tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654907337795243186.post5264307783577355014..comments2024-02-05T08:24:58.654+00:00Comments on Three men on a blog: FILM REVIEW: Apocalypse Now (1979)Tom Waleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07174567275936628341noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654907337795243186.post-58740229638307988872011-06-21T01:31:57.400+01:002011-06-21T01:31:57.400+01:00Thank you for your comment Niels. I don't foll...Thank you for your comment Niels. I don't follow that blog very closely, but I have been trying to push up the number of films I have seen on said list.<br /><br />I think you make a very valid point about Coppola's intentions, but I would still argue that the film leaves the actual morality of the Vietnam War up to the audience. Coppola's focus may be on the disastrous aspect of Vietnam from a character point of view, but it doesn't directly extend into a political indictment of the war.<br /><br />As for Full Metal Jacket, I must disagree. I don't think there is a single aspect of Kubrick's film which glorifies the actions of the military - or if it does, it does so in a blackly ironic way. Its examination of the military is rooted in the concept that the rules and running of the army is inherently absurd. While you admire the characters as human beings, the film never makes out that what they are doing is praiseworthy, at least not from a gung-ho point of view.<br /><br />Cheers for your comment, please keep following the blog :)Daniel Mumbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08420635084572153150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-654907337795243186.post-5663074363145615902011-06-20T13:48:06.994+01:002011-06-20T13:48:06.994+01:00Great review. I just checked your profile because ...Great review. I just checked your profile because we both seem to be reading Craig's IMDB TOP 250 Challenge blog. <br /><br />I greatly enjoyed reading your very accurate and thought-provoking review, made all the more appealing to me because I just reviewed this film as part of my own attempt to watch all of the films that are part of the TOP 250 at IMDB. <br /><br />I disagree with you on something though. As much as I would like to think that Coppola does not take a clear stance in favor or against the war, I think it is fair to say that by portraying, and choosing to focus, on the disastrous aspect of the American invasion and what it did to break the spirit of good men is as strong of a statement as one could make. It is true that it is not clearly stated, but no good film touching upon the subject of war should, as it would start to feel preachy and artistically inconsequential as a result. <br /><br />Full Metal Jacket feels to me, for example, as less of an indictment as it sometimes glorifies the actions of the military as if they were human feats worthy of praise. Apocalypse Now never goes in that direction, staying away from portrayals that could elevate the action of the American soldier to a level of heroism that it does not deserve. Instead, Apocalypse takes the side of the soldier, not to glorify him, but to pity him. Colonel Kurtz is the ultimate tragic character. He could have been someone important, a leader of men who, because of a senseless war, lost his faith and soul, waiting in the depths of Cambodia to meet his death, which he welcomes in order to free himself of his miserable existence.<br /><br />NielsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com