The lyrical, slow moving opening sequence is a dazzling combination of cinematography, music, and hallucinatory images from the brutal and destructive war in Vietnam. The sounds of helicopters or war choppers is heard as the mind altering words or The Doors" song The End is perfectly fitted to the beginning of this film. ... It is a dramatic abrupt ending to one hell of a twisted war. Not the Vietnam War, but the war inside Willard. ... This can be seen as a parallel image to the defeat of the U.S. troops in Vietnam. ...

• Word Count: 876
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The first real casualty of war is innocence (Platoon 1986)." ... In the beginning of The Sands of Iwo Jima there was little admiration for the relentlessly tough Marine Sergeant Stryker. ... From the beginning Stryker had taken his troops under his wing, specifically Private Peter Conway (John Agar). ... Everyone in the Vietnam War treated the "new guys" as if they didn't exist until they proved themselves with time and suffering. ... Men that served in the Bravo Company, during the Vietnam, were not portrayed as noble and just warriors. ...

• Word Count: 1147
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

However, Willard is an obvious wreck from the very beginning of the film. The opening scenes are an internal monologue where he confesses his own imbalances as a result of prolonged tours in Vietnam. ... The film clearly depicts Coppola's opposition to the Vietnam War and deprives the viewer of the forced introspection the novel creates. ... In Apocalypse Now, Willard is a United States Army Special Forces operative assigned to go up the Nung river from Vietnam into Cambodia in order to terminate Kurtz by way of a top-secret mission. ...

• Word Count: 785
• Approx Pages: 3

The atmosphere of unknown in a foreign place (Vietnam or the African Congo) creates for an unprecedented amount of fear, even in such trained men as Marlow, Kurtz, and Captain Willard. ... Immediately upon Mary Anne's arrival it was clear that "the war intrigued her. ... The important detail in this account is that from the beginning Mary Anne she took to the war in an almost uncanny way. ... This blow to the imperialist ego and stark realization that their fears have become true will drive a person (such as Marlow, Captain Willard, or the soldiers of Vietnam) to their own insanity, an...

• Word Count: 872
• Approx Pages: 3

Willard, on the other hand, is a psychological mess from the beginning of the film. The opening scenes depict him confessing his own mental imbalances as a result of prolonged service in the Vietnam War. ... Coppola is sure to let his viewers know that he disagreed with the Vietnam War and with the senseless bureaucracy of the U.S. military. ...

• Word Count: 1046
• Approx Pages: 4