Apocalypse Now (1979)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

John Milius (screenplay) and
Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Horror. . . The Horror. . .

Plot:

During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Colonel | Jungle | Army | Boat | Vietnam

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Colonel Walter E. Kurtz
Martin Sheen	...	Captain Benjamin L. Willard
Robert Duvall	...	Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore
Frederic Forrest	...	Jay 'Chef' Hicks
Sam Bottoms	...	Lance B. Johnson
Laurence Fishburne	...	Tyrone 'Clean' Miller (as Larry Fishburne)
Albert Hall	...	Chief Phillips
Harrison Ford	...	Colonel Lucas
Dennis Hopper	...	Photojournalist
G.D. Spradlin	...	General Corman
Jerry Ziesmer	...	Jerry, Civilian
Scott Glenn	...	Lieutenant Richard M. Colby
Bo Byers	...	MP Sergeant #1
James Keane	...	Kilgore's Gunner
Kerry Rossall	...	Mike from San Diego

Also Known As:

Apocalypse Now Redux (International: English title) (longer version)
Apocalipsis now (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
юОНЙЮКХОЯХЯ яЕЦНДМЪ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
Apocalipsis ahora (Venezuela) [es]
Apocalipsis now redux (Argentina) (longer version) [es]
Apocalypse (Sweden) [sv]
Apocalypse Now (Brazil) [pt]
Apocalypse Now (Uruguay) [es]
Apocalypse Now (France) [fr]
Apocalypse Now Re-Editada (Uruguay) (longer version) [es]
Apokalipsa danas (Serbia) (alternative transliteration) [sr]
Apokalipsa sada (Serbia) [sr]
Apokalipszis most (Hungary) [hu]
Apokalypsa (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Apokalypsi tora! (Greece) [el]
C'est l'apocalypse (Canada: French title) [fr]
Czas apokalipsy (Poland) [pl]
Czas apokalipsy - Powrót (Poland) (longer version) [pl]
Dommedag nu (Denmark) [da]
Ilmestyskirja. Nyt. (Finland) [fi]
Jigoku no mokushiroku (Japan) [ja]
Kiyamet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content and some drug use. (2001 director's cut)

Runtime:

153 min | 202 min (Redux version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Vietnamese | Khmer

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (Redux version) | Dolby (35 mm prints) | DTS (Redux version)

Certification:

USA:R (certificate no. 25751) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (Redux version) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) (Redux version) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (re-rating) (1992) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (Redux version) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | Hungary:16 | Italy:T (re-rating) (Redux version) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 (original version) | Brazil:16 (Redux version) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 (Redux version) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) (Redux version) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 (Redux version) | Norway:15 (Redux version) | Norway:18 (original rating) | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 (Redux version) | Singapore:M18 (Redux version) (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (Redux version) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 (Redux version) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1985) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company:

Zoetrope Studios

Trivia:

Military sets for the movie were nearly destroyed by a hurricane during filming. Instead of breaking them down and starting over, the partially-destroyed sets were used to create new scenes in the movie (including the scene in "Redux" where the playmates are stranded at the deserted military base).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Cpt. Willard is approaching Colby, (the American soldier who was sent to kill Kurtz, but joined him instead) several of the women and children surrounding Colby look directly at the camera.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Willard: [voiceover] Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle.
Willard: When I was home after my first tour, it was worse. I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was home after my first tour, it was worse.
[grabs at flying insect]
Willard: I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife, until I said "yes" to a divorce. When I was here, I wanted to be there; when I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle. I'm here a week now... waiting for a mission... getting softer. Every minute I stay in this room, I get weaker, and every minute Charlie squats in the bush, he gets stronger. Each time I looked around the walls moved in a little tighter.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980)

Soundtrack:

Surfin' Safari

derserving of it's status as one of the all time greatest films

i have lost count as to how many times i have watched this movie. i've never grown tired of it since this is a movie that can be enjoyed and interpreted on so many levels. they just don't make movies like this anymore.

after recently finally watching the riveting documentary on the making of this film (Hearts of Darkness:a filmmakers journey into madness), i'm even more amazed that this film even got finished, yet alone turn out so great.

the fact that they actually filmed this movie in the jungles of the Phillipines is the film's greatest asset. you actually FEEL like your in Vietnam.

all of the actors are fantastic with my favorites still being Robert Duvall ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning!!") martin sheen, and the great Marlon Brando.

a lot of people complain that the film gets too murky, weird and cerebral near the end. well, remeber what Coppolla said about this movie, "This film is not about vietnam, it IS vietnam!" what he means is that this film is about MADNESS and not the war.

this movie is based on the short story "Heart of darkness" by Joseph Conrad and is set against the vietnam war instead of the civil war as in the book. i think that was a brilliant combination in my opinion.

this is perfect, challenging film that is dark, violent, humorous at times and well done in every single possible way.

a true classic

rating:10