Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979) Thoughts

There are lots of interesting editing techniques incorporated into Apocalypse Now with a notable use being as soon as the film starts by way of having the helicopter propellers fade into a ceiling fan with the sounds also blending together. The most notable for me is the scene where helicopters prepare to fight against a small village.

What resonated with me here was the sound editing. We hear them start playing Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' as they go into battle however when it cuts to show the village, the music stops abruptly. It's jarring and regains the audience interest. The notable use of sound comes in here as we hear school children singing  after the music was cut off in the edit however as the shot lingers on the village, we can here the Wagner music slowly rising in volume as the helicopters approach. What I take from this is, through the use of the Wagner music slowly engulfing the children singing, that makes me feel like it is a representation of the American’s take over and attack over the civilians. The way that the action also cuts between the helicopter’s attacking and the civilians defending themselves gives equal time to each side in an effort to humanise both sides. 

The sound editing is well done as the music works very well in combination with the diegetic sound of explosions and gun fire. The music acts as a skeleton for the sound editing to follow as the explosions line up with the blasts of music. In a way, the music goes from diegetic to non-diegetic because we know that it is part of the scenario however it ends up covering over it and entwines with the rest of the sound. 

‘Apocalypse Now’ should feel too long (I watched the Redux which is over three hours long) however the way that the film progresses almost makes each portion of the film feel self-contained. The Wagner scene I picked out as well as the scenes the set it up and the aftermath feel like its own story anyway however the way that it follows Willard on his journey to Colonel Kurtz makes it feel more akin to the likes of a road trip movie with a war film coat. It does follow a travelling narrative with meeting characters such as Kilgore and Lucas however it does have direction. Even moments such as USO show feel like they add to the experience of Willard’s journey.