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Hey you persipitated a misnomer here when you said that when the movie was being made that no other studio wanted it and you listed a reason being that soldiers were being spat on and despite that scene in Rambo where Rambo says he was spit on by civilians apo returning from war that never acualy happend here in America there was never one instance of That happening.
You're the first analysis I've seen that touches on the fact, which Coppola himself couldn't comprehend. He sent a scathing letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld bitching about not getting support from the US military, because they wanted changes to the script, to that portrayed the militray in a better light. I understand Coppola wanted the movie he wanted and wasn't ablut to have the gov to interfere with that, but he couldn't understand the DoD's point of view. Hell, the fall of Siagon with the images of the helicopters evacuating people from the roof of the Embassy and the end of a war, where the soldiers who fought were being spit on when they came back home being called baby killers and all kinds of other shit. Had only occured 11mo prior to the start of production. So yeah, they were a bit touchy about lending a helping hand out to someone who they saw as legitimizing that narrative. A decade later he might have had more cooperation. Not less than a year after the end of a conflict that, could've and should've been won, without using nukes, had they not fought the war with one hand tied behind its back. It was a war fought by suits in boardrooms and not those in uniform on the battlefield. By the time we started using tactics that would have led to a win, the public had completely turned against it, even just to get out honorably, for the sake, that those who gave their lives fighting in the war, their deaths weren't in vain.
As a retired US soldier, this movie is an important movie that helped shape the attitudes of many current soldiers. Unfortunately, way too many don’t understand the message and instead take away a meaning of be more resilient than the opponent. It’s heartbreaking. Great breakdown. You’re a master at your craft. Well done. I told you I’d watch it tonight. 👍
@@james87367 I’m not that old. Retired recently. But have definitely come across archetypes from the movie. I myself fell into awful thinking for a time. It’s encouraged to dehumanize. It’s awful all the way around.
Ya exactly and not just this movie but every Nam film had alot to do with the all volunteer force post 911 vets I believe anyways. Someone asked in the comment here if anyone you met in the military was anything like any of the characters in Apocalypse Now? The answer=Everyone of them and more. I didn't ever pay attention to this aspect myself until I went in but you have to take into account there are people from every state in America including the islands like Guam, PR, hawaii, Jamaica etc That's why this movie is like watching an entirely different movie watching it before serving compared to post service especially if you served in combat. The entire plot becomes skewed down to Col Kurtz and his message and point. Before service you see him as the bad guy ofcourse and post service you think damn he was the one in the right all along haha Just one of many like that
I love your take, this movie is all about war, but it's more primal than that (although war is primal) its about man. It's about the person's heart, their nature, their darkness.
Sadly , most don’t understand us veterans that were placed in combat roles. Even many in the military that are in support roles don’t. Civilians don’t understand our mindset even when they say they do .
Coppola is playing himself...but he's also a documentarian -- or perhaps a journalist. His line, "Don't look at the camera! Just go by like you're fighting!" shows that the Vietnam War was, for him, a big news story for everyone back home. The war was a waste of time and men and materials.
@@jeffcarlin5866 That's true but to be fair, that news footage is part of what ended the war. For the first time American's saw the horrors of war on the news every night, and they really didn't have the stomach for it.
During my senior year in high school over 30 years ago, my English teacher had us read HEART OF DARKNESS and then we watched APOCALYPSE NOW and then we watched my copy of HEARTS OF DARKNESS to get a better understanding of the film. I then wrote a comparative essay on the film and its influences from Conrad's novella. Later on, in college, I took a film studies course and wrote another paper on APOCALYPSE NOW, comparing it to the tale of Odysseus and his journey of 10 years. I was happy to see the REDUX version in 2001 during a film festival held at Dartmouth College. Amazing movie, despite the fact that I consider it a war movie mixed with elements of noir, etc. Once again, great video!
I was 19 when this movie came out and seeing it at that age and then again in my 40’s and recently in my 60’s and it hits different each time. That is the mark of a true classic
8 месяцев назад+3
I’m 23 and I just watched it for the first time. And my mind doesn’t even know what to think.
I think the documentary series 'The World at War' is outstanding, pulls no punches and shows the true horrors of war. About WWII and narrated by Laurence Olivier, it should be a compulsory watch for anyone who thinks war is a good thing.
there’s a KILLER documentary on WW1 on netflix! i’ll have to pull it up to let you know the name of it but man that documentary showed me the atrocities of WW1 like i’d never known before. showed guys smiling and having a time with their buddies to transition to a still photo of that same man dead on the ground. what a stark and bleak documentary but man it’s good.
Yes, that plus the 2017 "The Vietnam war" documentary in 10 parts that was made by Ken Burns, is the definitive series on the effects of the war on those who fought it on both sides. It is narrated by Peter Coyote and it is rivetting.
26:46 I can actually answer that question for you in Vietnam, before the use of GPS in modern warfare, they commonly used different color, flares to signify where different units in the choppers should land commonly they use red, yellow, white and blue because of the contrast against the jungle. But some units would make their own specific flares for their unit. It was a simple way to not only cover the unit but discern location in case say a pilot was injured or lost in communication.
Ah hell yeah, they are my favorite types of documentaries. "Making of" books, movies, or show, are things I just can't get enough of. Especially a remarkable movie like "Apocalypse", that was created in complete chaos with Coppola as the de facto field marshall in charge of making sense of it all.
My older brother is a Vietnam veteran, was a brown water sailor in the Army. He will rarely watch this movie, but he said it is fairly accurate in mood and spirit
My cousin was a US Navy machinist mate on a large ammo ship for the BWN too. He had about 6 months in service in February 1969, the Vietnams shot his ammo ship with B-40 rockets and blew the ship sky high. 11 men died that day at a place called Bridge Ramp in Danang.
This breakdown made me sit down and watch this movie in full for the first time, and coming out of it, I had to come back and watch your breakdown again
watched this movie like a week ago and its stuck in my head.. sick picture, main character acting, the crazy photograph, "voodoo" jungle camp, the bridge where everything shines from flares and explosions, killgore and the waves, "this is the end", it was like an lisd trip into that dark part of humanity.. what an amazing movie
Not only are all of these breakdowns perfectly crafted and narrated, but it’s also great how you guys always give credit to the people that you pulled analysis and inspiration from. Fantastic as always, Heavy Spoilers!
As a soldier removed from the uniform, this movie really asks the questions that we all never bother to expound upon while we are in the throes of it all. I didn’t come to grips with the gravity of taking a life or watching it be taken until way after my time overseas. Ultimately war for me was about manufactured faith that I could get home with the people around me and that would be a feat in it of itself. That sentiment only takes you so far until you need to address the moral and ethical implications and how they match up with your beliefs which by the way haven’t been formed and if they are they are egoistic overall.
I find your comment very poignant about how your true life combat experience might relate to this movie. If I'm not touching a nerve, can you expand on what you mean?
@@notsocrates9529 i caaaan i'm a frog says pierre. and i'm wired and terrorized since i saw the vid: i have that RED harrington jacket on the back of a chair.... it is a sign that somwWAAAAAAH (kabooom ratttatatatat zing pioww AAAARGH #
@@robertmaybeth3434 Simply that he's a baby killer and has to figure out how to live with that. I don't pity soldiers. You chose that path, you knew what came with it. You deserve the baggage it comes with.
One of the best - if not the best - breakdown video you've ever done. Almost scholarly in its approach and treats its material with respect. Thank you for this, Paul.
I don't know why, but the scene at the bridge where a soldier loads an M79 and fires into the jungle gets me. Willard asks the soldier if he knows who is in charge. The guy looks at Willard and says, "Yeah," and walks away. Weird.
10:35 you know what, I heard that too, buy there are shots of him on scene, even here, and he’s clearly nowhere near even 290. 40:03 Considering Brando was only on set for four weeks, I doubt he lost over 100 lbs (45 kg). I think it’s a myth
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA HIMSELF SAID HE WAS FURIOUS BRANDO PUT ON 400 ILBS AND COZ OF THAT HE HAD TO SHOOT HIM IN DARKNESS, HE SAID NO ONE WHO LIVES IN VIETNAM FOR THAT LONG WOULD EVER PUT ON SO MUCH WEIGHT, THATS WHY HE WAS SO MAD AT BRANDO..
I came here for the ending explained and got so much more ! Very beautiful well put and edited. Thank you for this , I had no idea that there were other versions of this movie. You sir just made me love this movie even more !
I love that you took such a deep dive into a challenging movie. I don't have the same appreciation of Brando's presence, but this was a great way to revisit one of cinema's undisputed classics.
If asked what my favorite movie was, I'd probably say something else, but I know this is my real favorite. I used to have a copy and would put it on just for the DOors opening scene, and then I'd inevitable just end up watching the whole thing again. It's just near a perfect movie, or if not, perfectly enchanting and enthralling.
Brando was not alone in his dislike for Reynolds. And that group got only bigger after his behavior with Sally Fields was brought out into the public realm.
Excellent Paul! Thank you! Apocalypse Now is one of my favorites! I saw the wife’s documentary but the best was Not sure if you read/heard of Emilio Estavez and Martin Sheens book Along the way a Journey between father and son. It was great hearing Sheen’s side. Who was pretty wasted the whole shoot. He packed up his whole family to that shoot. Charlie and Emilio hung out with Fishbourne. Side note. Emilio and Charlie look just like Martin. But neither brother looks like each other. So weird! lol
Although he was injured badly once, my father completed 6 or 7 tours of Vietnam as an Army medic and handled each one as just another assignment. I remember when I was walking out of the theater, some GIs were coming out next to me and were discussing how unrealistic the film was. Vietnam War = hell on earth. That's what film directors want you to think--and maybe it was in some cases--but in most, it consisted of men (like my father) just doing their job.
*martin sheen as captain\O - 3 benjamin willard as a united states of america's military assassin was so into His character during filming that martin sheen suffered an almost fatal heart attack*
"I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. And the enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days. As I'm sure Elias will be, fighting with Barnes for what Rhah called possession of my soul. There are times since, I've felt like the child born of those two fathers. But, be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again, to teach to others what we know, and to try with what's left of our lives to find a goodness and a meaning to this life." I dunno who the projectionist was in '19 who felt this scene needed to be on the loudspeaker before the showing of the movie we came to watch but it kind of feels more important today than ever. Wicked
The book Xin Loi is a great one, and when a helicopter was shot down the crew would pull the pins of smoke grenades and hold them all the way down. Was a finale salute to their comrades, and also served a practical purpose of marking the crash
Paul. you put a lot of work into this video. I love you for your hard work. I am 54 years old. I know a lot about this movie and still you found stuff I never knew. Huge Fan.
This movie is a masterpiece and I come back to watch it every few months and each watch I’m not only blown away but pick up on tiny details I never noticed on previous watches. 10/10 this IS Vietnam
From the B-52 strike to the death of Kurtz you could argue the killing gets more and more personal. It begins with "Charlie don't see it or hear it" and it ends with Kurtz looking his killer in the face before he's hacked to death. It's also about truth and lies. There are lies everywhere, and they give off a stench. Kurtz hates them and asks Willard to set the records straight with his son. And quite possibly you could say the film is a loop with Willard reliving the events over and over again. Really wish they had kept the original end credit footage - it's spectacular and you see flickers of the same footage during the opening with Willard which reinforces the "loop" idea.
Re the words on the deck mounted machine gun here is a band called Canned Heat that were big around that era (On the Road Again, Amphetamine Annie etc etc) ...
*"Canned Heat"* is a 1965 Blues & Rock L.A. band known for their song "Going Up the Country" thought to be about evading the draft by leaving the country, the U.S.. Or, getting out of Vietnam as it was referred to as 'country'. Also, "Going Up the Country", going up the Mekong River in this case. Of course, "canned heat", bullets, firepower. Eric Burton's version of "We Gonna Get Out of This Place" was played on helicopters when going out on missions, not "Ride of the Valkyries" as made popular by Apocalypse Now. Yea, good you bought up PTSD Willis is suffering through which makes the movie a series of flashbacks. "Apocalypse Now" could be compared to "The Ninth Configuration" 1980 movie by William Peter Blatty based a book "Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane". In "The Ninth Configuration" a soldier with PTSD is treated by psychiatrists by allowing him to believe he is a doctor in a mental hospital. 'The Apocalypse Now' scene where the top brass (docters) ask if Kurtz who Willis identifies with is "crazy" is a ploy to reflect on himself. Could explain the pause Sheen gives. Willis is additionally addicted to drugs as portrayed, alcohol, weed, acid and opium (symbolized by the plantation lady, hence the dream state). Not a popular notion that 'Apocalypse Now' is about mental illness as it goes against the appeal of macho war movies. Unfortunately, the Vietnam conflict messed up those young kids who went out on patrols unprepared.
it only a problem of unsound methods, method to madness? apart for an 80s rock song i thing it doesn't make sene. This fucking Jimmy gives me fear far more than a Kurtz
@@paulshell1729 "Crying canned heat mama sure Lord killing me Takes alcorub to take canned heat blues" Tommy Johnson 1929 Extracting alcohol from Sterno "Canned Heat" cooking fuel. Sniffing alcorub (isopropyl rubbing alcohol) for the DTs. "The Language of the Blues: ALCORUB", Debra Devi, American Blues Scene "Canned Heat" for the group name.
This film has Haunted me for years, watched it so many times.From the Fabulous opening with the Helicopters Ghostly Sound to the Doors the End .To Martin Sheen's Personal Nervous Breakdown shot on Camera . This Film is an incredible Masterpiece into the Darkness of Man. !
I wrote my senior research paper for my war films class on this movie. I got a B+ on it for explaining it similarly to this. It was a movie about the madness of the mind and when war is added how war can make you go crazy essentially
Canned Heat was a music group that released a song called Going Up The Country in 1968. Now that I look into it more. Henry Thomas first sang Going Up The Country in 1928. So there you go. 😉
what I loved about the movie the most is, it almost of like a road trip movie.....how the boat is snaking around the river and stopping off at certain points, deboarding and adventure happening....and then they get back on and head back out again to the next destination.
Snuck into a Century theater (the old ones with the domes) when this first came out, I think I was 14. Mind blown, my favorite movie of all time. Note, Conrad is not light reading.
Amazing breakdown, Paul. Might be your best work yet, don’t know if it’s something you’re interested in doing but I would love either a breakdown for Collateral or the original Texas Chainsaw. Two of my favourite movies and would love to see them covered
This is my all time favourite movie I must of watched it 20+ times and the only regret I will ever have is that I won't be able to watch it again for the first time. Great video.
This film, and the godfather films. Hard to beat. Kubrick of course, some others come close, and of course there are a great many movies of a great many nature, but gosh, this film, and the godfather films, “beautiful pictures”.
I think this is an abstract painting, in which meanings are inferred, yet intuitively, passionately expressed. This, in contrast to old country, which was a more rendered, purposeful piece. Both, incredible works of art
That's BS. Anybody who posts that on a RUclips video. I hate it when someone wants to act like they seen and done so much they can't even watch movies now. Only about 5-7% seen some kind of action. Less than that have been in any close combat. But yet EVERYONE has PTSD! And use it as some excuse to be a a$$hole. Stop it
@@tyrant7583 I think you totally missed the point. I did suffer PTSD. 3 years later after coming home. And it hits without warning. For me it happened when I was lowering a flag to half mast, a simple thing like that to most, and it lasted for two years. I couldn't drive through a tunnel, I'd flinch from any van or truck that was passing me. I got my sister to run a red light once when she pulled up alongside a truck with a 'Dangerous Goods' sign on it because I thought it was a truck bomb. Thankfully I got over it because I did have support. I have never taken a dollar from anyone that I haven't earned. I was an Australian soldier and we pay our own way in spades. Generally without fear or favor...
@@gecko-sb1kp You have no reason to try and convince me. I could be a mentally ill racist incel who doesn't deserve your reply. The fact that you didn't get mad and throw insults probably means you know EXACTLY why I posted what I did. I've seen SO MANY fellow solders fake having been in action and having PTSD for all kinds of selfish reasons it's very disheartening. Most of the time it's their excuse of why they act like a mentally ill POS. Because that's what they are but instead of working hard on themselves to be better men they have a built in excuse. So they never have to get themselves squared away. And sometimes I see them online which is even more pathetic. But anyway thanks for the reply sharing your story with me. Nice to see a real one on this site. Stay strong.
@@tyrant7583 If you've wore the boot and been through full-on bastardization through recruit course those things fade with time. You remember all the guys that were with you and how you were all bashed into infantrymen. Bastardized and even victimized at times. It was sometimes nice to have a chat with the padre before lights out. But the one thing thing will never leave you is the smell. The sandbags, the gun grease, the smell of the military and yesterdays rations from your buddy on double staggered picquet in a gun pit. My reference to not watching war films anymore is because you quickly get over it. I think you know that as well as I now. Thank you for being and understanding ex-digger...
Personally, I think Kilgore was just an inspiration from other soldiers. From my experience, he’s the exact kind of guy you want leading things. There’s tons of guys out there just like him. It’s not about getting land, it’s that you’re in this position that you may not have been prepared for, but you have to adapt and do your job. No turning back now. So your new purpose is taking care of your men and trying to lift them up as much as possible, and make it seem like less of a war while they’re over there. The canteen to me just seems like him granting one last wish, treating that guy like he’s still alive while he is, but also knowing he’s a lost cause and there’s still work to be done
Literally just watched the movie for the first time before watching your breakdown, and damn you did your homework buddy! Great fucking movie and amazing breakdown. I love seeing the details i missed.
I just saw the movie for the first time and it was the Redux version. Despite how it was received, I personally loved it. I felt like I was on the boat myself experiencing a psychedelic descent into hell. Especially with the song The End by the Doors opening and closing the film, which alone gives a dark hallucinatory feel. I appreciated the slow drive and the length of the movie as it really makes you feel like your going mad with all the surroundings. I’m definitely going to check out the other versions.
Good breakdown. I have a few minor comments. 1. Willard is not "wearing a mud mask" or "muddied". He has painted his face in cam paint - just as Lance does and Kurtz when he kills Chef. You can definitely see that it is green in some bits. 'Camming up' before an op is standard battle procedure and it takes on a ritual aspect on its own. Like natives applying warpaint prior to an attack. 2. The 'drop the bomb' note relates directly back to Conrad's novella. Marlowe (the Willard of the book) grabs Kurtz's manuscript to take with him. On one page he sees that Kurtz has scrawled "exterminate the brutes". My take on that has always been that, at the end, Kurtz had given up. He couldn't stop the horrible events he set in motion. He's created a monster that needed to be put down.
There’s multiple Star Wars refs in the briefing scene aside from the simple fact that Harrison Ford is in it. The name tag on Harrison Ford’s uniform is G. Lucas The General says to him “Luke, play the tape” The General talks about “the dark side”
My personal theory of the opening and how it plays out structurally was that Willard’s fate was sealed. The mission isn’t his yet but the night before, as if by providence, all sights line up and point to one conclusion. A conclusion prescribed by the systems around him. Both personal and systemic. In short, it’s the moment the heart of darkness takes him. He’s marked.
It's a masterpiece. I like the longer than theatrical version. It explains it better and is truly more of an odyssey. You don't watch this movie, you survive it. I think he wanted Willard to live so he could explain him to Kurtz's son. He wanted his tribe destroyed rather then be leaderless.
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There's a saying we have in the military, embrace the suck.😂
In other words get used to it.
Hopefully you will do platoon next 👀
⛑️🪖
Hey you persipitated a misnomer here when you said that when the movie was being made that no other studio wanted it and you listed a reason being that soldiers were being spat on and despite that scene in Rambo where Rambo says he was spit on by civilians apo returning from war that never acualy happend here in America there was never one instance of That happening.
You're the first analysis I've seen that touches on the fact, which Coppola himself couldn't comprehend. He sent a scathing letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld bitching about not getting support from the US military, because they wanted changes to the script, to that portrayed the militray in a better light. I understand Coppola wanted the movie he wanted and wasn't ablut to have the gov to interfere with that, but he couldn't understand the DoD's point of view.
Hell, the fall of Siagon with the images of the helicopters evacuating people from the roof of the Embassy and the end of a war, where the soldiers who fought were being spit on when they came back home being called baby killers and all kinds of other shit. Had only occured 11mo prior to the start of production.
So yeah, they were a bit touchy about lending a helping hand out to someone who they saw as legitimizing that narrative. A decade later he might have had more cooperation. Not less than a year after the end of a conflict that, could've and should've been won, without using nukes, had they not fought the war with one hand tied behind its back. It was a war fought by suits in boardrooms and not those in uniform on the battlefield.
By the time we started using tactics that would have led to a win, the public had completely turned against it, even just to get out honorably, for the sake, that those who gave their lives fighting in the war, their deaths weren't in vain.
As a retired US soldier, this movie is an important movie that helped shape the attitudes of many current soldiers. Unfortunately, way too many don’t understand the message and instead take away a meaning of be more resilient than the opponent. It’s heartbreaking. Great breakdown. You’re a master at your craft. Well done. I told you I’d watch it tonight. 👍
Did you ever comes across any characters portrayed in the film in the military? Were they portrayed realistically?
@@james87367 I’m not that old. Retired recently. But have definitely come across archetypes from the movie. I myself fell into awful thinking for a time. It’s encouraged to dehumanize. It’s awful all the way around.
Ya exactly and not just this movie but every Nam film had alot to do with the all volunteer force post 911 vets I believe anyways. Someone asked in the comment here if anyone you met in the military was anything like any of the characters in Apocalypse Now? The answer=Everyone of them and more. I didn't ever pay attention to this aspect myself until I went in but you have to take into account there are people from every state in America including the islands like Guam, PR, hawaii, Jamaica etc That's why this movie is like watching an entirely different movie watching it before serving compared to post service especially if you served in combat. The entire plot becomes skewed down to Col Kurtz and his message and point. Before service you see him as the bad guy ofcourse and post service you think damn he was the one in the right all along haha Just one of many like that
I love your take, this movie is all about war, but it's more primal than that (although war is primal) its about man. It's about the person's heart, their nature, their darkness.
Sadly , most don’t understand us veterans that were placed in combat roles. Even many in the military that are in support roles don’t. Civilians don’t understand our mindset even when they say they do .
I really love that you snuck in Tropic Thunder in the array of 4 epic Vietnam War movies that followed this.
Lol, I seen that
As well as the recent King Kong
Tropic Thunder rocks
"You're Australian...be Australian."
Tropic Thunder is canon.
Coppola's cameo as a documentary filmmaker is one of the most important scenes or moments in understanding the film.
How so?
Coppola is playing himself...but he's also a documentarian -- or perhaps a journalist. His line, "Don't look at the camera! Just go by like you're fighting!" shows that the Vietnam War was, for him, a big news story for everyone back home. The war was a waste of time and men and materials.
@@jeffcarlin5866 That's true but to be fair, that news footage is part of what ended the war. For the first time American's saw the horrors of war on the news every night, and they really didn't have the stomach for it.
During my senior year in high school over 30 years ago, my English teacher had us read HEART OF DARKNESS and then we watched APOCALYPSE NOW and then we watched my copy of HEARTS OF DARKNESS to get a better understanding of the film. I then wrote a comparative essay on the film and its influences from Conrad's novella. Later on, in college, I took a film studies course and wrote another paper on APOCALYPSE NOW, comparing it to the tale of Odysseus and his journey of 10 years. I was happy to see the REDUX version in 2001 during a film festival held at Dartmouth College. Amazing movie, despite the fact that I consider it a war movie mixed with elements of noir, etc. Once again, great video!
This is my favorite movie ever I was also introduced to it through school
_"Elements of noir"_ - No. A close inspection of Humanity's FERMI FILTER.
@@tonyduncan9852 open the noir!
Why do you feel the need to put titles IN ALL CAPS? Were you dropped on your head as a kid?
I was 19 when this movie came out and seeing it at that age and then again in my 40’s and recently in my 60’s and it hits different each time. That is the mark of a true classic
I’m 23 and I just watched it for the first time. And my mind doesn’t even know what to think.
Same age lol and i don't know what to feel
Time and history, appreciate your comment.
I think the documentary series 'The World at War' is outstanding, pulls no punches and shows the true horrors of war. About WWII and narrated by Laurence Olivier, it should be a compulsory watch for anyone who thinks war is a good thing.
there’s a KILLER documentary on WW1 on netflix! i’ll have to pull it up to let you know the name of it but man that documentary showed me the atrocities of WW1 like i’d never known before. showed guys smiling and having a time with their buddies to transition to a still photo of that same man dead on the ground. what a stark and bleak documentary but man it’s good.
Yes, that plus the 2017 "The Vietnam war" documentary in 10 parts that was made by Ken Burns, is the definitive series on the effects of the war on those who fought it on both sides. It is narrated by Peter Coyote and it is rivetting.
Your right,the world at war was a fantastic series and should be compulsory silybis
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" will always be one of the most iconic lines ever said
Indeed it is
26:46 I can actually answer that question for you in Vietnam, before the use of GPS in modern warfare, they commonly used different color, flares to signify where different units in the choppers should land commonly they use red, yellow, white and blue because of the contrast against the jungle. But some units would make their own specific flares for their unit. It was a simple way to not only cover the unit but discern location in case say a pilot was injured or lost in communication.
Thanks so much, had no idea
The stories behind iconic films are almost as fascinating as the movie itself.
Ah hell yeah, they are my favorite types of documentaries. "Making of" books, movies, or show, are things I just can't get enough of. Especially a remarkable movie like "Apocalypse", that was created in complete chaos with Coppola as the de facto field marshall in charge of making sense of it all.
The joke from Hot Shots Part Deux is the funniest joke in any movie.
It’s my favorite kind of humor. I think maybe it’s because I look up to my dad so much, but father son comedy is great to me.😂
My older brother is a Vietnam veteran, was a brown water sailor in the Army. He will rarely watch this movie, but he said it is fairly accurate in mood and spirit
My cousin was a US Navy machinist mate on a large ammo ship for the BWN too. He had about 6 months in service in February 1969, the Vietnams shot his ammo ship with B-40 rockets and blew the ship sky high. 11 men died that day at a place called Bridge Ramp in Danang.
@@robertmaybeth3434RIP
My dad said nah
@@supme7558 nah he won't watch it or nah it's not accurate at all?
@richardbruton1224 Hopefully, it was, "Nah, I'm not fighting some rich man's war."
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you Paul for all the work it took to make these old-school breakdowns
Much appreciated mate thank you
@@heavyspoilersat 00:34, what is this set you're holding?
This breakdown made me sit down and watch this movie in full for the first time, and coming out of it, I had to come back and watch your breakdown again
Thanks so much
@@heavyspoilers can you do a breakdown of platoon as well, please
This is still probably my favourite movie, even after watching Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. It's that good.
watched this movie like a week ago and its stuck in my head.. sick picture, main character acting, the crazy photograph, "voodoo" jungle camp, the bridge where everything shines from flares and explosions, killgore and the waves, "this is the end", it was like an lisd trip into that dark part of humanity.. what an amazing movie
Brando's thoughts on Burt Reynolds is the absolute epitome of projection
Hardly
@@supme7558 oh thank christ... a nuanced, thoughtful observation. we can now close out this thread!
And Kubricks criticism of the movie
@@jdion79Shut up.
Not only are all of these breakdowns perfectly crafted and narrated, but it’s also great how you guys always give credit to the people that you pulled analysis and inspiration from. Fantastic as always, Heavy Spoilers!
Thank you
Lol they’re steering far far clear of hbomberguy’s sights! (as any honest creator should anyway)
Thanks
Incredible research and review. This is real journalism. Well done, mate.
Ey thank you
Thanks! Love this movie! Great breakdown!
Thank you so much mate, that’s so kind of you, really appreciate the super thanks
Big baller!!
As a soldier removed from the uniform, this movie really asks the questions that we all never bother to expound upon while we are in the throes of it all. I didn’t come to grips with the gravity of taking a life or watching it be taken until way after my time overseas. Ultimately war for me was about manufactured faith that I could get home with the people around me and that would be a feat in it of itself. That sentiment only takes you so far until you need to address the moral and ethical implications and how they match up with your beliefs which by the way haven’t been formed and if they are they are egoistic overall.
Like, maaaaan.
I find your comment very poignant about how your true life combat experience might relate to this movie. If I'm not touching a nerve, can you expand on what you mean?
@@notsocrates9529 i caaaan i'm a frog says pierre. and i'm wired and terrorized since i saw the vid: i have that RED harrington jacket on the back of a chair.... it is a sign that somwWAAAAAAH (kabooom ratttatatatat zing pioww AAAARGH
#
@@robertmaybeth3434 Simply that he's a baby killer and has to figure out how to live with that. I don't pity soldiers. You chose that path, you knew what came with it. You deserve the baggage it comes with.
One of the best - if not the best - breakdown video you've ever done. Almost scholarly in its approach and treats its material with respect. Thank you for this, Paul.
I don't know why, but the scene at the bridge where a soldier loads an M79 and fires into the jungle gets me. Willard asks the soldier if he knows who is in charge. The guy looks at Willard and says, "Yeah," and walks away. Weird.
The Roach is charge. He had just proved it.
He didn't ask who was in charge, just if he "knew" who was in charge!!!😁😁😁
@@Todd-z8d Thanks. I feel much better now.
Don't forget the first soldier he asks that same question and the guy panics and asks Willard "Aint you???"
Nobody was in charge there
They shot Brando in dark and shadow, not for creative reasons, but for the fact that he showed up for the shoot weighing 400 lbs.
He did not. He was only 395.
10:35 you know what, I heard that too, buy there are shots of him on scene, even here, and he’s clearly nowhere near even 290. 40:03 Considering Brando was only on set for four weeks, I doubt he lost over 100 lbs (45 kg). I think it’s a myth
Fat tuba music intensifies
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA HIMSELF SAID HE WAS FURIOUS BRANDO PUT ON 400 ILBS AND COZ OF THAT HE HAD TO SHOOT HIM IN DARKNESS, HE SAID NO ONE WHO LIVES IN VIETNAM FOR THAT LONG WOULD EVER PUT ON SO MUCH WEIGHT, THATS WHY HE WAS SO MAD AT BRANDO..
Brando was 5'9", no way in hell he was anywhere over 260
The deleted scene where doc ask kurtz soldier if he feels and he replies "i feel the recoil of my gun as it takes another mans life" is hard af
Do you mean when Willard was talking to Colby?
It's just cringy. It gives Nick Nolte in Tropic Thunder, a try hard trying waaaay too hard and pathetic little boys like you eating it right up.
@@MaryBeth94 huh?
Thanks!
Thank you so much mate. Really kind of you
I came here for the ending explained and got so much more ! Very beautiful well put and edited. Thank you for this , I had no idea that there were other versions of this movie. You sir just made me love this movie even more !
I love that you took such a deep dive into a challenging movie. I don't have the same appreciation of Brando's presence, but this was a great way to revisit one of cinema's undisputed classics.
If asked what my favorite movie was, I'd probably say something else, but I know this is my real favorite. I used to have a copy and would put it on just for the DOors opening scene, and then I'd inevitable just end up watching the whole thing again. It's just near a perfect movie, or if not, perfectly enchanting and enthralling.
Just now seeing this. Definitely one of my most favorite builds ever. Always enjoy the world-building. Aloha, brah. Keep up the good work!
Kilgore's last line during the beachparty scene sums up his character..."Charlie don't surf."
Best movie of all time. Thanks dad for showing me this film at an impressionable age
Brando was not alone in his dislike for Reynolds. And that group got only bigger after his behavior with Sally Fields was brought out into the public realm.
Excellent Paul! Thank you! Apocalypse Now is one of my favorites! I saw the wife’s documentary but the best was Not sure if you read/heard of Emilio Estavez and Martin Sheens book Along the way a Journey between father and son. It was great hearing Sheen’s side. Who was pretty wasted the whole shoot. He packed up his whole family to that shoot. Charlie and Emilio hung out with Fishbourne. Side note. Emilio and Charlie look just like Martin. But neither brother looks like each other. So weird! lol
Although he was injured badly once, my father completed 6 or 7 tours of Vietnam as an Army medic and handled each one as just another assignment. I remember when I was walking out of the theater, some GIs were coming out next to me and were discussing how unrealistic the film was. Vietnam War = hell on earth. That's what film directors want you to think--and maybe it was in some cases--but in most, it consisted of men (like my father) just doing their job.
*martin sheen as captain\O - 3 benjamin willard as a united states of america's military assassin was so into His character during filming that martin sheen suffered an almost fatal heart attack*
I love these breakdowns.
Apocalypse Now I’ve only seen once…that was enough.
The movie can be watched again and again. Loved that a stiry is told, but no one lectures us what to think.
"I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. And the enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days. As I'm sure Elias will be, fighting with Barnes for what Rhah called possession of my soul. There are times since, I've felt like the child born of those two fathers. But, be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again, to teach to others what we know, and to try with what's left of our lives to find a goodness and a meaning to this life." I dunno who the projectionist was in '19 who felt this scene needed to be on the loudspeaker before the showing of the movie we came to watch but it kind of feels more important today than ever. Wicked
The book Xin Loi is a great one, and when a helicopter was shot down the crew would pull the pins of smoke grenades and hold them all the way down. Was a finale salute to their comrades, and also served a practical purpose of marking the crash
Paul. you put a lot of work into this video. I love you for your hard work. I am 54 years old. I know a lot about this movie and still you found stuff I never knew. Huge Fan.
Nice work man,you did the film proud.
Don’t forget that Harrison Ford had a small part as the villain in frances Ford Coppola’s brilliant ‘the conversation’
This movie is a masterpiece and I come back to watch it every few months and each watch I’m not only blown away but pick up on tiny details I never noticed on previous watches. 10/10 this IS Vietnam
From the B-52 strike to the death of Kurtz you could argue the killing gets more and more personal. It begins with "Charlie don't see it or hear it" and it ends with Kurtz looking his killer in the face before he's hacked to death. It's also about truth and lies. There are lies everywhere, and they give off a stench. Kurtz hates them and asks Willard to set the records straight with his son. And quite possibly you could say the film is a loop with Willard reliving the events over and over again. Really wish they had kept the original end credit footage - it's spectacular and you see flickers of the same footage during the opening with Willard which reinforces the "loop" idea.
Re the words on the deck mounted machine gun here is a band called Canned Heat that were big around that era (On the Road Again, Amphetamine Annie etc etc) ...
*"Canned Heat"* is a 1965 Blues & Rock L.A. band known for their song "Going Up the Country" thought to be about evading the draft by leaving the country, the U.S.. Or, getting out of Vietnam as it was referred to as 'country'. Also, "Going Up the Country", going up the Mekong River in this case.
Of course, "canned heat", bullets, firepower.
Eric Burton's version of "We Gonna Get Out of This Place" was played on helicopters when going out on missions, not "Ride of the Valkyries" as made popular by Apocalypse Now.
Yea, good you bought up PTSD Willis is suffering through which makes the movie a series of flashbacks.
"Apocalypse Now" could be compared to "The Ninth Configuration" 1980 movie by William Peter Blatty based a book "Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane". In "The Ninth Configuration" a soldier with PTSD is treated by psychiatrists by allowing him to believe he is a doctor in a mental hospital. 'The Apocalypse Now' scene where the top brass (docters) ask if Kurtz who Willis identifies with is "crazy" is a ploy to reflect on himself. Could explain the pause Sheen gives.
Willis is additionally addicted to drugs as portrayed, alcohol, weed, acid and opium (symbolized by the plantation lady, hence the dream state).
Not a popular notion that 'Apocalypse Now' is about mental illness as it goes against the appeal of macho war movies. Unfortunately, the Vietnam conflict messed up those young kids who went out on patrols unprepared.
it only a problem of unsound methods, method to madness? apart for an 80s rock song i thing it doesn't make sene. This fucking Jimmy gives me fear far more than a Kurtz
Canned Heat=sterno...
@@paulshell1729
"Crying canned heat mama sure
Lord killing me
Takes alcorub to take canned heat blues"
Tommy Johnson 1929
Extracting alcohol from Sterno "Canned Heat" cooking fuel. Sniffing alcorub (isopropyl rubbing alcohol) for the DTs.
"The Language of the Blues: ALCORUB", Debra Devi, American Blues Scene
"Canned Heat" for the group name.
This film has Haunted me for years, watched it so many times.From the Fabulous opening with the Helicopters Ghostly Sound to the Doors the End .To Martin Sheen's Personal Nervous Breakdown shot on Camera . This Film is an incredible Masterpiece into the Darkness of Man. !
I wrote my senior research paper for my war films class on this movie. I got a B+ on it for explaining it similarly to this. It was a movie about the madness of the mind and when war is added how war can make you go crazy essentially
Told my kids that I came home but my brain is still fighting a war. It changes you regardless of personally seeing it or not.
Another amazing video, one of the greatest films of all time!
Canned Heat was a music group that released a song called Going Up The Country in 1968.
Now that I look into it more. Henry Thomas first sang Going Up The Country in 1928. So there you go. 😉
what I loved about the movie the most is, it almost of like a road trip movie.....how the boat is snaking around the river and stopping off at certain points, deboarding and adventure happening....and then they get back on and head back out again to the next destination.
Snuck into a Century theater (the old ones with the domes) when this first came out, I think I was 14. Mind blown, my favorite movie of all time. Note, Conrad is not light reading.
9:55 I'm gobsmacked that it was even wrapped up in the end I considering!
Amazing breakdown, Paul. Might be your best work yet, don’t know if it’s something you’re interested in doing but I would love either a breakdown for Collateral or the original Texas Chainsaw. Two of my favourite movies and would love to see them covered
This is my all time favourite movie I must of watched it 20+ times and the only regret I will ever have is that I won't be able to watch it again for the first time. Great video.
I've already watched the redux version like 11 times in a row now
I saw the 40th anniversary in IMAX theatre.. Just brilliant.
I like pizza
Was it the original theatrical version or final cut?
@@laurendaley8347 Final Cut
The Dont Get Off the Boat line was a metaphor of dont become insane, "unless you go all the way"
Huge thank you for this break down!! 👍🏾👍🏾
This film, and the godfather films. Hard to beat. Kubrick of course, some others come close, and of course there are a great many movies of a great many nature, but gosh, this film, and the godfather films, “beautiful pictures”.
Finally watched this last week!
As soon as I heard Jim I was hooked.
Fantastic film. Lil let down by Brando’s silhouette.
Great breakdown!
"Canned Heat" is more likely a reference to a rock-folk-blues band that had a couple of minor hits and played at Woodstock.
You forgot 1:
He turns down mission-no cigarette. He accepts mission-takes the cigarette.
Amaxing movie and imo best song to movie combo the doors THE END at the beginning of movie is PERFECT
Cinimatyler has nuts breakdowns on every shot. This is great 👍
I think this is an abstract painting, in which meanings are inferred, yet intuitively, passionately expressed. This, in contrast to old country, which was a more rendered, purposeful piece. Both, incredible works of art
This one of the very few movies that takes me like 30min to snap out of when it's over. Great movie
Well done as always!
An excellent analysis. Executed without extreme prejudice.
It took me 16 years to watch this. Then I joined the infantry were I served for 12 years. I have never watched a war movie again...
Not quite the same huh, ruins war movies
That's BS. Anybody who posts that on a RUclips video. I hate it when someone wants to act like they seen and done so much they can't even watch movies now. Only about 5-7% seen some kind of action. Less than that have been in any close combat. But yet EVERYONE has PTSD! And use it as some excuse to be a a$$hole. Stop it
@@tyrant7583 I think you totally missed the point. I did suffer PTSD. 3 years later after coming home. And it hits without warning. For me it happened when I was lowering a flag to half mast, a simple thing like that to most, and it lasted for two years. I couldn't drive through a tunnel, I'd flinch from any van or truck that was passing me. I got my sister to run a red light once when she pulled up alongside a truck with a 'Dangerous Goods' sign on it because I thought it was a truck bomb. Thankfully I got over it because I did have support.
I have never taken a dollar from anyone that I haven't earned. I was an Australian soldier and we pay our own way in spades. Generally without fear or favor...
@@gecko-sb1kp You have no reason to try and convince me. I could be a mentally ill racist incel who doesn't deserve your reply. The fact that you didn't get mad and throw insults probably means you know EXACTLY why I posted what I did. I've seen SO MANY fellow solders fake having been in action and having PTSD for all kinds of selfish reasons it's very disheartening. Most of the time it's their excuse of why they act like a mentally ill POS. Because that's what they are but instead of working hard on themselves to be better men they have a built in excuse. So they never have to get themselves squared away. And sometimes I see them online which is even more pathetic.
But anyway thanks for the reply sharing your story with me. Nice to see a real one on this site. Stay strong.
@@tyrant7583 If you've wore the boot and been through full-on bastardization through recruit course those things fade with time. You remember all the guys that were with you and how you were all bashed into infantrymen. Bastardized and even victimized at times. It was sometimes nice to have a chat with the padre before lights out. But the one thing thing will never leave you is the smell. The sandbags, the gun grease, the smell of the military and yesterdays rations from your buddy on double staggered picquet in a gun pit.
My reference to not watching war films anymore is because you quickly get over it. I think you know that as well as I now.
Thank you for being and understanding ex-digger...
Canned Heat is the name of an amazing band that formed in LA in 1965.
I’ve been putting off watching this movie forever, gonna try and get through it
this weekend
Amazing breakdown Paul, one of your best videos yet!
Lad, I have watched this a couple of times, epic job by you & the Team 👏
Personally, I think Kilgore was just an inspiration from other soldiers. From my experience, he’s the exact kind of guy you want leading things. There’s tons of guys out there just like him. It’s not about getting land, it’s that you’re in this position that you may not have been prepared for, but you have to adapt and do your job. No turning back now. So your new purpose is taking care of your men and trying to lift them up as much as possible, and make it seem like less of a war while they’re over there. The canteen to me just seems like him granting one last wish, treating that guy like he’s still alive while he is, but also knowing he’s a lost cause and there’s still work to be done
Nice, thorough, interesting analysis. My All Time favorite movie! Seen it 100 times, still cool to hear another's interpretation 👍.
Thank you for doing a video on my favorite film. Nice job on the video too
Literally just watched the movie for the first time before watching your breakdown, and damn you did your homework buddy! Great fucking movie and amazing breakdown. I love seeing the details i missed.
Ey hope you enjoyed it mate, such a good film
I just saw the movie for the first time and it was the Redux version. Despite how it was received, I personally loved it. I felt like I was on the boat myself experiencing a psychedelic descent into hell. Especially with the song The End by the Doors opening and closing the film, which alone gives a dark hallucinatory feel. I appreciated the slow drive and the length of the movie as it really makes you feel like your going mad with all the surroundings. I’m definitely going to check out the other versions.
The redux version is my favorite movie of all time. I've seen it so many times. Love it.
Thanks for another awesome classic movie breakdown.
Good breakdown. I have a few minor comments. 1. Willard is not "wearing a mud mask" or "muddied". He has painted his face in cam paint - just as Lance does and Kurtz when he kills Chef. You can definitely see that it is green in some bits. 'Camming up' before an op is standard battle procedure and it takes on a ritual aspect on its own. Like natives applying warpaint prior to an attack. 2. The 'drop the bomb' note relates directly back to Conrad's novella. Marlowe (the Willard of the book) grabs Kurtz's manuscript to take with him. On one page he sees that Kurtz has scrawled "exterminate the brutes". My take on that has always been that, at the end, Kurtz had given up. He couldn't stop the horrible events he set in motion. He's created a monster that needed to be put down.
Excellent breakdown! Thanks!
Amazing video, thank you!
Big fan of your channel. Much love
thank you
We love you Paul!
This was absolutely a master class in reviewing
Magnificent. Very profound and entirely well presented.
thank you for all that you do, seriously
Burt Reynolds’s Brando impression was amazing
love your work, perfect balance
Many Sith undertones Lucas clearly used for Start Wars
There’s multiple Star Wars refs in the briefing scene aside from the simple fact that Harrison Ford is in it.
The name tag on Harrison Ford’s uniform is G. Lucas
The General says to him “Luke, play the tape”
The General talks about “the dark side”
Brilliant Brilliant review amazing job Mr 👏
That was brilliant.
Thank you.
My personal theory of the opening and how it plays out structurally was that Willard’s fate was sealed. The mission isn’t his yet but the night before, as if by providence, all sights line up and point to one conclusion. A conclusion prescribed by the systems around him. Both personal and systemic. In short, it’s the moment the heart of darkness takes him. He’s marked.
great job love the details
It's a masterpiece. I like the longer than theatrical version. It explains it better and is truly more of an odyssey. You don't watch this movie, you survive it. I think he wanted Willard to live so he could explain him to Kurtz's son. He wanted his tribe destroyed rather then be leaderless.