Apocalyptical Directing In Apocalypse Now

Apocalyptical Directing Francis Ford Coppola showcases his legendary directing skills in Apocalypse Now (1979), paying particular attention to the use and combination of both audio and editing. As Kurtz and Willard approach their fate at the climax of the film, Coppola utilizes and combines the concepts of sound, editing, and rhythm throughout the scene to reflect the action and narrative of the story. Coppola sets the climactic scene first with a long shot and long cut of Kurtz overlooking his village during a sacrificial ceremony delivering a monologue. Although the viewer cannot see Kurtz moving his mouth to speak, they can still infer it to be his diegetic voice because of the establishing shot as well as having been exposed to Kurtz's

This tactic of editing allows for the viewer to recognize continuity. Willard enters the room with Kurtz and looks off screen to the left. This action insinuates spatial layout of the characters in the room. A cutaway shot to Kurtz reading from a piece of paper into a microphone confirms Willard looks directly at Kurtz as hinted at by the shot/reverse-shot pattern.5 As Willard gets closer to Kurtz and the two make eye contact, the music grows louder and the combined rhythm of editing and sound increases in pace to the point where shots last only a second or two. This gives the viewer just a split chance to comprehend the contents of each image, thus raising tension.6 When Willard brings the blade down on Kurtz, Coppola implements a cutaway to an overlapping edit of the villagers repeatedly hacking at the bull bellow the temple for their sacrifice.7 The quick transition causes confusion and tension, but also causes juxtaposition and illuminates the idea of how soldiers are seemingly celebrated and yet sent to their utter destruction. The rapid transition of shots continues to match the music which continues to grow more cacophonous, and the juxtaposition is reinforced as