Apocalypse Now Essay

A Renewed Sense of Hopelessness: American Sentiment Following the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1955-1975) was overwhelmingly unpopular among Americans because it was one of the longest modern wars and they were losing so many civilians. The Vietnam War was the first “television war,” during which television became one of the main forms of media that informed civilians about the war. In addition to that, there were many prominent Vietnam War films that came out shortly after the war came to an end, playing a role in how Americans interpreted and remembered the war. Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) explores how soldiers abandon a certain aspect of themselves in order to contribute to the all-encompassing war effort. Lieutenant Colonel

During the Air Cavalry’s attack on Charlie’s Point. he blasts Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” utilizing both traditional weapons and psychological warfare, in order to terrorize Viet Cong civilians and boost his soldiers’ morale. The scene shows a peaceful Viet Cong village quickly being evacuated as civilians hear the song coming from the approaching helicopters. The view intercuts Viet Cong soldiers and civilians panicking and evacuating, with a view of the attack from the helicopter. In “The Spectacle of War and the Specter of ‘The Horror’: ‘Apocalypse Now’ and American Imperialism,” Keith Solomon claims that this aligns the audience with the Americans (Solomon). In addition to that, Solomon criticizes the discrepancy in portrayals of deaths of Viet Cong and Americans: whereas American injuries “are made to look horrible [which] elicits a sympathetic response . . . Vietnamese casualties, in contrast, are shown as entertainment” (Solomon). For instance, when an American soldier is wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore demands that his soldier receive immediate medical attention. Although Solomon’s claim is true, this scene holds American soldiers accountable for their unjust attack on civilians because it depicts them as terrorizing the Viet Cong; the audience’s view from the attacker’s