Apocalypse Now Journey

y Apocalypse Now (1979)
The first time Captain Benjamin L. Willard is introduced in the film, he is shown as being high on drugs, drunk and in very bad shape. His face is filmed up side down, everything being reversed and wrong. The fan spinning around in the ceiling sounds like a helicopter from the war and he practices martial arts almost like he is fighting an imaginary enemy. This instantly gives the feeling that Willard is still mentally in the war – without really being there. Willard is throughout the film a very passive figure. He focuses on his mission and do not have an interest in anything else than finding colonel Kurtz. Through his travel, which is the majority of the film, Willard keeps to him self most of the time, reading and
researching everything about Kurtz. Willard’s mission is to kill Kurtz, but he finds himself doubting whether he wants to kill Kurtz – or more likely join him. Willard relates to Kurtz’ insanity in some ways, due to his own scars and lunacy coming from the war – and most of all he is fascinated by the bright and talented colonel who some how ends up loosing his mind and is close to unstoppable. The Playmates’ performance at the US airbase is a very important scene in the film. It is most likely the happiest and brightest moment through the journey for the five soldiers – but also to amusement for all the other soldiers gathered together at the airbase for the joyful entertainment that they do not get a lot of in Vietnam. The Playboy bunnies remind the soldiers of America and the American women waiting at home – like Willard says “The more they tried to make it just like home, the more they made everybody miss it.” It was tough for a lot of soldiers who had to depart from their families, wives or girlfriends at home, to go fight a war in another part of the world. The Playmates performance gives the soldiers optimism, because most of the time it probably felt hopeless being in the war, not knowing for how long and if you would ever come back. But the Bunnies’ show also creates chaos and the soldiers do not behave. They end up interrupting the show and the Playmates get attacked by hundreds of soldiers who just want to touch, look or talk to them. The Bunnies end up running back to the helicopter and they escape before finishing the show because of the turmoil. The whole scene is very surrealistic and stands out from the rest of the film.
It shows how putting thousands of men in a war, without any female contact, makes them crazy. The Bunnies remind the soldiers of home and what they are missing because of the war, and although the scene is happy and lights up the film, it is also very tragic because of the soldier’s despair and extreme reaction. The Nung River represents the journey Willard undergoes through the film. It is both a metaphorical and more factual journey. The further they go down the river to Cambodia, the longer they get from civilization. It gets more dark, foggy and frightening no one knows what is going to happen next. The title “Apocalypse Now” implies a sort of doomsday being near – and the crew comes nearer the end of it all when they sail down the river. Kurtz’ world at the river end, is like an underworld or hell where no one can leave. Kurtz being a God for the tribal people has created a world far away from the rest of humanity. The crew almost never leaves the boat, because it represents the darkness and the unknown. But in the end of the film Willard goes in to the water and comes up muddy and ready to kill Kurtz. Here the river stands for transformation and change. Like the saying; “You can not step in to the same river twice”, because it will not be the same
water and you will not be the same person. In the same symbolic way Willard goes in to the water as one man and comes up another. But although the river leads the crew, and mainly Willard, in to the darkness and danger, it ends up helping him escape and saves him. Willard escapes as the only survivor of the crew. He comes in to Kurtz’ world as an enemy and leaves like a God. Kurtz know that Willard is there to kill him and he does not really prevent it from happening. Willard accomplishes his so-called mission, but he has paid an enormous price. Willard’s mission “does not exist – nor will it ever exist”, which in some way makes it all insignificant. The film never shows if Willard returns to civilization – and if it is even possible for him to do so. It is his own choice, but he will, like the river implies, never return as the same person again.