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Re: "Apocalypse Now:" a very overrated film.

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rico

In Reply to: "Apocalypse Now:" a very overrated film. posted by tinear on October 11, 2006 at 10:36:49:

The film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Twice.
As for Sheen, in the commentary Coppola states a number of times that he didn't want a (what he calls) New York style of actor, citing De Niro, Pesci, Pacino, etc. He fired Harvey Keitel after two weeks because Keitel was too "active" an actor. He hired Sheen because he is more laid back and the Willard character calls for a passive onlooker; he represents us in this surreal journey.
As for Duval, Milius wrote this character specifically with similar real people in mind. Coppola states that they were concerned that the Kilgore character didn't appear "too cartoonish". In the language of cinema, shooting from below a character enoblles him.
We are meant to be of two minds about Kilgore, we admire his leadership and sympathy for the Vietnamese woman and her baby an for the severly wounded Viet Cong soldier he gives water to but we are horrified by his cruelty during thew attack on the village.
As from Hopper, I guess I agree with you. The character is stoned out of his mind and has been in the bush for years so I think Hopper was trying to suggest a type of madness and also bring some humor at that late point in the film.
Yes, "Casulaties of War" is a good film but IMHO it is not on a level with "Apocalypse Now" which, while not achieving all it strives for, is still a powerful exploration of the issues explored in the Conrad story.

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Was it covered that Hopper was "method" acting and didn't bath for weeks . . . - mr grits 16:45:57 10/12/06 (1)
at a time? It was said they almost had to put him in rehab to get him to calm down.
As for Sheen, he was perfect for all the reasons mentioned. I think one of the priceless scenes is where Ford and Spradling give Sheen the mission by mincing around the "killing one of our own" is bad form. I can imagine that scene going down dozens of times . . . even now.

Grits: the other white starch!
- Re: Was it covered that Hopper was "method" acting and didn't bath for weeks . . . - rico 07:23:05 10/13/06 (0)
  I haven't gotten to the commentary over the Brando camp yet but have seen all the supplementary material and that hasn't been mentioned re Hopper.
Rico's thoughts - Daryl Zero 13:24:53 10/12/06 (0)
I agree with your thoughts. Kilgore was supposed to be perhaps the ugly American trampling through the place totally unchanged and unaffected by what he sees and by what he does.
Hopper was out of place and perhaps was Coppola's voice over trying to explain the nature of the amorality stance that Kurtz took. While I didn't like the way that Hopper came across, I appreciated his dialogue to an extent.
I loved the movie starting with Sheen's weakness in the city. The scene with the officers and the table with all the gross looking meat and the "extreme prejudice" line. The boat crew and the chaos which became more and more out of control as they "go up the river." Sheen's character experiencing and becoming the same as Kurtz at the end and dispatching him because Kurtz couldn't live with what he had become.
Casualties of War is not in the same league with this movie. IMO very few movies are as good as this one.

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