We have all been moved by movies.....witnessed a cinematic experience so profound that something in our soul shifted. That's what films are supposed to do....move you....move you in such a way that there in an indelible mark on your being for years to come. A truly great piece of film will impact you emotionally when you happen to be strolling and hear part of the soundtrack playing or if someone whispers a line from your favorite character too close to you. You know this film. You know it as only you can know yourself....it changed you....shaped you....it revealed a part of humanity you did not knew existed.....and you find yourself in want of more....that is what cinema should do for us! For me, one of the first movies to do so was Apocalypse Now
I remember watching this cinematic spectacle the first time and actually wondering if I was tripping. It used angles I had never imagined powered by the most impressive acting I had ever experienced to form one of the masterpieces of the ages.
Apocalypse Now was released in 1979 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. When asked about this movie in an interview, Coppola replied:
My movie is not about Vietnam, my movie IS Vietnam.
A very bold statement that was backed by masterfully executed direction of a who's who of Hollywood greatness at the time. The movie is based upon the book "Heart of Darkness" by Conrad and has taken severe poetic license with the geography and technology from the book. On the surface, one sees a movie about one of the most controversial wars in US history and the writers and Coppola are able to explore this into the depths of all the tragedy and trauma that was prevalent during this dark period of US military history. We were not even close to our best as a nation at war during Vietnam and this movie does not shy away or flinch from this fact for even a second.
Once you face the horrific face of the movie and move deeper past the surface story of war you will experience some of the most perfectly crafted characters to ever grace the silver screen. An you will see the story of the human condition told as it has never been told before or since. With the film you experience the visceral reality of pain, of treachery, of just how thin the line between right and wrong, legal and lawful can become.....you experience all the darkness war has to offer and you come back with a true connection to these characters and a deep appreciation for the path they had to journey. You will fully embrace the juxtaposition of insanity and charity. A n all-encompassing lesson on doing the right thing in difficult, trying times becomes blurred to almost the point of no recognition and we find ourselves being left with the terrifying questions of what is right or wrong, can something be wrong in one situation and righteous in another? This movie moves you.....as all cinema should!
The artistic way the expressive tapestry of dialogue is woven throughout the various interactions with the characters are enthralling and few movies have given birth to so many noted and used quotes. Many of these phrases born in this film have entered into mainstream conciseness and have been emulated in film, media, and daily conversations for decades. This film has foundation and staying power. This movie moves you! The dialogue is so rich it become a thick canvas heavy laden with expression and depth. Wisdom drips from the language in a way that will be remembered for many years to come. The monologues are placed and shot in ways that convey the emotion, fears, hopes, and failures of the characters and give poignant structure and reference to the path they must walk.
If you haven't seen this....you MUST....it is a moral imperative and a right of passage for anyone who lays claim to the throne of a cinephile. You will not be disappointed ...for this film.....it moves you. It moves you in ways you will not comprehend and you will adore it for the experience.
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter, Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost -Tolkien
