Francis Ford Coppola is a director who has dabbled a little in every genre, never really settling down, never developing his own "tropes", never becoming predictable. Masters like Martin Scorsese certainly deserve their credit, but watching a Scorsese film, you know you're going to get fast-dolly-in movements, and you're probably going to get some Rolling Stones soundtrack. There are few similarities between Apocalypse Now, Rumble Fish and The Godfather, so with Coppola, you really never know what to expect.
The film is allegedly based on Heart of Darkness, the novel, but outside of a few key parallels, the two are very different stories, albeit sharing a similar nihilistic tone and a few moments. We follow Martin Sheen as the alcoholic Captain Ben J. Willard, a secret operative who has grown more and more psychotic in his time away from the action.
He only wants to get back in the field, while he's still strong, and sane, enough to fight. He's not patriotic, he simply has nothing else to live for and can't take another day imprisoned in this room. We start with helicopters flying overhead, and Benjamin Willard going slowly insane.
The famous shot of Sheen punching the mirror was not scripted. He really went that crazy. The film is full of scenes and moments that were not scripted, and not just because of Coppola's open attitude towards improvisation. The making of feature on this film is just about as wild and as fascinating as the movie itself, but we've only got time to review one or the other for now...
The movie is simply loaded with unforgettable characters. Without even discussing the main cast, we have Cockroach, a youth from Harlem capable of sleeping through the most intense battle, waking up to launch a perfectly arced grenade at an enemy hiding in the shadows, eliminate him, and go back to sleep. We have Dennis Hopper as a maniacal photo journalist, and Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a mix of samurai, Patton and surfer dude, sending his men out to hit the waves amidst napalm detonating against the beach.
This is without even mentioning any of the main characters. You could remove Kilgore, Dennis Hopper or Cockroach and still tell this story. Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz is, in fact, the heart of the film, despite not even appearing until the final act of the story. Even without appearing on screen until the finale, his existence casts a nihilistic dread across the atmosphere of the movie.
The film works on every level. It's an incredible action film, a fascinating political statement, it's funny, and, at times, it's even endearing. However, while it succeeds on all these levels, the nihilism cast over the film by Kurtz and Willard eventually overwhelms all these other aspects and creates a film that is dark, psychedelic, and a frightening look into the human heart.
While Coppola claims Rumble Fish as the personal favorite amongst his body of work, his fans typically consider it to be between Apocalypse Now and The Godfather Part II. It is, at the very least, his most wild, insane and epic film to date. - 40730
The film is allegedly based on Heart of Darkness, the novel, but outside of a few key parallels, the two are very different stories, albeit sharing a similar nihilistic tone and a few moments. We follow Martin Sheen as the alcoholic Captain Ben J. Willard, a secret operative who has grown more and more psychotic in his time away from the action.
He only wants to get back in the field, while he's still strong, and sane, enough to fight. He's not patriotic, he simply has nothing else to live for and can't take another day imprisoned in this room. We start with helicopters flying overhead, and Benjamin Willard going slowly insane.
The famous shot of Sheen punching the mirror was not scripted. He really went that crazy. The film is full of scenes and moments that were not scripted, and not just because of Coppola's open attitude towards improvisation. The making of feature on this film is just about as wild and as fascinating as the movie itself, but we've only got time to review one or the other for now...
The movie is simply loaded with unforgettable characters. Without even discussing the main cast, we have Cockroach, a youth from Harlem capable of sleeping through the most intense battle, waking up to launch a perfectly arced grenade at an enemy hiding in the shadows, eliminate him, and go back to sleep. We have Dennis Hopper as a maniacal photo journalist, and Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a mix of samurai, Patton and surfer dude, sending his men out to hit the waves amidst napalm detonating against the beach.
This is without even mentioning any of the main characters. You could remove Kilgore, Dennis Hopper or Cockroach and still tell this story. Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz is, in fact, the heart of the film, despite not even appearing until the final act of the story. Even without appearing on screen until the finale, his existence casts a nihilistic dread across the atmosphere of the movie.
The film works on every level. It's an incredible action film, a fascinating political statement, it's funny, and, at times, it's even endearing. However, while it succeeds on all these levels, the nihilism cast over the film by Kurtz and Willard eventually overwhelms all these other aspects and creates a film that is dark, psychedelic, and a frightening look into the human heart.
While Coppola claims Rumble Fish as the personal favorite amongst his body of work, his fans typically consider it to be between Apocalypse Now and The Godfather Part II. It is, at the very least, his most wild, insane and epic film to date. - 40730
About the Author:
People use this coupon book throughout the year, if used that will save your money on just about everything you do and need. Music Download Most of us do not even realize what insular and separate lives we lead until we need someone on whom we can rely for help. Really, youve got to check it out yourself to see what I mean.
No comments:
Post a Comment