In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Apocalypse Now, we look at important motifs that help us understand the film.
Cast
- Martin Sheen – U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Willard
- Marlon Brando – Colonel Walter Kurtz
- Robert Duvall – Lieutenant Colonel William “Bill” Kilgore
- Frederic Forrest – Engineman 3rd Class Jay “Chef” Hicks
- Albert Hall – Chief Petty Officer George Phillips
- Sam Bottoms – Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson
- Laurence Fishburne – Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Tyrone “Mr. Clean” Miller
- Dennis Hopper – an American photojournalist
- G. D. Spradlin – Lieutenant General R. Corman
- Jerry Ziesmer – Jerry Moore
- Harrison Ford – Colonel G. Lucas
- Scott Glenn – Captain Richard M. Colby
Important motifs in Apocalypse Now
The river
The river in Apocalypse Now is a motif of critical significance that encapsulates the film’s core themes. It serves as a symbolic pathway, leading the characters and the audience alike on a journey from the realms of civilization into the heart of savagery and chaos. Physically, the river provides a navigable route through the dense, impenetrable jungle, a path for the military boat carrying Captain Willard and his crew. But the river’s function transcends the literal—it’s the backbone of the narrative, reflecting the plot’s progression and the characters’ transformation.
The journey along the river is a descent into the moral and psychological abyss. With each passing bend, the protagonists drift further from the vestiges of civilization and deeper into the savage heart of the jungle. The river’s route reflects the narrative’s trajectory—from order to chaos, sanity to madness, civilization to savagery. It is, in essence, a river of consciousness, charting the course of the human psyche as it navigates the tumultuous waters of morality, sanity, and self.
The river, with its relentless flow, also represents the inexorable passage of time and the relentless nature of war. It’s both a life-giving force, nurturing the jungles and villages along its banks, and a harbinger of death, leading the characters towards their grim fate. This duality mirrors the paradoxical nature of war and human savagery—both destructive and, in a twisted sense, creative, giving rise to new, albeit chaotic, orders and structures.
The river’s changing conditions—from calm to turbulent—mirrors the film’s shifting moods and the characters’ fluctuating mental states. The moments of calm and tranquility are invariably disrupted by bouts of violence and chaos, reinforcing the pervasive sense of unease and instability. The river’s unpredictability underscores the unpredictability of war and the human condition—calm one moment, turbulent the next.
Finally, the river in Apocalypse Now is a boundary and a threshold, separating the known from the unknown, the civilized world from the wild jungle. As the characters cross this boundary, they’re forced to confront the savagery and chaos that lie within themselves and the world around them. The river, therefore, is not just a geographical feature—it’s a psychological and philosophical symbol, reflecting the tumultuous journey into the heart of darkness.
Army face paint
The use of face paint is a notable motif in Apocalypse Now, illustrating a transition from civilization to savagery as the narrative unfolds. The paint serves as an external manifestation of the internal transformation of the characters—Lance, Kurtz, and Willard—signifying their changing perceptions of war, morality, and identity.
For Lance, a surfer-turned-soldier, the application of face paint begins as an innocent act, almost playful, reflecting his naïveté and detachment from the harsh realities of war. He uses vibrant colors and patterns, suggesting a lack of understanding of the brutal nature of his surroundings. His face paint, initially, is more of a game, a child playing war, than a sign of his metamorphosis.
As we move to Kurtz, the face paint takes on a more sinister tone. Kurtz, who has delved deep into the ‘heart of darkness,’ uses dark, stark paint, reflecting his complete transformation from a soldier into a godlike figure who embodies the chaotic savagery of war. His face paint, like his bald head, symbolizes his shedding of societal norms and conventions. It marks his embrace of the inherent chaos and violence within human nature, visually representing his divergence from conventional morality and sanity.
Finally, Willard’s use of face paint signifies his descent into the moral and psychological abyss. He applies the paint as he prepares to confront and kill Kurtz, showing his acceptance of his mission’s brutality. Unlike Lance’s vibrant patterns or Kurtz’s godlike portrayal, Willard’s paint is purely functional, smeared on to camouflage him in the shadows. It marks his journey’s culmination, where he must face his own capacity for violence and savagery to complete his mission.
Helicopters
Helicopters in Apocalypse Now serve as a potent motif, symbolizing the destructive force of war and the paradoxical detachment from its realities. The opening scene featuring the helicopters is pivotal in establishing this motif, setting the tone for the film’s exploration of the impact of war on both individuals and the environment.
The film opens with a serene, almost surreal, landscape—palm trees swaying gently in the wind against a backdrop of a tranquil sky. This peaceful scene is abruptly shattered by the deafening roar of helicopters, followed by a devastating napalm attack. The sound of helicopters is then intercut with the bedroom fan of Willard’s apartment. The stark contrast between the serene landscape and the ensuing chaos encapsulates the invasive and destructive nature of war, both physically (in the case of the bombings) and mentally (in the case of Willard’s psyche). The helicopters, in this scene, embody the intrusion of violence into peaceful spaces, disrupting the natural order and causing irreversible damage.
Beyond destruction, helicopters in Apocalypse Now also represent the impersonal nature of modern warfare. From their aerial vantage point, the characters view the war-torn landscape with a degree of detachment. The violence and destruction become abstracted, reducing the people and landscapes below to mere targets. This detachment from the ground reality echoes the dehumanizing effects of war, blurring the lines between combatants and non-combatants, right and wrong.
Additionally, the helicopter motif speaks to the overpowering presence of military technology in warfare. The thundering sound of the helicopter blades, often drowning out human voices, symbolizes the overriding and dehumanizing force of technology in the theater of war. It reflects how human life and personal narratives are overshadowed by the mechanical, impersonal machinery of war.
As Apocalypse Now progresses, the motif of helicopters evolves from merely instruments of destruction to symbols of absurdity and irrationality. The notorious “Ride of the Valkyries” scene, where helicopters attack a village to the soundtrack of Wagner’s opera, underscores the irrationality and theatricality of war. The incongruous pairing of music and violence amplifies the sense of absurdity and chaos inherent in the narrative.
Face statues
The face statues in Kurtz’s compound are haunting motifs in Apocalypse Now, symbolizing a multitude of concepts from power to the nature of human savagery. The statues reflect an ancient, primal civilization, suggesting a regression from the modern world’s order and laws. The crudeness of their features, coupled with their giant scale, infuses a sense of raw, unfiltered power. Kurtz’s decision to surround himself with these figures indicates his desire to position himself as a godlike entity, away from the confines of societal norms and regulations. They amplify his character’s omnipotence within his microcosmic society, creating a quasi-religious environment where he is the object of worship and fear.
These statues also depict a transformation of humanity’s face in the context of war and savagery. They do not exhibit refined or civilized traits but instead demonstrate rough, primal expressions. The intensity of their expressions captures the profound transformation individuals undergo when exposed to extreme conditions of war, almost a de-evolution into a more primal state. This mirrors the narrative arc of characters like Kurtz and even Willard, to an extent, as they confront their innermost savagery.
These face statues serve as silent witnesses to the atrocities committed in the compound. Their perpetual gaze reflects the enduring impact of violence and cruelty, a constant reminder of the human capacity for savagery. They serve as tangible evidence of the brutal reality of war, a testament to the “heart of darkness” that Kurtz and Willard venture into.
The jungle
The jungle in Apocalypse Now represents the wild, untamed aspects of human nature. It serves as a stark contrast to the structured, ordered world of civilization, embodying the chaos and savagery that civilization seeks to suppress. As the characters traverse the jungle, they confront not only its physical dangers but also the psychological threat it poses. The dense, unfathomable wilderness mirrors the complexities of the human psyche, challenging the characters’ notions of sanity and morality. By placing them in an environment where the rules of civilization no longer apply, the jungle forces the characters to confront their inherent savagery and capacity for violence.
Darkness
Darkness is a recurring motif that encapsulates several of the film’s central themes. It symbolizes the moral and psychological ambiguity that pervades the narrative, mirroring the dark aspects of human nature that the film explores. Darkness often shrouds scenes of violence and madness, obscuring the line between good and evil, sanity and insanity. It provides a visual representation of the protagonist’s internal struggle, reflecting his descent into the moral and psychological abyss. Darkness, in Apocalypse Now, is not merely the absence of light—it’s the presence of chaos, the manifestation of the heart of darkness within us all.
The fog
The fog motif in Apocalypse Now often accompanies the characters’ journey into the unknown. It represents the uncertainty and ambiguity that underlie their mission and their understanding of morality and sanity. As the characters navigate the foggy landscapes, they’re also navigating their moral ambiguities and psychological complexities. The fog obscures their vision, making it difficult to discern friend from foe, right from wrong. It reflects the characters’ confusion and doubt, signifying the blurry lines between civilization and savagery, sanity and madness, and morality and immorality.
Kurtz’s bald head
Kurtz’s bald head serves as a potent motif in Apocalypse Now. His shaven head signifies his shedding of societal norms and conventions, an external symbol of his internal break from civilization. The baldness stands as a stark contrast to the other characters, reinforcing his divergence from conventional morality and sanity. His bare scalp is akin to a blank canvas, symbolizing his creation of a new identity and order. It’s a visual representation of Kurtz’s transformation from a soldier into a godlike figure in his own dystopian realm.
The map
The map is another significant motif in Apocalypse Now. As a symbol of civilization and order, the map is supposed to guide the characters through the chaotic landscape of Vietnam. However, as the narrative progresses, the map becomes increasingly irrelevant. The map’s failure to accurately represent the complex reality of the jungle and the river underscores the film’s exploration of the paradox of civilization. It suggests that the constructs and structures of civilization are inadequate in navigating the chaos and savagery inherent in human nature.
The photojournalist
The photojournalist in Apocalypse Now serves as a motif of the distorted perception and representation of war. He captures and portrays the war according to Kurtz’s narrative, reflecting the manipulation of media and the distortion of reality during times of conflict. His admiration for Kurtz and his acceptance of the madness and chaos highlight the pervasive impact of war on individuals’ perceptions and beliefs. The photojournalist, thus, embodies the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction, sanity and insanity, in the context of war.
The bridge
The bridge in Apocalypse Now is a significant motif, symbolizing the fragile boundary between civilization and savagery. It’s a point of conflict, a structure that is built every day and destroyed every night, reflecting the futile cycle of creation and destruction in war. The bridge’s transitory nature underscores the impermanence and futility of structures and orders imposed upon the chaotic reality of war. It reflects the inevitable erosion of civilization in the face of inherent savagery and the destructive power of war.
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