APOCALYPSE NOW

Apocalypse Now Opening Sequence Analysis

The first shot in this opening sequence is a long shot of a jungle. The palm trees are native to the Vietnamese setting. The shot is in slow motion and the trees sway in the wind. Some dust can be seen drifting in the wind to remind the audience that this is not a still frame. A helicopter’s rotors can be heard as it passes in the foreground. For what seems like a very long time, we are left to stare at the jungle. This causes an expectation as we await something to happen. Then suddenly there are several explosions, which send thick black smoke and fireballs into the sky. Due to the setting and context of the war in Vietnam we can assume these explosions to be a result of a napalm strike. This means that we are seeing the explosions from the perspective of the Americans. Napalm was a weapon used by the Americans against the Viet Cong; the effects were crippling and also controversial.

                  The screen is black with smoke from the explosions; at this point the shot fades to one of an American man led down. The shot is a close up, and his head is position upside down in the frame. His expressions are clear and he appears to be in deep thought. His eyes show that he is uncomfortable; he is not focusing but instead looking around him as if he is in danger. Placed beside him, is a shot of a ceiling fan, this is presumably a shot from his perspective. The fan may signify the rotors of a helicopter as the shot fades to a helicopter once more passing the screen. As lots of aircraft are heading out of shot, this gives the impression that they are on the attack. Once more we are faced with the man, we can see he is led in a bed. Again the shot of the ceiling fan is used, this time we can hear a helicopter along side the spinning of the fan.

                  The camera pans showing the man’s possessions, alongside him is a photograph, some playing cards and a set of dog tags. All of which suggest to the audience that this man is a soldier. More shots of fire and passing aircraft are superimposed over the top of him lying still in his bed. This creates a dream like effect; the audience may think that perhaps the sound of the fan triggered this dream. As the camera continues to pan, we can see that beside him in the bed is a gun, this further implies that the man is a soldier but also that he needs protection. The sound of the helicopter gets louder as the camera focuses on the window across the room. It becomes apparent that the sound is coming from just outside. The song used is fittingly The End by The Doors. Alongside the close up of the American, this could lead us to believe that this is the end for him. The lyrics ‘my only friend’ imply that the soldier is lonely, which suits the imagery as he lies beside nobody but his gun. The repetition of ‘the end’ in the song could also represent the insanity of war or that maybe it drives people to insanity.