"Soldier...do you know who's in charge here?" "Yeah."

Fun fact: Martin Sheen wasn't supposed to break the mirror, but he smashed it by accident, and they just kept filming the scene.

Never has a film used the medium to show the breaking of the human soul so well. Such a beautiful masterwork.

Every line from this movie is quotable... "I had hardly said a word to my wife until I said 'yes' to a divorce"

I think Brando (Kurtz) was portrayed in the shadows the whole movie simply because he was massively overweight at the time - not a typical trait of a Special Forces officer.

"Never get out of the boat, absolutely goddamn right unless you were going all the way"

You're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill.

The use of The Doors song The End was extremely well placed for the movie. I really messed up song for a really messed up thought process.

Also, "Apocalypse Now" is a stunning reimagining of "Heart of Darkness". It must be one of the best book-to-movie adaptations, ever.

my favorite line is by Kilgore : " some day this war is going to over." i served in iraq. there are days i miss it. when my unit was getting ready to go home. i tried in vain to stay behind. i felt that i had nothing to go back to. no career, no partner or child. no family that wouldn't eventually get over my demise and move on. there is an inherent absolution in war. one is so focused on the next 5 minutes, forgetting the past becomes a form of forgiveness. there is only honorable and amoral action. there is only adrenaline and rest. there are only brothers and enemies . any grey area becomes lost in the brown muddy haze of the next dust storm. THREE THOUGHTS ON MY WARFARE I. Sometimes I feel that had I died in combat, I would achieve vindication, all my sins forgiven. The bullet ending my life would bring with it absolution. However should I survive such an endeavor again, I will be empowered to all ends. II. I fear failure more than the fire-fight. I fear addiction more than torture. I fear loneliness more than capture. There must be a way to take command of my life, another way to live other than to willingly descend into the dark waters of combat. Why more than now, is my fear the object of my fear? Perhaps my age? Perhaps I feel that by now I would have had my life figured out? Maybe I feel that its just a matter of time before I am crushed beneath the weight of wrong doings and mistakes. God help me. And if going to Hell is my only way of reaching Heaven, So be it. III. I'm not looking to achieve immortality through marble monuments or scholarly mentions. At the most maybe my life could serve as an example: That a man can raise himself from the grave. I know in my heart of hearts, even though sometimes I don't believe it: That even when it's really bad, it's still all good...

Heart of Darkness does criticise British imperialism but only the extent that it goes after imperialism in general. But the Congo was part of Belgium's empire not the UK's

The Heart of Darkness trilogy: Heart of Darkness. Apocalypse Now. Spec Ops: The Line.

The relationship between Willard and Kurtz, as well as the way it ends, reminds me of Edward Norton's character in Fight Club and Tyler Durden.

A friend who was in Vietnam during the war told me that Apocalypse Now was the most realistic movie about the experience of the Vietnam War for American soldiers that he'd ever seen.

I love the smell of Crash Course in the morning. Smells like... film analysis.

The greatest film ever made.

You could have mentioned the French as the last station of sanity and the last chance for redemption..and the great line that explains the troubled mind :" there are two in you, the one who loves and the one who kills "

The psychological discussion here makes me remember when I read Slaughterhouse Five in high school. Great analysis!

Robert Duvall is such an underrated actor. He deserves more than the one Oscar he won.

Charlie don't surf!

In the case of "Heart of Darkness", wouldn't it be Belgian imperialism?

I love the smell of Crash Course film criticism in the morning.....no wait!!! Is the afternoon, how long have I been sleeping??

Never in my life have I seen, nor think I will ever see, a better opening to any movie than that of Apocalypse Now. Perfect song choice, stunning visuals and effects coming together to say... welcome to hell. Brilliant.

I think Kurtz’s final words refer to his welcoming of death. He mentions earlier to Willard that he has made friends with horror, and wants Willard to tell his son everything about him when he dies, as if Kurtz knows he will die soon. When Willard attacks him, he shows no resistance, and his final words are his way of accepting death and greeting it.

Here's my take on Willard and Kurtz. A lot of people believe that Kurtz wasn't insane but enlightened. Some kind of damaged genius. I think they are wrong and here is why. Kurtz was definitely insane but he was also enlightened at the same time. The reason why I think he is insane because he kills pretty indiscriminately, like the part where the reporter says that he threatened to kill him for taking his picture. And the grotesque hanging naked bodies etc etc. See, the River was the journey - almost like a long obstacle course - and Kurtz made it through it. He achieved enlightenment were he saw the absurdity of it all and he also embraces the horror as his friend, just like he described in the monologue about the Cadres. The problem is that it broke him and he embraced it to the point that he lost all sense of right and wrong. Willard, went down the same River journey, achieved the same enlightened understanding as Kurtz, embraced horror as a friend, but did not break as Kurtz did. He was the perfect soldier that Kurtz described. For this reason, Kurtz recognized that Willard was the greater man than himself and determined that he was worthy enough to allow him to end his life. After Willard kills him, he is greeted with the same worship from the followers as Kurtz received, which further shows that Willard was greater. And when Willard rejects it, grabs Lance and leaves, he shows my earlier point: He was strong enough to endure all of that, embraced horror as a friend etc, but still come back from the edge that Kurtz went over. Willard was the perfect soldier.

God, I remember watching this movie for the first time. It was after having my wisdom teeth removed, and I was high out of my mind on the pain meds they'd give me. It was absolutely insane.

I know one thing - Apocalypse Now is not complete as a film without the entirety of the scene at the French plantation.

It's truly an amazing story, the actors, the director, the film. It's the decent into madness on and off screen. It's life changing for all participants, it's the Heart of Darkness and it's passing from one to another.

The scene where Kurtz talks about the "little pile of severed arms" is a grotesque part that explains his mentality. He realizes that the people who cut off these children's arms were not necessarily evil but people who were willing to suspend their morality to win the war. Kurtz hence follows their example and we are told his method does work by enemy activity dropping to nothing, however, he is operating without the permission of his commanding officers who believe he has gone insane. We don't want to believe there is a logic to how Kurtz is fighting - which is essentially not caring about being a war criminal - but we do have to ask if there isn't a logic to it. Do we have to be bloodthirsty to fight bloodthirsty people? How low do we have to go to succeed? Would we do the same thing?

I loved the redux. The perspective of the French was very enlightening in a historical sense. The Vietnamese envied the USA and wanted to be free as Americans are in contrast to French colonialism and occupation. It's interesting how Ho Chi Mihn spent many years learning different cultures to include Russian, European, and American life firsthand. When Mihn became a communist from a socialist and led his people toward those ideals it solidified their fate and put them further from independence because the western world would never have embraced red.It's unfortunate how that war panned out for all parties involved. Only the dead have seen the end of war, there were no winners or losers just war and it impacted millions in tragic fashion. I value my time in the Marine infantry and I encourage people to get involved and leave the confines of their homelands and the restriction of second and third party information, spearheaded by mainstream media, to embrace new ideas, share cultures, and pass on refined legacies to our inheritance. We can learn a lot from history and break vicious cycles if we are bold enough to break from our comfort zones with inquisitive intent to understand humanity and its course. Just the musings of an nonintellectual. Just a rifleman. Good show Crash Course.

It's one of the best movies ever made. One that works on so many levels and each level completely satisfying.

I use this film in a modern media course I teach. This is a haunting vision of war and of what war (the Vietnam War in particular) does to those involved. Another interpretation of the movie is that it is a metaphor for the entire American experience in Vietnam. As the boat goes further and further into the river, the more insane and difficult it gets. Likewise, the deeper the boat goes, the harder it is to get back to where you started. So, as America got deeper into the war, the more insane it got and the harder it was to end it.

My late father who was a Vietnam Vet, will be 2 years since he passed May 3. Hearing his time in Nam, 3 movies match perfectly. Full Metal Jacket, Platoon and Apocalypse Now (especially his black ops mission)

Yes... bold, messy and definitively a masterpiece!

Can't wait for Pan's Labyrinth! That was the movie that made me love film study, and embrace anything with subtitles.

The Congo was a Belgium colony not English.

one of the greatest movies ever made. but definitely not just a war movie. i would say it is primarily a thriller/suspense film, and as well as drama, taking place during the Vietnam war.

This is my favorite movie. It is the only movie which I have an actual copy of. Well, Apocalypse Now: Redux, that is.

One of my favourite movies of all time timeless classic

In order to understand this movie, you need to start with its sources: Heart of Darkness, Eliot's "The Wasteland," the grail myth and the fisher king myth, the Nibelungenlied, and to understand the ending, The Golden Bough.

Not only is this one of the greatest films of all time, but the documentary Heart of Darkness made my Coppola's wife is excellent in it's own right. Watch Apocalypse Now and then watch that.

There are also parallels with The Odyssey. The Playboy Bunnies are the sirens, the Do Long bridge is the underworld, etc. So many different lenses through which to view this wonderful film. Too bad Coppala never made another film worth watching.

1:47 it's a critique of all imperialism but more specifically Belgian imperialism as the Congo was a Belgian colony

I well tell you how Apocalypse Now is, its one of the best films ever made. It gets so haunting after starting, its a favorite of mine man

I suggest that anyone into this film reads the original book ‘Heart of darkness’ on which it is based.

You guys should totally do one on 'The Conversation' as well! But no hurries, Coppola's great, but there's still time to savour other directors too! Looking forward for the Pan's Labyrinth episode!

Best episode so far, it has everything!

That was a great analysis of an awesome film, Michael. I remember watching Apocalypse Now when really young and not really understanding a lot. Then I revisited it much older and really grasped the depth of the film. Amazing stuff.

I am so psyched for Pan's Labyrinth

This well crafted introspective may be the segway needed for the next generations renewed interest in this epic film. Well done

Just saw the 40th anniversary version Apocalypse Now : Final Cut in the cinema. Amazing experience seeing it on the big screen with Dolby surround sound. I recommend seeing if you get the chance.

Glad they did this one. Great movie. I do wonder much it's interpretation outreaches it's actual content

My favorite film of all time. What a masterpiece.

Heart of Darkness isn’t a critique on British Imperialism, since the Congo, where it’s set, wasn’t a British colony but a Belgian one.

Excellent analysis! Crash Course Film Crit never fails! Really excited for the next episode tho since it'll showcase Del Torro's Pan's Labyrinth!!

Not trying to sound ignorant, but wasn't Brando in shadows because he was very overweight?

Very good interpretation I think because these are points I would overlook . I would watch a movie to relax and enjoy it. Not to psychoanalyze and interpret the symbolism....at least not at first

The moment where Willard shoots the wounded girl... that's illustrative of a dangerous state of mind that every one of us need to watch out for. Every last one of us. 😣

RIP R. Lee Ermey

Great video, I love Apocalypse Now and I had no idea about the difficulties filming, which seems so fitting for the movie they were making. However you hit a pet peeve of mine with "epileptic seizures", Epilepsy is the term for a seizure condition not a type of seizure, one can have Tonic-clonic (or grand mal) seizures (like I used to), Myoclonic seizures, Absence (or petit mal) seizures, Focal Seizures, etc. Given he you said he had "a seizure" not several he doesn't have epilepsy, you need to have a few to qualify, if it isn't really know which kind he had it's better to just say "he had a seizure".

never saw the theatrical cut. have only now finished the extended cut. stands up extremely well

I always wondered what happened to Colby the soldier who went in before Willard.

Ya, dont agree with yalls interpretation, but love yall givin it some love

Not even a mention to John Milius, the principal writer of the movie.

This was one of those movies that went over my head. I was expecting a “Platoon” or “Saving Private Ryan”. Needless to say, I’m not a fan lol. I can definitely see how it would appeal to people that like to pick movies apart.

Pan's Labyrinth that should be good!

To me this is one of the very few movies that isn't multi genre, but completely defies genre. I love this movie, but after watching this analysis I have a new respect for it, and Francis Ford Coppola.

I like the part where they are fighting at night and the soldier with a grenade luncher is able to hear a injured VC and launch the Grenade luncher to kill him, just by using sound and nothing else.

This was 70% plot summary and 30% two criticism quotations.

My only gripe in this commentary is the lack of recognition of Milius's contribution. His imprints are all over the film.

7:04 Wrong! During the Beach Assault Willard fires his M16 from the Huey.

Hello I am from India and in my 10th standard history textbook we had achapter called "Nationalism in Indo China". Apocalypse now is mentioned and they encourage us to watch the film. I personally found it very interesting. It was a good movie, as Francis tried to make sense of the Vietnamese war, whereas in films like John Wayne's Green Berets people were encourged to serve in the war. Apocalypse now is unique indeed.

Depending on the print you see, Apolypse Now ends either with a black screen or the explosion of Kurtz's camp...indicating an air strike was launched.

That's exactly how i viewed the ending as well,Kurtz reflecting back on his time in Vietnam and the vicious nature and out of control manner which it had become with no ending in sight except for his final solution for victory which entailed parting ways from the traditional order of battle,thus uttering his final words,The Horror,The Horror.

You mentioned Scorsese. I just finished Hugo. One more like!

Apocalypse Now’s opening scene is one of the best I have seen ever

kurtz is based on the real life Barry Peterson an australian soldier sent into vietnam by the cia his story is fascinatingly documented in the book the tiger man of vietnam its a realy good read.

It is, indeed, a true American masterpiece.

“Heart of Darkness” is about Belgian imperialism, not British.

I often saw the movie as looking into the darkness of the soul. It looks into the heart of darkness inside man, just like the book, it looks deep into the part of humans that we do are best to pretend aren't really. Kurtz was the best of the best we are told during the movie, but in the end the dark madness took him.

Thanks for this tribute, Apocalypse Now is a masterpiece. My favorite film ever, a legendary movie, amazing work on the photography, sound, etc

PAN'S LABYINTH~??!? * screaming *

heart of darkness is set in the congo free state that was belgian not british imperialism

_Without a doubt, the film is a masterpiece!_

"You'll never find out who you are working in a factory in Ohio." Your preferred critique is spot on.

Excellent! My favorite movie ever

Perfect timing to release this because my class is doing a comparison assignment between Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now

I remember being a little kid and watching this with my father back to back with The Fight for Hamburger Hill. It was interesting seeing a more gritty war film instead of all the over-the-top and self indulgent war movies where it's a clear good v bad and the good guy always winning.

"Heart of Darkness" is set in the Belgian Congo: Conrad was criticizing Belgian colonialism, not British. It was King Leopold II of Belgium's personal private property and a truly horrendous, shameful despicable low point in humanity's history. The Belgians chopped off the hands and arms of thousands of native Congolese (men, women and children) over rubber quotas. A true crime against humanity at least the equivalent of anything the Nazi's or Communists ever did.

The ending is the worst in all of movie history: Coppola sets its up perfectly, then flubs it. He originally intended the aesthetically more logical ending -- Kurz converts Willard to his way of thinking -- and then betrayed himself (and us) by not pulling it off. It would have required some brilliant writing from Coppola and brilliant acting from Brando. They both failed miserably . . .

CRASH COURSE FILM CRITICISM DON'T SURF!

One of the greatest war movies ever made.

Why no mention of Aguirre: The Wrath Of God?

Michael, would you do a special one for this and go over the differences between the original cut and the Part Deux re-release?

Masterpiece.

This is my absolute favourite movie of all time.

All i heard was Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones...

Every scene.= A Gem....All the persona well illustrated...The Whole Mixture = Heart of Darkness....

Between this an Coming Home in a Bodybag for best Vietnam film.

In my top 5 of all time favorite films, was at #1 for a long time. Still my favorite Vietnam movie.