Make Friends with Horror and Terror: Apocalypse Now

Author(s): Saul Steier

Source: Social Text, No. 3 (Autumn, 1980), pp. 114-122
Published by: Duke University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/466347 .
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and Terror:
MakeFriendsWithHorror
ApocalypseNow

Apocalypse Now is the latestof a seriesof filmsreleased duringthe last threeyears

which tryto confrontthe mostimportantrecenteventin Americanhistory:the War in
Vietnam. The motionpictureindustry'sresponseto thiswar has been unique. Withthe
exceptionof JohnWayne's The GreenBerets,not a single"Hollywood" filmwas made
about it duringthe timeitwas actuallytakingplace or even duringthefirstyearsafterits
termination.Since 1977, however,a timeof relativepeace, it seems as ifHollywoodis
obsessed withthatwarwhichit so blatantlyignoredwhentheissuesgeneratedbyitwere
more immediate.RollingThunder,TheBoys in CompanyC, Go TelltheSpartans,Who'll
FrancisFordCoppola's
Stop theRain, ComingHome, TheDeer Hunterand now,finally,
Apocalypse Now.
Coppola's filmsis interestingpreciselybecause it consciouslyattemptsto be the
definitivefilmabout thewar in all itsconfusion,about itsmadness,itsconsequencesfor
those who were involved,and about thepoliticaland moraldilemmasand contradictions
thereis to sayabout the
whichit forcedintotheopen. It tries,in short,to say everything
war, to leave nothingleftunsaid, nothingleftto say. It wantsto impress,as thougha
and
decorumexistedin thechoiceofthesubjectwhichnecessitatedgrandeuroftreatment
style.
The filmis a blockbuster,a monumental,
magnumopus. The filmsituatesitselfand the
viewerin thetraditionof thegreatHollywoodepics of thepast. One can almosthearthe
classic public relationspatterbehindit. "Three yearsin the making,a budgetof thirty
million dollars, a cast of thousands,filmedon location in exotic settings,superstars,
the
violence,passion,etc." Coppola is playingwiththeseexpectations.Everything-from
scrawledon the wall of a Cambodian
title of the film(whichturnsout to be a graffiti
ofthe60s) to theuse ofJosephConrad's
temple-like "peace now" in TV representations
to
Heartof Darknessas thebasis forthescreenplay,to thelackofcreditsat thebeginning,
the closed set and absolute secrecyin whichthe filmwas made-was partof a carefully
orchestratedprocessto preparetheviewerfora "serious"filmratherthanan entertaining
one.
of
The filmwas anticipatedas a majorculturalevent.Thereweremanypostponements
projected opening dates, as if Coppola were deliberatelytryingto frustratethese
anticipationsand build them up at the same time. Everyonewas anxiouslyawaiting
Coppola's "pictureon the war" and when he finallydid show it at the Cannes Film
Festival,he appeared withtwodifferent
endings,publiclyshowinghimselfas a "thinking"
of thefilmand its
director,unable to decide whichof thembestembodiedtheprofundity
of
Live
crew
on
the
"seriousness"
of the
SaturdayNight
astutelypickedup
subject (the
project and did a sketchsatirizingitsphilosophicalpretensions).The potentialaudience
was beingmanipulatedand toldthecontextinwhichthefilmwouldhavetobe viewedlong
beforetheygot a chance to see itthemselves.Theywerebeingmade hungryforthefilm,
114

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ApocalypseNow-Horrorand Terror

115

Coppola's Vietnamfilm,and by extensionthe war whichthatfilmdepicts.This

ormanipulation
norisitlimited
tothecontext
ofthefilm.It
isnotaccidental,
conditioning
film
from
almost
ofnapalm
the
itself
the
sensuous
and
painterly
representation
permeates
musicwhichmakesthe
and end of thefilmto themutedelectronic
at the beginning
of thosehelicopters
helicoptergunshipsseem like livingcreaturesto the treatment
ofmodernwarfare
as erotic.
themselves
and thetechnology
For,thoughCoppolabelievesandwishesus to believethathe hasmadea filmwhich
takesno moralstance,one thatshowsthesimplefactthata warlikethatin Vietnam
in itand renders
of anyonewhoparticipates
thempartially
destroysthemoralsecurity
if
in
a
film
is
to
has
whose
blame
not
he
fact
made
essential
mad,
evil,
everyone
position
and
ofVietnam.
He subsumes
noone forthehorrors
thewarundera bizarre
andtherefore
in
a
the
of
the
all
of
us
and
tacit
accusation
that
to
universality "primitive"
nostalgic
appeal
has theconsequence
ofsappingthewillnecessary
to
a hypocritical
pretenseat morality
a willwithout
whichwe canneverhopetowina war.
activatetheprimitive,
ofa quest,a form
ofthesearchfororigins
usedas a metaphor
The filmtakestheform
invertsit by pushingthe centralcharacter(and
and self-knowledge,
and seemingly
andtheunknown.
InConrad's
theviewer)deeperanddeeperintoconfusion
theoretically
sea captainwithno interesting
HeartofDarkness,a restless
job prospects
signson foran
in
in
a
an
the
of
river
steamer
unnamed
international
as
country
captain
corporation
inland
to
it
to
the
extracts
and
uses
the
boat
coast.
Africa.The corporation
ivory
transport
andcultureto theheathenAfricans
as
thecorporation
bringscivilization
Theoretically,
for
arrives
to
of
the
the
material
Marlowe
find
theirpart
exchange
pillagetheyperpetrate.
andthatitwillbe months
beforehe cangetit
outthatthesteameris upriver,
inoperable,
hebeginstohearstories
aboutoneKurtz,theagentofthe
repaired.As soonas hearrives
thananyoftheothers,
a mysterious
manwhoelicits
centralstation,
moreefficient
jealousy
thembythemerefactofhisexistence.
fromall theotherwhites,whoseemsto threaten
withthecorporation.
totakeovera topposition
Kurtz,theyall believe,isbeinggroomed
Marlowdecidesto journeyup theriverintothe"HeartofDarkness."He feelshimself
withhisfellow
tothemysterious
moreandmoreattracted
Kurtz,lessandlessinsympathy
whichhebrought
with
whichallthecategories
during
Europeansandsetsoffona journey
withtheencroaching
himfromEuropearethreatened
byhisencounter
jungle.He arrives
nativetribes.
hefinds
Aroundthestation
atKurtz'sstationinthemidstofa battlebetween
ontopofwhicharetheheadsofdeadnatives.
Inside,Kurtzis
spearsplantedintheground
He is brought
aboardtheshipwherehe soondies,hislast
foundneardeath,himself.
anattempt
him
thehorror,"
togivevoicetowhatthejunglehastaught
words,"thehorror,
and itself.
abouthimself
a CIA officer,
a professional
assassininSaigon
In thefilm,
MarlowebecomesWillard,
is theU.S. Army,and Kurtz,whokeepshis
waiting"fora mission."The Corporation
whogaveupa chance
name,is a GreenBeretcolonelintheArmy,a WestPointgraduate
to becomea generalandwhohasled a renegadearmyovertheborderintoCambodia.
of theArmyfora unilateral
hierarchy
by the administrative
Havingbeen criticized
decision to executesome double agents,Kurtzhas decidedto puthimselfbeyondthelaw
of theArmy.His resultsare quite successfulbutthebrassis embarrassedbyhismethods
and Willardis broughtinto "terminate"Kurtz'scommand.ApocalypseNow is thestoryof
Willard'sjourneyto Kurtz,theirencounterand itsconsequences.It is almostpicaresquein
structure.Willard movingup the river,in a gunboat,encounteringvariousaspects of

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116

UnequalDevelopments

withabsurdity,
the war along the way, learningfromtheseencounters
movingon
and finding
with
and
drawn
the
manhe is
himself
towards
unaccountably
sympathizing
to
kill.
assigned
Willardisthemiddle-level
soldiercaught
between
thehypocritical
of
folly
professional
his superiorsand theineptitude
ofthedraftee.He is thecreationofa worldofsimple
values,a worldwheretheenemyisevilandthealliesgood.Likeallprofessionals
soldierly
he isconcerned
withthe"how"ofhisjob rather
thanthe"why"andinthemosttraditional
of waysthevalueof sucha priority
is affirmed
in thefilim
byvirtueofthefactthathe
thefilmforus makingcomments
andjudgments
as he goes
survivesintact.He narrates
He
the
to
know
viewer
when
wants
to
a
along. helps
Coppola
highlightpointaboutthe
of
war:
"We
to
them
shreds
with
machine
and
thema bandaidto
absurdity
rip
guns offer
themselves
up."
patch
As he movesuptheriverwe see hisvaluesbeingchallenged
bywhathe isaskedtodo;
he
to
comes
know
the
"evil"
of
his
and
toprefer
thatofKurtz,
though
superiors eventually
he is,inpractical
a
for
To
model
survival.
be
he
a
for
his
We
control.
terms,
sure, pays price
see thatintheopeningsequencewherehedrinks
himself
intoa stupor
andwagesa karate
matchwitha mirror
whileJimMorrison's
voiceintones
"TheEnd"onthesoundtrack.
But
thereis something
artificial
aboutthissceneandoneofthequalities
ofthefilmisthatitis
loaded withsuchself-conscious
scenesthepurposeof whichseemsto be to tell the
audiencehowtothink,
toletusknowwhatCoppolawantsustobelievehebelievesrather
thanwhatthedynamicof thefilmasserts.We are supposedto believethatWillardis
tortured
and thatthestability
he manifests
is hard-earned.
Ifwedo believethat,thenwe
can'taccuseCoppolaoffavoring
him.Butthefactremains
thattheopeningonlyframes
theWillardwesee inthebodyofthefilm(as ifCoppolawereafraid
thestory
weren't
itself
and
that
Willard
not
survives
but
carries
out
his
mission
sufficient),
only
actually
eventhoughthenarration
tellsus thatheno longerbelievesinthevalueshe
successfully
beganwith."I'd makemajorforthisandtheydidn'tknowI wasn'tintheirfucking
army
anymore."
The self-consciousness
ofthefilmispervasive,
as though
tohide
Coppolaweretrying
hiswonpositionbycallingattention
tosymbolic
ofmoralambiguity:
moments
as though
thiswouldvalidatehiscredentials
as onewhohasthetotalview,onewhotellsallsidesof
thestory.A fragileVietnamesewoman,dressedin purewhite,aftertakinga groupof
toanunderground
shelter
a grenade
throws
intoanAmerican
lovelyyoungschoolchildren
Red Crosshelicopter
andmaimsa BlackAmerican
soldier.A toughAmerican
officer
gets
soldierforrefusing
togivewatertoa dying
VietCong.("Any
angryat a SouthVietnames
man who .

gives his life .

can drinkfrommycanteen") but whenhe hears thata

surfer
isnearbyhe pullsthecanteenupjustshortofthedying
soldier'slips
championship
andrunsofftomeetthestar.The lattersceneisintentionally
(theformer
funny
isn't),but
whattheyhavein commonis thattheyare almostdidacticattempts
to tellus thatour
standardmoralcategoriesdon't applyto thiswar. Womenaren'tsupposedto toss
aren'tsupposedtokillBlacks,buttheydo. The
grenades(that'sa man'sjob). Communists

friendswe defend are supposed to be good, but theyaren't. A toughbut sentimental

officeris supposed to be consistent,buthe isn't.Scenes likethesebreakthenarrativeand
call attentionto themselves.It is clearthattheyare supposedto conveya senseofthetotal
madness thatwas Vietnam-to say thatwe can't identify
our friendsand/orour enemies
and thatwe oftenbehave in identicalwaysto thosewhomwe attackand thosewhomwe

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ApocalypseNow-Horrorand Terror

117

tomakeassertions
likethese,anyfilmmaker
befriend.
does,butthe
Coppolahastheright
aremade,theschematic,
andextremely
selfmannerinwhichtheseassertions
allegorical,
conscioussceneswhichpointout thecontradictions
them.To see
lead one to mistrust
to maskanxieties,
to concealotherassertions
thatthefilm
them,instead,as attempts
is making.
What are theseassertions?
I've alreadybegunto touchuponone of themin my
film
of
Willard.
an intense
The
manifests
forthetimewhena soldier
description
nostalgia
from
knewwhattodo andknewright
As
fora return
wrong. though
Coppolawerelonging
of "The 'Nazis'andthe'Japs'". The romanticization
ofthetypeofsoldierwhodoesseek
isshownintwoways:FirstWillard
thiscertainty
theprofessional
whoneverreally
himself,
losestouchwiththetoolsofhiscraft,
isalwayssuperior
tothepeoplearoundhim.Equally
at homeinthemidstofa battleas heisinmoments
ofcalm,heisillatease onlywhenheis
in theworldofcivilians,
or civilianvalues(thehotelroominSaigon,thelunchwiththe
an accuratejudgeof
alwaysefficient,
general,theUSO show,etc.). Alwaysincontrol,
thosearoundhim,anda survivor,
abletofloatthrough
theApocalypse,
eventolearnfrom
this
is essentially
a
but
it, in it but not of it. His composureis challenged
Kurtz,
by
of
Kurtz
even
farther
Willard's
than
Willard
himself.
road
having
along
consequence
gone
ForKurtz,too,isa professional.
Willardassimilates
andkillshim
partsofKurtztohimself
inthewayinwhichKurtzhimself
killsothers.In otherwords,onecouldsaythatWillard's
as a soldiergainsfrom
withKurtz.He learnstorespond
hisencounter
toa type
proficiency
the techniques
unknownto himby utilizing
of situationpreviously
providedby the
forhisownsurvival.
situation
whomCoppola'snostalgia
Willardis nottheonlycharacter
through
appears.It isalso
to
becauseheno
in
whom
the
consider
be
"unsound"
the
generals
present Kurtz, person
horrorthat
the
violence
and
and
is
honest
about
tries
to
keep up appearances
longer
becauseof
rather
thandisapproval
underliethewaritself.I citehimas a locusofnostalgia
ofevil(he is evenan
roleas theembodiment
theironythatinspiteofKurtz'sostensible
thewarthere,
crossesovertheborderintoCambodiabringing
ironicNixonwhosecretly
makes
isseenby
him.
choice
he
to
to
incredible
too), Coppolagoes
lengths justify Every
one.Theactionofthefilmoftenstopstoprovide
Willardandbythevieweras thecorrect
ofthosechoicesandwhichshowthemtobe
thecorrectness
us withmoments
whichjustify
hejustifies
his
of
Theletter
tohissoninwhich
to
the
morally
superior those
"corporation."
sounds
were
double
kill
he
was
decisionto thedoubleagents(and
very
agents)
right-they
anditisquitepersuasive.
Hisdecisiontogiveuphischancesto
muchlikea legaldefense,
be a future
chiefofstaff
andtojointheGreenBeretsisalsotreated
officer
positively-the
withhisboysat thefront.
anecdote(niceGreen
whofights
Finally,Kurtz'sVietnamese
withbarbedwire,no Phoenixprogram,
hamlets
Beretsgivinginnoculations-no
pacified
tothelessonhelearnsaboutmaking
American
GIs) givestotalsupport
justgood-hearted
ofthesamerole
forms
WillardandKurtzareothervariant
horrorandterror
intofriends.
he
thatthesearea
their
shows
criticizes
however
much
excesses, always
model;
Coppola
Willardand
even
with
all
and
that
their
of
external
circumstances
problems
consequence
Kurtz are certainlybetterthan anybodyelse we see-the generals,the civilianbureaucrats,the Kilgores,theineptsoldiers,and even the enemy.
Theirprofessionalism
providesthenormforanothersetofcovertassertionsinthefilm.
Consider some of themostmemorablescenesin themovie:e.g., theoutrageousand gory
attackon a quiet villageheld bytheV.C. so thattheAmericanscan surfon itsbeach (the

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118

UnequalDevelopments

onlyone inVietnamon whichthewaves"breakbothways"),andtheUSO showwhere

do an obscenego-godancefora groupofsoldiers
clad Playboyplaymates
threescantily
whose repressedviolencesoon surfaces.The latterscene takes place in a sortof
theviewerofSan
whichreminds
surrounded
byphallicshapesandlighting
amphitheater
of
mixture
Thegrotesque
Franciscostrobelightshowsfromthehighperiodofacid-rock.
in
sillycomedyand realisticviolencegivesthesetwoscenesa qualityunlikeanything
recentAmericancinema.
ofdecorum,
andbizarre,violations
outofplaceina warThese scenesare grotesque
Ata superficial
whichisa seriousbusiness.
outofplaceinwaritself
filmandbyextension
thefolly
levelCoppolaisawareofthisandisusingthefactthattheydon'tfittocharacterize
war.But,whydon'ttheyfit?Each sceneendswiththeidentical
of thisparticular
tag.
theenemy,he screams,
WhenKilgore'smenresisthisorderto go outto surf,fearing
"Charliedoesn'tsurf!"As Willardwatchesthepandemonium
duringtheescapeofthe
the
"playmates,"he observes,"Charliedoesn'tgetanyUSO." Boththesetagsillustrate
ofwhichplacesWillardina positive
that
oftenmadepoint,therecognition
namely,
light,
andstupid.
diversions
aredangerous
waris aboutsoldiering,
theclashbetween
thevaluesandneedsoftheAmericans
andthoseof
Moreimportantly,
of
the
One
the
scenes.
even
be
to
theVietnamese
might
grotesqueness
tempted
generates
A helicopter
titlethem,or indeedthemovieas a whole,"VietnamGraffiti."
gunship
ofWagner'sRideof theValkyries
at full
releasesitsrocketswhileplayinga recording
volumeto "psychoutCharlie."A "case ofbeer"is giventotheonemachine
who
gunner
"NiceShot"-bombinginorderto
decimatesthebodyofthewomangrenadethrower,
theclash.Charlie'sbusy
surf-go-godancingto"SuzieQ"-momentslikethesehighlight
Americans:
a
we
are
war,
busy
mooning,
playing
gamesof"chicken"with
being
fighting
etc.
we
which
American
values
are
tobeso outofplace
When
examine
shown
boats,
patrol
is thattheyare thevaluesofthesixties-those
"overthere,"theastonishing
conclusion
andwhichledtotheattackagainstthewaging
of
valueswhichattacked"thecorporation"
thesevalues,making
themcomic,divesting
waritself.Coppolaisinfactinverting
themof
ofa warfilmtomakethepoint
andmanipulating
theminthecontext
anyseriouscontent,
becausetheymakeforinefficient
soldiers.Hippiesmakebad
thattheyare worthless
makebad soldiers,dopersmakebad soldiers,peoplefromtheghetto
soldiers,surfers
aremerely
theexcuseforan attackagainst
makebad soldiers.Thewarscenesthemselves
as becomesclearinthetrekupthe
the"youthvalues"ofAmericansocietyinthesixties,
riveras wellas in thebattlescenes,becausethecrewoftheNavyboatwhichis taking
oftheirpolitical
Willardto Kurtzare examplesofthesevalues.Each ofthemis stripped
inthefight
forsurvival.
andshownas inoperative
Thewholecivilrights
content
movement
ina kidfromthesouthBronxwholistensto
and theriseofBlackPowerarecrystallized
rockmusic,turnson all thetime,and flipstheboneat hissuperiors.
Countercultural
ethicaretransformed
a
into
mindless
attacksagainsttheproduction
California
byCoppola
to
who
take
loves
is
Dennis
acid;
underground
journalism
champion
surfing
Hopper
aboutKurtztheguru.
platitudes
spoutingemptyethicalmystical
inAmericaisverystrong.
ofthesixties
Butitis
Coppola'ssenseofthestyleandflavor
to positionsthatchallengedthedominantforces
as ifCoppola wereblamingcommitments
of the sixties,forceswhichwerequitecontentto wage Vietnam-style
wars,forweakening
loss ofthewar. This
the moral characterof theAmericanpeople and causingthemilitary
isn'tthatfarfromWestmorelandhimself.No moreKurtzesand Willardsare beingmade,

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ApocalypseNow-Horrorand Terror

119

and without
soldierslikethatwe'llneverwin.Undera guiseofsympathy
forthesepoor
kidswhoshouldneverhavebeendrafted
liesa critiqueofsixtiesAmericaforproducing
works.OnlyWillardgetsthrough
thiscritique
itall,
weakmen-andina survival
context
buthe has gonemad.Coppolafindsa wayto divertthefact
Lance thesurfersurvives
andvalueofwaging
thattheseprotest
wereattacking
thelegitimacy
thewarin
movements
thefirstplace.
I wouldbe moretimidinmyassertion
thatCoppola'sattitudes
towards
thesecounterculturalvalueswerenegativewereit notforthefactthatalongwiththiscontextual
ofthosevaluesthefilmalsoasserts
a second,complementary
reasonforthe
representation
failureofAmerica.It appliestothewaritself
as wellas totheStates,enabling
Coppolato
assertthatthesame lackwas pervasive.For alongwiththeweaknessof thechildren,
withthefathers-anauthority
crisis-the
Coppola also insiststhatthereare problems
leadersare irresponsible.
don't
take
care
of
their
children
and
They
good
theydon't
No one is responsible
exerciseproperauthority.
forrunning
theshow.The generalsand
are bankrupt
and orderAmericans
to killotherAmericans.
The comicTexas
politicians
seems
to
have
of
Doctor
isa parodyofthe
out
(who
Strangelove)
stepped
officer--Kilgore
kid
has
no
concerned
andfatherly
father
the
officer; ghetto
(weheara cassette
commanding
fromhismother).Theseare subordinate
oftheproblem,
assertions
butthereare more
ones.
important
The sceneinthefilmwhichissupposedtoembody
mosttotally
themadness
ofthewar
takesplaceatDo Lungbridge.In it,disorder
iscomplete.
Thebridge,
rebuilt
eachday,is
When
destroyedeach night,and thevisualqualityof thesceneevokesunrealfutility.
andtogetsome
Willard'sboatarrivesat thebridgehe getsoffto see whatis happening
a numberofblacksoldiersintotalchaos("Hey, that'smyface
supplies.He encounters
youweredead."). And thenatureofthischaos
you'resteppingon," "Sorry,I thought
andittoldthat
becomesexplicitwhenWillardasksto speakto thecommanding
officer
thereis no commanding
At thispoint,he leavesin disgust.
The epitomeofthe
officer.
theabsenceofauthority.
madnessofthewarbecomestheabsenceofa father,
Bycontrast,
to be goodfathers.
to be a
Yes, Kurtzrefuses
Coppola showsKurtzand Willardtrying
Hisonlyconcern
withthe
father.
generalbuthechooses,instead,tobe a god,everybody's
his actions.The typeof fatheris an
outsideworldis thathis son shouldunderstand
one to be sure,andCoppola'sambivalent
withthisfigure
authoritarian
fascination
iswell
knownto thoseofus whohaveseen TheGodfather.
Kurtzis thekindoffather
a crazy
ofhischildren
worldneeds--demanding,
are for
stem,dedicated.The loveandworship
himabsolute.His authority
createstheperfect
force.He isnotdefeated
butrather
fighting
willshisowndeath,allowing
a "son"tokillhimandthereby
becomea father
himself.
This
is precisely
whathappensas thefilmendswithWillardrefusing
toaccepttheroleofGod,
thepaganriteina tenderanddelicatemoment
buttakingpoorLancewithhimfrom
which
rebirth
without
ofthefamily
(a family
women),theabsenceofwhichwas
signalsthefragile
seen byCoppolaas thediseasewhichpervadestheAmerican
consciousness.
inmanysensesthefilmisa metaphor
Thisbrings
us tothewaritself,
forthe
forthough
absent Americansociety,it is also a representation
of the Vietnamwar. In this
ofCoppola's covertassertions,
representationofwar we see thefinaland mostimportant
one thatexposes himmostclearlyand givesus the keyto the film'soperation.I am not
denyingthat Coppola wishes to convey,and does convey,the horror,confusion,and
absurdityofwar itself.Throughan alternationofshotsfromabove withshotsfrombelow,

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120

UnequalDevelopments

thevieweris placedin themiddleof thechaoticbattlesand thesenselessness

ofthese
is
reinforced.
No
vistas
here.
No
visual
from
which
itall
sweeping
position
engagements
makessense.Withcomments
likeKilgore's"I lovethesmellofNapalm.It'sthesmellof
thepublicrelations
ofwar-making.
Andhe usesthesoundvictory,"
Coppolaundercuts
in
of
tracktocapturethatparticularly
the
war
Vietnam-the
factthat
dehumanizing
aspect
thekilling
isnotfacetofacebutdonebymachines,
withthepushofa button.
Therelation
betweenmanand machineitselfis a sexualone. The machineextendsman'spowerby
here-and is ambivalent
makinghimsuper-phallus.
Coppolais ambivalent
generally-whenhe concernshimself
withpower.On theone hand,he criticizes
of
thetechnology
modernwarfarebyjuxtaposing
theflatradiovoicesof thehelicopter
bomberpilots"Nice shot,Rogerand Out," withclose-upsofthedevastatingly
violentconsequences
thesemachineshave on the bodiesof humanbeings.On theotherhand,thevisual
treatment
andthebeautyofthenapalmas wellas electronic
ofthehelicopters
musicwhich
the
former
are
to
the
to
titillate
them
withthe
accompanies
attempts manipulate audience,
that
the
machine
offers
a
in
their
real
lives.
Soft-core
them, potencylacking
potency
("Strokeyourmachine")makeusadmitthatwetoocould"getit
techniques
pornography
off' in themakingofwarifwe hadthemachines,
andthatwe therefore
oughtnotto be
in
moral
of
who
do
make
No
our
those
war.
examination
ofthereasons
judgments
rigidly
we
take
from
the
trite
thatweareall
violence,
why might pleasure
only relatively assertion
withthekilleras wellas thevictim,
andthatsuchanidentification
violent,thatwe identify
is natural.Coppola's craftdoes not romanticize
the nitty-gritty
of war. I maintain,
thesame
however,thathadhechosento,hecouldhavemadea filmwhichcommunicated
aboutWorldWarII orabouttheKoreanWar.Waritself
confusion
ishorrible,
confusing,
and violent,and theimprovement
in wartechnology
makesthehorror,
and
confusion,
violenceevenmorepotentforthehumanwhois at thecenterofit.
Let us turnnowtothoseaspectsofCoppola'sfilmwhichpertain
tothewar
specifically
in Vietnam.ApocalypseNow is a profoundly
racistfilm.I do notsaythisforpolitical
reasonsortomakemyself
seemholierthanthedirector.
Thefilmhasnochoice.Itsracism
in thefilm,namely,thatthetwocrisesI've
is necessaryto Coppola'scentralassertion
themselves
ina crisisofwill,whichbecomesthe
andculminate
alreadydiscussedmanifest
essentialreasonthatwe lostthewar in Vietnam.Thereare someminorexamplesof
toavoid.TheBlacksarenotcapable
accidentalracismthatI'mcertain
Coppolawastrying
oftakingcareofthemselves,
a VietCongsoldierimpaledona fenceshoutsout,"Fuckyou
Yanks,"inthebestadultWorldWarII filmanti-Japanese
style.Buttheseareincidental
and farless important
thanthekindof racismwithwhichI am concerned,
and which
one ofitsmanifestations,
EdwardSaid, analyzing
hascalled"orientalism."
In Apocalypse
as incapableofrational
There
Now,allAsiansarerepresented
thought.
are no exceptions
tothis.The filmis a quest,a journey
whichbeganina Saigonhoteland
ends in the midstof a Cambodianjungle.But it is also a journeyfromtheworldof
civilization
totheworldofthetribe.A journey
from
theknowntotheunknown,
from
the
worldof veneerand politicians
to theworldof ritualslaughter.
that
During
voyage,
of theformerworld,ends up learningto livebythe
Willard,who beginsas representative
values of the latter.This is seen as growthand knowledgefromCoppola's pointof view.
Willardletsgo of thehypocrisy
of theformerworldand adheresto theauthenticity
ofthe
latterand thisis to be seen as a positivemetamorphosis.
At therootof sucha desirelies a
betweenthecivilizedand
dichotomywhichis thesourceofCoppola's racism,a dichotomy

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Apocalypse Now-Horror and Terror

121

the "primitive"inwhichAmericaand thecitystandfortheformer,

whileVietnamand the
stand
for
That
is
the
latter.
Willard's
and
the
journey
journeythatKurtzmakes
jungle
before him. Coppola's positionis the fairlycommonone thatcivilizationis merelythe
mask thatanimalman wearsto hide his truenaturefromothersand thathishidingis the
greatestevil of all.
The mostimportant
thematicsceneinthemovieis theone iswhichKurtztellsWillarda
Viet
about
the
Cong havingcutoffthearmsofall thepeople ina villagewhoallowed
story
themselvesto be innoculatedby theGreen Berets.That was themomentat whichKurtz
realized thatforAmericans,thewarwas lost.He learnstwolessonsfromthatepisode and
out ofbalance scenes
he passes thembothon to Willard.The scene is one ofthoseslightly
The
first
lesson
that
Kurtz
learnsis thatthe
in whichCoppola usuallytransmits
messages.
will
have
execute
such morally
we
the
to
are
than
because
they
enemy
stronger
offthearmsofthevillagers.The
indefensiblebuttactically"brilliant"strategiesas cutting
second lesson is thatto have sucha willone mustmake friendswith"horrorand terror."
forhisactionsand as we havealreadyseen, Kurtz
That is whathe offersas thejustification
to
to
goes greatlengths justifyhimself.
It is central that Kurtz sees the conflictin termsof a contestof wills. Will is a
of force,of powerof theirrational;no questionhereof reason,or analysis,
manifestation
thanoursbecause itis
or justiceofcause-simply a questionofwill-and theirsis stronger
or theneed
Christian
to
unencumbered
ofthedesire win,
a puremanifestation
morality
by
are
Vietnamese
No
that
the
to justifyitself:it is elemental,pagan, primitive. possibility
that
there
revolutionaries,nationalists,Marxists,thattheirstruggleis perhapsjust,
might
be historicalreasons why theywouldn't react with naive gratitudeto giftsgiven by
Americans,thattheymighthave reasonsnotto trustourgood will,and thattheremightbe
oftheirwilland theirunderstanding
a veryreal connectionbetweentheallegedsuperiority
forCoppola, noris it
None of thisis important
of the reasons forwhichtheyare fighting.
andpagan-in shorttheyare
even possible,forthey,theAsians,are primitive,
animalistic,
and itis leadingus to defeat.The natureof
authenticsavages. Rationalityis our invention,
roots"and origins
thejourneyuprivernowbecomesclear. It is a journeyto our "primitive
level.This is truenotjustforWillardbutforthe
on boththeliteralleveland thefigurative
crew also who are all destroyedin one wayor anotherbytheirinabilityto deal withtheir
"primitive"violence as it manifestsitselfin the massacreof the innocentpeople on the
sampan. On this journeythe uniformsare replaced withpaintedfaces. The relatively
civilizedViet Cong are replacedbya primitive
jungletribe.The chiefof theboat is killed
by a spear (the jungle reconquersthe urbanghetto),and whenwe finallyarriveat the
blood ritual.The "native's"
templewe have come at lastto theauthenticworldofprimitive
withWillard'sritualslaughterofKurtz,and theparallel
ritualslaughterofan ox is intercut
ofthewar
is complete.Withpremisessuchas theseitis no wonderthattherepresentation
is one-sided. For whileApocalypseNow pretendsto representa worldgone mad, where
none are exemptand nonecan judge, thefilminfactattemptsto recuperatethewar,tosay
thatwe werewrong,notmorallybuttactically;thatwe couldand oughtto havewon it,but
we could neverbringourselvesto be pagan enough,whichmade our willweak. It is nota
questionofmoralitybutratherofpower.We didn'tknowhowto use it.Kurtzdoes, and he
passes it on to Willardwho startshis returnto thecivilizedworldhavinginternalizedthe
lesson.
Coppola's obsession withpower is manifestedin everyscene. The directormoves

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122

Unequal Developments

entire armies and hundredsof machines before our eyes. Temples are napalmed,
helicoptersand bridgesare blownup at thewhimand willofa singlemanwho takesupon
of doingjusticeto thewar,whomanipulatesall the
his shoulderstheheroicresponsibility
him.
that
million
dollars
He is awareenoughofthisto casthimselfas the
thirty
gives
power
newsreeldirector,but thatdoesn'tpreventhimfromthedoingthesame thingshe makes
funof throughoutthe restof the film.Much like Spielbergin 1941, thoughApocalypse
Now is nota comedy,Coppola playswithhispowerforthebenefitoftheviewerto showus
what will can reallydo: an artisticKurtz,in short.
theparallelis all too just.FrancisFordCoppola's ApocalypseNow is to
Unfortunately,
the cinema what Vietnam was to our history!An assertionof will based upon false
ofeconomic,
premisesfollowedbythestubborninsistenceuponan enormousexpenditure
in
the
to
of
the
and
human
mechanical,
premises spiteof all the
power justify rightness
evidence to the contrary.Both Coppola and the U.S.A. were defeated,and both did
everythingtheycould to refuseto accept that defeat. One would have hoped forthe
contrary,but manifestdestinyis not dead. It is alive and well and livingin Hollywood.
Saul Steier

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