Film Essay - Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s...

Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now The era of the 1960’s was one of change, just like so many of the enduring songs say. With words like revolution and freedom being used to promote movements that changed our society forever. The most important being the Civil Rights movement, and arguably the most influential: the sexual revolution. While great new ideas and beliefs were starting to take root, morals and social constructs that had been established were endangered of being lost in the mix. The moral code that had endured for so long was suddenly overlooked, or overpowered by a generation that was not interesting in listening to the older, conventional generations. The pressure to find new ways of thinking†¦show more content†¦(Brantlinger, 262). The soldiers in the movie may have been an exaggeration of true life, but Coppola’s interpretation reflects one who personally experienced the cultural reaction. The images on television, the political demonstrations, the movements, even the arrival of p sychedelic drugs, all escalated the nation in a way that was unprecedented. Coppola brought that heightened sense of awareness to the cinematic experience. The film starts with a song â€Å"The End† by the Doors. The lyrics of the song, written by the infamous Jim Morrison, describe a story like Oedipus: â€Å"I’ll never look into your eyes†¦again†, â€Å"Father, yes son, I want to kill you†. Some have speculated this to be parallel to the plot, and also correlates back to Heart of Darkness. â€Å"Also as in Heart of Darkness, Coppola’s frame creates an appropriate bridge between the bizarre tale about to unfold and the wider context of modern cultural experience.†(Greiff). It is a significant symbol of the time. Jim Morrison was well known as a drug user, poet, and an all around menace to a lawful society. His rebellious persona was not uncommon for his time, he was a voice for a generation that believed â€Å"the time to hesitate is through.† The song plays with scenes of a burning jungle: Coppola’s uncomfortable tone is set. Willard is first introduced in a hotel room where he is losing his mind. He doesn’t speak