The movie, made in 1979, has remained relevant ever since. So much so, that when a redux version featuring some 40 minutes of extra footage was released, it caused a mad scramble to own it.
The director was Francis Ford Cuppola, a path breaking filmmaker and one of the movie brats of the 70's alongside Lucas and Spielberg. On the back of the successes of 'The Godfather' and 'The Conversation', he came up with his own version of a war epic. The difference was, this wasn't about our heroes coming back with the flag wrapped around them.
The basic storyline was drafted in from the 'Heart Of Darkness' by Josephy Conrad, a story about one man's journey up the Congo. However, this being the 70's, the Congo became the Mekong snaking through the battlefields of Vietnam. With a cast comprising of Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando, Coppola had the pieces in place. The production had it's share of bad luck and then some more. With budget problems and a Martin Sheen heart attack, mixed with Marlon Brando's overweight appearance, the production was fraught with setbacks.
The basic premise of the movie was the travails of Captain Jess Willard (Sheen) and his journey up the Mekong river with a boat crew that included a very young Lawrence Fishburne. Tasked by his superiors to assassinate Col Walter E Kurtz (Brando), a model officer gone astray and commanding his own Vietnamese troops who revere him as a God. The journey up the river has episodes ranging from beach battles to playboy playmates and some very tough choices.
The end has been the most widely debated part and even Coppola has admitted there were separate ones filmed because he couldn't decide which one to keep. Whether Marlon Brando would live or die was the question and it was answered emphatically enough as the screen faded to black. The movie provides enough remarkable moments that have become a part of movie folklore. As an example, the helicopters flying into battle to the tune of Richard Wagner's 'Ride Of The Valkyries' is oft voted the greatest scene in all movie history. Brilliant dialogue, terse yet saying reams about the characters and their struggles. From 'The Horror' to "We train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won't allow them to write "fuck" on their air planes because it's obscene!". The movie is a veritable treasure of memorable quotes.The director's finesse is apparent and a case could be argued that Coppola never touched greater heights. His sheer skill of letting the characters explore themselves is almost like reading a book where the canvas is far wider. His vision dwarfs most war films and this can best be seen in the final sequence when shots of a water buffalo being sacrificed and Willard doing what he had to do are juxtaposed with the psychedelic ending of 'The End' by The Doors. This film is easily one of the greater war films ever made and it dwarfs much of the competition. The inherent darkness and gloom make it into a true masterpiece sitting alongside greats such as Oliver Stone's 'The Platoon' and Terence Mallick's 'The Thin Red Line' it is indeed a true masterpieces.
Indeed, the greatest irony is that amidst a film which feeds on morbidity and darkness, lies one of the highest points of cinema.
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