Apocalypse now final scene analysis. Apocalypse Now: Symbols 2022-10-10

Apocalypse now final scene analysis Rating: 4,1/10 630 reviews

The final scene of Apocalypse Now is a powerful and thought-provoking conclusion to the film's exploration of the darkness and absurdity of the Vietnam War. In this scene, Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen) confronts the enigmatic and mad Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) in the jungle temple where Kurtz has established a cult-like following among the local tribes.

As Willard approaches Kurtz, he sees the bodies of Kurtz's victims hanging from the trees, a gruesome reminder of the colonel's descent into madness. Kurtz himself is in a state of physical and mental collapse, lying on a stone altar with a knife stuck in his chest.

Despite his own disillusionment and hatred for the war, Willard is unable to bring himself to execute Kurtz, as he has been ordered to do. Instead, he simply sits with Kurtz and listens to him speak about the horrors of war and the corrupting nature of power.

In this final confrontation, Kurtz delivers a monologue that encapsulates the film's themes of the destructive nature of war and the loss of humanity. He speaks of the "heart of darkness," a reference to the Joseph Conrad novel that inspired the film, and the evil that lies within all men.

"The horror," Kurtz says. "The horror." These final words are a haunting reminder of the atrocities committed during the war, and the loss of innocence and humanity that occurred as a result.

The final scene of Apocalypse Now is a powerful and poignant conclusion to the film, leaving audiences with a sense of despair and hopelessness, but also a sense of the enduring power of the human spirit. It is a scene that will stay with viewers long after the film has ended, as a poignant reminder of the cost of war and the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming darkness.

Apocalypse Now Chapter 9: Entertaining the Boys

apocalypse now final scene analysis

He has tweaked the film many times over the decades, both adding and subtracting considerable footage. Was My Lai the exception, or was it the norm? Close enough to blow their last breath in my face. . Rumors suggest he is gravely ill. The dramatic crosscutting between Willard killing Kurtz and the animal sacrifice highlights Coppola's depiction of the ethics and purpose of the Vietnam war. The final monologue is clear about this: Kurtz is a victim of the horror he has assimilated. Here already is the first indicator of the underlying theme of the story, as a kind of Mr.


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Apocalypse Now: the meaning of the movie and Kurtz's death

apocalypse now final scene analysis

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer, Pocket Books Enriched Classics, New York, 2004 Published by Mawr Gorshin I'm merging the variety of topics I've blogged about--which include literary and film analyses, anarchism, socialism, libertarian-leaning Marxism, narcissistic abuse, and psychoanalysis--into a coherent philosophy centred on dialectical materialism, dialectical monism, and object relations theory. In the end convincing him was a nice achievement: he was awarded with his first Oscar. A beginning realized with an aesthetic vision that anticipates the way war, horror, is depicted in the film. Kurtz, like a pagan king, tyrannizes hie people, idolized by the savages. As we have seen Kurtz's worshippers ceremonially slaughter a water buffalo, Willard similarly hacks Kurtz to death. The trees of the tropical forest, flourishing but dull, seen through the yellow steam of the human presence.

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Analysis of ‘Apocalypse Now’

apocalypse now final scene analysis

When Marlow and his crew arrive in Kurtz's camp, decorated with the severed heads of natives, it confirms the notion that the wayward ivory trader's methods have become unsound. The ending is ambiguous — has Willard escaped the cycle, knowing that if he takes Kurtz's place, another assassin will be sent for him? Punching his reflection: he must already have terrible guilt over what he did during that previous tour. Attitudes towards sex, violence, and adult themes loosened up, and the likes of Scorsese, Altman, Bogdanovich, Polanski and their contemporaries flourished creatively, making some of the greatest films of the era. Muffled noises reverberate in a closed space that probably is our own head. Rumors suggest he is gravely ill. The ending of Apocalypse Now concludes with Willard essentially leaving one hell for another; the hell of war for the hell of the tortured human psyche.

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Apocalypse Now Ending Explained: The Horror, The Horror

apocalypse now final scene analysis

For them, that side of human nature is inherently evil, as Robert Eisler claimed it to be, and expected their soldiers to fight against a brutal enemy with the dignity of men in peacetime. If a moral rule goes against the imperative of self-preservation, than it is a dishonest, perverse morality. And the movie was already way over budget. Vietnamese got murdered and maimed merely for defending themselves. Willard promises that if Phillips can get him close to the destination, he'll cut the crew loose and go on by himself. Notions of humans transforming into beasts— Werewolves, for instance—are as old as man-kind itself.

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Art of the Scene: Do Lung Bridge (Apocalypse Now)

apocalypse now final scene analysis

Later, Kurtz Finally, Willard—camouflaged as Kurtz was when he beheaded Chef—makes his way with a machete in the darkness to Kurtz. Notice how Lance grabs the newly acquired puppy as they get off the boat. Indeed, it was probably the most appropriate choice of the film. What mankind is capable of, and what the single human being is able to accept in front of the horror, as part of the horror itself. We know now that war still exists, and that the reason it exists is because the darkness within our own being is never-ending.

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Film Analysis: Apocalypse Now

apocalypse now final scene analysis

The crew now looks to their left to see desperate soldiers wading through the waters to get on the boat. He had only two ways home: death, or victory. But you have no right to call me a murderer. Throughout the movie, we see Willard refer to the river that leads to Kurtz as a power cable that plugs right into him, and the chaos and murder that they pass on the journey is a direct result of him. Dissolve to an extreme close-up of Willard's eye. Willard examines the most recent photo of Kurtz - which is a shot of him from behind, broad shoulders and bald head.

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plot explanation

apocalypse now final scene analysis

A beginning realized with an aesthetic vision that anticipates the way war, horror, is depicted in the film. Something primal, vicious, and atavistic has awakened within him that allows him to attack the helpless, unarmed Kurtz the way that a wolf might attack helpless prey, just as the villagers cleanly cut to pieces the helpless water-buffalo. If I had ten divisions of those men, then our troubles here would be over very quickly. A perfect example of this is how people would much rather see an action flick over any dialogue heavy story that doesn't include a fist fight or two. Now, one dialectical opposition is that between the erotic and the ascetic, so accordingly, my writing encompasses the sexual as well as the philosophical; the former can be found in my publications on the Literotica website, as well as my self-published erotic horror writing on Amazon. Clean keeps drumming, which is clearly annoying Willard, who complains to Phillips.

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The Final Scene: 'Apocalypse Now'

apocalypse now final scene analysis

Cut to a close-up of the neatly typed letter in Willard's hands in which Kurtz tells his son that he has been accused of murder. Moral duty has nothing to do with the death of the Colonel. Willard and Lance decide to get off at the outpost to get some intel and fuel. Here already is the first indicator of the underlying theme of the story, as a kind of Mr. Coppola details that the film was previewed with an ending that showed Kurtz's compound destroyed in a fiery inferno, a credit sequence rolling over the carnage. These psychedelic extracurricular activities ended up extending beyond the screenplay and onto Coppola's set.

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Apocalypse Now: All 4 Different Cuts Explained (& Which Is The Best)

apocalypse now final scene analysis

Willard then asks Roach if he knows who's in command here. Burnt-out special ops guy Captain Willard Martin Sheen is going insane in a Saigon hotel room before he gets offered a very special mission. He knows he has lost his way, he can feel it, his soul is powerless and dominated by Horror, yet his mind would like to move forward, proceeding in the mission he received. The madness of war is perfectly captured in this surreal, apocalyptic outpost as Willard searches for some form of authority in the Do Lung Bridge. The first saw Willard leave the compound in silence with Lance on their boat, as Kurtz's followers calmly throw down their weapons. A deadly trap from which you can escape only in the worst way. Any sort of practice is available.

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Inside the beauty of Apocalypse Now's opening sequence

apocalypse now final scene analysis

At first, the Cut to daylight. These were not monsters; these were men, trained cadres. This scene highlights how film is such a powerful form of art and expression. No one is making any sense, and there is clearly nobody in charge here. O, Lance is tripping on acid, clutching a puppy to his chest. One wonders whether it is the Captain or the animal inside who is worried, and why becoming weaker is something to be concerned about.

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