Madness and Apocalypse Now

Like most great films Apocalypse Now creates themes and motifs that encourage audiences to make intellectual judgments and interpretations. The themes and motifs that are generated by a film like Apocalypse Now allow the viewer to create a sense of meaning throughout the film. The movie Apocalypse Now contains many themes and motifs that can be recognized through the storyline and thematic elements used to enhance the meaning of the movie. The most significant and crucial theme of the movie is madness as a consequence of war. This theme is represented by numerous elements such as cinematography and the acting performances of the actors. The main character, Captain Willard, struggles with reality throughout the duration of his journey into the heart of the jungle. He and his transporters are sent on a mission that deals with the epitome of hypocrisy. It also deals with senseless killings and irrational leadership. Having already fulfilled a tenure in the Vietnam War Captain Willard feels as though he is alienated by civilized society. He feels a loss of touch with reality, which is the reason he is compelled to go back and complete the mission he was assigned. His reality is war and without it he is lost. Apocalypse Now is renowned as one of the greatest war films of all time. Apocalypse Now illustrates the realities and madness of war as shown by the dynamic change of the characters and the cinematography.

As the film begins the audience is introduced to a manic-depressive, drunken soldier named Captain Willard. Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, looks as though he has reached his breaking point. As the scene goes on the viewer learns that Captain Willard has already fulfilled a tour of duty. The war has irreversibly changed Captain Willard. The fact that Captain Willard accepted a mission and stated, “ What the hell else was I gonna do?” clearly exemplifying that Willard’s reality is war. His life has been consumed by war for some time and no longer...