Apocalypse Now
Jungle river mission
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely adapting Joseph Conrad's *Heart of Darkness* to the Vietnam War.
The film follows a captain sent upriver to assassinate a rogue colonel who has established himself as a god among local tribes.
Its title—combining apocalypse with temporal immediacy—has become shorthand for chaotic, hellish situations: The kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner was Apocalypse Now.
Southeast Asian coastal nation
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- river patrolMonitoring craft on waterways
- jungleDense tropical forest
- MekongMajor Southeast Asian river
Cambodia · military · soldiers · mission · assassination · airstrike · napalm · helicopters
Widely recognized, enduring
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
- classicOf lasting excellence
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- quotableWorth citing verbatim
Wagner · Heart of Darkness · Joseph Conrad · homage · parody · legacy · AFI · restoration
- Albert HallLondon's grand concert hall
- LanceMasculine given name
- photojournalistReporter who shoots pictures
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
Martin Sheen · Robert Duvall · Dennis Hopper · Laurence Fishburne · Harrison Ford · performance · method acting · improvisation
Mental derangement or folly
- darknessTotal absence of light
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- colonialismDomination through foreign settlement
imperialism · civilization · savagery · duality · obsession · descent · corruption · absurdity
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- screenplayFilm's written blueprint
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
- editingRefining content for clarity
narrative · production · budget overruns · documentary · Cannes · Palme d'Or · widescreen · voiceover
Vietnam
Southeast Asian coastal nation
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- river patrolMonitoring craft on waterways
- jungleDense tropical forest
Mekong · Cambodia · military · soldiers · mission · assassination · airstrike · napalm · helicopters · Huey
iconic
Widely recognized, enduring
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
- classicOf lasting excellence
- influentialHaving considerable effect
quotable · Wagner · Heart of Darkness · Joseph Conrad · homage · parody · legacy · AFI · restoration
Marlon Brando
- Albert HallLondon's grand concert hall
- LanceMasculine given name
- photojournalistReporter who shoots pictures
Martin Sheen · Robert Duvall · Dennis Hopper · Laurence Fishburne · Harrison Ford · ensemble · performance · method acting · improvisation
madness
Mental derangement or folly
colonialism · imperialism · civilization · savagery · duality · obsession · descent · corruption · absurdity · futility
Francis Ford Coppola
- cinematographyMotion picture visual craft
- screenplayFilm's written blueprint
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
editing · narrative · production · budget overruns · documentary · Cannes · Palme d'Or · widescreen · voiceover · napalm strike
- 1979 FilmsKramer vs Kramer, Rocky II, Star Trek, Mad Max, The Amityville Horror
- CoppolaThe Godfather, Sofia Coppola, Nicolas Cage
- 70sdisco, bell-bottoms, Saturday Night Fever, pet rock, leisure suits
- 70s CinemaThe Godfather, Star Wars, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- United ArtistsRocky, Rain Man, West Side Story, Annie Hall, Midnight Cowboy
- History FilmsLincoln, Gettysburg, Glory, Selma, Saving Private Ryan
Apocalypse NowThe Green Berets
Elite Army unconventional warfare unit
Top Gun · propaganda film · Rambo · American Sniper · Patton
apocalypse, apocryphal, apocalyptic, apocalyptical, apocalyptically