Apocalypse Now: Kilgore and the helicopter attack scene

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CHARACTER

first scene

- Kilgore views himself as heroic 

- he's confident in himself, abilities and men

- Kilgore symbolises the American military 

- his stance projects confident and his ego

- he represents American victory

following scenes

- sort of 'nurturing' when bringing civilians into safety

- calm under pressure

- mixture of assurance with skewered priorities 

- barely notices what's around him 

- his attitude and posture to dangers differs from the soldiers around him

- unusual multitasking and attitude


 CINEMATOGRAPHY

- Kilgore is on the centre of the frame, conveying his importance and how he dominates amongst the ones around him

- American military go past dead women and children, suggesting a patriarchal society and what type of people were more vulnerable during that time

- the low angle shot of Kilgore shows his level of confidence, power and authority

- he's always physically shown at a higher level in contrast to the other soldiers


EDITING

- jump cuts

  • Coppola uses a harsh cut to juxtapose the American soldiers and the villagers in which consists of women and children

- inter-cutting

- continuity editing



MISE-EN-SCENE

  • iconography ( object with a symbolic meaning behind it )
  1. - Death card
  2. - Hat
  3. - costumes
- thick ring, emphasising his eccentric personality 


SOUND

- " I love the smell of napalm in the morning" ( said after ordering an Ari strike ) encapsulating his insensitive personality

- "some day this war is gonna end"

- helicopter scene begins with "Ride of the Valkyries" - a non-diabetic sound is used effectively to portray the enormity of the situation

- the music cuts out as we are shown a peaceful environment of a school right after loud soldiers in helicopters seeking for danger. These two scene contrast each other greatly, highlighting imperialism. They act as if they own the land, and see these villagers as the enemies when it's clearly them.


PERFORMANCE

- Kilgore's posture represents more superiority and assertiveness in comparison to the other soldiers

- the way he presents himself is very arrogant

THEMES

- evil

- corruption

- war

- misuse of power

- identity

- culture

- interventionism = interferences in political affairs of another country 



Armed Storytelling: The Weaponry of Apocalypse | Apocalypse Now 101


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