Review of Apocalypse Now (1979) by Huseyn B — 03 Oct 2012

American director Francis Ford Coppola has begun doing its superepopeyu about Vietnam almost a year after the end of the war in Indo-China, in March 1976, having received huge revenues from rentals of the two parts of "The Godfather." He was allowed to break the unofficial ban on "Vietnam's theme", gave military equipment and troops for crowd scenes, which were filmed in the Philippines. But fate would have it, shooting and editing the picture was delayed for three years (was spent an enormous sum for those times - $ 31.5 million, and now it would be $ 87 million.) As a result, Coppola beat a young and almost unknown Michael Cimino, who "The Deer Hunter", the first serious film about the Vietnam War, caused the Americans to a state of shock. He revealed the tragedy of America's sons sent her to hell on earth.

And in the film "Apocalypse Now", which was released only in 1979, the American public and critics were shocked, first of all, scale, scale, epic and the highest technical level. Director created a magnificent mural of the modern apocalypse on earth Indochina. All struck wonderful scene helicopter attack to the music "Flight of the Valkyries" from Wagner's opera of the Nibelungs (one of the first achievements and innovative use of sound recordings "Dolby Stereo" law was rewarded for "Oscar"). Was also considered an amazing work of Italian Vittorio Storaro operator, invited by Francis Ford Coppola after his success in the epic "Twentieth Century.".

But few American critics wanted to delve into the philosophical issues peculiar odyssey through the circles of hell. Parable Coppola, voluntarily reciting the motives of the novel "Heart of Darkness" singer "lost civilization" by Joseph Conrad, spoke not only about the horrors of the brutal massacre, but the battle between good and evil, reason and madness, the Devil and God in man, which is being tested cruelty , violence, and most importantly - unlimited power over other people. Many of the paintings seemed too dark, complicated, unclear for thought. Even after the main prize at Cannes director felt it necessary to make a concession to the expectations of the audience, who were disappointed by the extremely odd, from their point of view, the finale.

In the first version Captain Willard on his way throughout the narrative with a secret mission deep into the jungles of Cambodia to destroy gone mad Colonel Kurtz from the order of "Green Berets." And at the end of the film became a mute witness to how to "nouveau-deity", drowned himself in the blood tended to blind worship of the crowd. But in the final version of the hire, Francis Ford Coppola still extended the final, allowing justice to be served to those who came out of obedience, and imagines himself ruler. But the initial version was more accurate: he foresaw that at the time the tape on the screens of the world has already started to actually be "Khmer Rouge" Pol Pot in Cambodia, namely, renamed them in Cambodia. However, the absolute is that "Apocalypse Now" - a great cinematographic, which serves as one of the main points of reference for the authors, addresses the topic of Vietnam in general to the problems of war and power.

Interestingly, in 2001, Francis Ford Coppola returned to never let go of his material by mounting a full director's cut, which appeared scene seized in previous versions (in particular, the episodes on French plantations), after which the film even got a new epic breathing. Although it is still difficult to escape the feeling that absolutely endearing magnetic property appears only in those scenes where you just present on the screen, even in silence, the great actor Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz. It is significant that in a poll of the American Film Institute, conducted in 2007, "Apocalypse Now", which took the 30th place among the best films in the history of the United States, ahead of two other landmark films about the Vietnam War - and "The Deer Hunter" and " Platoon. ".