A Review of the film 'Apocalypse Now' for historical accuracies.

The United States of America have fought in many battles; for independence from its oppressors; for equal rights among its citizens; and to 'save' other countries from certain destruction, all of which have been fought under the socially perceived banner of freedom and democracy. The perceptions of the U.S. war efforts, both internally and internationally, changed however when it entered into the Vietnam War. The intent of this essay is to critically analyse the feature film: "Apocalypse Now", as either an accurate or inaccurate illustration of the Vietnam War, both in the U.S. and Vietnam. I aim to highlight how this film in itself, while truthfully depicting issues such leadership and the media, fails to correctly represent the past, especially the role of the Vietnamese, and its representation of American society.

Produced in 1979, Apocalypse Now was one of the very first films that came out of Hollywood that examined Vietnam.

A U.S. riverboat (Zippo monitor) deploying napalm ...

James Hardie Jr. and wife, Rev. Willard (LOC)

1. Sen. Ben Tillman, 2. John E. Osborne, 3. J.B. S...

It dealt with the story of 'Captain Willard debunking the Green Beret Colonel Kurtz who had turned renegade and led a private army of his own against the Viet Cong' . To director Francis Ford Coppola the driving force behind the motion picture was 'to create a film experience that would give its audience a sense of the horror, the madness, the sensuousness, and the moral dilemma of the Vietnam War' .

The [Vietnam] War was won on both sides: by the Vietnamese on the ground, by the Americans in the electronic mental space. And if the one side won an ideological and political victory, the other made "Apocalypse Now" and that has gone right around the world.

In order to suitably reflect on whether or not this film is a correct illustration of the Vietnam War, it is central to fully understand the position of U.S. both prior...