• Apocalypse Now is the second best film of all-time, which makes it the greatest war film, perhaps the greatest singular usage of set pieces in cinema, coppola’s finest film, amongst other praise I’d love to heap upon it.
  • Coppola’s use of smoke as a visual device stuck out to me– so much dry ice/smoke is used in this movie. The colored usage during the wagner score attack and used by the emcee after the playboy bunnies dance. Atmospheric for sure. It seems like it’s the rare scene/set piece where it isn’t used.
  • Synthesizer score. Of course the film has a brilliant rock and roll soundtrack and I just mentioned the wagner attack scene. You have jim morrison’s epic “the end” playing over the opening and finale. It’s devastating and, I think, the best two sequences of the film which would mean they rank amongst the greatest sequences in film history. You have the stones “no satisfaction” and then “Susie Q” during the bunnies’ dance. The simple guitar chord played while the boat finally arrives to brando’s camp is wonderful as well. However, this time, I was blown away by the near Vangelis-like blade runner synthesizer score that plays in-between these other elements. It’s eerie and a splendid addition to the score/soundtrack and of course legendary sound mixing achievement
  • When I mentioned Coppola on my top 100 directors of all-time countdown I talked about the final bull slaughtering sequence and how I was one of the better editing sequences in cinema history. I think I’ll just have to add the entire film. Have you ever noticed just how many long dissolves there are in this film? I mean the opening has one, the finale has one, and there are just a ton in between. It’s extremely effective and beautiful and I wish more films used this. I can’t recall a film that leant more highly on the use of the dissolve edit.
  • So successfully captures the lunacy of war
  • Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro’s greatest achievement
  • The opening sequence with the dissolves is really like montage that doesn’t fully edit. It so wonderfully blends the helicopter and ceiling fan with the face of sheen and the bombing of the jungle (which is either foreshadowing or a surrealism sequence—either way superb)
  • It’s the greatest voice over narration of all time with all due request to taxi driver, clockwork orange and goodfellas amongst others – sheen’s vocal work is so impressive- he’d do it again, albeit briefly, in the opening of 1991’s JFK from oliver stone
  • No opening credits at all
  • Brando is an important piece of casting (despite the weight gain—which I think Coppola does a wonderful job of shooting around)—the role needs brevity—to a lesser extend the brad pitt character in assassination of jesse james needs a star as well. Magnitude.
  • Grand scope, size, extras and clear attention to larger set pieces and ambitious filmmaking
  • Meditation on the ridiculousness of war—some catch 22 in there- rock and roll, surfing, camera’/filmmaking them (with coppola as a cameo), bunnies… It’s a satire amongst other things
  • Duvall’s 11 minutes on screen (Oscar nom) are electric
  • Alice in wonderland similarities with set pieces, la dolce vita (the whole move is set piece to set piece) set up as well, Aguirre, wizard of oz
  • The Madonna sequence in la dolce vita in comparison with the bunny sequence here. Lighting and spectacle while a criticism of those there
  • Very very busy sound design. The greatest sound design ever
  • Interlaces dissolves of sheen’s eye in close up with voice over
  • Frederick forrest is electric- it’s his best performance as is hopper who is pitch perfect
  • The do lung bridge sequence… it’s an absolute visual jaw-dropping set piece
  • Coppola is a genius of, amongst other things, casting and talent, It cost him a fortune to reshoot it with sheen but he’s so perfect and coppola is well known for discovering talent (pacino, duvall, cruise, fishburne, lane, cage, talia shire (granted those 2 are family amongst others).
  • The smoke as a visual is coppola designing mise-en-scene like a painter
  • So many singular images to capture- amongst the best of them are the creative ways he lights brando
  • Giant Masterpiece