In Reply to: Re: "Apocalypse Now:" a very overrated film. posted by Vinylized on October 11, 2006 at 10:57:51:
of an American assassin who survives and who is on a mission, the viewer quite subconsciously is drawn into HIS world and wishes for his success.
A similar problem occurs in crime films where, quite inadvertently, by centering the action upon the perps, the cops are seen as "evil" because they go against the protagonists.
The hideous reality of that war, the senseless slaughters, huge devastation, brutalization on a massive scale of innocent villagers... very secondary to the heroic telling of the story.
It's inescapable: you MUST identify with Sheen the murderer as he sets out on his uphill journey.
Specifically, remember the surf on the beach scene, the napalm strike?
Oh, how wonderfully and entertaingly filmed, what a magnificent larger-than-life figure (Patton-like) Duvall struck... meanwhile, how much of the slaughter, the children and women burned alive, the total devastation was portrayed? What do YOU remember of that scene?
Yeah, it was FUN. I admit it. It was entertaining, even funny as hell.
That isn't immoral.
Worse.
It's amoral.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- Okay, let me explain a bit: by telling the story from the standpoint - tinear 18:36:56 10/11/06 (4)
- You must have missed the anti-war theme of Apocalypse. - oscar 06:02:47 10/13/06 (3)
- "rather entertaining..." Well, exactly. Would a responsible - tinear 08:51:05 10/14/06 (0)
- Re: You must have missed the anti-war theme of Apocalypse. - rico 07:28:21 10/13/06 (1)
- Right and one must ignore the fact that the most divisive, explosive, and - tinear 08:53:04 10/14/06 (0)