Scene Analysis: Apocalypse Now Directed By Francis Ford Coppola

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ARTS1501 Abigail Natnat March 30, 2016 N01100811 Film Essay Assignment The first sequence is the last scene from Apocalypse Now (1979) which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This scene is popularly known as “The Horror” and is a hybrid of classical paradigm and formalist style. It is a classical paradigm because the sequence is actually going about with a story which means that some of the parts are continually edited revealed to be in one setting which is the jungle where Captain Willard takes on with his assigned mission to deal with Colonel Kurtz. On the other hand, the scene is also a formalist style which particularly touches on each of the montage types. First, it is a conceptual type of montage because the theme …show more content…

This scene is a formalist style of editing. It starts off with Nicky Santoro played by Joe Pesci, a Mafia underboss as he begins to talk about his life being a robber as he continuously introduces the team behind their crimes as the rhythm of the blues music starts to play. Same goes with "Ace" Rothstein, played by Robert De Niro, a bookmaking wizard who describes Nicky’s exceptional skill in robbery and reveals how careful and detail-oriented he is. Another character is Ginger McKenna played by Sharon Stone, a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. The blues music used in the scene sets the tonal montage aspect because it expresses the characters’ laid-back personalities despite their unlawful way of living. More importantly, the conceptual montage is what reveals the key things to highlight about the story even though the shots are not continually edited to make up a story. Each shot is taken from random times and at random places. This helps in knowing the theme of uncertainty, just like a person not living a civilized and lawful life will experience not having a life with purpose or sense of direction. It can be seen through how the shots are taken because it brings the viewer’s eye to different directions. And just like the characters themselves, they are uncertain of what their actions may lead them

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