Film deconstruction

December 1st 1979- Francis Ford Coppola

This iconic war film is about a troubled American Army captain during the Vietnam War, who is sent on an odyssey to hunt down a Colonel, after he has succumbed to the horrors of war, resulting in betrayal. The opening of the film is accompanied by the song “this is the end” by the doors, which compliments the psychedelic themes of the cinematography, as it fits in the raga rock category, due to its indian influence. The film made $150 million at the box office.

The opening shot is designed to establish the dense forests of Vietnam where the War is taking place. This is a very clear link to the war genre of the film as the only sound besides the music is of distorted helicopter propellers, highlighting the scene of conflict and weapons which are stereotypical of the war genre. This sequence has been edited so that the establishing shot of the jungle lingers whilst the audience await for something to happen. This is used to create tension as it is unclear what the helicopters are in this location for.Mise en scene- The main component of this shot is the dense jungle as it is establishing Vietnam, but it could also be foreshadowing the future events when Captain Willard, the main protagonist, has to venture deeper into the jungle for his assassination mission. The exotic trees connote a calm environment as they gently sway in the breeze, but this is used to exaggerate the end of this sequence, as a hectic scene with helicopter and explosions take over the calm environment. In my opinion, the director uses the contrast between the tranquil and disturbed jungle to portray how War affects the calmest of places.

Additionally, the still shot has a flow of yellow smoke in front of the camera. Visually, this is used as a beacon to mark the beginning of the helicopter strafe run, as it could be symbolising a flare used to mark a location by the Army. It could also be linked to destruction, as the source of the smoke isn't revealed, therefore the repercussions of war spill onto the screen in the form of the atmospheric smoke.

The peaceful scene is suddenly halted by a shattering napalm strike that spreads fire across the jungle.Camera- the fire triggers the camera to start panning across the destruction. This allows the audience to witness the sheer mass of weaponry that the Army have at their disposal but also what accurately occurred during the conflict. This is a live action continuous shot from the beginning of the scene. The connotations behind this is to add a sense of realism that draws the audience in, as cutting away would disrupt the intensity of the scene. The lighting is darker due to the thick smoke but the bright orange fire lingers for an a well lit scene.

Music- Until the explosion, the music matches the calm effect of the trees, but the classic song from “The Doors” builds to peak at the point of the explosion. This is so the mood and atmosphere of the scene reflects the build up for an intense opening, both visually, and through sound which ultimately makes for a more engaging experience for the audience.

Mise en scene- The explosion in this scene was a practical in camera effect which adds to the gritty realism of the violent conflict in Vietnam, as a CGI explosion would not have shown the brutality that the director intended. Also the destruction of the trees would have been hard to fake due to the complexity and time when the film was made.

Editing and camera- Following the explosion, the panning shot is overlays with a close up of the main protagonist and a ceiling fan. This adds multiple points of interest to the scene as the original shot continues to pan whilst new content is added, which intentionally creates a distorted and confusing effect. This effect makes the audience realise the protagonist has a lot on his mind as his emotions are parallel to the disturbing explosions, therefore he could be imagining or recalling the whole scene.The lighting darkens as the napalm fire rages on, which links to how the mood of the film is more forbidding, due not only to the progress of the destruction, but also the regress of the protagonists happiness, as he is troubled by the sights of war.

Mise en scene- The ceiling fan was used to add context and a link between the protagonists location and the helicopters by the jungle. The connotations of this surround the protagonists disturbed past as he clearly has fought in the Vietnam war, meaning the aspects of the conflict are always on his mind, crossing over from memory and reality.

Camera- The point of focus in this shot is the table besides the protagonist, as this contains a picture that the film's narration explains is his ex wife. The narrow depth of field is used to control where the audience should pay attention to, as in this case, the item tell you more about the character than he does himself. Additionally, the camera is looking slightly down on the protagonist, which suggests the dominant power in this scene is the alcohol and memories that are displayed on the table above him. By having the character reach up and into the focus point, it connotes that he relies on the items, such as the alcohol, which would numb the pain of the conflict he has witnessed. Finally the still camera could relate to how the protagonist has calmed down after his traumatising sleep, making the scene feel calmer than the last.

The window projects light on one side of the protagonists face, so the the dark side faces the alcohol and letters. This relates to his dark past, and foreshadows his murderous future, yet the strong lit side of his face connotes the heroic part of his story.

Conclusion

This film fits into to two genres as it crosses the setting of a war film, with a sub genre of Drama, which is what i am planning on my film being. This is because a drama is defined by an emotional character development, with dramatic scenes and real life issues. In the opening to apocalypse now, captain Willard is portrayed as a lonely and traumatised character, which I aim to reflect in my film opening because it allows for multiple emotions( such as depression) to be explored. The special effects fit exceptionally well with the psychedelic themes, which fit the protagonists dis-jointed mental stability.

Personally, I am planning on using the traumatic and hallucinogenic style, that is created with the editing, as the protagonist dwells upon his past. An example of this was the link between mise en scene, as the helicopter blades are referenced by the cieling fan, which provides a visual link between the napalm strike, and the room where the protagonist is introduced.