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Apocalypse ‘’movie of decade’And non as I'm leauin’,I’m weary as hell.The confusion I'm fcelin’Am't no tongue can tell.The words fill my head And fall to the floor,That if God is on our side He'll stop the next war.This is the final verse of Bob Dylan sWith (iod On Our Side It was written during the peak of the Vietnam hostilities. Not only an indictment against the war in Indochina. Dylan's song was a plea to end the destruction and waste of war in general The song has since become a classic.Director Francis Ford Coppola, with his long awaited Apocalypse Now , has created a film that iscertainlv destined to join Dylan's song as a classic. It is possibly the most brilliant film of the decade.Reportedly costing more than $30million to make. Apocalypse is far. far more than a spectacular John Wayne-ish war movie It is one man s prophetic vision that every man and woman with a drop of conscience must see.Many people may think that Coppola's movie is just another Vietnam war picture with a lot of 'shoot em up special effects that dazzle the viewers'( visit-*Representatives from three colleges will visit Middletown High School Thursday and talk to juniors and seniors about admission requirements, financial aid opportunities and other information Parents have been invited to visit the school guidance center and talk to the representatives The schedule is asfollows•Bryant College Thursday 10 30am•Boston College Thursday noon St Joseph's College of West Hartford. Conn.. Thursday, 1 p mbv R.E.Rcimera ........i ■»—— ...... m mwuSeve But Apocalypse Now looks beyond the spectacle of war. beyond its obvious insanity, beyond its malignancy, and ventures boldly into its blackened, stone-like heart.Apocalypse Now is a movie with a soul And it is a movie with a plea for all humanity to stop its horror before it is too late ..that is. if it isn't already too ta|t.Based on Joseph Conrad's novel. Heart of Darkness, the movie journeys deep into the jungles of Vietnam, where it depicts a war that has lost allsense of reason, credibility and. most importantly, all morality Today's sins of greed and power, enhanced by the magic of technology, have created amonstrous war that is without purpose, except for the gratification of those sins,Fvery second of the film is fully weighted with a stinging sense of surrealism Like a venomous snake. Apocalypse Now grips tightly with itsfangs and never lets go not even after the film is over And the venom is Coppola's revelation that man is on the verge of creatingfor himself the Apocalypse, the end of times To survive and avert the ultimate cataclysm man must remove the poison of amorality from his darkened heart\poealypse Now is the creation of an inspired group of men and women, from the writing to the photography to the acting There are few films, such as this one. that are imbued with a gripping. brooding urgent sense of pur-post*A doctoral thesis could be writtendetailing the movie's beautiful symbolism. relating its magnificent thematic structure, expressing its methods of weaving a web of horror All this is far beyond the scope of this review.But it is the emotional explosion of Apocalypse Now within the viewer's .conscience that is the important thingThough Marlon Brando, as Col Kurtz, who deserts from the American armed forces to the inner depths of the jungle, was reportedly paid more than $2 million for his efforts, his performance shows again that he is one of the most gifted actors of our time and well worth the monev.wBrando has a scene where, without a word and only his hand clutching his shaved head, he captures every shred of his character's torment Truly, the work of a brilliant actor.Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall are no less superb in their roles Sheen, who reportedly suffered a heart attack while filming in the nether recesses of the jungles, gives a performance that undoubtedly will be one of the highlights of his career It is through his eyes that the horror of the story is toldAnd Duvall is chilling as the crack-brained officer who knows no fear and treats the war as a holiday There is atrdistressing scene where he orders a beach cleared of Vietcong guerrillas, which results in the loss of several ofhis men all so he can enjoy some surfingWithout a doubt. Apocalypse Now isthe movie to see It is a movie that should and will cause anyone with evena toadstool s amount of brains and conscience to ask responsible questions of the world and society in which he lives and, most importantly, to ask questions of himselfThe power of the heart-wrenching Vpocalypse Now continues at the Star case Cinema on West Main Road inMiddletown
Newspaper Details
Newport Daily News
Newport, Rhode Island, US
Tue, Nov 13, 1979
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
Jon C.
NJ, USA 13 Jan 2020
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