more!
YESSSSS LETS GOOOOOO
15:43 My fave shot of the Doors,under the Venice Pier,watching a surfer washout around the time of Morrison Hotel:)
Just when you think you know most everything about something, Cinema Tyler comes along and boosts your knowledge in an amazing way! Thank you again!
P9ó
LTC Kilgore, at least the look, was based on a real guy, Lt Col John B. Stockton, who commanded the 1/9 Cavalry in Vietnam from July 1965 to December of that year.. He's the guy who started wearing the Cavalry Stetson and yellow foulard. We was relieved of his command for being a little too aggressive and a little too outspoken. He could have easily made the same comment about the smell of napalm.
Also David Hackworth, who took his surfboard to Vietnam
"a little too aggressive' in Vietnam, against the Viet Cong and NVA Regulars. Sounded like the right kind of man who could have won.
@@GregoryDeese Yeah. My experience with LTC Stockton was just to occasionally salute him. My ARTY FO section was often attached to his D Troop (dusty Delta) to provide artillery support.
@@GregoryDeese that war was impossible to win, because they were fighting an ideology and that can't be beaten by military. It's exactly why body count became the only measure of "success" towards the end of the war rather than ground and locations taken and held.
@@poinky8Recondo!!!
Tyler, I would love to see your breakdown of pulp fiction.
It’s interesting the way they fragmented the timeline of different characters.
Love your apocalypse now breakdown
I hope John Milius & Francis have seen some of your diligent,work Tyler,you crazy cinefile:)
Amazing! I love how mad Kilgore gets when the waves get flattened
I have seen the Redux version like 50 times, I think its my favorite movie ever, and every time I can't believe that the valkyrie sequence it's like... real.
I can't believe you've actually seen in 50 times because that would be well over 200 years.
@@YearsOfLeadPoisoning 3.2 hours x 50 viewings is 'only' 6.6 days.
@@szinyk I started watching Redux but had to stop because the earth was engulfed by the sun about halfway through
@@YearsOfLeadPoisoning yeah I get it, you don't like it. Cool.
@@Esau2507 the 30 hour dinner sequence ran over my dog
At Coppola's winery in Napa is Kilgore's surf board hanging on a wall. Also the most amazing large sketch of Kilgore's Huey helicopter. The design screamed death machine. Wine is great too 🍷
but with all the chaos that one scene created it felt like a perfect mirror of what would be like in real life
I worked on the Jon Landis portion of the Twilight Zone movie. I was present at the accident that took the lives of Vic Morrow and two Vietnamese children. When the accident occurred, a 5 gallon bucket lid was on or near a mortar with a gas implosion bomb, that when detonated sent the lid into the tail rotar of the helicopter knocking it off. The purpose of a tail rotar is to keep the fuselage of the helicopter from trying to catch up with main rotar. Just before the shot, I had eaten dinner with Dorsey Wingo who was the pilot. He had been in Vietnam, and he told me that he had never lost a chopper, but had emergency set downs. Dorsey when he realized that the tail rotar was gone, he did the most intelligent thing he could do under the circumstances. He just set the chopper down into the soft river bottom. This shot was totally illegal, the children were in a very dangerous situation at like 2 AM in the morning. Because it was illegal, they were trying to “steal” the shot, not taking time to rehearse to see if there were any problems. Vic Morrow grabbed the children in the Vietnamese village set, and attempted to carry both children to the other side of the river. But since there was no rehearsal, they didn’t know that the children were too heavy, causing Morrow to have to stop and recollect the children under his arms, and continue to cross. When Dorsey set the chopper down, it decapitated Morrow and the two children. It was the next to the last shot of the night, everybody and their dog was there, meaning other than just the crew. I was up the river on a floater, a scaffolding with wheels that had two wheels in the water, and was lashed to a tree to keep it from falling over. I was operating coal burning arcs. When the smoke began to clear, all you could hear was the wails of the Vietnamese mother for her children. All in the name of cinema…
jesus christ
This is the 2nd post of your's I've read where you talk about "coal burner arcs", for those of us who don't work in Hollywood how about explaining what they are.
@@dukecraig2402 …
From the beginning of the film industry in Hollywood, until around the 1980s, all motion picture lighting was done with DC current. When you shoot a scene outside during the day, you actually need more light than at night. This is because you have to over power the shadows that the sun causes, or the shadows will be just black in contrast to the sunlit side of the subject.
The way this was done was using coal burning arcs. Even in theater - in the old days - follow spots where coal burning. There were less powerful arcs called “170s’, which I actually operated on my first day in the industry, working with the first actor I worked with - Richard Burton - on probably the worst movie he ever did - Exorcist 2; The Heretic. A real dog of a movie. But the majority of arcs were “Brutes” - made by the most often used lighting equipment company, Mole-Richardson. Brutes came in two versions, heavy head arcs and light head arcs. A heavy head was made of cast aluminum, a light head of sheet aluminum. Inside the lamp is a carriage, with a place to put two pieces of coal. One piece of coal - the negative - is maybe half inch around and maybe foot and a half or two feet long. The negative is parallel to the bottom of the lamp. The other piece of coal is called the positive, and it is copper clad with one end an exposed conical tip of coal. In the carriage it rides at maybe a 45 degree angle to the bottom of the lamp. The art of running an arc successfully is to move the lever controlling the gap between the negative and positive, where positive moves up to make contact with the negative. This must be done gently or you’ll damage the end of the negative. You just “kiss it”. This starts a tongue of flame as the positive falls back down to its operating position. The DC current used is around 120 volts, but there is a device called a “grid” inline that is essentially a large resistor that drops the current to around 68 volts, which is what the arc uses. The carriage advances the positive and negative - supposedly - to maintain the correct gap between them. If you don’t maintain the correct gap, the the arc will begin to flicker, at which point your name is mud. There was “French coal” that was harder than normal coal, so burnt longer. But it burnt so slow that the arcs advancing mechanism would advance too quickly, so you had to constantly back the negative off by hand. Pain in the ass. There was also an even bigger arc we sometimes used known as a “Titan”, that was so powerful the freznel was in three pieces to allow for expansion and contraction…
These were replaced by 12K and 18K HMIs. During the early 1990s, there was a bit of a power struggle over whether HMIs should have ballasts that were DC or AC. My uncle was one of the department heads that supported DC, but that eventually failed. DC is five times safer than AC. When something happens with DC, you may be splattered with molten copper, but you will be thrown back away from the source. But AC, you may get locked on and continually be shocked by the AC current. One of the things that also caused the industry to go to AC were the use of dimmer racks, that had originally only been used in stage and theater. This made my job so much heavier, since it involved much much more cable for 3 phase AC. It also made film production more expensive…
@@tribudeuno
So it's a light?
@@dukecraig2402 …
A BFL (Big Fucking Light)
Absolutely brilliant once again, it is such a fascinating film and the making of is so incredible.
Not to mention all the innocent vietnamese killed by our good ol boys
Another great retrospective. So much work for a small amount of screen time, as well as how the scene evolved. Can't wait for part 12
Great video! This whole series is really amazing, Apocalypse Now is one of my very favorite movies and you help me appreciate it even more!
What a masterpiece of filmmaking. My favorite film ever.
What did you think about Platoon and full metal jacket
Robert Duvall...He's one of the GREATS in my opinion. Love his roles👍😀👍❤
Well known for being a bit of an asshole in Hollyweird.
This was my second rated R movie. My first was Animal House. Both great movies.
Bluto as Kurtz? Food fight!
2:30 “We were warned not to get too close to the tails” shows a shot of Coppola like 3 metres away from the tail looking the other way and waving his arms around haphazardly
Just a great job, Tyler! Seeing all this behind the scenes footage and storytelling of the production for a movie I’ve loved since day one, is just great.
Milius totally stole the "crush your enemies line".
This is informative, but the gold standard will always be Eleanor Coppola's documentary on AN, "Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse". Required viewing for any AN fan.
Those shots of reconnaissance planes and jet fighters before the napalm shots always played a important part of the picture for me. Till then the morning assault in all it's chaotic grandeur seemed still quite isolated and personal. Like the action of the detached madman which could be disconnected from the rest of the war doing his stunts with a horde of faithful kids in uniforms. But when the camera reach the sky and we see the planes, the sound changes, camera shots get a different speed and continuity, we can hear the calm voices of pilots through radio (without ever seeing their faces) and we realise there's still some mechanism above that all, some kind of patient everpresent authority above the conflict which supporting the mayhem down below with an illusion of systematic approach.
I'm so invested in this series! Great job!👍
Wow! Cinenma tyler what great narration and commentary. My father and step father both served in Vietnam combat. As a child and teenager i was intrigued and fasinaned about thier experiences during this war. THEY NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT until they were in their late 40s and 50s. My step father who was Army airborne finally said one day APOCALYSE NOW was very close to what he experienced. Thank you Francis Ford Coppola
Another amazing and well done video! Thank you!
Excellent little film you've made there, telling the story of what happened in that coastal village helicopter assault scene. Apocalypse Now is such a great film and there some stories within the story and learning those adds to the magic and surrealism that the film was, and is. Thanks for posting.
I saw this film several times at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. These were the screenings with no titles at all, and a theatrical program(which I still have) was handed out as we came into the theater. I saw it the first time with my sister. We went to movies together a lot back then.They had a special sound system installed just for Apocalypse Now, and you really could "feel" the difference.
When the film hard cuts from Willard dumped into the shower to that first chopper landing at the general's headquarters, the film literally pressed you into your seat, with the wrap-around screen of the Dome and the exceptional sound. The napalm explosion was so powerful I could feel it in my chest, the bass channel was _that_ powerful. I have a nice 4K TV and an OK Atmos sound system but it still can't compare to being in the theater with an audience. At the beginning of the attack sequence where the helicopters are coming in low over the waves and the film cuts back and forth between the shots looking forward and back, as I found myself leaning forward in my seat, I heard off to my right in the theater, a scream of "Yeehaw!" as the first rockets were launched. My sister heard it too.
When Kilgore says "Any soldier brave enough to fight in this war can drink from my canteen any day!" and then walks away from the dying VC soldier as soon as he learns Lance Johnson is there, the scene gets a laugh from the audience, not because it's funny, but because of that dichotomy again, a moment of humanity amid the slaughter of war. It's a laugh of horror that the audience shares together, part of the experience of seeing it on the real "Big Screen." This is a film that was made for the biggest of screens, before home video even existed. If you ever get an opportunity to see it theatrically, don't think, just go.
The one mistake I think Coppola made with the re-releases was _not_ including the destruction of the Kurtz compound over the closing credits. I think it should absolutely be a part of the experience when you see it. At the time, when Apocalypse Now went into general release, with 35mm prints, and that coda sequence attached to the film, some critics apparently thought that Coppola was glorifying war and reducing it to just big explosions, and Coppola took those negative comments to heart and removed it from the Redux release of the film, just leaving the titles over black. Personally, I think it was the wrong choice. He followed his instincts to make the film the masterpiece it is, and should have stuck to his guns. Either way, though, it's a film that will last forever.
In 1981 I was working at Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood where they have snowfields in the Summer. Coppola’s Zeotrope Studios was making a TV movie called “World War III” with David Soul… they hired dozens of ski bums to be Soviet soldiers skiing over the North Pole, which they filmed from a helicopter.
.
After the shot the helicopter landed in the parking lot and the director jumped out and walked into the tail rotor. The next morning they flew a new director in and the production continued without missing a beat. And I had to hose down the parking lot, cleaning up the gore.
Omg how horrible. I always thought the twilight zone movie disaster had to be an unreal mess.
Jesus, was that one where it was Boris Sagal, the director, who also happened to be Katy Sagal's father? I remember hearing about that one.
@@antduude Yep
Been waiting a hot minute for this one, love this series man, keep them coming
Thank you for the work.
I love this movie, so thanks for making this. Well done man.
Definitely one of my favourite movies all time.
15:00 once you find out that Walter Sobchek from The Big Lebowski is heavily based on John Milius you can't unsee it.
25:50 And I'm convinced that *is* John Milius ; - )
what a wonderful video you have created, as a fan of Apocalypse Now.......you have done it justice and a great service to we fans.....Thank you so much, Paul in Florida
Absolutely fantastic, Tyler!
Eleanor coppolla`s hearts of darkness is every bit as enthralling as apocalypse now
Moreso, in many ways.
That was excellent. Well done.
I wore a cavalry trooper's hat with the crossed sabers (crossed over a tank) as an armored cavalry tank commander. The symbolism isn't lost on me.
RIP Larry. He was such an amazing man. Always to the point.
This is amazing work... Thanks for this passionating documentary !
I finally got around to watching Redux a couple of weeks ago & I had a different feeling at the end of the scene. I know exactly why they cut the child from it. That moment of humanity completely offsets the the canteen scene & changes Kilgore character too much.
Couldn't agree more. Like most of the clips stuffed back into Redux. It just wasn't worthy of a masterpiece.
I was living in the Philippines going to the very school they mentioned when this was being filmed and was an extra in the movie. I was in the background for the "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" scene and other shots as well, including the Playboy Bunny show.
I was too. I was at the Village 1 set when they did the “Charlie don’t surf” scene. Also the Playboy bunny scene. What gets me about this post is it is the only documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now that mentions us. Us ISM kids that acted as extras in this movie is a very interesting story by itself.
@@chrisdunning151 If this is your real name and you went to ISM, I might know you
@@kindune2112 that’s my name. I was ISM Class of ‘78. I was an extra in Apocalypse Now when I was 16. My brother Scott was there to and he was 14 (he made the final cut…. I did not). Over the years I have been involved in ISM reunions and have spoken to many alumni that were on set. Rob Roy, Sam Lubus, Brad Bloodworth, Walt Ottstott, etc. That was a defining moment in our lives…. Just like the “Thrilla in Manila”
@@kindune2112 hell yeah I remember you. We hung out quite a bit back in the day. You also were an extra in “The Boys in Company C”. Blew my mind when I got back to the states and saw that movie, and there you were…. You had a scene of your own. Hey, reach out to me on Messenger. I’d like to catch up.
@@chrisdunning151 Hey Chris. I did a google search for Messenger and it took me to FB, so I assume that's what you were talking about. I opened an account, found you and sent you a message. Today when I tried to sign in it said my account had been disabled for violating community guidelines. Not sure why. All I did was mention that I was in construction and retired and told you I had 2 kids. Maybe it's because I used to have a FB account and deleted it years ago. Any way, I did send you a message. Not sure you will still be able to see it, but it looks like you won't be able to reply.
Im a 81 year old combat veteran of the war. In my opinion this is the best most accurate description of the war.
Great! Keep these coming!
Interesting point about the Vietnam War having a California flavor. It certainly did from my point of view. At the exact time of the movie, I was a 20 year old youngster flying the F-8 Crusader (a single engine single seat fighter) from an aircraft carrier in the Tonkin Gulf. I flew 153 combat missions over North Vietnam and I was having the time of my life.
Nearly 100% of the guys out there in our Airwing and others as well as the ship's company members were stationed in California and many of us adopted that state as our home to one degree or another. I even had one of those hippy-style stick on flower decals next to my name on the side of the cockpit, much to the chagrin of my commanding officer. The Foo Manchu mustaches and slightly too long hair the junior officers sported added to the look as did the rather outlandish civilian clothing we wore when we went ashore.
I remember when the first East Coast carrier showed up; the USS Forrestal. It was full of inexperienced guys who's biggest challenge to date had been avoiding SDT's on their cruises to the Mediterranean. Sure enough, their lack of know-how got the best of them. They screwed up within the first few days and experienced a huge explosion and fire which killed a lot of men and nearly sunk the ship. They were sent packing back to the East coast never to be seen again. We West Coast warfighters, at least those in carrier aviation, may have had a California style but we knew what we were doing. We were more like Kilgore than Willard, that's for sure.
Great historical social context, thank you.
Love Robert Duvall, will never forget this scene.
Great episode!!
nice work man.. best analysis of the best scene... ever... Charlie don't Surf!
We can't thank u enough for making this series! Absolutely love it, pls keep doing amazing work
Hey man I just want to say you made an incredible series!!! Fantastic job🤘🏻🤘🏻
Absolute masterpiece
I always wondered what the local population and extras thought about this whole crazy production?
Probabaly thought, wow I can make some money.
$$$$$$$$$$$
The first 45 minutes of this film is movie genius.
I was in the Cav and got to wear one of those Stetsons. Every time I put it on I thought of that scene.
'Cav'.
'Cool'.
Wow, amazing overview of this film and your research is unparalleled. Thanks for all your efforts. Cheers, from Hawaii.
When I was in highschool at height of the Napster days I had the audio to Kilgore's speech as the intro to Mudvayne's song "Dig". Its forever ingrained in my memory, as soon he finishes up "someday this war is gonna end" boom the guitar/bass rips into Dig.
Always quality videos!
Damnit really good work . Really good work.
Everything I learn about this film makes me revere it more and more
This movie was insane, and so, so well done
I cannot imagine Steve McQueen as Captain Willard. Sheen IMHO wore Willard like a suit!!
Fascinating look!