Rachel Bond
Analyse the representation of the US military in ‘Apocalypse Now’
The beach party scene is set at night on a beach where the American soldiers are clearly resting and the voice-over tells us that it is a beach party. The main characters in this scene are the narrator Willard, and Kilgore who is introduced by the narrative. Kilgore is shown as the boss as he is casual and slightly arrogant, with the rest of the men gather around him showing his importance. His cavalry-style hat marks him out as the boss, and he is playing an acoustic guitar which gives him a relaxed image and makes the scene seem more laid back. The men are drinking beer and barbequing steaks, showing that they are trying to have a good time despite being in the middle of a war. The casual racism and disregard for the life of Vietnamese civilians shows a negative side to the American army. The soldiers seem laid back and disorganised. The surfboards show a light side to the battle, and a cut from bombs and weaponry to the surfboards shows the contrast. The setting with the sunrise shows the juxtaposition of beauty against violence and war. Women and children are shown to demonise the Americans as they are attacking innocents; the excitement and tension caused by the music in the previous scenes made it seem as though they were about to embark on some heroic venture, but it is clear that they are not as admirable as they earlier appeared. The Vietnamese are clearly going to lose the battle as they have far fewer weapons and the Americans have helicopters and heavy artillery, which suggests an element of the unfairness of the situation; clearly the Vietnamese stand to lose a lot more, and they are killed even as they run away unarmed. This creates a sense of pathos with the audience for the Vietnamese, and shows the cruelty of war; it does not portray the Vietnamese as deserving this treatment. The harshness of war is also shown by the fear of the young soldiers in the helicopters, who are in danger of dying before they had a chance to fulfil opportunities. Kilgore is portrayed as dispassionate with a disregard for the destruction and damage that they are causing, saying that he will buy beer for the soldiers who shot down the artillery, which trivialises the violence and shows that he almost sees war as a game. This is also apparent from his preference to organise surfing rather than strategise about the fighting, and how he puts on music in his helicopter to frighten the enemy and raise the men’s morale, which seems to confuse the other soldiers. However, although not seeming to have much interest in the battle, Kilgore is also shown as being very efficient when giving out orders and being able to organise his men in the battle.
