Apocalypse now
Coppola's masterpiece is as much a mediation on America circa 1968, as it is an examination of the Vietnam war. The narrative follows Captain Willard after he is tasked with liquidating Colonel Kurtz, an American Green Beret officer who has gone rogue and organized his own army of Montagnard tr...
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| Other Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Language: | English |
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United States,
Omni-Zoetrope,
1979.
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| Summary: | Coppola's masterpiece is as much a mediation on America circa 1968, as it is an examination of the Vietnam war. The narrative follows Captain Willard after he is tasked with liquidating Colonel Kurtz, an American Green Beret officer who has gone rogue and organized his own army of Montagnard tribesmen in the highlands of Cambodia. Kurtz believes that the selective use of terror is the only way the war against the Viet Cong can succeed. Beheadings, crucifixion, nothing is outside of Kurtz's strategy for success. When Captain Willard arrives at Kurtz's headquarters he is given a tour by a drug addled photo journalist (Dennis Hopper) who believes that Kurtz is an American savior, a genius who will lead them all to salvation. By the time Willard completes his mission, his crew members have spiraled into a state of drug induced chaos and it is unclear if the survivors will be able to navigate their way back to civilization. Loosely based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Coppola's film is a journey into the insanity and mayhem of the war that splintered the social fabric of the United States in the 1960's and 1970's, a conflict that killed 58,000 Americans and more than one million Vietnamese. |
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| Item Description: | Harvard Film Archive anamorphic print in acceptable condition, somewhat faded and scratched, HFA Item no. 8676; from the Coolidge Corner Theatre Collection. |
| Physical Description: | 9 third generation positive reels of a of a motion picture film, approximately (139 mins.) 12,600 feet: sound, color, triacetate; 35 mm HFA Item no: 8676. |
| Playing Time: | 13:9 :mi |
| Format: | Wide screen (1.78:1) HFA Item no. 8676. |
| Production Credits: | Produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola; written by Michael Herr, John Milius, and Mr. Coppola; cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro; edited by Richard Marks; music by Carmine Coppola; art designer, Angelo Graham. |