8. Apocalypse Now – Helicopter Attack
“If I say it’s safe to surf this beach, Captain, it’s safe to surf this beach!”
At number eight we have what may be the most beautifully shot action sequence in film history. For his trippy 1979 adaptation of Heart of Darkness, Francis Ford Coppola combines the visual artistry of cinematographer Vitttorio Storaro with the conceptual audacity of screenwriter John Milius (and, on this sequence, a little bit of consultation from some guy named Kurosawa).
The lush, layered compositions that illustrate the action serve as a framework for the sheer surrealism of the sequence. Complaining that Apocalypse Now is not an accurate depiction of Vietnam is kind of like complaining that Twin Peaks is an inaccurate depiction of the FBI.
That’s not to say it’s a coincidence that the film takes place in Vietnam, but even Coppola says in the commentary that as he shot he realized “This isn’t really a war film after all.”
That is to say that the themes of Apocalypse Now are particularly embodied in this sequence. The idea that technology enables us to more wholly unleash our darkness is made apparent by the juxtaposition of the metal helicopters blaring Wagner against the supposedly peaceful, quiet bamboo village blaring, well, nothing. (Of course, they have weapons, too. It’s a complicated metaphor.)
For all the surrealism and highfalutin’ ideas and allegories, there are one or two real things in this sequence. American soldiers in helicopters really would sit on their helmets just in case they were shot at from below.
Speaking of safety, Coppolla threw it out the window while shooting this sequence. You think Frankenheimer was jacknuts? Coppola set off flares in a helicopter while it was flying, with him in it. He also wiped out a half-mile line of trees for one shot (they put up signs warning people to stay away, but still).
At the heart of the sequence is Robert Duvall’s career-defining performance as Kilgore. First off, let’s talk range. Compare this to his other great Coppola-directed performance in The Godfather. Here, he embodies the surrealism of the sequence. The way he just stands there, unquestioning, as the bombs go off around him while everybody else ducks and covers doesn’t seem a question of bravery so much as clear, cool-headed insanity that allows him to survive simply because he accepts human suffering and the infliction of human suffering as part and parcel of his life’s work. He’s like an executive who takes advantage of the fact that he’s on a business trip in a place that has good surfing. You believe the regret in his voice when he says, “Someday this war’s gonna end.”
Incidentally, this is probably the only sequence on our list that has Ferdinand Marcos to thank for its existence. The helicopters used in and to
shoot the scene constituted the entire helicopter fleet of the Filipino air force at the time, and were frequently called away to fight insurgents.
See also: The rest of Apocalypse Now, Pearl Harbor attack in Pearl Harbor, liberation of the prison camp in Empire of the Sun.
Next: 40 barrels of fake blood were used in this sequence, and that was just for the water.
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